The Kaplan Foundation directs 100% of its visible giving through the Chicago Community Trust, indicating a strategy of supporting broad, place-based philanthropy rather than funding individual charities directly. Their grants are intended to empower a local community foundation to allocate funds across many charitable causes in the Chicago region, favoring flexible, trust-managed distribution over narrow program-specific investments.
Kaplan Foundation’s visible giving is routed almost entirely through the Chicago Community Trust, with a single 2025 grant of $3,300,000 standing out as the largest recent award. That structure points to a foundation that funds through a community foundation rather than making most awards directly to individual nonprofits. The trust grant was described as support for charitable purposes at an array of 501(c)(3) organizations, which fits a pooled approach to local philanthropy. Beyond that main allocation, the foundation also appears in direct grants to a small set of organizations working in Jewish community life, family support, education, and blindness research. Recent recipients include Park Avenue Synagogue, Congregation Beth Shalom, and Foundation Fighting Blindness, showing that the foundation’s giving reaches both broad charitable distribution and named program areas. The pattern is shaped by many smaller awards alongside the large trust transfer, with grants commonly in the low-thousands and sometimes in the hundreds. Across the visible record, Kaplan Foundation supports organizations serving children and young adults, low-income families, and people with vision impairment, while also funding general operating support and restricted-purpose projects.
In blindness research, Kaplan Foundation gave $2,500 in 2024 and another $2,500 in 2025 to Foundation Fighting Blindness for funding research for blindness cures, showing repeated support for the same research recipient. In education and teaching, it awarded $2,000 in 2025 to Northmoor Education Foundation and $1,500 in 2023 to Adolph and Rose Levis Jewish Community Center Inc, both with educational or teaching purposes attached. The foundation also supports youth pathway work: in 2024 it granted $2,000 to Unicorn Children's Foundation for creating cradle to career pathways for kids and young adults. Family preservation appears in a 2023 grant of $200 to Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options (jafco) for family preservation services at risk of disruption. These named grants show a mix of research, education, youth development, and continuity-of-care funding.
The visible grant sizes cluster tightly: p25 is $1,250, median is $2,000, and p75 is $2,250. Most awards are small, while one very large 2025 transfer to Chicago Community Trust dominates the record. The same recipient appears across multiple years in several cases, including Chicago Community Trust, Foundation Fighting Blindness, Park Avenue Synagogue, Boca Rio Foundation, Healthnetwork Foundation, Northmoor Education Foundation, Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival, Israel Tennis & Education Centers Foundation, and others, indicating recurring rather than one-off support. Kaplan Foundation makes grants nationally and does not fund individuals. The grant pattern also shows a mix of general operating support, general grant distribution, and purpose-restricted awards routed through a community foundation or directly to nonprofits.
$3.3M
$12.9M
$9.7M
$3.4M
Most grants fall between $1K and $2K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$2K
About 28% of grants go to recipients in FL.
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Highly concentrated: all recorded giving goes to a single intermediary (Chicago Community Trust) in multiple grants, suggesting reliance on an established community foundation to distribute funds rather than making many small direct grants.
Notable grantees: Chicago Community Trust
All visible grants went to US recipients. Chicago Community Trust in Chicago, Illinois, anchors the record, while other repeated locations include Boca Raton and Boynton Beach, Florida; New York, New York; and Cleveland, Ohio. Illinois recipients account for 20% of grants in the visible data, but the foundation gives most often in Florida by count. The geographic mix suggests a national footprint with a strong concentration of awards in Florida and a continuing presence in the Chicago area.
The visible grants include a community foundation, religious and cultural institutions, education-focused nonprofits, blindness research organizations, family preservation services, and groups serving low-income or uninsured families. Examples in the record include Chicago Community Trust, Foundation Fighting Blindness, Northmoor Education Foundation, and Caridad Center.
The grant-size distribution is compact: p25 is $1,250, median is $2,000, and p75 is $2,250. Many visible awards fall between $1,000 and $2,500, with one much larger grant to Chicago Community Trust.
Yes. Several recipients appear in more than one year, including Chicago Community Trust, Foundation Fighting Blindness, Park Avenue Synagogue, Boca Rio Foundation, Healthnetwork Foundation, Northmoor Education Foundation, Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival, and Israel Tennis & Education Centers Foundation.
