The McCormick Family Foundation appears to make a small number of sizable, targeted grants that split between philanthropic intermediaries/social services and local arts capital projects. In recent giving they funded a large grant to an international donor-advised/intermediary organization and a major capital gift to a Chicago performing arts organization, suggesting a mix of strategic arts support and grantmaking through intermediaries. The pattern indicates preference for high-impact, one-off gifts rather than many small awards.
Concentrated giving: very few (2) large grants totaling $770k, split between an intermediary/social services channel and a local arts capital project; appears to favor one-off, high-dollar commitments over many small or repeated annual grants.
A $470,000 grant to Charities Aid Foundation of America stands out in the Chauncey and Marion D Mccormick Family Foundation’s recent record. That award points to a funder that is comfortable using intermediaries for social services while also making direct, sizable gifts to operating nonprofits and capital projects. In the same recent period, the foundation backed Chicago’s Music and Dance Theater Chicago with a $300,000 capital campaign grant, showing that arts infrastructure is part of the portfolio alongside human services. The foundation’s giving is broad across sectors but selective in volume. Its recent grants include support for social services, arts and humanities, hospitals and medical services, environmental conservation, and educational institutions. Chicago organizations appear often, but the portfolio is not limited to one type of grantee: it reaches local service agencies, cultural institutions, medical centers, and conservation groups. The pattern suggests a funder that makes high-value grants to a relatively small number of organizations, often for specific purposes rather than open-ended support.
Social services are a major part of the foundation’s recent activity. It gave $350,000 to Little Traverse Conservancy Inc for social services in 2025, and also supported Nourishing Hope with $200,000 and All Chicago with $200,000 in the same year. The foundation also backs arts and humanities organizations in both operating and project settings. It awarded $150,000 to the Art Institute of Chicago in 2025 and had previously given $100,000 to Music and Dance Theater Chicago for annual fund support. In health-related giving, it supported Rush University Medical Center with $200,000 in 2023 and another $100,000 in 2025. Educational grants appear as well, including $150,000 to Chicago City Day School and $80,000 to The Bhutan Foundation.
Typical grant sizes center on larger awards: the 25th percentile is $15,000, the median is $50,000, and the 75th percentile is $100,000. Recent activity shows repeated support to several recipients across years, including Charities Aid Foundation of America, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust Inc, Bravehearts Therapeutic Riding & Education Center, Rush University Medical Center, Music and Dance Theater Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, and The Bhutan Foundation. That points to some continuity rather than only one-time gifts. The foundation is a regular funder, not an individual-giving vehicle, and it makes no program-related investments.
$4.3M
$116.9M
$6.8M
$4.6M
Most grants fall between $15K and $100K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$100K
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Notable grantees: Charities Aid Foundation of America, Music and Dance Theater Chicago
Grant recipients are entirely in the United States. Illinois is the top state by grant count, and 54% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. Chicago appears frequently, including awards to Nourishing Hope, All Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago City Day School, St Leonard's Ministries, and Rush University Medical Center. Other repeated recipient locations include Alexandria, VA; Miami, FL; and Washington, DC, with additional grants in Michigan, California, New York, and Wisconsin.
Its recent grants go to nonprofit organizations across social services, arts and humanities, hospitals and medical services, environmental conservation, and educational institutions. The recipient mix includes intermediaries, cultural institutions, medical centers, conservation groups, and community-serving nonprofits.
The middle of its giving sits at relatively large levels: the 25th percentile is $15,000, the median is $50,000, and the 75th percentile is $100,000. Recent awards also include several six-figure grants and a $470,000 grant at the high end.
Illinois is its top state by grant count, and 54% of grants go to recipients in Illinois. Chicago recipients appear often, but the foundation also gives to organizations in Virginia, Florida, Washington, DC, Michigan, California, New York, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts.
