The Lerner Family Foundation concentrates its giving on Jewish communal life in the Chicago area, directing large, unrestricted gifts to community infrastructure and inclusion initiatives. Most support flows to umbrella and advocacy organizations that strengthen Jewish identity and ensure access for LGBTQ+ Jews. The foundation makes relatively few, sizeable grants rather than many small awards.
Concentrated giving: a very small number of substantial grants (two large gifts) focused on Jewish communal infrastructure and inclusion rather than a broad portfolio of grantees.
The largest recent gift from Eugene and Janet Lerner Family Foundation Inc was a $275,000 grant to Jewish United Fund in Chicago, signaling a strong preference for large, unrestricted support to Jewish communal institutions. The foundation’s 2025 grants also show sustained backing for organizations that shape Jewish life, from Keshet’s work in Northbrook to Birthright Israel Foundation in New York and Friends of Elnet in Skokie. Alongside those awards, the foundation gave to groups connected to Israel, education, health, and local civic life, but the clearest pattern is support for communal infrastructure rather than narrow project funding. Its giving is especially notable for combining umbrella organizations with advocacy and inclusion-focused groups. Keshet received $112,500, the second-largest recent grant, placing LGBTQ+ inclusion within Jewish life among the foundation’s defining interests. Other recipients include Jewish community, cultural, and service organizations across Chicago and beyond, with several grants at six figures or near that level. The overall picture is of a private foundation making relatively few, sizable awards that reinforce Jewish institutions and related communal priorities through general charitable support.
Jewish communal infrastructure is central to the foundation’s work. In 2025, it gave $275,000 to Jewish United Fund for charity support, a large gift to a major umbrella organization in Chicago. It also supported Temple Beth Israel in Skokie with $10,000 and Hadassah in Northbrook with $10,000, extending that communal emphasis to local institutions. LGBTQ+ inclusion within Jewish life is another clear theme. Keshet received $112,500 for charity support, making it one of the foundation’s largest recent grants. The support fits a broader pattern of funding organizations that shape access and inclusion in Jewish settings. The foundation also funds broader charitable and civic causes. Recent grants include $20,000 to Learning Disabilities Association of Illinois, $12,000 to WTTW, $12,000 to WBEZ, and $10,000 to Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, showing that its giving reaches beyond Jewish organizations while still favoring community-facing institutions.
$1.2M
$13.5M
$7M
$1.4M
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Notable grantees: Jewish United Fund, Keshet, Other Chicago-area Jewish communal organizations
The recent grant set is concentrated in larger awards: the 25th percentile is about $10,000, the median is $12,000, and the 75th percentile is $30,000. A small number of grants sit far above that range, including six-figure gifts. The foundation appears to make grant decisions as a private foundation using charitable support rather than program-related investments, and it does not fund individuals. The 2025 list is the only year provided, so recurring giving across multiple years cannot be established from this dataset. Most awards are labeled charity, suggesting flexible support rather than tightly restricted project grants.
All recent grants in the dataset went to U.S. recipients. Chicago is the main city represented, with grants to Jewish United Fund, Judd Goldman Adoptive Sailing Foundation, WTTW, WBEZ, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, and Friends of the Idf. Other Illinois recipients include Northbrook, Skokie, Evanston, Palos Hills, Lake Forest, Dundee, and Northfield. Outside Illinois, the grants reached New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Austin, Rockville, Phoenix, Monrovia, Oceanside, Richmond, Alexandria, San Luis Obispo, and Sunrise.
The foundation most often supports Jewish communal institutions and organizations tied to Jewish life, especially umbrella groups and local community organizations. In the recent grant list, that includes Jewish United Fund, Keshet, Friends of Elnet, Hadassah, Temple Beth Israel, and Friends of the Idf, alongside selected civic and cultural charities.
The recent grants cluster around moderate gifts, with a 25th percentile of about $10,000, a median of $12,000, and a 75th percentile of $30,000. That said, the foundation also makes much larger awards, including a $275,000 grant and a $112,500 grant in 2025.
