The Shure Charitable Trust predominantly funds Jewish communal life and Israel-related institutions while also supporting Chicago-area cultural institutions, civic safety/violence-prevention initiatives, and civil rights and LGBTQ services. Grants are heavily concentrated in the Chicago metro area and repeatedly directed to a core set of organizations (many with multiple annual gifts), reflecting long-term institutional support rather than one-off project giving.
Shure Charitable Trust Created Uw of Sidney N Shure shows a long-running pattern of large annual gifts to Jewish communal infrastructure, with the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago receiving seven-figure support in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That core commitment sits alongside recurring grants to Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, linking communal programming, education, and institutional support in Chicago. The foundation also backs Israel-related institutions and causes. Recent gifts include support for Friends of the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled and for American Society for Technion - Israel Inst for Technology’s Integrative Cancer Center, extending its giving beyond local Chicago institutions to Israeli education, health, and disability services. Its portfolio reaches into civic life and culture as well. Shure Charitable Trust Created Uw of Sidney N Shure has funded violence-prevention work through United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, general operating support at the Art Institute of Chicago, and performance and music education at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The recent record shows repeated support for the same organizations across multiple years rather than isolated one-time grants.
Jewish communal life is a central theme. The foundation gave $1.385 million to Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago in 2025 for an annual campaign gift and mental health needs, while Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago received six-figure support for the Rose Shure Memorial Fund, the Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics, and Hillel-related work. Education and student Jewish life also appear repeatedly. Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership received $60,000 for archives and the Chicago Exhibit in 2023, then $50,000 in both 2024 and 2025 for Choose to Change. Civic safety and public-benefit programs are another strand. United Way of Metropolitan Chicago received $145,000 in 2025 for violence prevention, and Chicago Community Foundation received $50,000 for the Partnership for Safe & Peaceful Communities. The trust also supported Chicago First Fund The Chicago Public Schools Foundation for Choose to Change.
$5.6M
$64.7M
$9.3M
$5.9M
Most grants fall between $15K and $50K, with a median of $28K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$28K
75th Percentile
$50K
STEVEN B NASATIR
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Concentrated, repeat funding model: a majority of dollars go to a small set of core grantees (notably one very large beneficiary), with many organizations receiving recurring multi-year or multi-grant support; grants range from moderate to large institutional gifts rather than many tiny awards.
Notable grantees: Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Anti-Defamation League
Typical grant size centers on mid-five-figure gifts: the 25th percentile is $15,000, the median is $27,500, and the 75th percentile is $50,000. The distribution is shaped by a small number of very large annual campaign gifts and many recurring support grants at $50,000 or below. The trust gives as a regular funder, not through program-related investments, and the recent record shows repeated gifts to the same organizations across 2023, 2024, and 2025. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including major Chicago institutions and communal organizations. Grants are frequently described as annual campaign gifts, general operating support, or restricted program support.
Giving is strongly concentrated in Chicago and the surrounding metro area, with 86% of grants going to recipients in Illinois. Chicago, IL appears throughout the recent grants list, including large gifts to Jewish, arts, civic-safety, and education organizations. The top state by grant count is New York, but the listed recent grants are all in the United States. Outside Chicago proper, Northfield, IL appears as the location of Friends of the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled.
Its recent giving centers on Jewish communal infrastructure, Israel-related institutions, Chicago arts organizations, violence-prevention work, and civil rights or LGBTQ services. Examples in the record include annual campaign support for Jewish communal groups, operating support for the Art Institute of Chicago, and funding for violence prevention through United Way of Metropolitan Chicago.
The record shows repeated support to the same organizations over multiple years. Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago received large gifts in 2023, 2024, and 2025, while Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, and Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership also recur across years.
The 25th percentile is $15,000, the median grant is $27,500, and the 75th percentile is $50,000. Many recent awards cluster at $50,000, while a few annual campaign gifts are much larger.
Grantmaking is highly local. 86% of grants go to recipients in Illinois, and Chicago is the main recipient city throughout the recent grants list. The foundation’s highest grant-count state is New York, but the recent grant record is entirely U.S.-based.
Recent gifts include annual campaign support and named program support for Jewish communal organizations. The trust funded Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago for an annual campaign gift and mental health needs, and Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago for the Rose Shure Memorial Fund, the Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics, and Hillel-related work.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago | Chicago, IL | $2,791,739 | 2026 | ANNUAL CAMPAIGN/$100,000 FOR MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE |
| Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago | Chicago, IL | $1,470,000 | 2026 | ROSE SHURE MEMORIAL FUND, SARNOFF CENTER FOR JEWISH GENETICS, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY HILLEL, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO HILLEL, FUND FOR THE FUTURE, LIVESECURE |
| United Way of Metropolitan Chicago | Chicago, IL | $250,000 | 2026 | FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION |
| Planned Parenthood of Illinois | Chicago, IL | $90,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| CARA Program | Chicago, IL | $60,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| Safer Foundation | Chicago, IL | $60,000 | 2026 | FOR SAFER DEMAND SKILLS COLLABORATIVE |
| Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership | Chicago, IL | $60,000 | 2026 | FOR CHOOSE TO CHANGE |
| Metropolitan Family Services | MERRIONETTE PARK, IL | $50,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| Lincoln Park Zoological Society | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 2026 | FOR THE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PROGRAM |
| Chicago Symphony Orchestra | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 2026 | TO INCREASE PROGRAMMING FOR THE NEGAUNEE MUSIC INSTITUTE'S CENTENNIAL SEASON |
| Hebrew Free Loan Society of New York | New York, NY | $50,000 | 2026 | MOVE TO THRIVE |
| Anti-Defamation League | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 2026 | FOR THE PREVENTION OF HATRED, BULLYING, AND CYBERBULLYING |
| Lyric Opera of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 2026 | FOR LYRIC UNLIMITED |
| Children First Fund the chicago public schools foundation | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| american Society for Technion - Israel Inst for Technology | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 2026 | FOR THE INTEGRATIVE CANCER CENTER |
| Youth Services of Glenview-Northbrook | Glenview, IL | $30,000 | 2026 | PRIDELEAD & PRIDESUPPORT |
| Jewish Child and Family Services | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 2026 | FOR RESPONSE LGBTQ PROGRAM |
| American Friends of the Hebrew University Inc | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 2026 | UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS |
| american Committee for Weizmann Institute of Science | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | For Davidson Institute of Science Education and Feinberg Graduate School |
| Arthritis Foundation | Atlanta, GA | $20,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund | New York, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| Red Tent Fund | Washington, DC | $20,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| Roger Baldwin Foundation of ACLU Inc | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| Keshet Inc Massachusetts | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 2026 | CHICAGO PROGRAMS |
| Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund | New York, NY | $20,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| Chicago Urban League | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| Window to the World Communications (WFMT WTTW) | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | Jewish Programming |
| Adler Planetarium | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | FOR THE FAR HORIZONS PROGRAM |
| Jewish Free Loan Chicago | Chicago, IL | $15,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| American Jewish Committee | Chicago, IL | $15,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| Equality Illinois Institute | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| Compassion & Choices | Littleton, CO | $10,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| Kenneth C Griffin Museum of Science and Industry | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | BUILDING PRESERVATION |
| American Heart Association | Dallas, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| Forward Association | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | General Operating Support |
| JEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $1,385,000 | 2025 | $1.335M FOR ANNUAL CAMPAIGN GIFT, $50K FOR MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $184,500 | 2025 | ROSE SHURE MEMORIAL FUND, SARNOFF CENTER FOR JEWISH GENETICS, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY HILLEL, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO HILLEL, FUND FOR THE FUTURE, LIVESECURE |
| UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $145,000 | 2025 | FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION |
| ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $60,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SAFER FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | FOR SAFER DEMAND SKILLS COLLABORATIVE |
| CARA PROGRAM | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CHILDREN FIRST FUND THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SPERTUS INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | FOR CHOOSE TO CHANGE |
| FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL SPORT CENTER FOR THE DISABLED | NORTHFIELD, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF ILLINOIS | CHICAGO, IL | $45,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $40,000 | 2025 | FOR LYRIC UNLIMITED |
| METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES | MERRIONETTE PARK, IL | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE | CHICAGO, IL | $40,000 | 2025 | FOR THE PREVENTION OF HATRED, BULLYING, AND CYBERBULLYING |
| CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | CHICAGO, IL | $32,500 | 2025 | TO INCREASE PROGRAMMING FOR THE NEGAUNEE MUSIC INSTITUTE'S CENTENNIAL SEASON |
| YOUTH SERVICES OF GLENVIEW-NORTHBROOK | GLENVIEW, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | PRIDELEAD & PRIDESUPPORT |
ANNUAL CAMPAIGN/$100,000 FOR MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE
ROSE SHURE MEMORIAL FUND, SARNOFF CENTER FOR JEWISH GENETICS, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY HILLEL, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO HILLEL, FUND FOR THE FUTURE, LIVESECURE
General Operating Support
TO INCREASE PROGRAMMING FOR THE NEGAUNEE MUSIC INSTITUTE'S CENTENNIAL SEASON
FOR THE PREVENTION OF HATRED, BULLYING, AND CYBERBULLYING
General Operating Support
FOR THE INTEGRATIVE CANCER CENTER
American Friends of the Hebrew University Inc
$25,000UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS
For Davidson Institute of Science Education and Feinberg Graduate School
Red Tent Fund
$20,000General Operating Support
Window to the World Communications (WFMT WTTW)
$20,000Jewish Programming
Kenneth C Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
$10,000BUILDING PRESERVATION
Forward Association
$10,000General Operating Support
$1.335M FOR ANNUAL CAMPAIGN GIFT, $50K FOR MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS
ROSE SHURE MEMORIAL FUND, SARNOFF CENTER FOR JEWISH GENETICS, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY HILLEL, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO HILLEL, FUND FOR THE FUTURE, LIVESECURE
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
FOR THE PREVENTION OF HATRED, BULLYING, AND CYBERBULLYING
TO INCREASE PROGRAMMING FOR THE NEGAUNEE MUSIC INSTITUTE'S CENTENNIAL SEASON