Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
Chicago, IL · EIN 36-6108460. Reported 1,605 grants totalling $28.6M to 719 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Yesaccepts unsolicited requests
$8,500median grant
$28.6Mgranted, 2021-2024
719organizations funded
58%of grantees funded again the next year
$194.0Massets, latest filing
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. Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley 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.
This is the foundation's own statement to the IRS, not our judgement, and it says nothing about whether they have a form, a deadline, or an appetite for new grantees. Treat it as the reason this foundation is worth your research time, not as an invitation. Many small foundations of this kind have no website and no application process -- a letter of inquiry is the normal first step.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $8,500. Half of everything it gave fell between $5,000 and $15,000; the smallest was $25 and the largest $325,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
All 719 recipients appear in its filings; the 250 largest are listed here. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which this organization received money -- the clearest signal of who this foundation actually has a relationship with.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ducks Unlimited | Memphis, TN | $795,600 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Center for Heirs' Property Preservation | North Charleston, SC | $570,500 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Open Space Institute Land Trust | Charleston, SC | $545,500 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| National Audubon Society | New York, NY | $513,500 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Lowcountry Land Trust Inc | Charleston, SC | $505,500 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| Southern Environmental Law Center | Charlottesville, VA | $504,000 | 8 | 4 | 2024 |
| National Fish and Wildlife Foundation | Washington, DC | $427,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| South Carolina Environmental Law Project | Pawleys Island, SC | $425,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| College of Charleston Foundation | Charleston, SC | $400,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Coastal Conservation League | Charleston, SC | $378,500 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| Nature Conservancy | Arlington, VA | $370,703 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Chicago Community Foundation | Chicago, IL | $360,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Openlands | Chicago, IL | $348,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Trust for Public Land | San Francisco, CA | $343,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Nature Conservancy | Chicago, IL | $325,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Land Trust Alliance Incorporated | Washington, DC | $305,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Conservation Foundation | Naperville, IL | $260,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| National Forest Foundation | Missoula, MT | $240,788 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| South Carolina Coastal Conservation League Inc | Charleston, SC | $220,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| US Endowment for Forestry and Comm | Greenville, SC | $212,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Shirley Heinze Land Trust | Valparaiso, IN | $210,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Conservation Fund | Arlington, VA | $210,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Friends of the Forest Preserves | Chicago, IL | $202,800 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Wetlands Initiative | Chicago, IL | $201,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Metropolitan Planning Council | Chicago, IL | $200,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Friends of the Chicago River | Chicago, IL | $195,075 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Morton Arboretum | Lisle, IL | $192,500 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| Faith in Place | Chicago, IL | $182,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Audubon South Carolina State Program of the National Audubon Society | Charleston, SC | $180,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Illinois Environmental Council Education Fund | Springfield, IL | $175,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Nature Conservancy - National | Arlington, VA | $170,100 | 3 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Land Conservancy of Mchenry County | Woodstock, IL | $170,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $170,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Natural Resources Defense Council Inc | New York, NY | $155,450 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Il Environmental Council Education Fund | Springfield, IL | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Chicago Cultural Alliance | Chicago, IL | $147,550 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Open Land Trust | Beaufort, SC | $143,100 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| Geneva Lake Conservancy | Fontana, WI | $140,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Calumet Collaborative | Chicago, IL | $135,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pee Dee Land Trust | Florence, SC | $135,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Sustainability Institute | North Charleston, SC | $135,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Alternate Roots | North Charleston, SC | $134,700 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| The Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust | Moncks Corner, SC | $130,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| South Side Community Art Center | Chicago, IL | $127,000 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chicago Public Art Group | Chicago, IL | $126,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Charleston Stage Company | Charleston, SC | $125,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Inc | Hilton Head Island, SC | $125,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mitchell Museum of the American Indian I | Evanston, IL | $125,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development | Charleston, SC | $125,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| South Carolina Assoc for Comm Economic Dev | Charleston, SC | $124,850 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Charleston Symphony Orchestra | Charleston, SC | $122,500 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chicago Collections Consortium | Chicago, IL | $120,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chicago Community Trust - Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development | Chicago, IL | $120,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Lawyers for the Creative Arts | Chicago, IL | $120,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Pollinator Partnership | San Francisco, CA | $120,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| South Carolina Arts Alliance | Summerville, SC | $116,550 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Honey Pot Performance | Chicago, IL | $107,450 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| University of Chicago Bmr | Chicago, IL | $106,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Conservation Voters of Sc Ed Fund | Columbia, SC | $105,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Clemson University Foundation | Clemson, SC | $105,000 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Project Osmosis Mentoring Initiative | Chicago, IL | $105,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| The National Public Housing Museum | Chicago, IL | $105,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois | Chicago, IL | $105,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Center for Neighborhood Technology | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Chicago History Museum | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Chicago Historical Society | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lewis University | Romeoville, IL | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Newberry Library | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Windward Fund | Washington, DC | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Chicago Theological Seminary Board of Directors | Chicago, IL | $99,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Charleston Library Society | Charleston, SC | $92,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Charleston Jazz | North Charleston, SC | $90,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| City of Charleston | Charleston, SC | $90,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| League of Chicago Theatres Foundation | Chicago, IL | $90,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Southeastern Museums Conference Inc | Atlanta, GA | $90,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Chicago Latino Theater Alliance | Chicago, IL | $87,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| American Farmland Trust | Washington, DC | $85,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Southeast Environmental Task Force | Chicago, IL | $85,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| University of Chicago the - Black Metropolis Research Consortium | Chicago, IL | $81,000 | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
| Enrich Chicago | Chicago, IL | $80,506 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Depaul University | Chicago, IL | $79,277 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Experimental Sound Studio | Chicago, IL | $78,250 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Conservation Voters of South Carolina Education Fund | Columbia, SC | $76,000 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Arts Alliance Illinois | Chicago, IL | $75,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Audubon Great Lakes | Chicago, IL | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Audubon South Carolina | Charleston, SC | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Goodman Theatre | Chicago, IL | $75,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District | Bourbonnais, IL | $75,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Access Contemporary Music | Chicago, IL | $74,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| About Face Theatre | Chicago, IL | $73,495 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy | Louisville, KY | $70,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| American Rivers Inc | Washington, DC | $70,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Chicago Jazz Philharmonic | Chicago, IL | $69,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Threewalls Inc | Chicago, IL | $69,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Wildlife Habitat Council Inc | Silver Spring, MD | $68,435 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Winyah Rivers Foundation Inc | Conway, SC | $67,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Friends of Coastal South Carolina | Mt Pleasant, SC | $65,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Long Bay Symphonic Society Ltd | Myrtle Beach, SC | $65,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| New Alpha Community Development Corporation | Florence, SC | $65,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Natya Dance Theatre | Oak Brook, IL | $64,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center | Chicago, IL | $63,500 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Carolina Art Association | Charleston, SC | $63,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Charleston Gaillard Center | Charleston, SC | $62,632 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Definition Theatre Company | Chicago, IL | $62,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Lubeznik Center for the Arts | Michigan City, IN | $62,500 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| Museum of Science and Industry | Chicago, IL | $62,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Institute of Contemporary Art | Los Angeles, CA | $61,012 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| College of Charleston-Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art | Charleston, SC | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Coastal Carolina University | Conway, SC | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Footlight Players | Charleston, SC | $60,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Make-Believe Association | Chicago, IL | $60,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Pure Theatre | Charleston, SC | $60,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Redux Contemporary Art Center | Charleston, SC | $60,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Shape Community Center | Houston, TX | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Chicago Artists Coalition | Chicago, IL | $59,000 | 7 | 4 | 2024 |
| Gibbes Museum of Art | Charleston, SC | $59,000 | 3 | 1 | 2022 |
| International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $59,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Jazz Institute of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $59,000 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Trickster Art Gallery | Schaumburg, IL | $58,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Spoleto Festival U S a | Charleston, SC | $55,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Asian Improv Arts Midwest | Chicago, IL | $55,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Kettle Moraine Land Trust | Elkhorn, WI | $55,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Urban Juncture Foundation | Chicago, IL | $55,000 | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
| Eta Creative Arts Foundation Inc | Chicago, IL | $55,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Remy Bumppo Theatre Company | Chicago, IL | $54,495 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Raven Theatre Company | Chicago, IL | $54,025 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| American Blues Theater | Chicago, IL | $54,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chicago Filmmakers | Chicago, IL | $54,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chicago Human Rhythm Project | Chicago, IL | $54,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| African American Arts Alliance of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $53,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $53,500 | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
| Carolina Art Assoc Dba Gibbes Museum of Art | Chcarleston, SC | $53,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Chicago Int Puppet Theater Festival | Chicago, IL | $52,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Black Oaks Center for Sustainable Renewable Living | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Commun Dev Corp of Pembroke-Hopkins Park | Hopkins Park, IL | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| County of Kane | Geneva, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Drayton Hall Preservation Trust | Charleston, SC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission | Beaufort, SC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Ibu Foundation | Charleston, SC | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Kankakee Cnty Soil and Waterconservation | Bourbonnais, IL | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Kane County | Geneva, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sustain South Carolina Intersection of Commerce and Conservation | Columbia, SC | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| South Carolina Arts Commission | Columbia, SC | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Spoleto Festival USA | Charleston, SC | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Sustain Sc | Columbia, SC | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Town of Atlantic Beach | Atlantic Beach, SC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Gilloury Institute Dba Silk Road Rising | Chicago, IL | $49,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Sones De Mexico Ensemble | Chicago, IL | $49,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Red Clay Dance Co Inc | Chicago, IL | $48,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Fine Line Creative Arts Center | Saint Charles, IL | $48,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Piven Theatre Workshop | Evanston, IL | $48,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Village Repertory Co | Charleston, SC | $47,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Korean Cultural Center of Chicago | Wheeling, IL | $46,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Delta Institute | Chicago, IL | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Univ of South Carolina Educational Fdn | Columbia, SC | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| University of Illinois at Chicago (energy Resources Center) | Chicago, IL | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Together Sc | Columbia, SC | $44,701 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Deeply Rooted Productions | Chicago, IL | $43,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Trickster Cultural Center | Schaumburg, IL | $43,000 | 6 | 3 | 2024 |
| Friends of Green Chimneys | Brewster, NY | $42,000 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| Links Hall Inc | Chicago, IL | $41,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| A Red Orchid Theatre | Chicago, IL | $40,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Cultural Access Collaborative | Chicago, IL | $40,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Edisto Island Open Land Trust Inc | Edisto Island, SC | $40,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra | Park Forest, IL | $40,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Lifeline Productions Inc | Chicago, IL | $40,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Neo-Futurists | Chicago, IL | $40,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Third Coast Percussion Nfp | Chicago, IL | $40,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Theater Wit | Chicago, IL | $40,500 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| Art League of Hilton Head Island Inc | Hilton Head Island, SC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chicago a Cappella | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chicago Reader | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Chamber Music Charleston | Charleston, SC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Fulcrum Point New Music Project | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Gullah Traveling Theater | Beaufort, SC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Griffin Theatre Company | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Illinois Arts Alliance | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lean Ensemble Theater | Hilton Head, SC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Lucky Plush Productions | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mcclellanville Arts Council | Mcclellanville, SC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| North Charleston Pops | North Charleston, SC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Pat Conroy Literary Center Inc | Beaufort, SC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Red Clay Dance Company | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 5 | 2 | 2022 |
| Rivendell Theatre Ensemble | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Steep Theatre Company | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Summerville Orchestra | Summerville, SC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Flowertown Players Inc | Summerville, SC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Gift Theatre Company | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Oak Park Festival Theatre | Oak Park, IL | $39,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Beaufort County Open Land Trust Inc | Beaufort, SC | $37,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Congo Square Theatre Company | Chicago, IL | $36,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Redtwist Theatre | Chicago, IL | $35,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art | Chicago, IL | $35,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Heritage Museum of Asian Art | Chicago, IL | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $35,000 | 4 | 1 | 2022 |
| Teatro Vista Theater With a View Inc | Chicago, IL | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Hedwig Dances Inc | Chicago, IL | $34,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Spudnik Press Cooperative | Chicago, IL | $34,138 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Bella Voce | Evanston, IL | $34,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chicago Jazz Orchestra Association | Skokie, IL | $34,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Hell in a Handbag Productions | Chicago, IL | $34,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Muntu Dance Theatre | Chicago, IL | $34,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| St Charles Singers | St Charles, IL | $34,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Strawdog Theatre Company | Chicago, IL | $34,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Prairie State Conservation Coalition | Springfield, IL | $33,425 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Free Street Theater | Chicago, IL | $32,500 | 6 | 3 | 2024 |
| Shattered Globe Theatre | Chicago, IL | $32,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Prep for Prep | New York, NY | $31,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Aerial Dance Chicago | Chicago, IL | $31,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Elastic Arts Foundation | Chicago, IL | $31,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Artistic Home Acting Ensemble | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Aguijon Theater Company | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Cara Collective | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Chicago Art Department | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Elmhurst Symphony Association Inc | Elmhurst, IL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Gerber Hart Lgbtq Library and Archives | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Haymarket Opera Company | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Helping Hands of Georgetown | Georgetown, SC | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Jackalope Theatre Company | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Kalapriya Foundation Center | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Khecari | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| King Baudouin Foundation United States | New York, NY | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Leadership Greater Chicago | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Los Angeles Poverty Department | Los Angeles, CA | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Momenta Inc | Oak Park, IL | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| National Indo-American Museum (niam) | Lombard, IL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| National Museum of Mexican Art | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Public Radio Exchange (prx) | Boston, MA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Public Works Art Center | Summerville, SC | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Puerto Rican Arts Alliance | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Pegasus Theatre Chicago | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Rough House Theater Company | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Santa Monica Museum of Art | Los Angeles, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Smith Medical Clinic | Pawleys Island, SC | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Original Gullah Festival | Beaufort, SC | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Teach My People | Pawleys Island, SC | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The South Carolina Historical Society | Charleston, SC | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Union Street Gallery | Chicago Heights, IL | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Visceral Dance Chicago | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Chicago Public Library Foundation | Chicago, IL | $29,200 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Preservation Society of Charleston | Charleston, SC | $29,100 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| American Indian Center of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $29,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Historic Charleston Foundation | Charleston, SC | $29,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Legado Inc | Jackson, NH | $29,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Water People Theater Group Nfp | Chicago, IL | $29,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Heaven Gallery | Chicago, IL | $28,500 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Full Spectrum Features Nfp | Chicago, IL | $28,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Congo Square Theatre | Chicago, IL | $27,500 | 4 | 1 | 2022 |
| Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative | Chicago, IL | $27,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Emerald South Edc | Chicago, IL | $27,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
400 of 719 (56%) 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 58%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. 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.
- National Audubon Society Inc
JULY 13TH BOARD/STAFF FIELD TRIP HONORARIUM - Nature Conservancy
JULY 13TH 2024 GAYLORD AND DOROTHY DONNELLEY BOARD/STAFF FIELD TR - Center for Heirs Property Preservation
CENTER FOR HEIRS PROPERTY PRESERVATION - Open Space Institute Land Trust
WAITES ISLAND SITE ASSESSMENT AND PARTNER COORDINATION - Coastal Conservation League
COASTAL CONSERVATION LEAGUE - Chicago Community Foundation
ARTS WORK FUND FOR ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 1,061 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 387 | $8,052,097 | $8,500 |
| 2022 | 490 | $6,473,161 | $7,500 |
| 2023 | 373 | $6,982,461 | $8,500 |
| 2024 | 355 | $7,116,176 | $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. Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation has 645 of them, worth $13.5M. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| National Fish and Wildlife Foundation | Washington, DC | $250,000 |
| National Audubon Society | New York, NY | $235,000 |
| Trust for Public Land | San Francisco, CA | $200,000 |
| The Nature Conservancy - National | Arlington, VA | $185,000 |
| Coastal Conservation League | Charleston, SC | $132,500 |
| Chicago Community Trust - Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development | Chicago, IL | $120,000 |
| Chicago Community Trust - Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development | Chicago, IL | $120,000 |
| Chicago Community Trust - Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development | Chicago, IL | $120,000 |
| Depaul University | Chicago, IL | $118,916 |
| United States Endowment for Forestry and Communities | Greenville, SC | $106,250 |
| United States Endowment for Forestry and Communities | Greenville, SC | $106,250 |
| Chicago History Museum | Chicago, IL | $100,000 |
| Ducks Unlimited | Memphis, TN | $100,000 |
| Penn Center | St Helena Is, SC | $100,000 |
| Windward Fund | Washington, DC | $100,000 |
Where its money goes
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 48% 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.
Find more foundations like Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
We email you newly filed foundations whose giving matches your state and cause, as the IRS publishes them. Free.
No spam, unsubscribe in one click. We never sell or share your address.
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.
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund183 shared recipientsThe Chicago Community Trust168 shared recipientsDonor Advised Charitable Giving Inc137 shared recipientsVanguard Charitable Endowment Program101 shared recipientsNcrc Community Development Fund Inc96 shared recipientsAmerican Online Giving Foundation Inc91 shared recipients
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $8,500. 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
Foundations funding education in IllinoisEvery funder in this group, rankedFoundations funding human services in IllinoisEvery funder in this group, ranked
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley 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: 35 East Wacker Drive 2600, Chicago, IL, 60601. 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 36-6108460 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
This is history, not an open call. Foundation returns are published about a year after the tax year ends. Nothing on this page is a deadline. It is a record of who this foundation has actually funded, which is the best available predictor of who it will fund next -- and a much better basis for deciding whether to write to them than a mission statement.
Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email hello@funderscope.com and we will correct it.