Mc Dermott Will and Emery Charitable Foundation
Chicago, IL · EIN 36-3172396. Reported 164 grants totalling $3,264,318 to 88 organizations across tax years 2021-2024, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Mc Dermott Will and Emery Charitable Foundation, the IRS classifies it as a private independent foundation (NTEE T22Z).
- How spread out its giving is. 88 distinct organizations, with 11% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 62% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is about the 57% median for grantmaking charities -- noticeably lower than the 67% private foundations manage. Organizations like this one rotate more of their list each year, which is where an opening for a newcomer tends to be.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $12,000. Half of what it reported fell between $10,000 and $20,000; the smallest was $5,500 and the largest $127,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equal Justice Works | Washington, DC | $343,235 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chicago Bar Foundation | Chicago, IL | $229,400 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Legal Aid Chicago | Chicago, IL | $220,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Ownership Works Inc | New York, NY | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Human Rights First | New York, NY | $108,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Council for Inclusive Capitalism Inc | New York, NY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Dkms | New York, NY | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Nijc Nfp | Chicago, IL | $92,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Inc | Chicago, IL | $90,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Equip for Equality Inc | Chicago, IL | $70,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Inc | New York, NY | $70,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Immigration Equality | New York, NY | $67,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Childrens Law Center Incorporated | Washington, DC | $65,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Legal Services of Greater Miami Inc | Coral Gables, FL | $61,250 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Lawyers for the Creative Arts | Chicago, IL | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Ascend Justice | Chicago, IL | $55,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| American Health Law Association | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Bet Tzedek | Los Angeles, CA | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Lawyers Without Borders Inc | New Haven, CT | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Tahirih Justice Center | Falls Church, VA | $50,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Heartland Alliance International Inc | Chicago, IL | $45,000 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Hias Inc | Silver Spring, MD | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs | Washington, DC | $45,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Public Interest Law Initiative | Chicago, IL | $44,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Greater Boston Food Bank Inc | Boston, MA | $41,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lawyers for Children America Inc | Hartford, CT | $41,250 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta Inc | Atlanta, GA | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Public Law Center | Santa Ana, CA | $37,750 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Kind Inc | Washington, DC | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Ilitch Charities Inc | Detroit, MI | $32,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| American Heart Association Inc | Dallas, TX | $30,333 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law | Washington, DC | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Breast Care for Washington | Washington, DC | $29,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| American National Red Cross | Washington, DC | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Childrens Rights Inc | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| DC Bar Pro Bono Center | Washington, DC | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| University of Delaware | Newark, DE | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The District of Columbia Bar Foundation | Washington, DC | $21,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Camp Harbor View Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The New York Opportunity Network Inc | New York, NY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Catholic Charities of Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $19,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Christopher Reeve Foundation a New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation | Short Hills, NJ | $17,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Victim Rights Law Center Inc | Boston, MA | $15,250 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Breakthrough T1D | New York, NY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Helms Hope Foundation | Dallas, TX | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Justice in Aging | Washington, DC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| National Legal Aid and Defender Association | Washington, DC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Her Justice Inc | New York, NY | $13,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Legal Services Nyc | New York, NY | $13,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| American Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Professional Trainin | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Association of the Bar of the City of New York Fund Inc | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Capital Area Immigrants Rights Coalition | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Charity Global Inc | Franklin, TN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Chicago Symphony Orchestra | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund Inc | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Family Giving Tree | Santa Clara, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago & Northwest Indiana | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Legal Aid Society of San Mateo Co | Redwood City, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Myriad USA Inc | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| National Veterans Legal Services Program Inc | Arlington, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Pencil Inc | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| San Francisco Symphony | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Sanctuary for Families Inc | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| United States Association for Unhcr | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| United States Fund for Unicef | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| United Way Miami Inc | Miami, FL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Urban Assembly Inc | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| World Central Kitchen Incorporated | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation | Chicago, IL | $9,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Illinois Legal Aid Online | Chicago, IL | $8,750 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| United Jewish Appeal Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Ny Inc | New York, NY | $8,333 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| New York Lawyers for the Public Interest Inc | New York, NY | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Chicago Sinfonietta Inc | Chicago, IL | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ladder Up | Chicago, IL | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| National Womens Law Center | Washington, DC | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Volunteer Legal Advocates | Washington, DC | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lawyers Clearinghouse on Affordable Housing and Homelessness Inc | Boston, MA | $7,250 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Womens Lunch Place Inc | Boston, MA | $7,250 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Public Counsel | Los Angeles, CA | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Alliance for Childrens Rights | Los Angeles, CA | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project | Washington, DC | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina Inc | Asheville, NC | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Blood Cancer United Inc | Rye Brook, NY | $5,667 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Pro Bono Institute | Washington, DC | $5,600 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cristo Rey | New Brighton, MN | $5,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
36 of 88 (41%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 72 of 88 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | $566,335 | $11,000 |
| 2022 | 38 | $684,150 | $10,500 |
| 2023 | 36 | $849,083 | $12,500 |
| 2024 | 55 | $1,164,750 | $12,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
29% of its giving went to organizations in Illinois. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
Down to the city
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available 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 grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $12,000 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in Illinois.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Mc Dermott Will and Emery Charitable Foundation's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred or estimated.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 54 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 0 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 444 West Lake Street Suite 4000, Chicago, IL, 60606.
EIN 36-3172396 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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