The PERT Foundation is a Chicago-focused grantmaker that invests heavily in local civic infrastructure and equitable community support, channeling very large gifts through community foundations and pooled funds while also making direct grants to local arts, media, health, housing and racial justice organizations. Their giving emphasizes capacity-building and general operating support for intermediary organizations that redistribute resources or coordinate collective action in historically disinvested neighborhoods across Chicago and Illinois.
A $318,021,564 grant to The Chicago Community Foundation in 2025 stands out as the clearest signal of PERT Foundation’s scale and method: large, program-wide support routed through a local intermediary rather than only direct operating gifts. Across the recent grant list, the foundation backs Chicago institutions that distribute resources, coordinate collective action, and strengthen local civic capacity. That includes community foundation support, pooled-fund work, and operating grants to organizations engaged in planning, media, arts, health, and advocacy. The pattern points to a funder that uses sizeable commitments to reinforce the infrastructure around neighborhood reinvestment, rather than funding only isolated projects. PERT Foundation also supports intermediaries tied to racial justice and basic-needs response. One grant to Crossroads Fund supported the Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund for historic disinvestment in Black communities, with linked support for housing, education, health, and workers’ justice. Another grant to The Chicago Trust supported the Unity Fund for basic human needs. Together with grants to civic and cultural organizations, these awards show a foundation focused on Chicago-area systems, coalitions, and community-serving organizations.
In place-based economic development, PERT Foundation supported Elevated Chicago through The Chicago Community Foundation with $2,125,000 for economic and community development in underinvested communities with transit stations. That same neighborhood lens appears in a grant to the Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund, which was backed through Crossroads Fund to address historic disinvestment in Black communities. For basic human needs, they gave $450,000 to The Chicago Trust for general operations and support for the Unity Fund. In housing-related work, a $300,000 grant to Crossroads Fund also included support for housing within the pooled fund’s broader scope. Education and teacher pipeline support also appears in a $20,000 grant to The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois for the Call Me MISTER Initiative at the UIC College of Education. In workers’ justice and labor-oriented work, the same pooled fund grant through Crossroads Fund included support for workers’ justice.
Typical grants are clustered at a relatively small operating level, with a p25 of $20,000, median of $30,000, and p75 of $175,000. The pattern is highly concentrated in Illinois and especially Chicago, but it includes a handful of larger intermediary grants alongside many general operating awards. The recent record shows repeat support to some organizations across years, including The Chicago Community Foundation and Chicago-area civic and cultural nonprofits. PERT Foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF or an individual-giving vehicle, and the grants shown are made as institutional philanthropy rather than through program-related investments. No application process is described in the provided data.
$318M
$317.3M
$311.7M
$318.1M
Most grants fall between $20K and $175K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$175K
About 91% of grants go to recipients in IL.
Andrea Saenz
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Concentrated, high-dollar strategic grants to intermediaries (notably community foundations) combined with a second tier of smaller to mid-size unrestricted or capacity-building grants to local civic, arts, health and justice organizations; mix of pass-through funding and targeted direct support.
Notable grantees: The Chicago Community Foundation / The Chicago Community Trust, Crossroads Fund, Tides Foundation, Metropolitan Planning Council, Planned Parenthood of Illinois
Grant recipients are overwhelmingly in Illinois, with 91% of grants going to organizations in the HQ state. Chicago is the main recipient city, appearing repeatedly across community foundations, arts groups, policy organizations, health providers, and public media. Outside Illinois, the recent list includes Los Angeles through Tides Foundation and Charlotte through Trillium Arts. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the data provided.
The typical grant size is $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $30,000 at the median, and $175,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent list also includes much larger intermediary grants, including a $318,021,564 award and a $2,125,000 award.
The foundation supports community foundations and pooled funds, civic and planning organizations, arts and public media groups, health and human-service nonprofits, and initiatives tied to racial justice, housing, workers’ justice, and teacher diversity. Recent grants include support for the Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund and the Call Me MISTER Initiative.
