Dunham Foundation

About Dunham Foundation

A defining feature of Dunham Foundation grantmaking is its repeated large support for local institutions in Aurora and the Fox River Valley, especially health and human services, community infrastructure, and Catholic secondary education. The foundation’s recent record includes seven-figure operating support to VNA Healthcare and Quad County Urban League, alongside major awards to Serenity House, the Community Foundation of Fox River Valley, and local schools. That pattern points to a funder that backs established organizations with significant, program-level dollars rather than spreading support thinly across many places. The foundation’s portfolio also shows sustained relationships with a small set of grantees. Community Foundation of Fox River Valley appears multiple times, as do Quad County Urban League, Wayside Cross Ministries, and Mutual Ground. Those repeat awards suggest ongoing investment in organizations that serve the same geographic community over time. Alongside direct service providers, Dunham Foundation gives to place-based intermediaries and institutions that help anchor the Aurora area, indicating a preference for capacity-building and local coordination. The overall picture is of a regional funder using substantial grants to support organizations with durable roles in the community.

What Dunham Foundation Funds

Health and community care is one of the clearest themes in the foundation’s grantmaking. In 2023, Dunham Foundation gave $1,575,000 to VNA Healthcare for program support, and it also funded Wayside Cross Ministries with $210,000 in 2025 and $74,000 in 2023. Economic empowerment and civil-rights services are another recurring area. The foundation awarded Quad County Urban League $1,150,000 in 2024 and another $350,000 in 2025 for program support. It also gave $150,000 in both 2023 and 2025 to the Women’s Business Development Center in Chicago. Education appears in both school and community-learning settings. Dunham Foundation funded Rosary High School and Marmion Academy with $265,000 each in 2023, and gave $100,000 to Aurora University in 2025. It also supported the Dominican Literacy Center with $100,000 in 2025. Domestic violence and family support are present as well, including grants of $750,000 in 2024 and $85,000 in 2024 to Serenity House and Mutual Ground, respectively.

How Dunham Foundation Gives