Fulk Family Foundation
ActiveMutual & Membership BenefitFunds Individuals
About Fulk Family Foundation
The Fulk Family Foundation makes a small number of very large, institution-building gifts focused on cultural, educational, medical and community infrastructure projects. Their funding emphasizes capital campaigns and program expansion for universities, arts organizations, parks & libraries, and health/biomedical initiatives, with a geographic concentration in Nebraska and the Chicago/Lake County region. Grants support both public-facing community assets (libraries, parks, performance venues) and specialized higher-education/medical programs.
Focus Areas
Capital campaigns for regional social service campuses (e.g., Tabitha Inc building project)Library and park infrastructure in suburban/municipal contexts (e.g., Waukegan Park District library renovation)University-led research and experiential learning centers (e.g., University of Chicago TMW Center; UNMC VR experiential learning expansion)Major performing arts investments tied to civic venues and festivals (e.g., Lyric Opera/ Millennium Park concert)Medical and biomedical education funding linked to pediatric research and graduate programs (e.g., St. Jude-related support)
Who They Fund
About Fulk Family Foundation
A defining feature of Fulk Family Foundation Inc. is the size of its gifts: the foundation has made a series of multimillion-dollar grants for capital campaigns, education initiatives, medical research, and civic cultural projects. One of the largest recent awards went to Tabitha Inc. for a building campaign, while another supported the Waukegan Park District’s library renovation. Those gifts sit alongside major support for the University of Chicago’s TMW Center and Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Millennium Park concert, showing an interest in both institution-building and public-facing community assets. The pattern is not limited to one sector. In Nebraska, the foundation has backed social service, youth, and medical initiatives; in Chicago and nearby suburbs, it has supported higher education, arts venues, libraries, and health-focused projects. Recent grants also include major support for Hope Chicago’s scholarship and wraparound services, Nebraska Community Foundation youth funding, and biomedical education through American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities. The result is a portfolio centered on large, targeted awards that help organizations expand facilities, programs, and long-term capacity.
What Fulk Family Foundation Funds
Education appears across several kinds of projects, from early learning and student supports to university research and scholarship programs. The foundation gave $1.39 million to the University of Chicago for the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health, and $1.5 million to City Colleges of Chicago Foundation for phase III of its student technology equity program. Health and biomedical work is another clear thread: Northwestern Memorial Healthcare received $2 million to support immuno-oncology research, and St. Catherine Hospital Inc. received $1.5 million for a CyberKnife S7. Arts and cultural preservation also draw major support. The City of Chicago received multiple grants for the Chicago Cultural Center, and Adler Planetarium received $2 million to rehouse, preserve, and protect items in its collections. Community and youth initiatives are present as well, including Nebraska Community Foundation’s youth and children-focused funds.
How Fulk Family Foundation Gives
Typical grants are large, with a p25 of $25,000, a median of $75,000, and a p75 of $300,000, even though the recent-grants list also shows multimillion-dollar awards at the upper end. The foundation gives in a highly selective way: the active grant programs state that requests are invitation-only and unsolicited applications are not accepted. The data also points to repeated relationships rather than one-off support. Nebraska Community Foundation, University of Chicago, Hope Chicago Inc, Kids First Chicago for Education, and City of Chicago each appear more than once in the recent-grants list, often across different years. The foundation is classified as a regular funder and also funds individuals, though the grant history shown here is centered on institutions.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$23.5M
Total Assets
$24.6M
Total Revenue
$2.1M
Total Expenses
$25M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $25K and $300K, with a median of $75K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$75K
75th Percentile
$300K
Geographic Reach
Regional20 states funded
About 14% of grants go to recipients in IL.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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