Ernest Wentcher Educational Fund
Chicago, IL · EIN 36-4170236. Reported 453 grants totalling $11.6M to 187 organizations 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. Ernest Wentcher Educational Fund 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 $10,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $9,600 and $20,000; the smallest was $414 and the largest $576,678. 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. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Univ of Illinois Urbana | Champaign, IL | $939,205 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Illinois | Champaign, IL | $835,072 | 2 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $719,580 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Univ of Illinois | Chicago, IL | $498,441 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Depaul Univ | Chicago, IL | $478,033 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Univ of Illinois Chicago | Chicago, IL | $375,948 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Loyola University | Chicago, IL | $320,316 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Cornell Univ | Ithaca, NY | $317,740 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Univ of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | $276,758 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Howard University | Washington, DC | $267,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Univ of Wisconsin | Madison, WI | $262,913 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $249,857 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Iit | Chicago, IL | $209,016 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Oakton Comm College | Des Plaines, IL | $172,113 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| George Washington University | Ashburn, VA | $147,500 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Emory Univ | Atlanta, GA | $143,261 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Univ of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $142,882 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Illinois State University | Normal, IL | $140,317 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Middlebury College | Middlebury, VT | $124,926 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Stanford University | Stanford, CA | $109,636 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Washington University | St Louis, MO | $101,500 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Univ of Notre Dame | Notre Dame, IN | $100,820 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| St Olaf College | Northfield, MN | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Morehouse College | Atlanta, GA | $94,613 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Connecticut College | New London, CT | $92,549 | 5 | 4 | 2023 |
| Bradley University | Peoria, IL | $92,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Knox College | Galesburg, IL | $86,667 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago, IL | $83,810 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Spelman College | Atlanta, GA | $83,795 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Columbia College | Chicago, IL | $81,022 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| New York University | New York, NY | $80,243 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Wisconsin | Madison, WI | $74,330 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Columbia Univ | New York, NY | $73,630 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Georgetown University | Washington, DC | $71,275 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI | $70,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Tufts University | Medford, MA | $68,900 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Oakton Community College | Des Plaines, IL | $67,961 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Boston University | Boston, MA | $65,348 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | $65,330 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| North Park University | Chicago, IL | $65,312 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Depaul University | Chicago, IL | $61,750 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Lake Forest College | Lake Forest, IL | $61,400 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY | $60,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Elmhurst University | Elmhurst, IL | $59,798 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Lewis University | Romeoville, IL | $59,782 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| School of the Art Institute of Chic | Chicago, IL | $57,400 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Depauw University | Greencastle, IN | $57,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| So Illinois Univ | Carbondale, IL | $55,386 | 6 | 3 | 2023 |
| Oberlin College | Oberlin, OH | $54,200 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Miami | Arlington, TX | $51,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| American University | Washington, DC | $50,669 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Univ of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN | $50,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| MIT | Cambridge, MA | $48,138 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Univ of Missouri | Columbia, MO | $45,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | $43,462 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Occidental College | Los Angeles, CA | $41,100 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | $41,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Colorado State University | Ft Collins, CO | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Kenyon College | Gambier, OH | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Loyala Marymount University | Los Angeles, CA | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Murray State University | Murray, KY | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Texas-Arlington | Arlington, TX | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Wake Forest University | Winstonsalem, NC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| North Carolina A&t State University | Greensboro, NC | $39,215 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Colorado College | Colorado Springs, CO | $39,080 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $38,807 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Dominican Univ | River Forest, IL | $36,526 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Macalester College | St Paul, MN | $36,350 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Bowdoin College | Brunswick, ME | $35,800 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $35,251 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Agnes Scott College | Decatur, GA | $35,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Emory University | Atlanta, GA | $33,452 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashvville, TN | $33,084 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Pomona College | Claremont, CA | $32,634 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Notre Dame | South Bend, IN | $31,850 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Villanova University | Villanova, PA | $31,755 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Florida A&m University | Tallahassee, FL | $31,503 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Hampton University | Hampton, VA | $31,500 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Trinity College | Hartford, CT | $31,065 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Bob Jones University | Greenville, SC | $31,013 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $31,000 | 2 | 1 | 2020 |
| Northern Il University | Dekalb, IL | $30,923 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH | $30,175 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Baylor University | Waco, TX | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Cal Polytechnic State University | San Luis Obispo, CA | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Carleton College | Northfield, MN | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Universit | Daytona Beach, FL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Emerson College | Boston, MA | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Fisk University | Nashville, TN | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Florida Memorial Univ | Miami Gardens, FL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Lawrence University | Appleton, WI | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Luther College | Decorah, IA | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Northern Illinois University | Dekalb, IL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Ohio University | Athens, OH | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Skidmore College | Saratoga Springs, NY | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Univ of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Franklin & Marshall College | Lancaster, PA | $28,969 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| University of Dayton | Dayton, OH | $28,685 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Xavier Univ of La | New Orleans, LA | $28,259 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Purdue University | W Lafayette, IN | $28,092 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Univ of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | $27,665 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Florida State Univ | Tallahassee, FL | $27,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Smith College | Northampton, MA | $25,211 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| MD Institute College of Art | Baltimore, MD | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Ohio Northern Univ | Ada, OH | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Barnard College | New York, NY | $23,200 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY | $21,750 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| University of St Francis | Joliet, IL | $21,063 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Brown Univ | Providence, RI | $20,275 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Augustana College | Rock Island, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Ball State University | Muncie, IN | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Bard College | Annandaleonhudson, NY | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Dominican University | River Forest, IL | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering | Milwaukee, WI | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Olivet Nazerene University | Bourbonnais, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Oregon State University | Corvallis, OR | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Univ of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | Stevens Pt, WI | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of California Berkley | Berkeley, CA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Missouri | Columbia, MO | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of Wisconsin Whitewater | Whitewater, WI | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Xavier University of La | New Orleans, LA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Ferris State University | Big Rapids, MI | $19,231 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Southern Illinois University | Edwardsville, IL | $18,595 | 2 | 1 | 2020 |
| Kalamazoo College | Kalamazoo, MI | $17,954 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Soka University | Aliso Viejo, CA | $17,338 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago, IL | $16,396 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Columbia University | New York, NY | $16,240 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Truman State University | Kirksville, MO | $16,203 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Wesleyan University | Middletown, CT | $15,964 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Duke University | Durham, NC | $15,200 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Bates College | Lewiston, ME | $14,500 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Denison University | Granville, OH | $13,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Univ of Pa | Philadelphia, PA | $13,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Univ of Rochester | Rochester, NY | $11,400 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | $10,800 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Denison College | Granville, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Fordham University | Bronx, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Michigan Tech University | Houghton, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Morgan State University | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Pennsylvania State University | University Park, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Renssalalaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Rhode Island School of Design | Providence, RI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Saint Louis University | St Louis, MO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| St Edwards University | Austin, TX | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Tuskegee University | Tuskegee, AL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of Rochester | Rochester, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of Wisconsin- Steven's Point | Stevens Point, WI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Wheaton College | Wheaton, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lycoming College | Williamsport, PA | $8,835 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Albion College | Albion, MI | $8,425 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Boston College | Chesnet Hill, MA | $8,367 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Duke Univ | Durham, NC | $7,200 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Harold Washington College | Chicago, IL | $6,225 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Swarthmore College | Swarthmore, PA | $5,894 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Colgate University | Hamilton, NY | $5,200 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Maryland Institute College | Baltimore, MD | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Govornor's State Univ | University Park, IL | $4,732 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Brown University | Providence, RI | $4,425 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | $4,366 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA | $4,101 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | $3,950 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | $3,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Wilbur Wright College | Chicago, IL | $2,190 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Parkland College | Champaign, IL | $1,430 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Truman College | Chicago, IL | $1,426 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| College of Dupage | Glen Ellyn, IL | $1,394 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Western Illinois University | Macomb, IL | $1,333 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Virginia Peninsula Community Colleg | Hampton, VA | $1,210 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Iowa Western Community College | Council Bluffs, IA | $1,146 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Brent House | Chicago, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Drake University | Des Moines, IA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Jane Addams Resource Corporation | Chicago, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| National Louis University | Chicago, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Northfield Food Pantry | Glenview, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Teach for America | San Francisco, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Sarah Siddons Society | Chicago, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Terry Foundation | Houston, TX | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| University of Nebraska | Lincoln, NE | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Nebraska Foundation | Lincoln, NE | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Blackhawk College | Moline, IL | $656 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Richard J Daley College | Chicago, IL | $597 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Washtenaw Community College | Ann Arbor, MI | $580 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Truman Collage | Chicago, IL | $438 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
125 of 187 (67%) 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 78%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is unusually consistent. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 229 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 112 | $2,652,283 | $10,000 |
| 2021 | 115 | $2,840,760 | $10,000 |
| 2022 | 118 | $2,999,561 | $10,000 |
| 2023 | 108 | $3,154,193 | $10,000 |
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.
Already committed for future years
Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. Ernest Wentcher Educational Fund has 1 of them, worth $2,603,983. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back -- and it also tells you how much of the next year's budget is already spoken for.
| Organization | Location | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| College Scholarships | Wilmette, IL | $2,603,983 |
Where its money goes
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 47% of this one's giving went to organizations in Illinois. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.
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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 the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $10,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- 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 Ernest Wentcher Educational Fund's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 233 South Wacker Drive 4400, Chicago, IL, 60606. 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 36-4170236 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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