United Way shows up for our neighbors when it matters most — partnering with communities to heal, grow, and thrive and creating a Chicago region where everyone has the opportunity to live a meaningful, authentic life.
United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc. directs large-scale local funding through neighborhood, family, and response initiatives across the Chicago region. In the recent grants list, the largest award is $5,498,000 to Robert R McCormick Foundation for program support, and the next tier includes $3,693,000 to Austin Coming Together and $2,126,760 to Children First Fund, showing a mix of major institutional partners and community-facing intermediaries. Their giving also reaches organizations tied to housing, education, workforce development, health, and basic-needs work, with many awards labeled program support rather than capital or endowment funding. The grant portfolio includes both broad community investments and targeted efforts such as rapid-response funding for urgent needs and place-based work in Chicago neighborhoods. Recent grants also extend to neighborhood coalitions and local service providers, including Metropolitan Family Services, Latinos Progresando, and Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation. The pattern points to a funder that relies on programmatic grants to support implementation, coordination, and local service delivery across Chicago and nearby communities.
Community development is a visible thread in the portfolio. United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc. gave $3,693,000 to Austin Coming Together for program support and $1,345,769 to Brighton Park Neighborhood Council for program support, alongside $553,500 to Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation. Education appears alongside that place-based work: Children First Fund received $2,126,760 for program support, and Youth Crossroads Inc received $316,040 for program support. Housing is another recurring focus, with Metropolitan Family Services receiving $2,094,919 for program support and Phalanx Family Services receiving $375,000 for program support. Workforce development also shows up through Hire360, which received $1,352,914 for program support, and the Chicago Federation of Labor Workforce & Community Initiative, which received $250,000 for program support.
Typical grants cluster in the mid-five-figure range, with p25 at $20,000, a median of $27,623, and p75 at $60,039. The recent awards list also shows much larger program-support grants, indicating that the foundation combines smaller and substantial awards within the same portfolio. Recipients appear across multiple years, including Austin Coming Together, Metropolitan Family Services, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Chicago, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation, Cornerstone Community Development Corporation, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, and Chicago Federation of Labor Workforce & Community Initiative. It is a public charity and a regular funder, and the available program descriptions emphasize directed program support, rapid-response grants, and place-based investments. Unsolicited applications are not indicated for the active programs listed.
$22.8M
$48.8M
$47.1M
$48.9M
Most grants fall between $20K and $60K, with a median of $28K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$28K
75th Percentile
$60K
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Giving is overwhelmingly local: 94% of grants go to recipients in Illinois, and every grant in the recipient-country distribution is in the United States. The Chicago concentration is clear in the recent grants list, with multiple awards to organizations in Chicago, including Austin Coming Together, Metropolitan Family Services, Latinos Progresando, and Enlace Chicago. The portfolio also reaches nearby Illinois communities such as Evanston, Ford Heights, Berwyn, and Harvey. Active neighborhood work is described for selected Chicago-region communities including Brighton Park, West Chicago, Austin, Little Village, Auburn-Gresham, Bronzeville, South Chicago, Cicero, and Robbins/Blue Island.
The foundation funds education, housing, food security, workforce development, basic needs and safety net work, community development, and health. Recent grant purposes also include program support, rapid-response relief, neighborhood capacity building, and family-centered services.
Typical awards cluster around $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $27,623 at the median, and $60,039 at the 75th percentile. The recent grants list also includes several much larger program-support grants, showing that the portfolio includes both smaller and substantial awards.
The grant portfolio is local, and 94% of grants go to recipients in Illinois. The recipient-country distribution shows all grants in the United States, and the recent grants list centers on Chicago and nearby Illinois communities.
