What kinds of organizations does the Irvin Stern Foundation fund?

Its stated grant programs support recognized tax-exempt charities in human services, civic affairs, mental health outreach, education, and Jewish welfare or Jewish life. The recent grants list also shows general-purpose support to federation, food access, housing, and community-serving organizations.

Does the foundation give unrestricted support?

Yes. The recent grants are repeatedly labeled general purpose, and the foundation’s summary describes funding that is unrestricted and aimed at broad federation operations and community services.

What is the typical grant size?

The typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $20,000 at the median, and $25,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards include both $25,000 and $30,000 grants, along with larger federation gifts.

Can organizations apply for funding?

Yes. The foundation’s grant programs accept unsolicited requests. One program description says organizations within the City of Chicago may file a Letter of Inquiry, while organizations outside Chicago are considered by invitation only.

Is the grantmaking mostly recurring or one-time?

It is recurring. The recent record shows the same recipients receiving support in multiple years, including the Jewish United Fund of Chicago in 2023, 2024, and 2025, as well as several other repeat grantees across two or three years.

Irvin Stern Foundation

Name: Irvin Stern Foundation — grants, 990 financials & funding data
Creator: Kindora

ActiveMutual & Membership Benefit

BOCA RATON, FLWebsite9178465619

About Irvin Stern Foundation

The Irvin Stern Foundation concentrates its giving exclusively on Jewish communal support, channeling all recorded grants to the Jewish United Fund of Chicago. Its funding is general-purpose/unrestricted, indicating a preference for supporting broad federation operations and community services rather than project-specific initiatives. Although based in Boca Raton, the foundation appears to prioritize the Chicago Jewish community through repeated gifts to a single federation.

Focus Areas

Jewish Federation support (Jewish United Fund of Chicago)General operating / unrestricted support for Jewish communal servicesPhilanthropic support targeted to the Chicago Jewish community

Who They Fund

general public / unspecified beneficiaries

Giving Approach

Highly concentrated: all recorded giving went to one recipient (three grants totaling $270,000), with repeat, general-purpose support rather than many small or diverse grants.

Funding Style

unrestricted supportgeneral operating support

About Irvin Stern Foundation

The Irvin Stern Foundation’s recent giving shows a clear pattern of unrestricted support for Jewish communal institutions, led by repeated general-purpose grants to the Jewish United Fund of Chicago. That federation received the foundation’s largest listed awards in 2023, 2024, and 2025, each at $90,000, which makes it the anchor relationship in the record. Beyond that long-running federation support, the foundation has also backed Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County with general-purpose gifts, showing that its Jewish communal giving is not limited to one city even though Chicago appears central to its grant history. The foundation’s broader portfolio includes general-purpose awards to organizations serving education, housing, food access, and related community needs, but the recent record still reflects a strong preference for flexible operating support rather than restricted projects. Several grants are labeled “general purpose,” which points to funding intended to strengthen organizations’ overall work rather than narrow initiatives. The pattern suggests a funder that uses recurring, institutional grants to support established community-serving nonprofits, especially those connected to Jewish life and federation-based services.

What Irvin Stern Foundation Funds

Jewish communal support is the clearest theme in the recent record. The foundation gave $90,000 in 2025 to the Jewish United Fund of Chicago for general purpose support, continuing a multi-year pattern of federation funding. It also supports Jewish community infrastructure in Florida. In 2025, Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County received $50,000 for general purpose support, and it had previously received $60,000 in 2023. Outside federation work, the foundation has made general-purpose grants to organizations serving housing and food access needs. Lakeview Pantry in Chicago received $40,000 in 2023, while Nourishing Hope in Chicago received $40,000 in 2024 and again in 2025. The record also includes a $55,000 grant to Milagro Center in Delray Beach in 2023.

How Irvin Stern Foundation Gives

Typical grants sit in a mid-sized range, with a p25 of $10,000, a median of $20,000, and a p75 of $25,000. The recent list shows repeated support for certain organizations across multiple years, especially the Jewish United Fund of Chicago, Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, Milagro Center, Root & Rebound, Nourishing Hope, and Figueroa Wu Family. The foundation is a regular funder rather than a DAF, and it does make unsolicited grantmaking through general grant programs. Its public program descriptions emphasize support for recognized tax-exempt charities and describe spring and fall cycles, along with a Letter of Inquiry route for Chicago-based organizations.

Financial Snapshot

Annual Giving

$626K

Total Assets

$10.4M

Total Revenue

$768K

Total Expenses

$825K

Typical Grant Size

Most grants fall between $10K and $25K, with a median of $20K.

25th Percentile

$10K

Median

$20K

75th Percentile

$25K

Geographic Reach

National19 states funded

About 13% of grants go to recipients in IL.

Funding intensity

Low

High

Headquarters

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Recipient	Location	Amount	Year	Purpose
FIGUEROA WU FAMILY FOUNDATION	CHICAGO, IL	$40,000	2026	GENERAL SUPPORT
BONADFIDE INC	OAKLAND, CA	$30,000	2026	GENERAL SUPPORT
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF LATET HUMANITARIAN AID INC	WHITE PLAINS, NY	$30,000	2026	GENERAL SUPPORT
INGLOBAL	ANN ARBOR, MI	$30,000	2026

Irvin Stern Foundation

About Irvin Stern Foundation

Focus Areas

Who They Fund

Giving Approach

Funding Style

About Irvin Stern Foundation

What Irvin Stern Foundation Funds

How Irvin Stern Foundation Gives

Financial Snapshot

Typical Grant Size

Geographic Reach

Deep Analysis

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Frequently Asked Questions About Irvin Stern Foundation

What kinds of organizations does the Irvin Stern Foundation fund?

Does the foundation give unrestricted support?

What is the typical grant size?

Can organizations apply for funding?

Is the grantmaking mostly recurring or one-time?

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