The H Ogden Brainard Residuary Trust EIU Foundation concentrates its giving on local and Illinois-based educational institutions, civic programs, and a smaller set of religious and legal causes. Grants are often directed to public schools and universities (including funding for specific colleges like law), municipal recreation/children's services, United Way fundraising, and one local church—indicating a mix of place-based community support and interest in legal/educational advancement. Many grantees receive repeated or paired grants of similar amounts, suggesting recurring or split funding arrangements.
A defining feature of H Ogden Brainard Residuary Trust Eiu Foundation is its repeated support for the same Illinois institutions at nearly identical levels across years. In 2023 and 2024, it made paired grants to Eastern Illinois University Foundation, Community Unit School Dist No 1, University of Illinois Foundation, Wesley United Methodist Church, Illinois Bar Foundation, City of Charleston, and United Way of Coles County. That pattern points to a trustee-style funder that favors steady, place-based support over broad thematic experimentation. The foundation’s grants center on education, legal justice, civic recreation, and community fundraising in Illinois. Educational support reaches both higher education and local public schools, while legal funding is directed to the College of Law and the Illinois Bar Foundation for legal justice work. Its community-facing grants also include children’s recreation programs in Charleston and annual-drive support for United Way of Coles County. The same organizations often appear in consecutive years, with amounts remaining tightly clustered around the mid-teens or around eight thousand dollars, reinforcing a consistent local funding rhythm.
Education is the clearest thread in the foundation’s grantmaking. It gave $15,628 to Eastern Illinois University Foundation in 2023 and $15,550 in 2024, both for educational purposes. It also supported Community Unit School Dist No 1 with grants of $15,628 in 2023 and $15,550 in 2024 for educational purposes. Legal work is another recurring area. The University of Illinois Foundation received $15,628 in 2023 and $15,550 in 2024 for educational purposes for the College of Law, while Illinois Bar Foundation was awarded $15,627 in 2023 and $15,549 in 2024 to advance legal justice. Outside education and law, the foundation funded City of Charleston children’s recreation programs and United Way of Coles County’s annual drive, showing support for local youth programming and community fundraising.
Typical grants cluster tightly around the same amounts: p25 is $9,748, the median is $15,550, and p75 is $15,627. That narrow spread matches a recurring pattern in the recent grants, where several recipients received similar awards in both 2023 and 2024. The foundation appears to operate as a trust, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Grants are local in scope, with every recent grant going to Illinois recipients.
$127K
$4.6M
$323K
$194K
Most grants fall between $10K and $16K, with a median of $16K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$16K
75th Percentile
$16K
JONATHAN MCKENZIE
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Concentrated, place-based giving with a small number of relatively large, repeat or paired grants to familiar local and statewide institutions rather than many small one-off gifts.
Notable grantees: Eastern Illinois University Foundation, Community Unit School District No. 1 (Charleston), University of Illinois Foundation (College of Law), Wesley United Methodist Church, Illinois Bar Foundation
All recent grants went to U.S. recipients, and every listed grant was awarded in Illinois. Charleston appears most often, including grants to Eastern Illinois University Foundation, Community Unit School Dist No 1, Wesley United Methodist Church, the City of Charleston, and the foundation’s headquarters city. Other Illinois recipients include Urbana, Chicago, and Mattoon. The recipient distribution is fully in-state, with 100% of grants going to recipients in Illinois.
The foundation supports educational institutions, local public schools, legal justice organizations, a church, and community fundraising efforts. Recent grants went to a university foundation, a school district, the University of Illinois Foundation for the College of Law, Illinois Bar Foundation, Wesley United Methodist Church, City of Charleston, and United Way of Coles County.
Its grant sizes are tightly clustered. The reported p25 is $9,748, the median is $15,550, and the p75 is $15,627. Recent grants in the list fall in two main bands: about $15.5k for education and legal support, and about $7.8k for community and recreation grants.
Yes. Several recipients appear in both 2023 and 2024 with nearly identical amounts. Eastern Illinois University Foundation, Community Unit School Dist No 1, University of Illinois Foundation, Illinois Bar Foundation, Wesley United Methodist Church, City of Charleston, and United Way of Coles County all received repeat grants.
Its giving is local and entirely in Illinois. The recent grants list shows recipients in Charleston, Urbana, Chicago, and Mattoon, and 100% of the grants went to recipients in Illinois.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ILLINOIS BAR FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $21,195 | 2026 | ADVANCE LEGAL JUSTICE |
| UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FOUNDATION | URBANA, IL | $21,195 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES FOR THE COLLEGE OF LAW |
| WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | CHARLESTON, IL | $21,195 | 2026 | FOR THE GENERAL PURPOSES OF THE CHURCH |
| EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | CHARLESTON, IL | $21,195 | 2026 | FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES |
| COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DIST NO 1 | CHARLESTON, IL | $21,195 | 2026 | FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES |
| UNITED WAY OF COLES COUNTY | MATTOON, IL | $10,599 | 2026 | UNITED WAY ANNUAL DRIVE |
| CITY OF CHARLESTON | CHARLESTON, IL | $10,598 | 2026 | FOR CHILDREN'S RECREATION PROGRAMS |
| EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | CHARLESTON, IL | $19,302 | 2025 | FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES |
| WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | CHARLESTON, IL | $19,302 | 2025 | FOR THE GENERAL PURPOSES OF THE CHURCH |
| ILLINOIS BAR FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $19,302 | 2025 | ADVANCE LEGAL JUSTICE |
| UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FOUNDATION | URBANA, IL | $19,302 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES FOR THE COLLEGE OF LAW |
| COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DIST NO 1 | CHARLESTON, IL | $19,302 | 2025 | FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES |
| UNITED WAY OF COLES COUNTY | MATTOON, IL | $9,652 | 2025 | UNITED WAY ANNUAL DRIVE |
| CITY OF CHARLESTON | CHARLESTON, IL | $9,651 | 2025 | FOR CHILDREN'S RECREATION PROGRAMS |
| COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DIST NO 1 | CHARLESTON, IL | $15,550 | 2024 | FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES |
| WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | CHARLESTON, IL | $15,550 | 2024 | FOR THE GENERAL PURPOSES OF THE CHURCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FOUNDATION | URBANA, IL | $15,550 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES FOR THE COLLEGE OF LAW |
| EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | CHARLESTON, IL | $15,550 | 2024 | FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES |
| ILLINOIS BAR FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $15,549 | 2024 | ADVANCE LEGAL JUSTICE |
| CITY OF CHARLESTON | CHARLESTON, IL | $7,775 | 2024 | FOR CHILDREN'S RECREATION PROGRAMS |
| UNITED WAY OF COLES COUNTY | MATTOON, IL | $7,775 | 2024 | UNITED WAY ANNUAL DRIVE |
| UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FOUNDATION | URBANA, IL | $15,628 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES FOR THE COLLEGE OF LAW |
| COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DIST NO 1 | CHARLESTON, IL | $15,628 | 2023 | FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES |
| EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | CHARLESTON, IL | $15,628 | 2023 | FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES |
| WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | CHARLESTON, IL | $15,627 | 2023 | FOR THE GENERAL PURPOSES OF THE CHURCH |
| ILLINOIS BAR FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $15,627 | 2023 | ADVANCE LEGAL JUSTICE |
| UNITED WAY OF COLES COUNTY | MATTOON, IL | $7,814 | 2023 | UNITED WAY ANNUAL DRIVE |
| CITY OF CHARLESTON | CHARLESTON, IL | $7,814 | 2023 | FOR CHILDREN'S RECREATION PROGRAMS |
ILLINOIS BAR FOUNDATION
$21,195ADVANCE LEGAL JUSTICE
WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
$21,195FOR THE GENERAL PURPOSES OF THE CHURCH
COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DIST NO 1
$21,195FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES
UNITED WAY OF COLES COUNTY
UNITED WAY ANNUAL DRIVE
CITY OF CHARLESTON
$10,598FOR CHILDREN'S RECREATION PROGRAMS
WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
$19,302FOR THE GENERAL PURPOSES OF THE CHURCH
ILLINOIS BAR FOUNDATION
$19,302ADVANCE LEGAL JUSTICE
COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DIST NO 1
$19,302FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES
UNITED WAY OF COLES COUNTY
$9,652UNITED WAY ANNUAL DRIVE
CITY OF CHARLESTON
$9,651FOR CHILDREN'S RECREATION PROGRAMS
COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DIST NO 1
$15,550FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES
WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
$15,550FOR THE GENERAL PURPOSES OF THE CHURCH
ILLINOIS BAR FOUNDATION
$15,549ADVANCE LEGAL JUSTICE
CITY OF CHARLESTON
$7,775FOR CHILDREN'S RECREATION PROGRAMS
UNITED WAY OF COLES COUNTY
$7,775UNITED WAY ANNUAL DRIVE
COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DIST NO 1
$15,628FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES
WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
$15,627FOR THE GENERAL PURPOSES OF THE CHURCH
ILLINOIS BAR FOUNDATION
$15,627ADVANCE LEGAL JUSTICE
UNITED WAY OF COLES COUNTY
$7,814UNITED WAY ANNUAL DRIVE
CITY OF CHARLESTON
$7,814FOR CHILDREN'S RECREATION PROGRAMS