Giving is heavily concentrated in Illinois, where 91% of grants go. Chicago appears most often in the recipient list, with additional Illinois recipients in Grayslake, Evanston, Crystal Lake, and Springfield.
No. The recent grants show substantial support for intermediaries and pooled funds, including The Chicago Community Foundation, The Chicago Trust, Crossroads Fund, and Tides Foundation. Those grants are used for general support, collective work, and redistribution through local or issue-based funds.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Chicago Community Foundation | Chicago, IL | $318,021,564 | 2025 | General support for programs, operations and other charitable purposes |
| The Chicago Community Foundation | Chicago, IL | $2,125,000 | 2023 | Support for Elevated Chicago to promote economic and community development in underinvested communities with transit stations. |
| The Chicago Community Trust | Chicago, IL | $450,000 | 2023 | Support general Operations and support for the Unity Fund for basic human needs. |
| Lake County Community Foundation | Grayslake, IL | $425,000 | 2023 | In support of capacity building and development. |
| Crossroads Fund | Chicago, IL | $300,000 | 2023 | In support of the Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund to address historic disinvestment in black communities and also provide support for housing, education, health, and workers' justice in black communities. |
| Tides Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | $300,000 | 2023 | To build sustainability and impactful collective power by deepening collaboration techniques for 23 Chicago-based Muslim-led charitable organizations. |
| Chicago Humanities Festival | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Metropolitan Planning Council | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Illinois Arts Alliance (DBA Arts Alliance Illinois) | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Chicago Public Media Inc | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who are Blind Or Visually Impaired | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Audience Architects NFP | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Family Health Partnership Clinic | Crystal Lake, IL | $25,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Illinois Partners for Human Service | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Planned Parenthood of Illinois | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Trillium Arts | Charlotte, NC | $25,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Connections for the Homeless Inc | Evanston, IL | $20,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Civic Federation | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2023 | In support of the Call Me MISTER Initiative at the UIC College of Education. |
| Edward G Irvin Foundation | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Blues Kids Foundation | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| FairVote Illinois | Springfield, IL | $10,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
| Women Employed | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 2023 | General Operating Support |
The Chicago Community Foundation
$318,021,564General support for programs, operations and other charitable purposes
The Chicago Community Foundation
$2,125,000Support for Elevated Chicago to promote economic and community development in underinvested communities with transit stations.
The Chicago Community Trust
$450,000Support general Operations and support for the Unity Fund for basic human needs.
Lake County Community Foundation
$425,000In support of capacity building and development.
Crossroads Fund
$300,000In support of the Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund to address historic disinvestment in black communities and also provide support for housing, education, health, and workers' justice in black communities.
Tides Foundation
To build sustainability and impactful collective power by deepening collaboration techniques for 23 Chicago-based Muslim-led charitable organizations.
Chicago Humanities Festival
$50,000General Operating Support
Metropolitan Planning Council
$50,000General Operating Support
Illinois Arts Alliance (DBA Arts Alliance Illinois)
$50,000General Operating Support
Chicago Public Media Inc
$50,000General Operating Support
The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who are Blind Or Visually Impaired
$40,000General Operating Support
Audience Architects NFP
$30,000General Operating Support
Family Health Partnership Clinic
$25,000General Operating Support
Illinois Partners for Human Service
$25,000General Operating Support
Planned Parenthood of Illinois
$25,000General Operating Support
Trillium Arts
$25,000General Operating Support
Connections for the Homeless Inc
$20,000General Operating Support
Civic Federation
$20,000General Operating Support
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
$20,000In support of the Call Me MISTER Initiative at the UIC College of Education.
Edward G Irvin Foundation
$20,000General Operating Support
Blues Kids Foundation
$20,000General Operating Support
FairVote Illinois
$10,000General Operating Support
Women Employed
$10,000General Operating Support