Calico Foundation concentrates its giving on health care, literacy, hunger relief, and early childhood development, favoring mission-driven service providers that deliver direct community impact. Its grants skew toward institutionally established organizations (hospitals, food banks, literacy nonprofits) and appear aimed at improving patient care, expanding access to books and reading programs, ending local hunger, and supporting young children’s development.
Calico Foundation C/o Jonathan Michael gives repeatedly to a small set of service organizations working on patient care, early childhood development, literacy, and hunger relief. In the latest grants, the largest awards were $50,000 to Williamson Medical Center Foundation for improving patient care, $50,000 to Northwestern Memorial Foundation to increase infants’ and children’s access to high-quality physical, emotional, social, and intellectual experiences, and $50,000 to Open Books Ltd for reading, writing, and the giving power of books. Those awards point to a funder that prefers direct-service work with measurable program aims rather than broad, general-interest philanthropy. The foundation also backed Greater Chicago Food Depository with multiple grants for ending hunger in the Chicagoland area, showing a local emphasis on food access alongside health and learning. Its grant list includes both larger institutional gifts and smaller awards, suggesting a range of support within a limited set of mission areas. Across the recent grants, the same organizations appear more than once, which is consistent with ongoing support rather than one-off giving.
In health care, Calico Foundation C/o Jonathan Michael gave $50,000 to Williamson Medical Center Foundation to improve the quality of patient care at all locations. The foundation also supported Northwestern Memorial Foundation with grants of $50,000, $30,000, and $20,000 for access to high-quality physical, emotional, social, and intellectual experiences for infants and children. Literacy is another clear focus: Open Books Ltd received $50,000 and $45,000 for reading, writing, and the giving power of books. Hunger relief appears in multiple awards to Greater Chicago Food Depository, including $50,000, $30,000, and $10,000, all directed to ending hunger for food in the Chicagoland area. The recent record also includes $5,000 and $1,000 to Kid Power Inc for strengthening the voice of local children.
The typical grant size sits at $22,500 at the 25th percentile, $37,500 at the median, and $48,750 at the 75th percentile, with recent awards clustering around $50,000. The pattern suggests repeat support: Northwestern Memorial Foundation, Open Books Ltd, Greater Chicago Food Depository, and Kid Power Inc each appear more than once in the recent-grants list. Calico Foundation C/o Jonathan Michael is a foundation rather than a donor-advised fund, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The grants shown are all from 2025.
$195K
$130K
$14K
$211K
Most grants fall between $23K and $49K, with a median of $38K.
25th Percentile
$23K
Median
$38K
75th Percentile
$49K
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Concentrated, mid-to-large sized grants to a small set of repeat institutional grantees; funding is programmatic and service-focused with multiple recurring grants rather than many one-off awards, and shows a regional emphasis on Chicago-area needs alongside support for selected external medical centers.
Notable grantees: Williamson Medical Center Foundation, Open Books Ltd, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Northwestern Memorial Foundation
Giving is regional, with 67% of grants going to recipients in Illinois and Illinois also the top state by grant count. Chicago appears repeatedly through grants to Northwestern Memorial Foundation, Open Books Ltd, and Greater Chicago Food Depository. Outside Illinois, the recent list includes Franklin, Tennessee, through Williamson Medical Center Foundation, and Washington, DC, through Kid Power Inc. All recent grants in the provided data went to US recipients.
The recent grants point to four main areas: patient care improvement, early childhood development, literacy and book access, and hunger relief. Named recipients include Williamson Medical Center Foundation, Northwestern Memorial Foundation, Open Books Ltd, and Greater Chicago Food Depository.
The grant-size distribution centers in the mid-five-figure range: p25 is $22,500, the median is $37,500, and p75 is $48,750. Several recent grants are at $50,000, which sits above the 75th percentile in the distribution provided.
Yes. Illinois is the top state by grant count, and 67% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, which is also Illinois. Chicago is the most visible city in the recent list, but the foundation also made grants to Franklin, Tennessee, and Washington, DC.
Yes. Northwestern Memorial Foundation, Open Books Ltd, Greater Chicago Food Depository, and Kid Power Inc each appear multiple times in the recent grants list. That pattern points to recurring support rather than only one-time gifts.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals, and it does not make program-related investments.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WILLIAMSON MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION | FRANKLIN, TN | $50,000 | 2025 | TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF PATIENT CARE ALL LOCATIONS |
| GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | TO END HUNGER FOR FOOD IN THE CHICAGOLAND AREA |
| OPEN BOOKS LTD | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | TO TRANSFORM LIVES THROUGH READING, WRITING, AND THE GIVING POWER OF BOOKS |
| NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INFANTS AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND INTELLECTUAL EXPERIENCES. |
| WILLIAMSON MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION | FRANKLIN, TN | $50,000 | 2025 | TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF PATIENT CARE ALL LOCATIONS |
| OPEN BOOKS LTD | CHICAGO, IL | $45,000 | 2025 | TO TRANSFORM LIVES THROUGH READING, WRITING ,AND THE GIVING POWER OF BOOKS |
| GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY | CHICAGO, IL | $30,000 | 2025 | TO END HUNGER FOR FOOD IN THE CHICAGOLAND AREA |
| NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $30,000 | 2025 | TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INFANTS AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND INTELLECTUAL EXPERIENCES. |
| NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2025 | TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INFANTS AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND INTELLECTUAL EXPERIENCES. |
| GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | TO END HUNGER FOR FOOD IN THE CHICAGOLAND AREA |
| KID POWER INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2025 | TO STRENGTHEN THE VOICE OF LOCAL CHILDREN |
| KID POWER INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000 | 2025 | TO STRENGTHEN THE VOICE OF LOCAL CHILDREN |
WILLIAMSON MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION
$50,000TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF PATIENT CARE ALL LOCATIONS
TO TRANSFORM LIVES THROUGH READING, WRITING, AND THE GIVING POWER OF BOOKS
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
$50,000TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INFANTS AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND INTELLECTUAL EXPERIENCES.
WILLIAMSON MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION
$50,000TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF PATIENT CARE ALL LOCATIONS
TO TRANSFORM LIVES THROUGH READING, WRITING ,AND THE GIVING POWER OF BOOKS
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
$30,000TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INFANTS AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND INTELLECTUAL EXPERIENCES.
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
$20,000TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INFANTS AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND INTELLECTUAL EXPERIENCES.