The Morningstar Foundation concentrates its support on higher education, primarily funding student advancement and scholarship programs. The foundation makes a few, relatively large grants, with a strong recurring relationship to Northwestern University and occasional smaller gifts to other university scholarship funds and local charitable initiatives.
Concentrated, small portfolio: a few large grants dominated by repeat support to a single flagship institution (Northwestern University), supplemented by modest one-off scholarships and local charity gifts.
Morningstar Foundation’s giving is defined by a repeated focus on student advancement at Northwestern University. The largest recent grant in the file was $166,200 in 2023 to Northwestern University for grants for advancement of students, followed by additional awards in 2024 and 2025 for the same purpose. That pattern suggests a foundation that uses restricted-purpose support to sustain a specific student-focused program over multiple years rather than spreading funds widely across many unrelated causes. Beyond Northwestern, the foundation has made smaller grants to a scholarship fund at The University of Texas Permian Basin and to a local nonprofit, showing that its philanthropy includes both higher-education access and selected community support. The recipient list also includes The Wetlands Initiative, which indicates that the foundation’s grantmaking is not limited entirely to scholarships. In the recent grants on file, the same educational theme appears again and again, with grants framed around student advancement rather than broad institutional support.
Higher-education access is the clearest thread in Morningstar Foundation’s recent grantmaking. In 2025, it awarded $10,000 to The University of Texas Permian Basin for a scholarship fund for advancement of students, extending support beyond its main university relationship. The foundation also backs local charitable and environmental work. In 2023, it gave $6,000 to New Foundation of Hope, a smaller grant that shows a willingness to support community-based organizations alongside colleges. A separate 2023 grant of $4,000 to The Wetlands Initiative was directed to advance wetland restoration, adding a conservation component to the profile. Across these awards, the common pattern is restricted-purpose funding: scholarships, student advancement, and project-specific support rather than open-ended general operating grants.
Typical grant size sits at $7,000 at the 25th percentile, $10,600 at the median, and $14,950 at the 75th percentile, which fits a pattern of a few relatively focused awards rather than many small checks. The recent grants list shows repeat support to Northwestern University in 2023, 2024, and 2025, so at least part of the giving is recurring. The foundation funds individuals, and its philosophy tags point to scholarship and direct financial aid along with restricted-purpose project support. No application process is stated in the data.
$214K
$339K
$66K
$27K
Most grants fall between $7K and $15K, with a median of $11K.
25th Percentile
$7K
Median
$11K
75th Percentile
$15K
About 83% of grants go to recipients in TX.
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Notable grantees: Northwestern University, The University of Texas Permian Basin, New Foundation of Hope
Morningstar Foundation’s giving is concentrated in the United States, with all listed recent grants going to U.S. recipients. Illinois is the main recipient state, accounting for 83% of grants, and recent awards landed in Evanston and Chicago. Texas also appears in the grant list through a scholarship award in Odessa. The geographic footprint is local rather than national, with most activity tied to Illinois and a smaller share reaching another state.
Its clearest pattern is support for higher education, especially grants for student advancement and scholarship programs. Northwestern University appears repeatedly in the recent grants list, and the foundation also supported a scholarship fund at The University of Texas Permian Basin.
Yes. Northwestern University received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, all described as grants for advancement of students. That repeated support shows an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time award.
The grant-size distribution centers on mid-sized awards: $7,000 at the 25th percentile, $10,600 at the median, and $14,950 at the 75th percentile. The recent grants list also includes larger and smaller outliers around that range.
The list includes student advancement and scholarship support, local charitable support, and wetland restoration. Recent awards went to Northwestern University, The University of Texas Permian Basin, New Foundation of Hope, and The Wetlands Initiative.
The grants are local and entirely U.S.-based in the recent file. Illinois receives 83% of grants, with recipient cities including Evanston and Chicago, while Texas appears through a grant to Odessa.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY | EVANSTON, IL | $16,200 | 2025 | GRANTS FOR ADVANCEMENT OF STUDENTS |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PERMIAN BAS | ODESSA, TX | $10,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIP FUND FOR ADVANCEMENT OF STUDENTS |
| NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY | EVANSTON, IL | $11,200 | 2024 | GRANTS FOR ADVANCEMENT OF STUDENTS |
| NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY | EVANSTON, IL | $166,200 | 2023 | GRANTS FOR ADVANCEMENT OF STUDENTS |
| NEW FOUNDATION OF HOPE | CHICAGO, IL | $6,000 | 2023 | test |
| THE WETLANDS INITIATIVE | CHICAGO, IL | $4,000 | 2023 | TO ADVANCE WETLAND RESTORATION |
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
$16,200GRANTS FOR ADVANCEMENT OF STUDENTS
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PERMIAN BAS
$10,000SCHOLARSHIP FUND FOR ADVANCEMENT OF STUDENTS
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
$11,200GRANTS FOR ADVANCEMENT OF STUDENTS
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
$166,200GRANTS FOR ADVANCEMENT OF STUDENTS
NEW FOUNDATION OF HOPE
$6,000test
THE WETLANDS INITIATIVE
$4,000TO ADVANCE WETLAND RESTORATION