About Coleman Foundation
The Coleman Foundation invests in the efforts of community-based organizations and local institutions to preserve and strengthen the physical health and the economic and emotional well-being of people living in the greater Chicago region.
Focus Areas
EntrepreneurshipHealthIntellectual & Developmental Disabilities
Who They Fund
people with intellectual and developmental disabilitiesindividuals needing health and rehabilitation servicesentrepreneurs/small business founders or nascent entrepreneurspublicly‑supported charitable organizations
Funding Style
general operating supportprogram/project supportboard‑discretionary grants
About Coleman Foundation
A defining feature of The Coleman Foundation Inc. is its long-running support for community-based organizations serving the greater Chicago region, with especially large commitments in intellectual and developmental disabilities and health. In the recent grants list, Clearbrook in Arlington Heights received $489,250 in 2024 and $472,100 in 2023 for intellectual and developmental disabilities program support, showing sustained backing for the same organization across multiple years. Health funding also appears at substantial levels, including $250,000 to South Side Healthy Community Organization in Chicago for general operating support in 2025 and $250,000 to University of Chicago Hospitals in 2023 for health and rehabilitation program support. The foundation’s stated approach centers on preserving and strengthening the physical health and the economic and emotional well-being of people living in the greater Chicago region. Its program areas connect that mission to accessible health, disability services, and entrepreneurship support, with grants reaching both direct-service providers and local institutions. The pattern suggests a funder that uses large, targeted awards to support organizations embedded in Chicago-area service networks.
What Coleman Foundation Funds
The Coleman Foundation Inc. funds across three core areas: health, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and entrepreneurship. In health, it gave $225,000 to Sinai Health System in Chicago for health and rehabilitation program support in 2023, and $200,000 to The HAP Foundation in Oakbrook Terrace for health and rehabilitation program support in 2024. In entrepreneurship, the foundation awarded $175,000 to Sunshine Enterprises in Chicago for general operating support in 2023 and $125,000 to West Side Forward in Chicago for general operating support in 2025. Its disability grantmaking includes $191,000 to Keystone Alliance in Chicago in both 2023 and 2024 for intellectual and developmental disabilities program support. Across these areas, the foundation uses both general operating support and program support to back organizations working in care delivery, disability services, and small business development.
How Coleman Foundation Gives
The Coleman Foundation Inc. gives at a mid-to-large grant size for most awards: p25 is $12,500, median is $12,500, and p75 is $50,000. Recent grants show that it also makes much larger strategic awards, including repeated six-figure support to the same organizations over multiple years. The recipient list includes the same grantees in consecutive years, which points to recurring relationships rather than one-off awards. It is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Grantmaking is primarily by invitation, with some open-call activity in 2026 under entrepreneurship and health.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$8.3M
Total Assets
$182.4M
Total Revenue
$5.1M
Total Expenses
$10.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $13K and $50K, with a median of $13K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$13K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
Local18 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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