The Turano Foundation concentrates its giving on a small number of locally-focused charitable institutions in the Chicago area, with large, targeted gifts rather than many small donations. Grants indicate a strong interest in supporting Italian-American community life and faith-based / urban Catholic education, often through repeat or sizable awards to a few core organizations.
Highly concentrated giving: very few grants overall, large dollar amounts per grant, and evidence of repeat support to core grantees rather than broad distribution across many organizations.
A $210,000 grant to Casa Italia stands out in The Turano Foundation C/o Lisa Turano’s recent giving and signals how strongly the foundation backs Italian-American community life in the Chicago area. That gift is far larger than the foundation’s typical award and sits alongside repeated support for institutions tied to Catholic education, neighborhood services, and faith-based community work. In the recent-grants list, Big Shoulders Foundation appears in multiple years, showing an ongoing relationship with urban Catholic school funding and scholarship support in Chicago. The foundation also gives to place-based organizations serving local needs, including parish, social-service, and heritage institutions across the region. The pattern is concentrated rather than diffuse: many grants are sized for targeted operating or program support, and several recipients recur across years. That mix suggests a funder that builds around a small circle of core institutions while still making selective awards to related community charities. The result is a profile centered on Chicago-area Catholic, ethnic-heritage, and neighborhood-serving organizations, with Italian-American identity as a defining thread in the grant list.
Italian-American cultural support is a clear theme. The foundation awarded $210,000 to Casa Italia in 2025, the largest recent grant, reflecting a major commitment to an Italian-American community center in Stone Park. Urban Catholic education is another repeated area. Big Shoulders Foundation received $50,000 in 2025 and $45,000 in 2024, alongside a $10,000 grant in 2023, indicating sustained support for Chicago Catholic school funding and scholarships. Faith-based and parish-linked institutions also appear in the record. The foundation gave $10,000 to Our Lady of Pompeii in Chicago and $10,000 to St John of the Cross Parish School in Western Springs, tying grantmaking to Catholic institutions and school communities. Neighborhood charities round out the portfolio. Grants to Neighborhood Food Pantries in Bloomingdale and to The Port Ministries in Chicago show attention to local service organizations serving practical community needs.
Typical grants are small relative to the foundation’s headline awards: p25 is $2,500, the median is $3,000, and p75 is $5,000. The recent list also shows that the foundation makes some much larger, targeted gifts, including six-figure and five-figure awards. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Big Shoulders Foundation, Neighborhood Food Pantries, The Port Ministries, Sarah's Circle, Nazareth Academy, Marklund, and Dupage Senior Citizens Co. That repeat pattern points to core-grantee support rather than one-off transactions. The foundation is a private family-style vehicle associated with Lisa Turano and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$748K
$14.2M
$704K
$768K
Most grants fall between $3K and $5K, with a median of $3K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$3K
75th Percentile
$5K
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Notable grantees: CASA ITALIA, BIG SHOULDERS FOUNDATION
Giving is highly local: 96% of grants go to recipients in Illinois, and the top state by grant count is IL. Chicago is the most visible city in the recent list, with grants to Big Shoulders Foundation, Sarah's Circle, The Port Ministries, Ascension Illinois Foundation, Loyola University, and Ronald Mcdonald House. Other Illinois recipients include Stone Park, Bloomingdale, Hinsdale, Western Springs, Oak Park, La Grange Park, Wheaton, Northbrook, and Maywood. All recent grants in the provided country distribution went to US recipients.
The recent grants point to Italian-American cultural institutions, urban Catholic education, parish and faith-based organizations, and neighborhood charities in the Chicago area. Casa Italia, Big Shoulders Foundation, Our Lady of Pompeii, and The Port Ministries are representative of those patterns.
Yes. Big Shoulders Foundation appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Neighborhood Food Pantries, The Port Ministries, Sarah's Circle, Nazareth Academy, Marklund, and Dupage Senior Citizens Co also recur across multiple years, suggesting ongoing relationships with a core set of recipients.
The distribution is small at the center of the range: p25 is $2,500, median grant size is $3,000, and p75 is $5,000. The foundation also makes larger targeted grants, including awards well above that range.
Most grants stay in Illinois, which accounts for 96% of grants and is also the top state by grant count. Chicago is the most common recipient city in the recent list, with additional Illinois grants going to places such as Stone Park, Bloomingdale, Hinsdale, Western Springs, Oak Park, and La Grange Park.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CASA ITALIA | STONE PARK, IL | $135,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| BIG SHOULDERS FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $75,500 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| LOYOLA UNIVERSITY | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| NAZARETH ACADEMY | LA GRANGE PARK, IL | $35,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| DUPAGE SENIOR CITIZENS CO | WHEATON, IL | $30,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| FENWICK HIGH SCHOOL | OAK PARK, IL | $25,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD PANTRIES | BLOOMINGDALE, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| OUR LADY OF POMPEII | CHICAGO, IL | $15,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| ST JOHN OF THE CROSS PARISH SCHOOLL | WESTERN SPRINGS, IL | $15,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| ROSELAND TRAINING CENTER | CHICAGO, IL | $15,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| FRIENDS OF FISHER HOUSE ILLINOIS | NORTHBROOK, IL | $12,500 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| ILLINOIS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION REL | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| WINGS | PALATINE, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| MARKLUND | BLOOMINGDALE, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| FELLOWSHIP HOUSING | HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| SARAH'S CIRCLE | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| ASCENSION ILLINOIS FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| MORTON 201 FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| PORT MINISTRIES | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| DE MARILLAC ACADEMY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $8,500 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| CHRISTIAN BROTHERS OF THE | BURR RIDGE, IL | $7,500 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| CULINARY ARTS | CHICAGO, IL | $7,500 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| GIGI'S PLAYHOUSE | HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL | $7,500 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| SARAHS INN | OAK PARK, IL | $7,500 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| OAK PARK RIVER FOREST INFANT WELFAR | OAK PARK, IL | $7,500 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS | RIVER FOREST, IL | $7,500 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| L'ARCH CHICAGO | FOREST PARK, IL | $6,400 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| HEART OF PORTILLOS FOUNDATION | OAK BROOK, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| NEW MOMS | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| CASA OF DUPAGE | WHEATON, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| DAVE THOMAS FOUNDATION | DUBLIN, OH | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| COLUMBIAN CLUB | ROSELLE, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| HIPPOCRATIC CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDAT | WHEELING, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| OPERATION CHRISTMAS | BOLINGBROOK, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| LIGHTWAYS | JOLIET, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| PAWS | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITTY |
| ONE LOVE GLOBAL WELLNESS | MOKENA, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| SIMPLY FROM TH HEART | HINSDALE, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| ST EMILY CATHOLIC SCHOOL | MOUNT PROSPECT, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| ITALIAN AMERICAN CHARITY | BERWYN, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| PICKLES GROUP | WINNETKA, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| A SAFE HAVEN | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| THE BOULEVARD OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| LES TURNER ALS FOUNDATION | SKOKIE, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| JOURNEYS THE ROAD HOME | PALATINE, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| HOPEFUL BEGINNINGS OF ST MARY'S | PALATINE, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| GOLDEN APPLE | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| JANE ADDAMS RESOUCE CORP | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
CASA ITALIA
$135,000CHARITY
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY
$50,000CHARITY
NAZARETH ACADEMY
$35,000EDUCATION
DUPAGE SENIOR CITIZENS CO
$30,000CHARITY
FENWICK HIGH SCHOOL
$25,000EDUCATION
NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD PANTRIES
$20,000CHARITY
OUR LADY OF POMPEII
$15,000CHARITY
ST JOHN OF THE CROSS PARISH SCHOOLL
$15,000EDUCATION
ROSELAND TRAINING CENTER
$15,000CHARITY
FRIENDS OF FISHER HOUSE ILLINOIS
$12,500CHARITY
ILLINOIS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION REL
$10,000CHARITY
MARKLUND
$10,000CHARITY
ASCENSION ILLINOIS FOUNDATION
$10,000CHARITY
MORTON 201 FOUNDATION
$10,000CHARITY
DE MARILLAC ACADEMY
$8,500CHARITY
CHRISTIAN BROTHERS OF THE
$7,500CHARITY
CULINARY ARTS
$7,500CHARITY
GIGI'S PLAYHOUSE
$7,500CHARITY
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
$7,500CHARITY
L'ARCH CHICAGO
$6,400CHARITY
HEART OF PORTILLOS FOUNDATION
$5,000CHARITY
COLUMBIAN CLUB
$5,000CHARITY
HIPPOCRATIC CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDAT
$5,000CHARITY
OPERATION CHRISTMAS
$5,000CHARITY
LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR
$5,000CHARITY
LIGHTWAYS
$5,000CHARITY
PAWS
$5,000CHARITTY
ONE LOVE GLOBAL WELLNESS
$5,000CHARITY
SIMPLY FROM TH HEART
$5,000CHARITY
ST EMILY CATHOLIC SCHOOL
$5,000CHARITY
ITALIAN AMERICAN CHARITY
$5,000CHARITY
PICKLES GROUP
$5,000CHARITY
A SAFE HAVEN
$5,000CHARITY
HOPEFUL BEGINNINGS OF ST MARY'S
$5,000CHARITY
THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF CHICAGO
$5,000CHARITY
JANE ADDAMS RESOUCE CORP
$5,000CHARITY