The Elizabeth Beidler Tisdahl Foundation makes modest, targeted grants to local community causes in the Chicago/Evanston area, with a clear interest in supporting both education-related scholarships and animal welfare. Grants are given as general support rather than for restricted projects, suggesting flexibility and trust in recipient organizations. The foundation appears to favor a small number of meaningful gifts rather than broad distribution across many nonprofits.
Concentrated: a few medium-sized, likely one-time general-support grants to local organizations rather than many small awards; funding split between education scholarships and animal welfare.
The Elizabeth Beidler Tisdahl Foundation’s recent giving is anchored in Evanston: it awarded $20,000 to Evanston Animal Shelter and $21,000 to Cherry Scholarship in 2025, alongside other local gifts. That mix points to a foundation that supports both education-related scholarships and animal welfare, while also funding community organizations that serve residents in Evanston and nearby Chicago. Its grants are mostly modest and flexible, with many awards reported as general support rather than for a narrow project. The foundation’s recent pattern shows repeated support for the same local organizations across 2024 and 2025, including Kuumba Evanston, Girls Play Sports, Eths School Based Health Center, and James B Moran Center for Youth Advocacy. It also backed groups such as Erie Family Health Center, Evanston YWCA, and Family Focus of Evanston, which places the funder within a place-based network of education, health, youth, and family services. The portfolio is small enough to be concentrated, but broad enough to show a consistent commitment to community institutions rather than single-issue grantmaking.
Education-related support appears through scholarship funding and school-linked organizations. The foundation gave $21,000 to Cherry Scholarship in 2025 and $7,000 to Eths Foundation in 2025, while also granting $10,000 to Eths School Based Health Center in 2025 and $5,000 in 2024 to the same center. Youth and family services are another visible thread. In 2024, it gave $6,000 to James B Moran Center for Youth Advocacy and followed with $4,000 in 2025. Family Focus of Evanston received $3,500 in 2024. Public-facing community resources also appear in the record. Evanston Public Library Friends received $4,000 in 2024, and Meals on Wheels received $3,000 in both 2024 and 2025. These gifts suggest support for organizations serving daily community needs as well as longer-term educational and youth development work.
Typical grants are small: the 25th percentile is $1,500, the median is $2,000, and the 75th percentile is $4,000. The foundation’s giving is concentrated rather than diffuse, with only a limited set of recipients appearing in the recent record. Several organizations received repeat grants across 2024 and 2025, including Evanston Animal Shelter, Girls Play Sports, Kuumba Evanston, Eths School Based Health Center, James B Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, Meals on Wheels, and Evanston Children’s Clothing Assoc. Grants are reported as general support, and the foundation does not fund individuals.
$160K
$1.7M
$706K
$166K
Most grants fall between $2K and $4K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$4K
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Notable grantees: Cherry Scholarship, Evanston Animal Shelter
Grants land overwhelmingly in Illinois, which accounts for 93% of recipients in the foundation’s giving record. Evanston is the clearest hub, with repeated awards to organizations there such as Evanston Animal Shelter, Kuumba Evanston, Girls Play Sports, Eths School Based Health Center, and Evanston YWCA. Chicago also appears through Erie Family Health Center, and Deerfield appears through Cherry Scholarship. Outside Illinois, the only named recipient city in the recent grants is New York, via US Fund for UNICEF.
The recent record shows support for scholarship and education-related groups, animal welfare, youth and family services, and community nonprofits. Examples include Cherry Scholarship, Evanston Animal Shelter, Eths School Based Health Center, James B Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, and Evanston Public Library Friends.
Yes. The grants listed in the recent record are labeled general support across the recipients shown, including awards to local nonprofits, scholarship-related organizations, and service providers.
The foundation’s grant sizes are modest. The 25th percentile is $1,500, the median is $2,000, and the 75th percentile is $4,000, which matches a pattern of relatively concentrated gifts rather than large awards.
Yes. Illinois accounts for 93% of recipients in the record, and Evanston appears repeatedly across the recent grants list. Chicago and Deerfield also appear among Illinois recipients.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Evanston Animal Shelter, Girls Play Sports, Kuumba Evanston, Eths School Based Health Center, James B Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, Meals on Wheels, and Evanston Children’s Clothing Assoc.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHERRY SCHOLARSHIP | DEERFIELD, IL | $21,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EVANSTON ANIMAL SHELTER | EVANSTON, IL | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| US FUND FOR UNICEF | NEW YORK, NY | $12,250 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ERIE FAMILY HEALTH CENTER | CHICAGO, IL | $12,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| KUUMBA EVANSTON | EVANSTON, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| GIRLS PLAY SPORTS | EVANSTON, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ETHS SCHOOL BASED HEALTH CENTER | EVANSTON, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ETHS FOUNDATION | EVANSTON, IL | $7,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ALL OUR CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER | JUSTICE, IL | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| JAMES B MORAN CENTER FOR YOUTH ADVOCACY | EVANSTON, IL | $4,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| MEALS ON WHEELS | EVANSTON, IL | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EVANSTON CHILDREN'S CLOTHING ASSOC | EVANSTON, IL | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| INFANT WELFARE SOCIETY OF EVANSTON INC | EVANSTON, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| NORTHLIGHT THEATRE | SKOKIE, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| FLEETWOOD JOURDAIN COMMUITY THEATER | EVANSTON, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| PARTNERS OF THE EVANSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY | EVANSTON, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| YOUTH JOB CENTER | EVANSTON, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| FAMILY FOCUS OF EVANSTON | EVANSTON, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| CURT'S CAFE | EVANSTON, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EVANSTON YWCA | EVANSTON, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| FELLOWSHIP AFRICAN AMER MENS BASKETBALL | EVANSTON, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| HILLSIDE FOOD PANTRY | EVANSTON, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS UMBRELLA | EVANSTON, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EVANSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY FRIENDS | EVANSTON, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EVANSTON FIRST RESPONDERS FOUNDATION | EVANSTON, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| LEARNING BRIDGE EDUCATION CENTER | EVANSTON, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| FOUNDATION 65 | EVANSTON, IL | $1,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| MITCHELL MUSEUM GICHIGAMIIN INDIGENOUS NATIONS MUSEUM | EVANSTON, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EVANSTON SCHOLARS | EVANSTON, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EVANSTON HISTORY CENTER | EVANSTON, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| JUSTIN WYNN FOUNDATION | EVANSTON, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EVANSTON ART CENTER | EVANSTON, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| GLESSNER HOUSE MUSEUM | CHICAGO, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ACTORS GYMNASIUM | EVANSTON, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ETHS BOOSTERS | EVANSTON, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| VOTER PARTICIPATION CENTER | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| THE OPEN STUDIO | EVANSTON, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EVANSTON YOUTH HOCKEY ASSOCIATION | EVANSTON, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EVANSTON FOURTH OF JULY ASSOCIATION | EVANSTON, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EVANSTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | EVANSTON, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| KUUMBA EVANSTON | EVANSTON, IL | $10,900 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| US FUND FOR UNICEF | NEW YORK, NY | $10,581 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| EVANSTON ANIMAL SHELTER | EVANSTON, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| GIRLS PLAY SPORTS | EVANSTON, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| CHERRY SCHOLARSHIP | DEERFIELD, IL | $8,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ERIE FAMILY HEALTH CENTER | CHICAGO, IL | $7,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| JAMES B MORAN CENTER FOR YOUTH ADVOCACY | EVANSTON, IL | $6,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ETHS SCHOOL BASED HEALTH CENTER | EVANSTON, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ALL OUR CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER | JUSTICE, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | GENEAL |
| VOTER PARTICIPATION CENTER | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
CHERRY SCHOLARSHIP
$21,000GENERAL
EVANSTON ANIMAL SHELTER
$20,000GENERAL
US FUND FOR UNICEF
$12,250GENERAL
ERIE FAMILY HEALTH CENTER
$12,000GENERAL
KUUMBA EVANSTON
$10,000GENERAL
GIRLS PLAY SPORTS
$10,000GENERAL
ETHS SCHOOL BASED HEALTH CENTER
GENERAL
ETHS FOUNDATION
$7,000GENERAL
ALL OUR CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER
$5,000GENERAL
JAMES B MORAN CENTER FOR YOUTH ADVOCACY
$4,000GENERAL
MEALS ON WHEELS
$3,000GENERAL
EVANSTON CHILDREN'S CLOTHING ASSOC
$3,000GENERAL
FLEETWOOD JOURDAIN COMMUITY THEATER
$2,000GENERAL
PARTNERS OF THE EVANSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
$2,000GENERAL
FAMILY FOCUS OF EVANSTON
$2,000GENERAL
FELLOWSHIP AFRICAN AMER MENS BASKETBALL
$2,000GENERAL
HILLSIDE FOOD PANTRY
$2,000GENERAL
YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS UMBRELLA
$2,000GENERAL
EVANSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY FRIENDS
$2,000GENERAL
EVANSTON FIRST RESPONDERS FOUNDATION
$2,000GENERAL
LEARNING BRIDGE EDUCATION CENTER
$2,000GENERAL
FOUNDATION 65
$1,500GENERAL
MITCHELL MUSEUM GICHIGAMIIN INDIGENOUS NATIONS MUSEUM
$1,000GENERAL
EVANSTON SCHOLARS
$1,000GENERAL
EVANSTON HISTORY CENTER
$1,000GENERAL
JUSTIN WYNN FOUNDATION
$1,000GENERAL
EVANSTON ART CENTER
$1,000GENERAL
GLESSNER HOUSE MUSEUM
$1,000GENERAL
ACTORS GYMNASIUM
$1,000GENERAL
ETHS BOOSTERS
$1,000GENERAL
VOTER PARTICIPATION CENTER
$1,000GENERAL
THE OPEN STUDIO
$1,000GENERAL
EVANSTON YOUTH HOCKEY ASSOCIATION
$1,000GENERAL
EVANSTON FOURTH OF JULY ASSOCIATION
$1,000GENERAL
EVANSTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$1,000GENERAL
KUUMBA EVANSTON
$10,900GENERAL
EVANSTON ANIMAL SHELTER
$10,000GENERAL
GIRLS PLAY SPORTS
$10,000GENERAL
CHERRY SCHOLARSHIP
$8,000GENERAL
ERIE FAMILY HEALTH CENTER
$7,000GENERAL
ETHS SCHOOL BASED HEALTH CENTER
$5,000GENERAL
ALL OUR CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER
$5,000GENEAL
VOTER PARTICIPATION CENTER
$5,000GENERAL