Irving Harris Foundation
ActiveMutual & Membership BenefitFunds Individuals
About Irving Harris Foundation
The Irving Harris Foundation makes a small number of very large, strategic grants and frequently uses philanthropic intermediaries (donor-advised funds and private foundations) to channel its giving. Its awards include repeat multi-million dollar gifts to a single private foundation (Coydog) and substantial support for Jewish communal institutions in Chicago, along with endowment-style contributions to other foundations. The pattern suggests a preference for sustaining institutional capacity and legacy vehicles rather than many small programmatic grants.
Focus Areas
Philanthropic intermediaries and donor-advised funds (e.g., Fidelity Charitable, Goldman Sachs DAFs)Support for Jewish communal institutions in Chicago (Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago)Endowment and legacy-building grants to private foundations (Stairway Fund, Mako Foundation)Multi-year/large gifts to named private foundations (Coydog Foundation)
Who They Fund
infants, toddlers and young childrenchildren and families affected by trauma / mental health needsBIPOC grassroots leaders and leadership development participants
About Irving Harris Foundation
The Irving Harris Foundation’s recent giving is defined by large, repeated institutional grants, including multiple $1 million awards to the Coydog Foundation and $1 million support for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. Alongside those gifts, the foundation uses endowment-style grants and philanthropic intermediaries, such as Fidelity Charitable and Goldman Sachs and Co LLC, to move substantial sums through established vehicles. That pattern points to a funder that often backs organizations with long time horizons rather than one-off project funding. Within its portfolio, the foundation also supports Chicago-based institutions tied to its name and legacy, including the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, the University of Chicago, and the University of Chicago - Harris School of Public Policy Studies. These grants include general operating support, sponsorships, capital campaign support, and endowment grants. The mix shows a preference for institutional capacity, policy infrastructure, and cultural venues, with some gifts explicitly tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion work. The foundation also funds early childhood and child trauma work through a networked model that reaches training, policy, and systems-building efforts.
What Irving Harris Foundation Funds
A major strand of The Irving Harris Foundation’s grantmaking is early childhood systems work. In 2025, it gave $300,000 to Start Early for general operating support and Illinois policy team work, and in 2023 it gave $325,000 to tsne to build initiative capacity, including $175,000 directed to Illinois early childhood systems-building. Policy and equity also appear in its support for public-policy institutions. The foundation awarded $400,000 to the University of Chicago - Harris School of Public Policy Studies in 2025 for general operating support, after earlier support for strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion. Its arts giving is similarly structured. The foundation provided $500,000 to the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in both 2024 and 2025 for Harris Theater Mainstage Presents sponsorship, and it supported University of Chicago - Arts Public Life with grants for the Arts Lawn.
How Irving Harris Foundation Gives
Typical grant size is $2,500 at the 25th percentile, $20,000 at the median, and $55,000 at the 75th percentile, but the recent grant list shows a much larger upper tier built around seven-figure awards and endowment grants. The foundation gives through a regular funder structure rather than a donor-advised fund classification, and it makes grants nationally. Repeat funding is common: several recipients appear in multiple years, including Coydog Foundation, Fidelity Charitable, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Start Early, and the University of Chicago - Harris School of Public Policy Studies. It also funds individuals, and its portfolio includes both unrestricted operating support and designated support for campaigns, endowments, and specific programs.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$22.2M
Total Assets
$143.4M
Total Revenue
$6.1M
Total Expenses
$28.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $3K and $55K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$55K
Geographic Reach
National31 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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