No. Jewish communal support is the core pattern, but the recent list also includes grants to organizations such as Learning Disabilities Association of Illinois, WTTW, WBEZ, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Evanston Animal Shelter, Central Texas Food Bank, Phoenix Art Museum, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
The recent grants are entirely U.S.-based, with many in Illinois. Chicago, Northbrook, Skokie, Evanston, Palos Hills, Lake Forest, Dundee, and Northfield all appear in the recipient list, while other grants go to New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and several other U.S. cities.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEWISH UNITED FUND | CHICAGO, IL | $275,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| KESHET | NORTHBROOK, IL | $112,500 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| FRIENDS OF ELNET | SKOKIE, IL | $100,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| ANRA (ADVANCES IN NEUROBLASTOMA RESEARCH ASSN) | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $60,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| ISRAEL CANCER RESEARCH FUND | NORTHFIELD, IL | $51,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| OLIN SANG RUBY UNION INSTITUTE CAMP | OCONOMOWOC, WI | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| OPENDORMEDIA | SUNRISE, FL | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| NEW ISRAEL FUND | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $40,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| ST BALDRICKS FOUNDATION | MONROVIA, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| JUDD GOLDMAN ADOPTIVE SAILING FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| LEARNING DISABILITIES ASSOCIATION OF ILLINOIS | PALOS HILLS, IL | $20,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| SOCIAL GOOD FUND | RICHMOND, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| CAL POLY FOUNDATION | SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA | $15,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| CONQUER CANCER FOUNDATION | ALEXANDRIA, VA | $15,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| WBEZ | CHICAGO, IL | $12,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| WTTW | CHICAGO, IL | $12,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| MAX MCGRAW WILDLIFE FOUNDATION | DUNDEE, IL | $11,961 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION | ROCKVILLE, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| HADASSAH | NORTHBROOK, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| EVANSTON ANIMAL SHELTER | EVANSTON, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| PHOENIX ART MUSEUM | PHOENIX, AZ | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| FRIENDS OF THE IDF | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL | SKOKIE, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| RIVENDELL THEATRE ENSEMBLE | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| JEWISH COALITION FOR DISASTER RELIEF | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| SEMPER FI FUND | OCEANSIDE, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK | AUSTIN, TX | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| DIGESTIVE HEALTH CENTER | LAKE FOREST, IL | $7,500 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| UMRC FOUNDATION | CHELSEA, MI | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| DUKE UNIVERSITY | DURHAM, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| FIDV BEIT HALOCHEM | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| SOCIAL VENTURE PARTNERS | SEATTLE, WA | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| DESERT LABRADOR RETRIEVER RESCUE | GLENDALE, AZ | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| BET TZEDEK | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| NADD | KINGSTON, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA) | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| JEWISH POCET | SKOKIE, IL | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| BAYIT BRIGADE | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| BLUES FOUNDATION | MEMPHIS, TN | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| THE ICENTER | NORTHBROOK, IL | $2,500 | 2025 | CHARITY |
| JEWISH UNITED FUND | CHICAGO, IL | $285,000 | 2024 | CHARITY |
| ISRAEL PARASPORT CENTER | NORTHFIELD, IL | $100,000 | 2024 | CHARITY |
| FRIENDS OF ELNET | SKOKIE, IL | $70,000 | 2024 | CHARITY |
| KESHET | NORTHBROOK, IL | $60,000 | 2024 | CHARITY |
| BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $60,000 | 2024 | CHARITY |
| JUDD GOLDMAN ADOPTIVE SAILING FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $55,000 | 2024 | CHARITY |
| ISRAEL CANCER RESEARCH FUND | NORTHFIELD, IL | $46,000 | 2024 | CHARITY |
ANRA (ADVANCES IN NEUROBLASTOMA RESEARCH ASSN)
$60,000CHARITY
ISRAEL CANCER RESEARCH FUND
CHARITY
OLIN SANG RUBY UNION INSTITUTE CAMP
$50,000CHARITY
JUDD GOLDMAN ADOPTIVE SAILING FOUNDATION
$25,000CHARITY
LEARNING DISABILITIES ASSOCIATION OF ILLINOIS
$20,000CHARITY
CAL POLY FOUNDATION
$15,000CHARITY
WTTW
$12,000CHARITY
MAX MCGRAW WILDLIFE FOUNDATION
$11,961CHARITY
HADASSAH
$10,000CHARITY
EVANSTON ANIMAL SHELTER
$10,000CHARITY
FRIENDS OF THE IDF
$10,000CHARITY
TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL
$10,000CHARITY
RIVENDELL THEATRE ENSEMBLE
$10,000CHARITY
JEWISH COALITION FOR DISASTER RELIEF
$10,000CHARITY
SEMPER FI FUND
$10,000CHARITY
DIGESTIVE HEALTH CENTER
$7,500CHARITY
UMRC FOUNDATION
$5,000CHARITY
FIDV BEIT HALOCHEM
$5,000CHARITY
DESERT LABRADOR RETRIEVER RESCUE
$5,000CHARITY
NADD
$5,000CHARITY
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA)
$5,000CHARITY
JEWISH POCET
$5,000CHARITY
THE ICENTER
$2,500CHARITY
JUDD GOLDMAN ADOPTIVE SAILING FOUNDATION
$55,000CHARITY
ISRAEL CANCER RESEARCH FUND
$46,000CHARITY