The Kiphart Family Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on large, unrestricted general purpose support to higher education—primarily the University of Chicago—and makes occasional gifts to cultural/arts organizations. Grants are few in number but very large in size, suggesting the foundation prefers to make transformational contributions to a small set of institutions rather than spreading many smaller awards. The giving appears to be Chicago‑focused in practice, despite the foundation’s Florida location.
Highly concentrated giving: very large, unrestricted grants to a tiny roster of grantees (repeat support to the University of Chicago), with infrequent, smaller gifts to cultural nonprofits.
A single institution anchors Kiphart Family Foundation’s recent giving: the University of Chicago received the foundation’s two largest grants, including a $2,539,860 award in 2025 and a $1,926,029 award in 2023, both labeled general purpose. That pattern points to a funder that makes large, unrestricted commitments rather than dispersing smaller project grants across many recipients. Beyond higher education, the foundation has also backed Chicago cultural and civic organizations with sizable general-purpose support, including a $250,000 grant to Ingenuity and $100,000 grants to Merit School of Music and Lyric Opera of Chicago. The grant list shows a compact portfolio of institutional grantees, with several awards repeated across years and amounts that often sit at six figures. Most recipients are based in Chicago, which makes the foundation’s philanthropy read as strongly Chicago-centered in practice, even though its headquarters are in Key Largo. The mix of university support, arts institutions, and community organizations suggests a preference for established nonprofits that can use flexible funding across broad operating needs.
Higher education is the clearest theme in the foundation’s grantmaking. The University of Chicago received the largest awards in the data, both described as general purpose support. Chicago arts and culture also appear repeatedly: Ingenuity received $250,000 for general purpose use, while Lyric Opera of Chicago and Merit School of Music each received six-figure general-purpose grants. The foundation also supports organizations tied to education and youth development, including Erikson Institute and Communities in Schools of Chicago. Its community-oriented grants extend to organizations such as Family Focus and Center on Halsted, both of which received $100,000 general-purpose awards. Across these areas, the common thread is flexible institutional support rather than tightly defined project funding.
Typical grant size is substantial: the 25th percentile is $15,000, the median is $22,500, and the 75th percentile is $100,000. The recent record also shows a long tail of much larger awards, including multimillion-dollar gifts to a single university. Recipients appear across multiple years, especially the University of Chicago and several Chicago arts institutions, which points to recurring relationships rather than one-time giving. Grants are described as general purpose throughout the list, and the foundation does not make program-related investments or grants to individuals. The pattern is consistent with flexible institutional support.
$3M
$400K
$3.4M
$3M
Most grants fall between $15K and $100K, with a median of $23K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$23K
75th Percentile
$100K
About 3% of grants go to recipients in IL.
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Notable grantees: The University of Chicago (major general purpose support), University of Chicago (affiliate/second large general purpose grant), INGENUITY (arts/cultural organization)
Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in Chicago, with many awards going to recipients there and the top state by grant count being Illinois. Nearby Evanston appears as well through Music Institute and Music Institute of Chicago, and there are a few grants outside Illinois, including Columbus, Ohio, and Aspen, Colorado. Florida, the headquarters state, accounts for 4% of grants, showing that most giving lands elsewhere. All listed recent grants are to U.S. recipients.
The recent grants point to universities, arts and culture organizations, and community-serving nonprofits. The University of Chicago received the largest awards, while Chicago institutions such as Merit School of Music, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ingenuity, Family Focus, and Center on Halsted also appear in the list.
Yes. Every recent grant in the list is labeled general purpose, including awards to the University of Chicago, Ingenuity, and Merit School of Music. That indicates a consistent preference for flexible support rather than narrowly restricted project funding.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is fairly high: the 25th percentile is $15,000, the median is $22,500, and the 75th percentile is $100,000. The list also includes much larger awards, including multimillion-dollar gifts to the University of Chicago.
Illinois is the top state by grant count, and Chicago is the main recipient city in the recent grants list. Several Illinois recipients appear multiple times, including the University of Chicago, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Merit School of Music.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. The grant record shown here is entirely institutional and consists of general-purpose awards.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $2,539,860 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MERIT SCHOOL OF MUSIC | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE JOFFERY BALLET | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS INC | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $49,877 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| IMPACT FOR EQUITY | CHCIAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MUSIC INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO | EVANSTON, IL | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE PEOPLE'S MUSIC SCHOOL | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ASPEN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | ASPEN, CO | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $1,845,792 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MERIT SCHOOL OF MUSIC | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ASPEN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | ASPEN, CO | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| REHABILITATION INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $6,200 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| SAVE THE CHILDREN | FAIRFIELD, CT | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| STRIDES FOR PEACE | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MISSION WOLF | WESTCLIFFE, CO | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| RED ROVER | SACRAMENTO, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| OXFAM AMERICA | BOSTON, MA | $1,200 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $1,926,029 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| INGENUITY | CHICAGO, IL | $250,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COLUMBIA | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| FAMILY FOCUS | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MERIT SCHOOL OF MUSIC | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CENTER ON HALSTED | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ERIKSON INSTITUTE | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| JOFFREY BALLET | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CARA | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE | COLUMBUS, OH | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CHIARTS (CHICAGO ARTS) | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PEOPLES MUSIC | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ASPEN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | ASPEN, CO | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MUSIC INSTITUTE | EVANSTON, IL | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| INNOVATION 80 | CHICAGO, IL | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| STRIDES FOR PEACE | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE | ALBERT LEA, MN | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| OCEAN REEF ALL CHARITIES | KEY LARGO, FL | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| JDRF | CHICAGO, IL | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| KENILWORTH UNION CHURCH | KENILWORTH, IL | $2,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
THE JOFFERY BALLET
$50,000GENERAL PURPOSE
WINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS INC
$50,000GENERAL PURPOSE
GENERAL PURPOSE
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO
$49,877GENERAL PURPOSE
THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$25,000GENERAL PURPOSE
THE PEOPLE'S MUSIC SCHOOL
$20,000GENERAL PURPOSE
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$6,200GENERAL PURPOSE
STRIDES FOR PEACE
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSE
MISSION WOLF
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSE
RED ROVER
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSE
COLUMBIA
$100,000GENERAL PURPOSE
WINDOW TO THE WORLD COMMUNICATIONS
$50,000GENERAL PURPOSE
BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE
$25,000GENERAL PURPOSE
PEOPLES MUSIC
$20,000GENERAL PURPOSE
MUSIC INSTITUTE
$20,000GENERAL PURPOSE
INNOVATION 80
$15,000GENERAL PURPOSE
STRIDES FOR PEACE
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
OCEAN REEF ALL CHARITIES
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSE
JDRF
$2,500GENERAL PURPOSE
KENILWORTH UNION CHURCH
$2,000GENERAL PURPOSE