The Akers Foundation
Chicago, IL · EIN 34-6549129. Reported 123 grants totalling $120,500 to 81 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. The Akers 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 $355. Half of everything it gave fell between $106 and $1,029; the smallest was $50 and the largest $11,800. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jewish Federation of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $18,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Jewish United Fund | Chicago, IL | $15,013 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Brandeis University | Waltham, MA | $10,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Congregationor Shalom | Vernon Hills, IL | $10,455 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Temple Or Shalom | Vernon Hills, IL | $8,566 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Israel Cancer Research Fund | New York, NY | $6,126 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Rochelle Zell Jewish High School | Deerfield, IL | $5,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Cranbrook Schools | Detroit, MI | $4,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Temple Shomer Emunim | Sylvania, OH | $4,265 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Conserv Jerusalem Music & Dance | Jerusalem Israel, IL | $3,600 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| North Suburban Temple Beth El | Highland Park, IL | $2,020 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Temple Sholom | Chicago, IL | $1,835 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Or Shalom Congregation | Vernon Hills, IL | $1,818 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Solomon Schechter Day School | Northbrook, IL | $1,382 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Jewish Rock Radio | Chesterfield, MO | $1,375 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Solomom Schachter Day School | Northbrook, IL | $1,370 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Faces of October 7 | San Diego, CA | $1,111 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jcc Chicago | Northbrook, IL | $1,030 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Zamarin Community Center | Yaakov Israel, IL | $1,029 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Cranbrook School | Bloomfield Hills, MI | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hadassah | New York, NY | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Harvard University | Boston, MA | $1,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Jewish United Fund of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Standford University | Los Angeles, CA | $1,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Stanford University | Stanford, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Chicago Symphony Orchestra | Chicago, IL | $800 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Art Institue of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $760 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Midwest Young Artist Mya | Highwood, IL | $750 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Streetwise Inc | Chicago, IL | $750 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Holocaust Museum | Skokie, IL | $650 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Brightisrael | New York, NY | $600 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Shedd Aquarium | Chicago, IL | $545 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Alzheimer's Association | Chicago, IL | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Community Action Network | Ann Arbor, MI | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Horizons Upward Bound Hub | Chicago, IL | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hub Horizons Upward Bound | Chicago, IL | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Neue Galerie | New York, NY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Stanford School Business | Stanford, CA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Jewish National Fund | New York, NY | $360 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lakeview Pantry | Chicago, IL | $350 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Almost Home Kids | Chicago, IL | $300 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Museum of Science and Industry | Chicago, IL | $300 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Peace House Inc | Park City, UT | $300 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Bergen Hatzalah Emer Center | Englewood, NJ | $280 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Chicago Food Depository | Chicago, IL | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Compeer Sarasota | Buffalo, NY | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Furever Home Dog Sanctuary | Deerfield, IL | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Sara Schottenstein Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Chicago Chesed Fund | Lincolnwodd, IL | $203 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Educ Foundation of Sarasota County | Sarasota, FL | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Gastric Cancer Foundation | Millbrae, CA | $200 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Museum of Science & Industry | Chicago, IL | $195 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| B'nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim | Deerfield, IL | $184 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Anshe Emet Synagouge | Chicago, IL | $180 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Higland Park Sisters Cities Foundat | Highland Park, IL | $180 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Il Holocaust Museum | Skokie, IL | $180 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Jewish Telegraphic Agency | New York, NY | $180 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Shalva | Chicago, IL | $180 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Jewish Federation of Sarasota | Sarasota, FL | $153 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Chicago Botanical Garden | Glencoe, IL | $135 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| American Heart | Chicago, IL | $125 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| End of Prostate Cancer | Alexandria, VA | $124 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Temple Beth El | Bloomfield Hills, MI | $118 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Educ Center Temple Beth Israel | Longboat Key, FL | $110 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| National Multiple Sclerosis Society | New York, NY | $106 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Aunt Martha's Health & Wellness | Olympia Fields, IL | $104 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hias | Silver Springs, MD | $103 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Beacon Academy | Evanston, IL | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Chesed Chicago | Lincolnwood, IL | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Congregation Etz Chayim | Toledo, OH | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Congregation Torah Vachesed | Houston, TX | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Great Chicago Food Depository | Chicago, IL | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hennepin Senior Center | Buffalo, NY | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Imerman Angles | Chicago, IL | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| National Kidney Foundation of Il | Chicago, IL | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Jude Reaserch Hospital | Memphis, TN | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Stanford Cancer Research Fund | Stanford, CA | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Temple Beth Israel Sarasota | Longboat Key, FL | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Water for South Sudan | Rochester, NY | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Aunt Martha's Health | Olympia Fields, IL | $50 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chabad of Sarasota | Sarasota, FL | $50 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
27 of 81 (33%) 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 43%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. 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.
- Israel Cancer Research Fund
TO PROMOTE CANCER RESEARCH - Solomon Schechter Day School
TO HELP SERVE THE COMMUNITY - Faces of October 7
TO PROMOTE JEWISH IDENTITY - Jewish Rock Radio
TO STRENGTHEN JEWIH IDTY MUSIC - Streetwise Inc
TO PROMOTE SOCIAL SERVICES - Sara Schottenstein Foundation
TO PROMNOTE RCH FOR GASTRIC CANCER
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 42 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27 | $25,456 | $360 |
| 2022 | 33 | $27,950 | $250 |
| 2023 | 30 | $36,601 | $305 |
| 2024 | 33 | $30,493 | $500 |
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. 68% 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 $355. 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 The Akers 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: 840 N Lake Shore Drive Apt 403, Chicago, IL, 60611. 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 34-6549129 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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