About Otho Sa Sprague Memorial Institute
The Otho Sa Sprague Memorial Institute concentrates its philanthropy on urban health and health‑related higher education in Chicago, funding large institutional grants to academic public‑health programs, hospitals, and community health providers. Grants are high‑dollar and targeted — often to a small number of organizations with multiple awards — and also include support for immediate food/human services in the city.
Focus Areas
University of Illinois at Chicago — support for public health research and capacity (UIC School of Public Health)Hospital capital and program support in Chicago (Swedish Covenant Hospital Foundation)Community health services and immigrant/refugee health (Heartland Alliance Health)Emergency food infrastructure in Chicago (Greater Chicago Food Depository)
Giving Approach
Concentrated, high‑value grants to a few institutional grantees with repeat funding to UIC; predominately large single or multi‑grant commitments rather than many small awards.
Funding Style
program supportgeneral operating support
About Otho Sa Sprague Memorial Institute
The Otho Sa Sprague Memorial Institute’s recent giving is defined by invitation-only, Chicago-centered support for clinical healthcare and public health, with a strong emphasis on under-resourced communities. Its largest recent awards went to University of IL at Chicago for program support, including $539,767 in 2023 and $442,511 in 2024, showing a sustained institutional relationship rather than one-off project giving. The foundation also backs health-system and community-based work: Heartland Alliance Health received $245,000 in 2023 and $180,000 in 2025, while Swedish Covenant Hospital Foundation received $200,000 in 2025. This pattern aligns with its stated focus on pilots, collaborative initiatives, and health access in Chicago and Chicagoland. The portfolio includes academic public-health capacity, hospital support, and direct community health services, suggesting a funder that uses grants to strengthen the local health ecosystem across multiple types of organizations. Recipients are mostly large nonprofits and public institutions, and many appear multiple times across years, which points to recurring relationships and program support rather than isolated awards.
What Otho Sa Sprague Memorial Institute Funds
Public health and clinical care are the clearest throughline in the foundation’s grantmaking. In 2025, it gave $417,052 to University of IL at Chicago and $120,000 to Ann & Robert H Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago Foundation for program support. It also funded health access in community settings, including $150,000 to Lawndale Christian Health Center in 2024 and $138,200 to Esperanza Health Centers in 2025. Food and basic-needs support appears alongside health work: Greater Chicago Food Depository received $250,500 in 2024 and $100,000 in 2025. The foundation also supports coordinated health-service delivery, as shown by $100,000 to United Way of Metropolitan Chicago in 2025 and $90,000 to Partnership for a Connected IL in 2025.
How Otho Sa Sprague Memorial Institute Gives
Typical grant size is $25,000 at the 25th percentile, $75,000 at the median, and $100,000 at the 75th percentile, with some larger institutional awards above that range. Giving is recurring rather than episodic: several organizations appear in multiple years, including University of IL at Chicago, Heartland Alliance Health, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Mobile Care Foundation, Lawndale Christian Health Center, Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and United Way of Metropolitan Chicago. The foundation uses invitation-only grantmaking and directs support to 501(c)(3) public charities or groups with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor. The program descriptions emphasize seed, pilot, and collaborative funding, along with program support.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.3M
Total Assets
$52.6M
Total Revenue
$4.1M
Total Expenses
$2.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $25K and $100K, with a median of $75K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$75K
75th Percentile
$100K
Geographic Reach
Local4 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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