For the active programs listed, unsolicited applications are marked false. That applies to response grants, Neighborhood Network Initiative funding, Chicago BridgeBuilders Fund, Investing in Whole Families, and Housing Supports for Student Success.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Austin Coming Together, Metropolitan Family Services, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Chicago, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation, Cornerstone Community Development Corporation, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, and Chicago Federation of Labor Workforce & Community Initiative.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES | CHICAGO, IL | $2,038,325 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| BRIGHTON PARK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL | CHICAGO, IL | $1,322,556 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER | CHICAGO, IL | $1,050,471 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| URBAN GROWERS COLLECTIVE INC | CHICAGO, IL | $1,000,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES ARCHDIOCESE OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $786,602 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| RAND CORPORATION | SANTA MONICA, CA | $639,543 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CORNERSTONE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION | FORD HEIGHTS, IL | $630,886 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| AUSTIN COMING TOGETHER | CHICAGO, IL | $623,953 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| LATINOS PROGRESANDO | CHICAGO, IL | $573,063 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $559,660 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| GREATER AUBURN GRESHAM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION | CHICAGO, IL | $538,500 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| OAI INC | PARK FOREST, IL | $514,588 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| EVANSTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | EVANSTON, IL | $509,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| TEAMWORK ENGLEWOOD | CHICAGO, IL | $485,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CLARETIAN ASSOCIATES INC | CHICAGO, IL | $440,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| BRIGHT STAR COMMUNITY OUTREACH | CHICAGO, IL | $400,626 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| YMCA OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $398,233 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| PHALANX FAMILY SERVICES | CHICAGO, IL | $375,078 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| SGA YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES | CHICAGO, IL | $350,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| RESTORATION MINISTRIES INC | HARVEY, IL | $334,268 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ENLACE CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $310,119 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHICAGO FEDERATION OF LABOR WORKFORCE & COMMUNITY INITIATIVE | CHICAGO, IL | $250,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CEDA-COOK COUNTY | CHICAGO, IL | $205,838 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| YOUTH CROSSROADS INC | BERWYN, IL | $195,629 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCESE OF JOLIET | CREST HILL, IL | $156,418 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ALIGNMENT COLLABORATIVE FOR EDUCATION | ELGIN, IL | $150,828 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| RESILIENCE PARTNERS NFP | CHICAGO, IL | $148,950 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY | CHICAGO, IL | $120,360 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK | GENEVA, IL | $103,462 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CARA CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $103,403 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| YWCA METROPOLITAN CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $102,862 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHICAGO URBAN LEAGUE | CHICAGO, IL | $102,209 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS OF GREATER CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $101,591 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| JANE ADDAMS RESOURCE CORPORATION | CHICAGO, IL | $100,190 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| WEST SIDE FORWARD | CHICAGO, IL | $100,020 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| MANUFACTURING RENAISSANCE | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| NEW MOMS INC | CHICAGO, IL | $86,871 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| OUTREACH COMMUNITY MINISTRIES | CAROL STREAM, IL | $85,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| SOUTH SUBURBAN PADS | CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL | $77,839 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| BRIDGE COMMUNITIES INC | GLEN ELLYN, IL | $77,589 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CAROLE ROBERTSON CENTER FOR LEARNING | CHICAGO, IL | $76,799 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHICAGO CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER | CHICAGO, IL | $75,863 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| YWCA EVANSTON-NORTH SHORE | EVANSTON, IL | $75,125 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| BRIGHTPOINT | CHICAGO, IL | $75,094 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| THE CENTER RESOURCES FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING | ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL | $75,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| BUILD INC | CHICAGO, IL | $75,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ACCESS COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK | CHICAGO, IL | $70,833 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| DEBORAH'S PLACE | CHICAGO, IL | $68,707 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ERIE NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE | CHICAGO, IL | $67,037 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHINESE AMERICAN SERVICE LEAGUE | CHICAGO, IL | $65,865 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
PROGRAM SUPPORT
RAND CORPORATION
$639,543PROGRAM SUPPORT
CLARETIAN ASSOCIATES INC
$440,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
CHICAGO FEDERATION OF LABOR WORKFORCE & COMMUNITY INITIATIVE
$250,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
CEDA-COOK COUNTY
$205,838PROGRAM SUPPORT
CATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCESE OF JOLIET
$156,418PROGRAM SUPPORT
ALIGNMENT COLLABORATIVE FOR EDUCATION
$150,828PROGRAM SUPPORT
WEST SIDE FORWARD
$100,020PROGRAM SUPPORT
THE CENTER RESOURCES FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
$75,000PROGRAM SUPPORT