The Susan Vondrak-Mark Tark Foundation concentrates its giving on Jewish/Israel endowment philanthropy and selective local conservation support. Most dollars flow to PEF Israel Endowment Funds, while a smaller portion funds regional park preservation and recreation. The foundation makes few, sizable grants rather than many small gifts.
Highly concentrated giving: a small number of relatively large grants with the vast majority (≈88%) to a single recurrent grantee; occasional one-off local philanthropic support.
PEF Israel Endowment Funds, Friends of Peninsula State Park
The Susan Vondrak-mark Tark Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by repeated unrestricted support for Pef Israel Endowment Funds, including grants of $30,000 in 2024, $25,000 in 2023, and $20,000 in 2025. That pattern places Jewish and Israel-focused endowment philanthropy at the center of the foundation’s activity, while a smaller set of gifts extends into conservation, health, education, and community organizations. The foundation’s grant list shows a compact portfolio: it returns to a few recipients across multiple years rather than spreading funds broadly across many organizations. Beyond its core endowment giving, the foundation also backs regional park preservation and recreation through Friends of Peninsula State Park, and it has made recurring unrestricted grants to organizations such as Loyola University Medical Center, the American Cancer Society, St Jude Childrens Research Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, Ronald Mcdonald House, St Petersburg First Methodist Churc, and Ruth Eckerd Hall. The presence of repeated gifts in multiple years suggests a stable, selective grantmaking approach built around a small number of recurring relationships and open-ended support.
Jewish and Israel-focused endowment philanthropy is the clearest thread in the foundation’s recent record. In this area, it gave $30,000 to Pef Israel Endowment Funds in 2024, $25,000 in 2023, and $20,000 in 2025, all listed as unrestricted. Its second notable area is conservation and recreation. The foundation gave $10,000 in 2025 to Friends of Peninsula State Park for unrestricted support, linking its local philanthropy to park preservation. Health-related grants form another recurring theme. It awarded $5,000 in 2025 to Loyola University Medical Center and made repeated $3,000 grants to St Jude Childrens Research Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, Ronald Mcdonald House, and the American Cancer Society. The grant list also includes cultural and community support, such as $5,000 to Garbage Gals and $5,000 to Queer Asterisk in 2025.
Typical awards are small and consistent: the grant-size distribution shows a p25 of $1,000, a median of $3,000, and a p75 of $3,000. That indicates a tight cluster around $3,000 with occasional larger gifts. The foundation is also selective in its relationships. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Pef Israel Endowment Funds, Loyola University Medical Center, St Jude Childrens Research Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, Ronald Mcdonald House, Ruth Eckerd Hall, and St Petersburg First Methodist Churc. Grants are described as unrestricted, and the foundation funds individuals is false. It also makes no program-related investments.
$60K
$988K
$12K
$69K
Most grants fall between $1K and $3K, with a median of $3K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$3K
75th Percentile
$3K
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Grant recipients are all in the United States. Illinois receives the largest share of grants by count, and 38% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Recent Illinois recipients include Maywood Park, Chicago, and Mundelein. Outside Illinois, the foundation gives repeatedly in Florida, including Fish Creek, Tampa, Clearwater, St Petersburg, and Boys Ranch. The recipient map also reaches New York, Iowa, Tennessee, and Colorado, showing a national pattern with a strong Illinois concentration.
Its recent grants cluster around Jewish and Israel-focused endowment philanthropy, conservation and recreation, and a smaller set of health, education, arts, and community organizations. Named recipients include Pef Israel Endowment Funds, Friends of Peninsula State Park, Loyola University Medical Center, and St Jude Childrens Research Hospital.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is tightly centered on smaller awards: p25 is $1,000, median is $3,000, and p75 is $3,000. That pattern points to many grants at or near $3,000, with fewer larger awards.
Yes. The recent grants list labels the foundation’s awards as unrestricted, including grants to Pef Israel Endowment Funds, Friends of Peninsula State Park, and Loyola University Medical Center.
Yes. Pef Israel Endowment Funds appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Loyola University Medical Center appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and several others recur across multiple years, including St Jude Childrens Research Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, Ronald Mcdonald House, Ruth Eckerd Hall, and St Petersburg First Methodist Churc.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FRIENDS OF PENINSULA STATE PARK | FISH CREEK, WI | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| QUEER ASTERISK | DENVER, CO | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER | MAYWOOD PARK, IL | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| GARBAGE GALS | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST PETERSBURG FIRST METHODIST CHURC | ST PETERSBURG, FL | $3,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SHRINERS HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN | TAMPA, FL | $3,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST JUDE CHILDRENS RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $3,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE | TAMPA, FL | $3,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FREMONT TOWNSHIP FOOD PANTRY | MUNDELEIN, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $550 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER | MAYWOOD PARK, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY | CHICAGO, IL | $3,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SHRINERS HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN | TAMPA, FL | $3,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE | TAMPA, FL | $3,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| RUTH ECKERD HALL | CLEARWATER, FL | $3,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST JUDE CHILDRENS RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $3,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST PETERSBURG FIRST METHODIST CHURC | ST PETERSBURG, FL | $3,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY | CHICAGO, IL | $1,800 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| LAMBS FARM | LIBERTYVILLE, IL | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FREMONT TOWNSHIP FOOD PANTRY | MUNDELEIN, IL | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| LITTLE CITY FOUNDATION | PALATINE, IL | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TRUE NORTH TREKS | EVANSTON, IL | $600 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ROBS FIGHT AGAINST CANCER | EUGENE, OR | $600 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UNIVERSITY OF IOWA | IOWA CITY, IA | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER | MAYWOOD PARK, IL | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| RUTH ECKERD HALL | CLEARWATER, FL | $3,600 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY | CHICAGO, IL | $3,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SHRINERS HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN | TAMPA, FL | $3,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST PETERSBURG FIRST METHODIST CHURC | ST PETERSBURG, FL | $3,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE | TAMPA, FL | $3,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST JUDE CHILDRENS RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $3,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY | CHICAGO, IL | $1,800 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FLORIDA SHERIFF'S YOUTH RANCH | BOYS RANCH, FL | $1,500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN | COON RAPIDS, MN | $1,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FREMONT TOWNSHIP FOOD PANTRY | MUNDELEIN, IL | $1,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA | TOPEKA, KS | $500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
FRIENDS OF PENINSULA STATE PARK
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
QUEER ASTERISK
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
GARBAGE GALS
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
ST PETERSBURG FIRST METHODIST CHURC
$3,000UNRESTRICTED
FREMONT TOWNSHIP FOOD PANTRY
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
$550UNRESTRICTED
ST PETERSBURG FIRST METHODIST CHURC
$3,000UNRESTRICTED
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY
$1,800UNRESTRICTED
FREMONT TOWNSHIP FOOD PANTRY
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
ROBS FIGHT AGAINST CANCER
$600UNRESTRICTED
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
ST PETERSBURG FIRST METHODIST CHURC
$3,000UNRESTRICTED
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY
$1,800UNRESTRICTED
FLORIDA SHERIFF'S YOUTH RANCH
$1,500UNRESTRICTED
FREMONT TOWNSHIP FOOD PANTRY
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
$500UNRESTRICTED