The foundation gives nationally, but Florida is the top state by grant count in the visible data. Illinois recipients represent 20% of grants, and the record also includes recipients in New York, Ohio, California, Maryland, Washington, DC, and Florida.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST | CHICAGO, IL | $3,300,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES AT AN ARRAY OF 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATIONS |
| PARK AVENUE SYNAGOGUE | NEW YORK, NY | $10,010 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM | NAPERVILLE, IL | $5,500 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION OF ILLINOIS | CHICAGO, IL | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS | COLUMBIA, MD | $2,500 | 2025 | FUNDING RESEARCH FOR BLINDNESS CURES |
| HEALTHNETWORK FOUNDATION | CLEVELAND, OH | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| NORTHMOOR EDUCATION FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | FOR EDUCATIONAL AND TEACHING PURPOSES |
| BOCA RIO FOUNDATION | BOCA RATON, FL | $2,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT AND HELP THE LOCAL COMMUNITU BY GIVING BACK TO NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. |
| BOCA RATON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL | BOCA RATON, FL | $1,500 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| MORE LYFE FOUNDATION | SACRAMENTO, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ISRAEL TENNIS & EDUCATION CENTERS FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | FOR TENNIS EQUIPMENT AND EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIES |
| CANCER WELLNESS CENTER | NORTHBROOK, IL | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SHE CAN | MILL VALLEY, CA | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST | CHICAGO, IL | $780,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES AT AN ARRAY OF 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATIONS |
| PARK AVENUE SYNAGOGUE | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL GRANT DISTRIBUTION. |
| FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS | COLUMBIA, MD | $2,500 | 2024 | FUNDING RESEARCH FOR BLINDNESS CURES |
| BOCA RIO FOUNDATION | BOCA RATON, FL | $2,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT AND HELP THE LOCAL COMMUNITY BY GIVING BACK TO NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. |
| HEALTHNETWORK FOUNDATION | CLEVELAND, OH | $2,000 | 2024 | GENERAL GRANT DISTRIBUTION. |
| UNICORN CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION | BOCA RATON, FL | $2,000 | 2024 | CREATING CRADLE TO CAREER PATHWAYS FOR KIDS AND YOUNG ADULTS |
| BOCA RATON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL | BOCA RATON, FL | $1,500 | 2024 | GENERAL GRANT DISTRIBUTION. |
| NORTHMOOR EDUCATION FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $1,000 | 2024 | FOR EDUCATIONAL AND TEACHING PURPOSES |
| CARIDAD CENTER | BOYNTON BEACH, FL | $1,000 | 2024 | SERVING THE POOR AND UNINSURED FAMILIES OF PALM BEACH COUNTY |
| ISRAEL TENNIS & EDUCATION CENTERS FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $500 | 2024 | FOR TENNIS EQUIPMENT AND EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIES |
| CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST | CHICAGO, IL | $930,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES AT AN ARRAY OF 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATIONS |
| BOCA RIO FOUNDATION | BOCA RATON, FL | $2,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT AND HELP THE LOCAL COMMUNITY BY GIVING BACK TO NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. |
| FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS | COLUMBIA, MD | $2,000 | 2023 | FUNDING RESEARCH FOR BLINDNESS CURES |
| ADOLPH AND ROSE LEVIS JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER INC | BOCA RATON, FL | $1,500 | 2023 | FOR EDUCATIONAL AND TEACHING PURPOSES |
| JEWISH ADOPTION AND FAMILY CARE OPTIONS (JAFCO) | SUNRISE, FL | $200 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT FAMILY PRESERVATION SERVICES AT RISK OF DISRUPTION |
TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES AT AN ARRAY OF 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATIONS
PARK AVENUE SYNAGOGUE
$10,010GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM
$5,500GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
FOUNDATION FIGHTING BLINDNESS
$2,500FUNDING RESEARCH FOR BLINDNESS CURES
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
NORTHMOOR EDUCATION FOUNDATION
$2,000FOR EDUCATIONAL AND TEACHING PURPOSES
BOCA RIO FOUNDATION
$2,000TO SUPPORT AND HELP THE LOCAL COMMUNITU BY GIVING BACK TO NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
BOCA RATON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
$1,500GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
MORE LYFE FOUNDATION
$1,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
FOR TENNIS EQUIPMENT AND EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIES
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN
$500GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES AT AN ARRAY OF 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATIONS
PARK AVENUE SYNAGOGUE
$2,500GENERAL GRANT DISTRIBUTION.
BOCA RIO FOUNDATION
$2,000TO SUPPORT AND HELP THE LOCAL COMMUNITY BY GIVING BACK TO NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
UNICORN CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION
$2,000CREATING CRADLE TO CAREER PATHWAYS FOR KIDS AND YOUNG ADULTS
BOCA RATON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
$1,500GENERAL GRANT DISTRIBUTION.
NORTHMOOR EDUCATION FOUNDATION
$1,000FOR EDUCATIONAL AND TEACHING PURPOSES
SERVING THE POOR AND UNINSURED FAMILIES OF PALM BEACH COUNTY
FOR TENNIS EQUIPMENT AND EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIES
TO SUPPORT CHARITABLE PURPOSES AT AN ARRAY OF 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATIONS
BOCA RIO FOUNDATION
$2,000TO SUPPORT AND HELP THE LOCAL COMMUNITY BY GIVING BACK TO NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
FOR EDUCATIONAL AND TEACHING PURPOSES
TO SUPPORT FAMILY PRESERVATION SERVICES AT RISK OF DISRUPTION