Yes. Several recipients appear more than once across recent years, including Charities Aid Foundation of America, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust Inc, Bravehearts Therapeutic Riding & Education Center, Rush University Medical Center, Music and Dance Theater Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, and The Bhutan Foundation.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LITTLE TRAVERSE CONSERVANCY INC | HARBOR SPRINGS, MI | $350,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| DONORS TRUST | ALEXANDRIA, VA | $322,500 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| CHARITIES AID FOUNDATION OF AMERICA | ALEXANDRIA, VA | $292,500 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| ALL CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $200,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| NOURISHING HOPE | CHICAGO, IL | $200,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $150,000 | 2025 | ARTS AND HUMANITIES |
| OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL | CHICAGO, IL | $150,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| CHICAGO CITY DAY SCHOOL | CHICAGO, IL | $150,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2025 | HOSPITALS, HEALTH, AND MEDICAL |
| RECIPE FOR CHANGE | WINNETKA, IL | $100,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| VIZCAYA MUSEUM AND GARDENS TRUST INC | MIAMI, FL | $95,000 | 2025 | ARTS AND HUMANITIES |
| BRAVEHEARTS THERAPEUTIC RIDING & EDUCATION CENTER | HARVARD, IL | $90,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| THE ARTS CLUB OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $80,000 | 2025 | ARTS AND HUMANITIES |
| THE BHUTAN FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $80,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| MUSIC AND DANCE THEATER CHICAGO - ANNUAL FUND SUPPORT | CHICAGO, IL | $75,000 | 2025 | ARTS AND HUMANITIES |
| BALLET THEATER FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $75,000 | 2025 | ARTS AND HUMANITIES |
| NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY - DEERING LIBRARY FUND | EVANSTON, IL | $75,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| HOPE FOR PAWS | STUDIO CITY, CA | $70,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| ALTUS ACADEMY | CHICAGO, IL | $70,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| SALVATION ARMY - GILLETTE | GILLETTE, WY | $70,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| GANNA WALSKA LOTUSLAND | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $60,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL |
| MYRIAD USA INC | NEW YORK, NY | $57,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| TANZANIAN CHILDREN'S FUND | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY | MIAMI, FL | $50,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL |
| FOUNDATION FOR AFRICAN MEDICINE & EDUCATION | REDDING, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | HOSPITALS, HEALTH, AND MEDICAL |
| DEERING ESTATE FOUNDATION | PALMETTO BAY, FL | $50,000 | 2025 | OTHER |
| LINCOLN PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL |
| INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION | BARABOO, WI | $50,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL |
| DIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND | ATLANTA, GA | $50,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL |
| RANSOM EVERGLADES | MIAMI, FL | $50,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| ST CHRYSOSTOM'S CHURCH | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| FLOATING MUSEUM NFP | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | ARTS AND HUMANITIES |
| ARTS ALLIANCE ILLINOIS | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | ARTS AND HUMANITIES |
| N1 FOUNDATION INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| SANTA BARBARA COTTAGE HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | HOSPITALS, HEALTH, AND MEDICAL |
| THE FIELD MUSEUM | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | ARTS AND HUMANITIES |
| READING BETWEEN THE LINES | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| AMERICAN HOSPITAL OF PARIS FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $45,000 | 2025 | HOSPITALS, HEALTH, AND MEDICAL |
| DUPAGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | DOWNERS GROVE, IL | $40,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL |
| MONTECITO FIREFIGHTERS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION OF SANTA BARBARA | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| MUSEUM OF VERNACULAR ARTS INC | CHICAGO, IL | $27,500 | 2025 | ARTS AND HUMANITIES |
| CHIKAMING OPEN LANDS | SAWYER, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL |
| NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | HOSPITALS, HEALTH, AND MEDICAL |
| BETTER GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION INC | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| TROOPS DIRECT | SAN RAMON, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| NEW DAY FOR CHILDREN | ALAMO, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| AT THE WORLD EDGE MUSIC FOUNDATION | ALBANY, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | ARTS AND HUMANITIES |
| ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO - ROGER AND PETER MCCORMICK PURCHASE FUND | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2025 | ARTS AND HUMANITIES |
| PAWS OF WAR | NESCONSET, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
RECIPE FOR CHANGE
$100,000SOCIAL SERVICES
BRAVEHEARTS THERAPEUTIC RIDING & EDUCATION CENTER
$90,000SOCIAL SERVICES
THE ARTS CLUB OF CHICAGO
$80,000ARTS AND HUMANITIES
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY - DEERING LIBRARY FUND
$75,000EDUCATIONAL
SALVATION ARMY - GILLETTE
$70,000SOCIAL SERVICES
NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY
$50,000ENVIRONMENTAL
DIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND
$50,000ENVIRONMENTAL
ST CHRYSOSTOM'S CHURCH
$50,000SOCIAL SERVICES
FLOATING MUSEUM NFP
$50,000ARTS AND HUMANITIES
N1 FOUNDATION INC
$50,000SOCIAL SERVICES
READING BETWEEN THE LINES
$50,000EDUCATIONAL
MONTECITO FIREFIGHTERS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
$30,000SOCIAL SERVICES
MUSEUM OF VERNACULAR ARTS INC
$27,500ARTS AND HUMANITIES
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
$25,000HOSPITALS, HEALTH, AND MEDICAL
TROOPS DIRECT
$20,000SOCIAL SERVICES
NEW DAY FOR CHILDREN
$20,000SOCIAL SERVICES
AT THE WORLD EDGE MUSIC FOUNDATION
$20,000ARTS AND HUMANITIES
ARTS AND HUMANITIES
PAWS OF WAR
$20,000SOCIAL SERVICES