The Donna Van Eekeren Foundation concentrates almost all of its giving on arts and culture in the Chicago region, providing large unrestricted gifts to flagship cultural institutions and media outlets. Grants skew toward a small number of high-dollar awards (including repeated support for Lyric Opera) and occasional support for local civic or community organizations. The foundation favors general operating/general charitable purposes over project-specific funding.
A $600,000 grant to Window to the World Communications Inc in 2023 sets the tone for Donna Van Eekeren Foundation C/O Goldman Sachs Ayco: this is a funder that makes large, mostly unrestricted gifts to Chicago cultural institutions and public media. The foundation’s recent record shows repeated support for Lyric Opera of Chicago across multiple years, along with sustained backing for other arts organizations such as the American Writers Museum and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Most awards are framed as general charitable purposes rather than tightly specified projects, which gives recipients flexible operating support. The pattern is concentrated but not limited to one institution. In addition to major gifts to opera and broadcast media, the foundation has also supported theater, arts education, and local civic organizations. Several of the largest grants go to organizations in Chicago, reflecting a strong regional emphasis, while smaller awards extend to nearby Illinois communities and a few out-of-state nonprofits. Across the recent grants list, the foundation’s identity is defined less by a single issue area than by steady support for cultural and community institutions with broad public reach.
Arts and culture account for much of the foundation’s recent giving. They awarded $25,000 in 2024 and again in 2025 to the American Writers Museum in Chicago, and also gave $5,000 in 2024 to Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Opera is another clear priority: Lyric Opera of Chicago received $175,000 in 2025, following $150,000 in 2024 and $130,000 in 2023. Public media also appears in the portfolio. The foundation gave $25,000 in 2024 and $20,000 in 2025 to Window to the World Communications Inc, after a much larger $600,000 grant in 2023. Beyond the arts and media, it made a $10,000 grant in 2024 to Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education, linking the portfolio to arts education work. The grant list also includes civic and community support through Whamnow Inc and Flossmoor Foundation for History and Arts Inc.
Typical grants fall in the $10,000 to $25,000 range, with a median of $22,500 and a p25 of $10,000. The p75 is $25,000, but the list also includes a few much larger awards, including $600,000, $175,000, $150,000, and $130,000. The foundation appears to support some organizations over multiple years, most visibly through repeated grants to the same recipients in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Its awards are commonly labeled general charitable purposes, and the existing summary indicates a preference for unrestricted and general operating support.
$1M
$279K
$550K
$1M
Most grants fall between $10K and $25K, with a median of $23K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$23K
75th Percentile
$25K
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Concentrated, high-dollar giving to a very small set of grantees; repeated multi-grant support for core arts institutions; primarily unrestricted/general operating support rather than many small grants.
Notable grantees: Window to the World Communications Inc (WTTW), Lyric Opera of Chicago, WHAMNOW Inc
Grantmaking is regional and heavily centered on Illinois. By recipient location, 68% of grants go to organizations in Illinois, and Chicago appears repeatedly across the list. Other Illinois recipients include Park Forest and Flossmoor, while nearby Munster, Indiana also appears. Outside the Midwest, the foundation has made grants to New York, Greenwich, and San Diego. All recent grants in the file are to U.S. recipients.
The recent grants list is dominated by arts, culture, and media organizations. Examples include Lyric Opera of Chicago, Window to the World Communications Inc, American Writers Museum, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and Chicago Public Media Inc. The foundation also gives to some civic and community groups.
Yes. Several recipients appear in more than one year, including Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Window to the World Communications Inc in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and American Writers Museum in 2024 and 2025.
Typical grants cluster around $10,000 to $25,000. The median recent grant is $22,500, with p25 at $10,000 and p75 at $25,000. The list also includes a few much larger awards above $100,000.
No. The portfolio is regional and concentrated in Illinois, where 68% of grants go, but it also includes recipients in New York, Connecticut, California, and Indiana. Chicago is the most visible city in the recent grants.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Old Globe | San Diego, CA | $500,000 | 2026 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $300,000 | 2026 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| San Diego State University Research Foundation | San Diego, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| WHAMNOW INC | Greenwich, CT | $35,000 | 2026 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| WINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS INC | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| San Diego Museum of Art | San Diego, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| Chicago Public Media Inc | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance | San Diego, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| Chicago Academy of Sciences | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| The Chicago Lighthouse | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| City House Inc | Delray Beach, FL | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| Flossmoor Foundation for History and Arts Inc | FLOSSMOOR, IL | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $175,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| WINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS INC | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| Flossmoor Foundation for History and Arts Inc | FLOSSMOOR, IL | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $150,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| WINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS INC | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION | SAN DIEGO, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| THE OLD GLOBE THEATRE | SAN DIEGO, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| CHICAGO ARTS PARTNERSHIPS IN EDUCATION | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| CHICAGO PUBLIC MEDIA INC | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| ILLINOIS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA | Park Forest, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATRE | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| NORTHWEST INDIANA SYMPHONY SOCIETY | MUNSTER, IN | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| WINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS INC | Chicago, IL | $600,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $130,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| WHAMNOW INC | GREENWICH, CT | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| CHICAGO PUBLIC MEDIA INC | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| CHICAGO ARTS PARTNERSHIPS IN EDUCATION | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| THE OLD GLOBE THEATRE | SAN DIEGO, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
San Diego State University Research Foundation
$50,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
WINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS INC
$25,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
San Diego Museum of Art
GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
The Chicago Lighthouse
$10,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
Flossmoor Foundation for History and Arts Inc
$500GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
WINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS INC
$20,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
Flossmoor Foundation for History and Arts Inc
$5,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
WINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS INC
$25,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION
$25,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
ILLINOIS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
$5,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATRE
$5,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
NORTHWEST INDIANA SYMPHONY SOCIETY
$1,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
WINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS INC
$600,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES