Albert J and Claire R Speh Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About Albert J and Claire R Speh Foundation
The Albert J and Claire R Speh Foundation concentrates its giving on programs that serve vulnerable and low-income youth—especially in the Chicago area—including mentoring, after‑school programming, education-to-career pathways, and foster/child welfare supports. Grants skew toward direct service organizations that provide hands-on support (mentoring, basic needs, birthday gifts) and skills/college access programs. The foundation makes modest number of mid-sized to large grants and shows repeated commitments to a few organizations.
Focus Areas
After‑school mentoring and youth development programs (e.g., By The Hand Club for Kids)Education-to-college and career access for low‑income students (e.g., Bottom Line, Code Nation)Services for homeless and at‑risk youth (e.g., The Night Ministry)Support for children in foster care and foster family services (e.g., Foster Progress)Direct basic-needs and celebratory assistance for disadvantaged children (e.g., Mercy Home — birthday gifts)
Who They Fund
youthstudents (scholarship recipients)
About Albert J and Claire R Speh Foundation
The Albert J and Claire R Speh Foundation shows a sustained preference for direct-service youth organizations in Chicago, pairing larger general-support grants with targeted help for basic needs and celebratory support. Its recent awards include $50,000 to By the Hand Club for Kids for general support, $45,496 to Mercy Home for Boys and Girls for birthday gifts, and $40,000 again to By the Hand Club for Kids the following year. That mix points to a funder that supports both ongoing program delivery and small, concrete supports for children and teens. Across recent grants, the foundation backs organizations working with vulnerable and low-income young people, especially those connected to after-school mentoring, education-to-career pathways, foster care, and homeless or at-risk youth services. The grant list also shows repeated support for some recipients over multiple years, including Target Hope, Little Ark, and Mercy Home for Boys and Girls. Awards range from modest gifts to larger five-figure commitments, and the foundation also includes event-related support and donor-directed giving alongside general operating support. The pattern is consistent with a family foundation that funds youth-serving nonprofits through an annual LOI-to-proposal cycle.
What Albert J and Claire R Speh Foundation Funds
In after-school mentoring and youth development, the foundation gave $40,000 to The Night Ministry for general support and $35,000 to Target Hope for general support, both in Chicago-area youth service work. Education-to-career access is another clear theme: Bottom Line - Chicago received $25,000 for general support, while Code Nation received $20,000 for general support. The foundation also funds foster-care and child-wellbeing supports. Foster Progress received $20,000 for general support, and Mercy Home for Boys and Girls received $45,496 for birthday gifts, a pattern that shows attention to direct needs as well as program funding. On the community-youth side, Boys & Girls Club of Santa Maria received $15,000 for general support and later $5,000, while Little Ark in Atascadero received $5,000 in both 2023 and 2024.
How Albert J and Claire R Speh Foundation Gives
Typical grants sit in the mid-range for a small family foundation: the 25th percentile is $1,988, the median is $5,000, and the 75th percentile is $21,250. Recent awards show repeated support to several recipients across multiple years, including By the Hand Club for Kids, Target Hope, Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, Little Ark, and Jalopy Theater. The foundation is a regular funder and uses a competitive LOI-to-full-proposal process for its active grant programs. It funds individuals, though the recent grant list is centered on nonprofit organizations.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$182K
Total Assets
$7.5M
Total Revenue
$552K
Total Expenses
$516K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $2K and $21K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$21K
Geographic Reach
National7 states funded
About 39% of grants go to recipients in IL.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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