About Northern Trust Foundation
Northern Trust Foundation gives in a fairly concentrated way, with a small number of large grants and repeated support for a core set of Chicago-based civic and community organizations. Its pattern suggests a strong interest in basic-needs work—especially hunger relief, homelessness, and emergency assistance—alongside selective support for education and neighborhood collaboration initiatives. The foundation also makes notable international humanitarian response grants, particularly for crises in Ukraine and Israel, showing it responds quickly to major global emergencies through trusted aid organizations.
Focus Areas
Chicago hunger relief and food bankingHomelessness and emergency shelter support in ChicagoChicago civic and community partnership fundsHumanitarian relief for UkraineHumanitarian relief for IsraelEducation and youth opportunity initiatives
Who They Fund
established nonprofit organizationssingle primary/core granteeChicago-region nonprofit sector
About Northern Trust Foundation
Northern Trust Foundation’s recent giving is marked by very large general-support awards to a single Chicago grantee, all within Illinois. The three reported grants in this period were made to "See Attached" in Chicago, including a $3,995,220 general award in 2023, a $3,339,000 general support grant in 2025, and a $2,531,830 general award in 2024. That pattern points to a concentrated funding approach centered on one primary partner rather than a broad portfolio of smaller grants. The foundation’s own program descriptions also show a clear interest in youth ages 16–24 on Chicago’s South and West Sides, especially where basic needs and long-term success are tied together. Its stated priorities include food security, affordable housing, educational excellence, and college and career support. The combination of large unrestricted awards and a youth-focused Chicago strategy suggests the foundation uses major institutional grants to support established nonprofits working in a defined local geography.
What Northern Trust Foundation Funds
A central theme in Northern Trust Foundation’s grantmaking is support for low-income youth ages 16–24 on Chicago’s South and West Sides. The foundation’s active programs emphasize essential human needs alongside long-term success, with food security, affordable housing, and educational excellence listed as priorities. It also frames this work around college access, retention, and post-secondary persistence. The foundation’s recent grants show a parallel pattern of large general support awards to a Chicago recipient, reinforcing an institutional rather than project-by-project approach. That same structure fits its capacity-building orientation: the foundation’s giving is designed to strengthen established organizations serving the Chicago nonprofit ecosystem. Across the available program descriptions, youth services remain the consistent beneficiary type, with the strongest emphasis on college and career readiness for the 16–24 age group.
How Northern Trust Foundation Gives
The recent grant sizes are tightly clustered: p25 is $2,935,415, median is $3,339,000, and p75 is $3,667,110. That narrow spread matches a concentrated grant pattern rather than a mix of small and large awards. The reported grants also recur across multiple years, with awards in 2023, 2024, and 2025. All three were made in the form of general support or general awards, which points to flexible funding. The foundation does not make grants to individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its active grant descriptions indicate that unsolicited applications are accepted for at least one Chicago youth program.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4.3M
Total Assets
$81.8M
Total Revenue
$4M
Total Expenses
$4.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $20K and $50K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
Local7 states funded
Intensidad de financiamiento
BajaAlta
Sede
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Northern Trust Foundation Funds
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Northern Trust Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 88 | $10.7M | 98.9% |
| 2 | Switzerland |
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