The Cheryl & John Omeara Charitable Foundation focuses on local community-building services, primarily supporting affordable housing projects and LGBTQ community services in the Chicago area. Most of its funding goes to a small number of organizations, with repeated, sizable gifts to Habitat for Humanity and a targeted grant to Center on Halsted, indicating a preference for hands-on, service-oriented providers.
Concentrated giving: a small number of mid-sized grants with a majority of funds going to one repeat grantee (Habitat for Humanity), and selective support for other mission-aligned local organizations.
Repeated support for Habitat for Humanity anchors the Cheryl & John Omeara Charitable Fo’s giving pattern. In two recent years, the foundation gave $15,000 in 2023 and $10,750 in 2024 to the Waukegan, Illinois affiliate, pointing to a clear preference for direct service organizations with local reach. Its grant list also shows targeted support for community-based nonprofit work in Chicago and nearby Lake County, including grants to Center on Halsted, Lake County Haven, and A Safe Place. The foundation’s portfolio suggests a place-based approach built around practical social services rather than a broad thematic spread. Housing, LGBTQ community services, food support, legal aid, and child- or family-centered safety services all appear in the recent record, but the giving is concentrated among a relatively small set of recipients. Some grants are repeated across years, which indicates continuing relationships with select organizations rather than one-time awards. The pattern is especially visible in the Illinois recipients, which make up the majority of the grants on file. Overall, the foundation’s recent activity reflects a local, service-oriented grantmaker supporting organizations that work directly with residents in Chicago and surrounding communities.
Affordable housing is one of the clearest themes in the foundation’s recent giving. It provided $15,000 in 2023 and $10,750 in 2024 to Habitat for Humanity in Waukegan, Illinois, showing sustained support for homebuilding and housing access. LGBTQ community services are another recurring area. The foundation gave Center on Halsted $7,500 in 2023 and $5,250 in 2024, both in Chicago, indicating continued support for programming and services centered on LGBTQ residents. The grant list also includes family safety and crisis-response work in Lake County. Lake County Haven in Libertyville received $5,000 in 2023 and $3,585 in 2024, while A Safe Place in Zion received $5,000 in 2023 and $3,585 in 2024. Together, these awards show a pattern of support for local service providers working with vulnerable households.
Typical grants are modest and clustered tightly: the p25 grant size is $2,678, the median is $4,110, and the p75 is $5,062. That middle range fits a foundation that appears to make project-directed awards rather than very large institutional gifts. The recent record also shows repeat support to the same organizations across multiple years, especially among Illinois-based recipients. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its giving footprint is regional, with a strong concentration in Illinois rather than a national spread.
$101K
$1.6M
$438K
$131K
Most grants fall between $3K and $5K, with a median of $4K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$4K
75th Percentile
$5K
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Notable grantees: Habitat for Humanity, Center on Halsted
Illinois is the main recipient state, accounting for 58% of grants. Chicago appears more than once, including awards to Center on Halsted and Smile Train, while Lake County communities such as Waukegan, Libertyville, Zion, and Gurnee also show up repeatedly. Outside Illinois, the recent grants reach Los Angeles and San Diego in California, New York City, and Coon Rapids, Minnesota. All listed grants in the recent set go to US recipients.
The recent grants point to local service providers working in housing, LGBTQ community services, family safety, food support, and related civic needs. Repeated awards to Habitat for Humanity, Center on Halsted, Lake County Haven, and A Safe Place show a preference for organizations with direct community-facing services.
Yes. Several recipients appear in more than one year in the recent record, including Habitat for Humanity, Center on Halsted, Lake County Haven, A Safe Place, and Zacharis Sexual Abuse Center. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-off gifts.
The grant-size distribution is fairly compact. The p25 grant is $2,678, the median is $4,110, and the p75 is $5,062. Most awards in the recent list sit in the low-thousands rather than at very large levels.
