The Jeffrey and Marianne Silver Family Foundation makes very large, concentrated gifts to a single healthcare institution, directing unrestricted/general charitable support to a major medical center. All recorded giving goes to Northwestern Memorial Foundation, suggesting a focused interest in supporting hospital-based care, medical programs, or institutional priorities tied to that center—likely reflecting a personal or geographic connection to Northwestern. The foundation appears to favor sizable, flexible funding rather than many small or highly restricted grants.
Highly concentrated: very few grants (two) all to the same beneficiary, large dollar amounts, repeat funding, and general/unrestricted purposes rather than many small or diversified grants.
The Jeffrey and Marianne Silver Family Fdn’s giving is anchored by large, repeated support for Northwestern Memorial Foundation in Chicago, including a $4,200,000 grant in 2024 and a $1,900,000 grant in 2025. That pattern points to a foundation that favors concentrated, flexible support for institutional priorities rather than a broad spread of small awards. The recent record also shows meaningful gifts to other Chicago-area education and health organizations, along with select support for institutions outside Illinois. Across the file, the foundation’s grants are consistently sized in the hundreds of thousands, with general charitable purposes attached to every recorded award. It is a family foundation with a straightforward grantmaking profile: few recipients, large commitments, and a strong emphasis on unrestricted or broadly usable support. In practice, that means researchers will most often see the foundation backing established organizations that can absorb substantial discretionary funding, especially in healthcare and school settings.
Healthcare is the clearest theme in the recent grant record. In 2025, the foundation gave $275,000 to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital for general charitable purposes, and it also supported Northwestern Memorial Foundation with a $200,000 grant in 2023. Education is another visible area. Lake Forest Academy received $300,000 in 2023 and $225,000 in 2024, followed by $50,000 in 2025, all for general charitable purposes. Lake Forest Country Day School also received recurring support, including $200,000 grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The file additionally includes a $300,000 grant to Miami University Foundation Inc in Oxford, Ohio, indicating that the foundation occasionally supports institutions outside its core Illinois pattern.
The distribution is tightly clustered: the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile grant sizes are $200,000, $200,000, and $300,000. That reflects a deliberate preference for large awards rather than a wide ladder of smaller grants. The record also shows repeat support to the same organizations across multiple years, especially Northwestern Memorial Foundation, Lake Forest Country Day School, and Lake Forest Academy, which suggests an ongoing relationship model. Every recorded grant is described as general charitable purposes, and the foundation appears to use flexible support rather than highly restricted project funding. The available data does not show an application process or unsolicited-grant pathway.
$2.4M
$18.6M
$1.4M
$2.5M
Most grants fall between $200K and $300K, with a median of $200K.
25th Percentile
$200K
Median
$200K
75th Percentile
$300K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in IL.
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Notable grantees: Northwestern Memorial Foundation
Grantmaking is concentrated in Illinois, which is the top state by grant count, but the foundation also funds a handful of organizations elsewhere. Chicago appears repeatedly through Northwestern Memorial Foundation and Chicago Mission AAA Hockey Club, while Lake Forest accounts for multiple grants to two schools. Outside Illinois, the recent record includes Oxford, Ohio; Memphis, Tennessee; and no non-U.S. recipient locations. All recorded grants in the file go to U.S. organizations.
The recent record is dominated by hospitals and schools. Northwestern Memorial Foundation in Chicago appears multiple times, and Lake Forest Academy and Lake Forest Country Day School also receive repeated support. All grants are listed under general charitable purposes, which indicates broad discretionary funding rather than narrowly earmarked program gifts.
The grant-size distribution is centered at $200,000: the 25th percentile is $200,000, the median is $200,000, and the 75th percentile is $300,000. The recent file also includes larger commitments, such as a $4,200,000 grant and a $1,900,000 grant to the same Chicago medical foundation.
Yes. Northwestern Memorial Foundation received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Lake Forest Country Day School also appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Lake Forest Academy appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025 as well. That pattern indicates recurring support rather than one-time grants only.
Illinois is the top state by grant count. Chicago and Lake Forest are the most visible recipient cities in the recent grants list, while smaller numbers of grants also went to Oxford, Ohio, and Memphis, Tennessee.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $1,900,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $275,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| LAKE FOREST COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | LAKE FOREST, IL | $200,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| LAKE FOREST ACADEMY | LAKE FOREST, ID | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| Chicago Mission AAA Hockey Club | Chicago, IL | $3,125 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $4,200,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| LAKE FOREST ACADEMY | LAKE FOREST, ID | $225,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| LAKE FOREST COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | LAKE FOREST, IL | $200,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $51,750 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| MIAMI UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC | OXFORD, OH | $300,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| LAKE FOREST ACADEMY | LAKE FOREST, ID | $300,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| LAKE FOREST COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | LAKE FOREST, IL | $200,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $200,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
$1,900,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
LAKE FOREST ACADEMY
$50,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
Chicago Mission AAA Hockey Club
$3,125GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
$4,200,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
LAKE FOREST ACADEMY
$225,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
LAKE FOREST ACADEMY
$300,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
$200,000GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES