The Walder Foundation is a small, highly focused donor that directs large capital grants to Jewish day school education, with a particular emphasis on Orthodox and Lubavitch-affiliated girls' schooling. Its giving is project-oriented (school construction/capital campaigns) and concentrated in a few major gifts rather than spread across many recipients.
Walder Foundation’s recent giving is defined by large capital commitments to Jewish day schools, especially Orthodox and Lubavitch-affiliated girls’ education in Chicago. The biggest grants in the file go to school-building and campus projects: $2.0 million in 2024 and $1.5 million in 2025 to Lubavitch Girls High School Inc for construction of a new school building, plus $2.25 million in 2025 to Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago for the Arie Crown Hebrew Day School Capital Project. Those gifts sit alongside other sizable school investments, including Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School’s campus expansion and renovation. The foundation also backs Jewish communal infrastructure through federations and schools, sometimes with mortgage or capital-reduction purposes. In the recent-grants list, Yeshiva Shearis Yisroel-veitzener Cheder Inc received $360,000 in both 2024 and 2025 for Mortgage Reduction Funds, and Etzion Foundation Inc received $330,075 for a Women’s Shulchan Aruch and Halachic Writing Fellowship. The pattern suggests a funder that favors targeted, project-based awards over broad, dispersed grantmaking. Outside Jewish education, Walder Foundation’s portfolio extends into conservation science, immigrant legal services, and select civic and research initiatives.
In Jewish education, Walder Foundation gave $500,000 to Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School for campus expansion and renovation, showing support for physical growth and facility upgrades as well as school-building projects. It also made repeated capital awards to school institutions, including $360,000 to Yeshiva Shearis Yisroel-veitzener Cheder Inc for Mortgage Reduction Funds in both 2024 and 2025. The foundation’s conservation work includes $528,869 to Chicago Horticultural Society - Chicago Botanic GA for improving ex situ plant conservation and scaling zoo pedigree management approaches to critically rare plants in the Pacific. It also gave $482,709 to Lincoln Park Zoological Society for global expansion of a Chicago-led urban biodiversity research and conservation network, and $388,074 to Morton Arboretum for a Chicago-based hub focused on saving threatened trees. In immigrant legal services, Walder Foundation awarded $350,000 in 2023 and $350,000 in 2024 to Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights for National Immigrant Justice Center strengthening legal services for Chicago immigrants.
$24.4M
$154.6M
$9M
$32M
Most grants fall between $50K and $152K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$152K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in IL.
Top 3 recipient countries by grant volume for Walder Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 537 | $64.7M | 98.9% |
| 2 | Canada | 3 |
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Concentrated, high-dollar capital grants to a very small number of recipients; repeat funding to the same school and support routed both directly to schools and through a Jewish federation to fund specific day school projects.
Notable grantees: Lubavitch Girls High School Inc, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Arie Crown Hebrew Day School (capital project)
Typical awards cluster around the six-figure range: the p25 is $50,000, the median is $100,000, and the p75 is $152,000. The recent grants list also includes repeated support to the same recipients across multiple years, including Lubavitch Girls High School Inc, Yeshiva Shearis Yisroel-veitzener Cheder Inc, Field Museum of Natural History, Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, and University of Guelph. Walder Foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it funds individuals. The pattern is project-oriented, with many awards labeled for capital expenses, construction, mortgage reduction, research partnerships, or program support rather than open-ended general operating grants.
Grantmaking is national, but the heaviest concentration is in Illinois, especially Chicago. Recent recipient cities include Chicago, Skokie, Glencoe, Lisle, and Wilmington-based headquarters are not reflected in recipient concentration. Chicago appears repeatedly across school, conservation, research, and immigrant-services grants, while Illinois also includes Skokie and Glencoe. Outside the US, the recent-grants list includes Guelph, Canada, and no other non-US recipient country appears with more than a handful of grants. The grant record shows 0% of grants to recipients in Delaware.
The recent grants show a strong emphasis on Jewish day schools and related communal infrastructure, especially capital projects, construction, and mortgage reduction. The portfolio also includes conservation research, immigrant legal services, and selected civic and research initiatives.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Lubavitch Girls High School Inc, Yeshiva Shearis Yisroel-veitzener Cheder Inc, Field Museum of Natural History, Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, and University of Guelph.
The distribution centers on mid-six-figure and lower-six-figure awards: p25 is $50,000, median is $100,000, and p75 is $152,000. The recent list also shows several larger capital gifts above $300,000.
Most grants go to Illinois recipients, with Chicago appearing most frequently in the recent-grants list. Other Illinois locations include Skokie, Glencoe, and Lisle. Outside the US, the recent-grants list includes Guelph, Canada.
Yes. The foundation is marked as funding individuals, and the recent-grants list also includes a fellowship-style award to Etzion Foundation Inc for the Women’s Shulchan Aruch and Halachic Writing Fellowship.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| $1M |
0.6% |
| 3 | Israel | 3 | $720K | 0.6% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $2,250,000 | 2025 | Arie Crown Hebrew Day School Capital Project |
| LUBAVITCH GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL INC | CHICAGO, IL | $1,500,000 | 2025 | Capital Expenses for Construction of a New School building |
| HILLEL TORAH NORTH SUBURBAN DAY SCHOOL | SKOKIE, IL | $500,000 | 2025 | Hillel Torah Campus Expansion and Renovation |
| LINCOLN PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY | CHICAGO, IL | $482,709 | 2025 | Global expansion of Chicago-led urban biodiversity research and conservation network |
| ALLIANCE FOR THE GREAT LAKES | CHICAGO, IL | $450,000 | 2025 | Chicago(land) Flooding and Sanitation Equity Initiative |
| MORTON ARBORETUM | LISLE, IL | $388,074 | 2025 | A Chicago Based Hub For Assessment, Planning, And Action For Saving Threatened Trees |
| CHICAGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY | GLENCOE, IL | $387,049 | 2025 | Improving ex situ plant conservation: Scaling up zoo pedigree management approaches to critically rare plants in the Pacific |
| SHEDD AQUARIUM SOCIETY | CHICAGO, IL | $373,382 | 2025 | Maximizing Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation Through global partnerships |
| YESHIVA SHEARIS YISROEL-VEITZENER CHEDER INC | CHICAGO, IL | $360,000 | 2025 | Mortgage Reduction Funds |
| UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH | GUELPH | $333,000 | 2025 | BIOALFA: ADVANCING KNOWLEDGE OF COSTA RICAN BIODIVERSITY THROUGH DNA BARCODES |
| ETZION FOUNDATION INC | TEANECK, NJ | $330,075 | 2025 | Women's Shulchan Aruch and Halachic Writing Fellowship |
| RESEARCH CORPORATION | TUCSON, AZ | $300,000 | 2025 | Scialog Partnership to Support Chicago-Area Fellows research |
| NIJC NFP | CHICAGO, IL | $300,000 | 2025 | Strengthening Legal Services for Chicago Immigrants |
| METROPOLITAN PLANNING COUNCIL | CHICAGO, IL | $300,000 | 2025 | Right Infrastructure, Right Place |
| RELIEF RESOURCES INC | LAKEWOOD, NJ | $275,000 | 2025 | Relief Global Midwest Division |
| HEALTHY SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN | CHICAGO, IL | $260,000 | 2025 | Green + Resilient Chicago: A sustainable, equitable plan for public investment in Green Stormwater Infrastructure |
| SOULU | CHICAGO, IL | $250,000 | 2025 | Upward Community Circle of Support |
| JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY | BALTIMORE, MD | $250,000 | 2025 | The Walder Foundation Distinguished Professorship in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
| SHRIVER CENTER ON POVERTY LAW | CHICAGO, IL | $250,000 | 2025 | Migration and Immigrant Communities |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF HALA | CLEVELAND, OH | $250,000 | 2025 | Support for Purchase of MRI Machine |
| IFF | CHICAGO, IL | $250,000 | 2025 | America's Cultural Treasures Chicago |
| CHICAGO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $250,000 | 2025 | Illinois Immigration Funders Collaborative |
| JEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $244,000 | 2025 | Israel Emergency Response |
| THE JERUSALEM COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY | JERUSALEM | $240,000 | 2025 | Tal Campus Bioinformatics Department and Conference center |
| FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY | CHICAGO, IL | $229,127 | 2025 | Magnifying Conservation Impact and Biodiversity Understanding in the Guiana Shield |
| CORE I INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | General support |
| YESHIVA UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | Advancing Women's Learning and Leadership: THE GRADUATE PROGRAM FOR ADVANCED TALMUDIC STUDIES (GPATS) |
| MESIVTA SHAAREI ADIRIM | SKOKIE, IL | $175,000 | 2025 | General Operating Support |
| JEWISH WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR | FT LAUDERDALE, FL | $175,000 | 2025 | General support |
| WELCOMING AMERICA INC | DECATUR, GA | $150,000 | 2025 | General Operating Support |
| STEPPENWOLF THEATRE CO | CHICAGO, IL | $150,000 | 2025 | Steppenwolf's LookOut Series |
| FOREFRONT | CHICAGO, IL | $150,000 | 2025 | Fresh Taste - Illinois Regenerative Agriculture Initiative |
| CHICAGO MEZUZAH AND MITZVAH CAMPAIGN | CHICAGO, IL | $150,000 | 2025 | CMC Senior Center Garden |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF NISHMAT | NEW YORK, NY | $150,000 | 2025 | Kollel Fellowships at Nishmat: The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Studies for Women |
| MORTON ARBORETUM | LISLE, IL | $150,000 | 2025 | Chicago Region Trees Initiative Urban Forest Corporate Sustainability Partnership Program |
| CHICAGO STATE FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $148,170 | 2025 | Enhancing the impacts and footprints of the Illinois lsamp |
| MAP FUND INC | NEW YORK, NY | $125,000 | 2025 | MAP Fund Core Grant and SPA Program for Chicago-Based artists |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $125,000 | 2025 | Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MATAN INC | MONSEY, NY | $125,000 | 2025 | International Advanced Educators Institute - Eshkolot and strategic planning |
| DEPAUL UNIVERSITY | CHICAGO, IL | $120,000 | 2025 | Support for Evacuated Afghan College Students |
| LUBAVITCH CENTER | PITTSBURGH, PA | $120,000 | 2025 | Kollel for Women and Salary Expenses for Co-Director |
| LIBENU | SKOKIE, IL | $120,000 | 2025 | General Operating Support, Lev Respite, and Residential facilities |
| SEFARIA INC | NEW YORK, NY | $120,000 | 2025 | The Author Initiative and General Operating Support |
| CHEDER LUBAVITCH HEBREW DAY SCHOOL INC | SKOKIE, IL | $120,000 | 2025 | Equity & Excellence in Education Initiative |
| MAPS | PASADENA, CA | $120,000 | 2025 | MAPS Israel - Towards Healing October 7 |
| OHR TORAH STONE INSTITUTIONS OF ISRAEL | NEW YORK, NY | $120,000 | 2025 | International Halakha Scholars Program (IHSP) |
| LUBAVITCH MESIVTA OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $110,000 | 2025 | Shluchim Mentoring & Leadership, Leadership Development for Senior Staff, Every Student A Success |
| UNITED STATES ENDOWMENT FOR FORESTRY AND COMMUNITI | GREENVILLE, SC | $106,250 | 2025 | Quantified Ventures Chicagoland SRF Watershed Coordinator |
| FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2025 | Small Mammal and Pathogen Diversity in South Side Parks in Chicago: Implications for Human Health and Wellbeing |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS JUSTICE FOR OUR NEIGHBORS | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2025 | Immigration Legal Services |
JEWISH FEDERATION OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
$2,250,000Arie Crown Hebrew Day School Capital Project
LUBAVITCH GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL INC
$1,500,000Capital Expenses for Construction of a New School building
HILLEL TORAH NORTH SUBURBAN DAY SCHOOL
$500,000Hillel Torah Campus Expansion and Renovation
LINCOLN PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY
$482,709Global expansion of Chicago-led urban biodiversity research and conservation network
ALLIANCE FOR THE GREAT LAKES
$450,000Chicago(land) Flooding and Sanitation Equity Initiative
MORTON ARBORETUM
$388,074A Chicago Based Hub For Assessment, Planning, And Action For Saving Threatened Trees
CHICAGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
$387,049Improving ex situ plant conservation: Scaling up zoo pedigree management approaches to critically rare plants in the Pacific
SHEDD AQUARIUM SOCIETY
$373,382Maximizing Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation Through global partnerships
YESHIVA SHEARIS YISROEL-VEITZENER CHEDER INC
$360,000Mortgage Reduction Funds
UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH
$333,000BIOALFA: ADVANCING KNOWLEDGE OF COSTA RICAN BIODIVERSITY THROUGH DNA BARCODES
ETZION FOUNDATION INC
$330,075Women's Shulchan Aruch and Halachic Writing Fellowship
RESEARCH CORPORATION
$300,000Scialog Partnership to Support Chicago-Area Fellows research
NIJC NFP
$300,000Strengthening Legal Services for Chicago Immigrants
METROPOLITAN PLANNING COUNCIL
$300,000Right Infrastructure, Right Place
RELIEF RESOURCES INC
$275,000Relief Global Midwest Division
HEALTHY SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN
$260,000Green + Resilient Chicago: A sustainable, equitable plan for public investment in Green Stormwater Infrastructure
SOULU
$250,000Upward Community Circle of Support
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
$250,000The Walder Foundation Distinguished Professorship in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
SHRIVER CENTER ON POVERTY LAW
$250,000Migration and Immigrant Communities
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF HALA
$250,000Support for Purchase of MRI Machine
IFF
$250,000America's Cultural Treasures Chicago
CHICAGO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$250,000Illinois Immigration Funders Collaborative
JEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
$244,000Israel Emergency Response
THE JERUSALEM COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
$240,000Tal Campus Bioinformatics Department and Conference center
FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
$229,127Magnifying Conservation Impact and Biodiversity Understanding in the Guiana Shield
CORE I INC
$200,000General support
YESHIVA UNIVERSITY
$200,000Advancing Women's Learning and Leadership: THE GRADUATE PROGRAM FOR ADVANCED TALMUDIC STUDIES (GPATS)
MESIVTA SHAAREI ADIRIM
$175,000General Operating Support
JEWISH WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR
$175,000General support
WELCOMING AMERICA INC
$150,000General Operating Support
STEPPENWOLF THEATRE CO
$150,000Steppenwolf's LookOut Series
FOREFRONT
$150,000Fresh Taste - Illinois Regenerative Agriculture Initiative
CHICAGO MEZUZAH AND MITZVAH CAMPAIGN
$150,000CMC Senior Center Garden
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF NISHMAT
$150,000Kollel Fellowships at Nishmat: The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Studies for Women
MORTON ARBORETUM
$150,000Chicago Region Trees Initiative Urban Forest Corporate Sustainability Partnership Program
CHICAGO STATE FOUNDATION
$148,170Enhancing the impacts and footprints of the Illinois lsamp
MAP FUND INC
$125,000MAP Fund Core Grant and SPA Program for Chicago-Based artists
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
$125,000Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MATAN INC
$125,000International Advanced Educators Institute - Eshkolot and strategic planning
DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
$120,000Support for Evacuated Afghan College Students
LUBAVITCH CENTER
$120,000Kollel for Women and Salary Expenses for Co-Director
LIBENU
$120,000General Operating Support, Lev Respite, and Residential facilities
SEFARIA INC
$120,000The Author Initiative and General Operating Support
CHEDER LUBAVITCH HEBREW DAY SCHOOL INC
$120,000Equity & Excellence in Education Initiative
MAPS
$120,000MAPS Israel - Towards Healing October 7
OHR TORAH STONE INSTITUTIONS OF ISRAEL
$120,000International Halakha Scholars Program (IHSP)
LUBAVITCH MESIVTA OF CHICAGO
$110,000Shluchim Mentoring & Leadership, Leadership Development for Senior Staff, Every Student A Success
UNITED STATES ENDOWMENT FOR FORESTRY AND COMMUNITI
$106,250Quantified Ventures Chicagoland SRF Watershed Coordinator
FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
$100,000Small Mammal and Pathogen Diversity in South Side Parks in Chicago: Implications for Human Health and Wellbeing
NORTHERN ILLINOIS JUSTICE FOR OUR NEIGHBORS
$100,000Immigration Legal Services