Illinois receives the majority of grants, with 58% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state’s recipient location data. Recent Illinois recipients include organizations in Chicago, Waukegan, Libertyville, Zion, Gurnee, and Lake Forest.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | Waukegan, IL | $15,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BK | Lake Forest, IL | $12,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| CENTER ON HALSTED | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| DLC DOMINICAN LEARNING CENTER | Columbus, OH | $10,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| THE CARING PLACE | Valparaiso, IN | $5,181 | 2026 | GRANT |
| CASA CORNELIA LAW CENTER | San Diego, CA | $5,150 | 2026 | GRANT |
| NATIONAL IMMIGRATION JUSTICE CENTE | Chicago, IL | $5,149 | 2026 | GRANT |
| BOOMERANG NPO | West Lafayette, IN | $5,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| HOBART FOOD PANTRY INC | Hobart, IN | $5,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| SOJOURNER TRUTH HOUSE | Gary, IN | $5,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| POINT FOUNDATION | Los Angeles, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| HEIFER PROJECT INTERNATIONAL | Little Rock, AR | $4,586 | 2026 | GRANT |
| ZACHARIS SEXUAL ADUSE CEN | New York, NY | $4,500 | 2026 | GRANT |
| SMILE TRAIN | Chicago, IL | $4,500 | 2026 | GRANT |
| WORLD CONCERN | Charleston, SC | $4,500 | 2026 | GRANT |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | Waukegan, IL | $10,500 | 2025 | GRANT |
| POINT FOUNDATION | Los Angeles, CA | $8,242 | 2025 | GRANT |
| CENTER ON HALSTED | Chicago, IL | $7,750 | 2025 | GRANT |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BK | Lake Forest, IL | $5,209 | 2025 | GRANT |
| ANGEL FLIGHT CONTROL | Kansas City, MO | $5,200 | 2025 | GRANT |
| SOUTH SHORE FRIENDS OF VETS | Valparaiso, IN | $5,200 | 2025 | GRANT |
| THE CARING PLACE | Valparaiso, IN | $5,200 | 2025 | GRANT |
| ZACHARIS SEXUAL ADUSE CEN | New York, NY | $4,120 | 2025 | GRANT |
| CASA CORNELIA LAW CENTER | San Diego, CA | $4,010 | 2025 | GRANT |
| SMILE TRAIN | Chicago, IL | $2,641 | 2025 | GRANT |
| CONCERN WORLWIDE | New York, NY | $2,580 | 2025 | GRANT |
| HEIFER PROJECT INTERNATIONAL | Little Rock, AR | $2,548 | 2025 | GRANT |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | Waukegan, IL | $10,750 | 2024 | GRANT |
| POINT FOUNDATION | Los Angeles, CA | $5,583 | 2024 | GRANT |
| CENTER ON HALSTED | Chicago, IL | $5,250 | 2024 | GRANT |
| LAKE COUNTY CHILDRENS ADVOCACY CENT | Gurnee, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | GRANT |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BK | Lake Forest, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | GRANT |
| ZACHARIS SEXUAL ADUSE CEN | New York, NY | $4,171 | 2024 | GRANT |
| CASA CORNELIA LAW CENTER | San Diego, CA | $4,050 | 2024 | GRANT |
| FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN | COON RAPIDS, MN | $3,700 | 2024 | GRANT |
| LAKE COUNTY HAVEN | Libertyville, IL | $3,585 | 2024 | GRANT |
| A SAFE PLACE | Zion, IL | $3,585 | 2024 | GRANT |
| SMILE TRAIN | Chicago, IL | $2,694 | 2024 | GRANT |
| CONCERN WORLWIDE | New York, NY | $2,632 | 2024 | GRANT |
| HEIFER PROJECT INTERNATIONAL | Little Rock, AR | $2,550 | 2024 | GRANT |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | Waukegan, IL | $15,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| CENTER ON HALSTED | Chicago, IL | $7,500 | 2023 | GRANT |
| CASA CORNELIA LAW CENTER | San Diego, CA | $5,500 | 2023 | GRANT |
| LAKE COUNTY CHILDRENS ADVOCACY CENT | Gurnee, IL | $5,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| LAKE COUNTY HAVEN | Libertyville, IL | $5,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| A SAFE PLACE | Zion, IL | $5,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| ZACHARIS SEXUAL ABUSE CENTER | Gurnee, IL | $3,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| SMILE TRAIN | New York, NY | $2,500 | 2023 | GRANT |
| PULMONARY FIBROSIS | Chicago, IL | $2,500 | 2023 | GRANT |
| CONCERN WORLWIDE | New York, NY | $2,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BK
$12,000GRANT
DLC DOMINICAN LEARNING CENTER
$10,000GRANT
CASA CORNELIA LAW CENTER
$5,150GRANT
BOOMERANG NPO
$5,000GRANT
HOBART FOOD PANTRY INC
$5,000GRANT
ZACHARIS SEXUAL ADUSE CEN
$4,500GRANT
SMILE TRAIN
$4,500GRANT
WORLD CONCERN
$4,500GRANT
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
$10,500GRANT
NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BK
$5,209GRANT
ANGEL FLIGHT CONTROL
$5,200GRANT
SOUTH SHORE FRIENDS OF VETS
$5,200GRANT
ZACHARIS SEXUAL ADUSE CEN
$4,120GRANT
CASA CORNELIA LAW CENTER
$4,010GRANT
SMILE TRAIN
$2,641GRANT
LAKE COUNTY CHILDRENS ADVOCACY CENT
$5,000GRANT
NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BK
$5,000GRANT
ZACHARIS SEXUAL ADUSE CEN
$4,171GRANT
CASA CORNELIA LAW CENTER
$4,050GRANT
SMILE TRAIN
$2,694GRANT
LAKE COUNTY CHILDRENS ADVOCACY CENT
$5,000GRANT
PULMONARY FIBROSIS
$2,500GRANT