The Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation concentrates its giving on health research (notably breast cancer), youth services and education, and programs that advance economic and social well‑being for women and marginalized youth. Grants frequently support mental health and suicide-prevention initiatives, youth mentoring and school-based supports, and workforce/economic programs that help women enter or advance in the workplace. The foundation mixes large national investments with targeted support for local Chicago-area nonprofits and identity-focused advocacy groups (LGBTQ+, Hispanic, APIA).
Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation’s largest recent gifts go to breast cancer research, with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation Inc receiving multimillion-dollar support in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That repeated pattern sets the tone for a foundation that combines major research funding with steady commitments to children’s education, women’s economic advancement, and youth mental health. The grant list shows recurring support for national nonprofits such as Save the Children Federation Inc and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, alongside direct backing for workforce-oriented organizations like Dress for Success Worldwide. It also supports advocacy and awareness work through groups such as YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, The JED Foundation, Girls Inc, Covenant House, Active Minds Inc, and Minds. The foundation’s giving also reaches public-school and youth-serving institutions, including DonorsChoose.org and Communities in Schools of Chicago, indicating a blend of large institutional grants and targeted community support. Across the recent grants provided, its portfolio is broad but clearly organized around health, education, and women’s and youth well-being.
In medical research, the foundation gave $5,489,127 in 2025 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation Inc for support med research, following similarly large gifts in 2024 and 2023. In children’s education, it awarded $2,512,336 in 2025 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America for children’s education, extending a multi-year pattern that also includes earlier support for Save the Children Federation Inc. Women’s economic empowerment appears in grants such as $500,000 in 2025 to Dress for Success Worldwide for children’s success, paired with prior-year support to the same organization. Youth mental health is another visible thread: the foundation gave $350,000 in 2025 to Active Minds Inc for mental awareness and supported The JED Foundation for suicide awareness in both 2024 and 2025.
Typical grant size centers on a median of $100,000, with a lower quartile of $40,000 and an upper quartile of $265,000. The recent grant list shows repeated support for several recipients across multiple years, including The Breast Cancer Research Foundation Inc, Save the Children Federation Inc, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Dress for Success Worldwide, YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, Covenant House, Girls Inc, and The JED Foundation. Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation is a regular funder and does not make program-related investments. Active grant programs listed for the foundation include Community Grants, Scholarships, Fellowships, Community Grants opportunities, MUSE 100 Grants, and MUSE Accelerator; some are marked as accepting unsolicited requests, while others are not.
$12.3M
$2M
$11.9M
$12.9M
Most grants fall between $40K and $265K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$40K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$265K
ANITA RYAN
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Concentrated but diversified: very large gifts to a few national causes (notably one major beneficiary in medical research) combined with repeated mid-size grants to youth, women’s empowerment, mental health, and identity-focused organizations; several repeat grantees and a visible Chicago/local presence alongside national partners.
Notable grantees: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Save the Children Federation, Dress for Success Worldwide, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, The JED Foundation
All recent grants in the dataset went to U.S. recipients. The grant list includes Chicago-area recipients such as YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago and Communities in Schools of Chicago, along with national organizations based elsewhere. The recipient distribution also reaches organizations in major hubs such as Washington, DC, New York, NY, and Atlanta, GA through grantees like The JED Foundation, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation Inc, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. The foundation’s giving is therefore U.S.-wide rather than concentrated in a single recipient state.
Its recent grants cluster around breast cancer research, children’s education, women’s economic advancement, youth mental health and suicide awareness, and advocacy or awareness work for women and marginalized youth. The largest recent gifts go to breast cancer research, while recurring support also appears for education and youth-serving organizations.
The grant-size distribution centers on a median award of $100,000, with a 25th percentile of $40,000 and a 75th percentile of $265,000. The recent list also includes several much larger grants in the millions for breast cancer research and education.
Yes. The recent grants show repeat support across multiple years for organizations including The Breast Cancer Research Foundation Inc, Save the Children Federation Inc, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Dress for Success Worldwide, YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, Covenant House, Girls Inc, and The JED Foundation.
No. Recent grants are entirely U.S.-based, but the recipients are spread across multiple cities and states rather than one state. The list includes Chicago-area grantees such as YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago and Communities in Schools of Chicago, plus national organizations in other major U.S. cities.
It is classified as a regular funder and does not make program-related investments. The foundation also lists active grant programs such as Community Grants, Scholarships, Fellowships, and the MUSE programs, with some opportunities marked as accepting unsolicited requests and others not.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION INC | — | $5,870,000 | 2026 | SUPPORT MED RESEARCH |
| BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF AMERICA | — | $2,459,830 | 2026 | CHILDREN'S EDUCATION |
| YWCA OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO | — | $535,000 | 2026 | AWARENESS |
| DRESS FOR SUCCESS WORLDWIDE | — | $500,000 | 2026 | CHILDREN'S SUCCESS |
| GIRLS INC | — | $385,000 | 2026 | Advocacy Organization |
| COVENANT HOUSE | — | $385,000 | 2026 | AWARENESS |
| COMMERCIAL CLUB FOUNDATION | — | $350,000 | 2026 | Represent the business, education, cultural, and philanthropic sectors. |
| The JED Foundation | — | $350,000 | 2026 | Suicide Awareness |
| ACTIVE MINDS INC | — | $350,000 | 2026 | Mental Awareness |
| American Red Cross | — | $250,000 | 2026 | Humanitarian organization |
| SAVE THE CHILDREN FEDERATION INC | — | $250,000 | 2026 | CHILDREN'S EDUCATION |
| STEP UP WOMEN'S NETWORK | — | $200,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| THE ADLER PLANETARIUM | — | $150,000 | 2026 | Astronomy and astrophysics museum. |
| HISPANIC FEDRATION INC | — | $50,000 | 2026 | AWARENESS |
| PFLAG INC | — | $50,000 | 2026 | AWARENESS |
| NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE INC | — | $50,000 | 2026 | AWARENESS |
| APIA SCHOLARS | — | $50,000 | 2026 | Scholarships, Student Success Programs and Research |
| BLUE STAR FAMILIES INC | — | $25,000 | 2026 | Strengthen and empower military and Veteran families. |
| WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT INC | — | $25,000 | 2026 | VETERAN AWARENESS |
| American Friends of Un Techo Para Mi Pais Inc | — | $8,500 | 2026 | IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF IMPOVERISHED FAMILIES |
| THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION INC | — | $5,489,127 | 2025 | SUPPORT MED RESEARCH |
| BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF AMERICA | — | $2,512,336 | 2025 | CHILDREN'S EDUCATION |
| YWCA OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO | — | $551,500 | 2025 | AWARENESS |
| DRESS FOR SUCCESS WORLDWIDE | — | $500,000 | 2025 | CHILDREN'S SUCCESS |
| ACTIVE MINDS INC | — | $350,000 | 2025 | Mental Awareness |
| COVENANT HOUSE | — | $350,000 | 2025 | AWARENESS |
| The JED Foundation | — | $350,000 | 2025 | Suicide Awareness |
| Girls Inc | — | $350,000 | 2025 | Advocacy Organization |
| THE ADLER PLANETARIUM | — | $250,000 | 2025 | Astronomy and astrophysics museum. |
| American Red Cross | — | $250,000 | 2025 | Humanitarian organization |
| COMMERCIAL CLUB FOUNDATION | — | $250,000 | 2025 | Represent the business, education, cultural, and philanthropic sectors. |
| SAVE THE CHILDREN FEDERATION INC | — | $250,000 | 2025 | CHILDREN'S EDUCATION |
| COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF CHICAGO | — | $200,000 | 2025 | CHILDREN'S EDUCATION |
| STEP UP WOMEN'S NETWORK | — | $200,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| APIA SCHOLARS | — | $100,512 | 2025 | Scholarships, Student Success Programs and Research |
| National Urban League | — | $100,000 | 2025 | AWARENESS |
| PFLAG INC | — | $100,000 | 2025 | AWARENESS |
| DONORSCHOOSEORG | — | $100,000 | 2025 | Public School Classroom Projects |
| Fearless Foundation | — | $55,000 | 2025 | AWARENESS |
| BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL INC | — | $52,500 | 2025 | Global volunteer movement |
| CLEARBROOK | — | $50,000 | 2025 | Empowers adults and children with intellectual/developmental disabilities |
| HISPANIC FEDRATION INC | — | $50,000 | 2025 | AWARENESS |
| EQUALITY ILLINOIS | — | $25,000 | 2025 | Advocacy Organization |
| WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT INC | — | $25,000 | 2025 | VETERAN AWARENESS |
| BLUE STAR FAMILIES INC | — | $25,000 | 2025 | Strengthen and empower military and Veteran families. |
| American Friends of Un Techo Para Mi Pais Inc | — | $8,500 | 2025 | IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF IMPOVERISHED FAMILIES |
| Dr Martin Luther King Community Service Center | — | $7,500 | 2025 | Education and Training |
| THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION INC | — | $6,833,985 | 2024 | SUPPORT MED RESEARCH |
| SAVE THE CHILDREN FEDERATION INC | — | $3,304,639 | 2024 | CHILDREN'S EDUCATION |
| DRESS FOR SUCCESS WORLDWIDE | — | $470,000 | 2024 | CHILDREN'S SUCCESS |
AWARENESS
Represent the business, education, cultural, and philanthropic sectors.
American Friends of Un Techo Para Mi Pais Inc
$8,500IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF IMPOVERISHED FAMILIES
Represent the business, education, cultural, and philanthropic sectors.
DONORSCHOOSEORG
$100,000Public School Classroom Projects
Fearless Foundation
$55,000AWARENESS
EQUALITY ILLINOIS
$25,000Advocacy Organization
American Friends of Un Techo Para Mi Pais Inc
$8,500IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF IMPOVERISHED FAMILIES