Fred J Brunner Foundation
Bensenville, IL · EIN 36-6066471. Reported 356 grants totalling $6,982,000 to 110 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. 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. Fred J Brunner Foundation 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 $12,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $10,000 and $25,000; the smallest was $5,000 and the largest $150,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspire | Hillside, IL | $375,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Salvation Army | Chicago, IL | $320,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Pillars-Constance Morris House | La Grange, IL | $300,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Center for Independent Futures | Evanston, IL | $215,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Crimson Tide Foundation | Tuscaloosa, AL | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Saban Center | Tuscaloosa, AL | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Chicago Jesuit Academy | Chicago, IL | $120,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Misericordia Heart of Mercy | Chicago, IL | $120,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| St Patrick High School | Chicago, IL | $120,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Christ the King College Prep | Chicago, IL | $110,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Cristo Rey Jesuit High School | Chicago, IL | $110,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mother Mc Auley High School | Chicago, IL | $110,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Northern Illinois Food Bank | Geneva, IL | $110,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| San Miguel School | Chicago, IL | $110,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Aspirtech | Highland Park, IL | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Brother Rice Hs | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Clare Woods Academy | Wheaton, IL | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Hadley School for the Blind | Winnetka, IL | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Holy Trinity High School | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mercy Home for Boys & Girls | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mount Carmel High School | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Nativity Jesuit Academy | Milwaukee, WI | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Our Lady of Tepeyac High School | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Providence St Mels High School | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| St Malachy School | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Alliance Francais De Chicago | Chicago, IL | $90,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| St Vincent De Paul Center | Chicago, IL | $90,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Josephium Academy | Chicago, IL | $85,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| St Martin De Porras High School | Waukegan, IL | $85,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Eoa Childrens House | Springsdale, AR | $80,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| National Jewish Health | Deerfield, IL | $80,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Jones Center | Springdale, AR | $80,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Little Sisters of the Poor | Chicago, IL | $70,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Missouri Univeristy of Science Tech | Rolla, MO | $70,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Oskaloosa Christian School | Oskaloosa, IA | $70,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| South Dakota Mines & Technology | Rapid City, SD | $70,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Little Friends of the Elderly | Chicago, IL | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Oliver Soccer Fc | Fayetteville, AR | $60,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Roseland Training Center | Chicago, IL | $60,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Boulevard | Chicago, IL | $60,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| St Xavier University | Chicago, IL | $55,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Childrens Research Triangle | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Fayetteville Public Education Fund | Fayetteville, AR | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Home Housing Opportunities | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mercy Housing Lakefront | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Northside Housing | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Sininawa Dominicans | Sininawa, WI | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Southwest Chicago Pads | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Infant Welfare Society | Oak Park, IL | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Onward Neighborhood Housing | Chicago, IL | $44,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Operation Warm | Phildelphia, PA | $44,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Avenue to Independence | Park Ridge, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chicago Academy for Science Kids | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Cje Senior Life | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Crisis Center of So Suburbia | Tinley Park, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Disabled Patriot Fund | Orland Park, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Dutchess Day School | Millbrook, NY | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Franciscan Outsearch Association | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Glen Ellyn Childrens Resouce | Glen Ellyn, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Have Dreams | Park Ridge, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Home of the Sparrow | Mc Henry, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Housing Forward | Maywood, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| How Housing Opportunities | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Illinois Science & Technology Inst | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Lambs Farm Foundation | Libertyville, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Marklund of Mill Creek | Geneva, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Martin Avenue Apartments | Naperville, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Midtown Education Fdn | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mutual Ground | Aurora, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| New Moms | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Northwestern Settlement | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Sister House | Oak Park, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Night Ministry | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Turning Point | Woodstock, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Wings | Palatine, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Senior Care Volunteer Work | Crystal Lake, IL | $38,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Hoopston Multi Agency Services | Hoopston, IL | $36,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| St Colleta's School | Tinley Park, IL | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Beds Plus | Lagrange, IL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Between Friends | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Common Pantry | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| House of Good Shephard | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Little Friends Inc | Naperville, IL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| The Day Nursery | Oak Park, IL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Meals on Wheels | Evanston, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Carazon & Carazon | Blue Island, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| CASA Central | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Childrens Advocacy Center | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Community Support Services | Brookfield, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Ctf Southwest Comm Service | Orland Park, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Elm Christian Services | Crestwood, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Fox Valley Hands of Hope | Geneva, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Helen Keller International | New York, NY | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Howard Area Community Center | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Kolbe House | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lincoln Park Zoo | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Little Fiends of the Elderly | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Memorial Sloan Kettering Pediateric | New York, NY | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Norwood Life Care Foundation | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Sarahs Circle | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Better Government Association | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fun | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Marrilac Center | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Returning Home | Springdale, AR | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Fund of Park Avenue | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Zacharias Center | Gurnee, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| National Louis University Pace | Chicago, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
99 of 110 (90%) 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 94%, 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 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.
- Crimson Tide Foundation
PROMOTE ATHLETIC AND ACADEMIC GOALS - Aspire
HEALTH & WELLNESS EDUCATION - The Salvation Army
UNRESTRICTED ORGANIZATION SUPPORT - Pillars-Constance Morris House
PROVIDE SHELTER, CARE, AND OUTREACH TO SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE - Center for Independent Futures
FUNDING FOR ELECTRONIC CURRICULUM FOR DISABLED - Saban Center
DEVELOP A STEM EDUCATION PROGRAM
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 133 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 99 | $1,810,000 | $10,000 |
| 2022 | 98 | $1,950,000 | $10,000 |
| 2023 | 79 | $1,631,000 | $15,000 |
| 2024 | 80 | $1,591,000 | $15,000 |
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
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 83% 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 $12,000. 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 Fred J Brunner Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 300 Evergreen St, Bensenville, IL, 60106. 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 36-6066471 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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