Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust
Chicago, IL · EIN 36-7010559. Reported 88 grants totalling $11.5M to 73 recipients across tax years 2020-2023. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $50,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $25,000 and $100,000; the smallest was $10,000 and the largest $3,094,947. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| See Attached Schedule | See Attached, IL | $5,648,288 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance | Chicago, IL | $640,782 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| National Museum of Mexican Art | Chicago, IL | $484,300 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Chicago Opera Theater | Chicago, IL | $472,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Chapin Hall Center for Children | Chicago, IL | $350,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| P33 | Chicago, IL | $300,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Illinois Justice Project | Chicago, IL | $282,700 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Better Government Association Inc | Chicago, IL | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Kenneth C Griffin Museum of Science and Industry | Chicago, IL | $157,325 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Lyric Opera of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Chicago Community Trust | Chicago, IL | $150,000 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Illinois Railway Museum | Union, IL | $110,400 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum | Springfield, IL | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| CASA Central | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 2 | 1 | 2023 |
| Chicago Theatre Group Inc | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Goodman Theatre | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois Inc | Skokie, IL | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Merit School of Music | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Navy Pier Inc | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago | Chicago, IL | $95,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Ann and Robert H Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago Foundation | Chicago, IL | $80,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Art Institute of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Shriver Center on Poverty Law | Chicago, IL | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Southland Development Authority | Tinley Park, IL | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Erie Family Health Center Inc | Chicago, IL | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Revolution Workshop | Chicago, IL | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Center for Railroad Photography and Art Inc | Madison, WI | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chicago Commons Association | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chicago Foundation for Women | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Friends of the World Food Program Inc | Washington, WA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Heartland Alliance International LLC | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Ingenuity Incorporated Chicago | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Inspiration Corporation Inc | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Juvenile Protective Association | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Legal Action Chicago | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Meals on Wheels Foundation of Northern Illinois | North Riverside, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Metropolitan Family Services | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Metropolitan Mayors Causus Foundation | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Upwardly Global | New York, NY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Musical Arts Institute | Chicago, IL | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Code Platoon | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Guest House | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Guitars Over Guns Organization | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Oak Park and River Forest Infant Welfare Society | Oak Park, IL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Advance Illinois | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Cara Program | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chicago Debate Commission | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chicago Youth Boxing Club | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of the Children | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Holy Family Ministries | Westchester, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Planned Parenthood of Illinois | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Refugee Education & Adventure Challenge | Oak Park, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Saga Education | Philadelphia, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Viator House of Hospitality | Arlington Hts, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chicago West Community Music Center | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Faith in Place | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Morton Arboretum | Lisle, IL | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Little Friends | Warrenville, IL | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Maryville Academy | Des Plaines, IL | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Mhub | Chicago, IL | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Reading Between the Lines Nfp | Chicago, IL | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Strategy for Access Foundation Nfp | Chicago, IL | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| American Red Cross of Illinois | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Campaign Legal Center | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Chicago a Cappella | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Devices 4 the Disabled | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Foundation for Hearing & Speech Rehabilitation | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Humanity Rising | Lake Zurich, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Just Gettin' Started Dba Ahead | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Roseland Community Hospital Foundation | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Salvation Army | Honolulu, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Urban Rivers Inc | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Woodlawn Project | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
13 of 73 (18%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 27%, across 1 year-to-year transition. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance
MATCH FUNDS FOR CHILDREN'S - Chicago Opera Theater
ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN COUNSEL - Illinois Justice Project
SUPPORT THE COMMUNICATIONS - Kenneth C Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
YOUTH! PROJECT DEVELOPMENT - P33
5-YEAR OPERATIONS SUPPORT - Lyric Opera of Chicago
SUPPORT A PAID INTERNSHIP
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 66 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | $2,553,341 | $2,553,341 |
| 2021 | 1 | $3,094,947 | $3,094,947 |
| 2022 | 45 | $3,062,957 | $50,000 |
| 2023 | 41 | $2,757,050 | $45,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
98% of its giving went to organizations in Illinois. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $50,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Illinois.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 10 S Dearborn IL1-0111, Chicago, IL, 60603. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 36-7010559 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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