The Nuveen Benevolent Trust (Charles L. Michod Jr.) concentrates its giving on visual and community arts in Chicago, providing unrestricted/general support to arts institutions. Its funding is narrowly focused—split evenly between the School of the Art Institute and the Nuveen Community Center for the Arts—indicating a preference for sustaining local art education and community arts programming. Grants appear to be repeat awards to a very small set of core grantees rather than broadly distributed support.
Nuveen Benevolent Trust Charles L Michod Jr centers its giving on two recurring arts institutions, both awarded $35,000 grants in multiple years: the School of the Art Institute in Chicago and the Nuveen Community Center for the Arts in Montague, Michigan. That pattern points to a small, stable grantmaking program built around general operating support rather than a wide portfolio of projects. The foundation’s recent awards also show that it is not limited to one city, even though Chicago remains important in its funding history. Alongside the arts, it has supported schools, land conservation, higher education, and organizations serving people with special needs, but those gifts are much smaller than its core arts awards. Its largest recent grants are repeated across 2023, 2024, and 2025, suggesting continuity in how it sustains key institutions. The named grantees in the recent record include Rhode Island School of Design, Vermont Law School, St Catherine's Center for Special Needs, and the University of Vermont, each receiving support at a lower tier than the foundation’s principal arts commitments.
Visual arts education is one of the clearest themes in the foundation’s record. It gave $35,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025 to the School of the Art Institute in Chicago for general support, showing sustained backing for an art-school institution. Community arts is another core area: the Nuveen Community Center for the Arts in Montague, Michigan also received $35,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, again as general support. Beyond those anchor grants, the foundation has made smaller general awards to Rhode Island School of Design, which received $5,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and to American Farm School Annual Fund, which received $2,000 in 2023. The mix suggests a focus on arts education and cultural capacity, with some additional support for related institutions.
Typical grants are small and clustered: the p25, median, and p75 are $1,000, $1,000, and $2,500. That sits alongside a few much larger recurring awards, especially the $35,000 grants to the foundation’s core arts grantees. The pattern is clearly repeat-oriented rather than one-off, with several recipients appearing in multiple years. Grants are made as general support, and the foundation does not make program-related investments or grants to individuals. The available record shows a national giving scope, but the distribution is concentrated rather than broad-based.
$322K
$1.6M
$117K
$141K
Most grants fall between $1K and $3K, with a median of $1K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$1K
75th Percentile
$3K
About 18% of grants go to recipients in NH.
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Highly concentrated: a few medium-sized, repeat grants (three to each of two core Chicago arts organizations) providing general operating support rather than one-off project funding.
Notable grantees: School of the Art Institute (Chicago), Nuveen Community Center for the Arts
Grant recipients are entirely in the United States. The top state by grant count is New Hampshire, while 18% of grants go to recipients in Illinois, the foundation’s headquarters state. Recent grants reached Chicago, Montague, New Canaan, Stamford, Providence, Albany, South Royalton, Norwalk, Lexington, New York City, Burlington, and Concord. The map of giving therefore looks national in reach but centered on a handful of recurring institutions in the Northeast and Midwest.
Its strongest and most repeated focus is arts support, especially visual arts education and community arts programming. The foundation has also made smaller general-support grants to institutions in higher education, land conservation, and services for people with special needs.
The typical grant is small: p25 is $1,000, median is $1,000, and p75 is $2,500. Those smaller awards sit alongside a few $35,000 grants to core arts grantees.
Yes. Recent grants went to recipients in Michigan, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, and all recorded grants in the dataset are to U.S. recipients.
The record shows recurring support. The School of the Art Institute and the Nuveen Community Center for the Arts each received $35,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Rhode Island School of Design also appears in three separate years.
The list includes arts schools and community arts organizations, plus a land trust, a special-needs organization, a law school, a farm school annual fund, and a university. That mix shows a core arts emphasis with some smaller diversified support.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE | CHICAGO, IL | $35,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| NUVEEN COMMUNITY CENTER FOR THE ARTS | MONTAGUE, MI | $35,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN | PROVIDENCE, RI | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| VERMONT LAW SCHOOL | SOUTH ROYALTON, VT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ABILIS | STAMFORD, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ST CATHERINE'S CENTER FOR SPECIAL NEEDS | ALBANY, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| NEW CANAAN LAND TRUST | NEW CANAAN, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| SPORTSBUDDIES STAR | NORWALK, CT | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT | BURLINGTON, VT | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| FSH SOCIETY | LEXINGTON, MA | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| NEW CANAAN YMCA | NEW CANAAN, CT | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| LAKE GEORGE ASSOCIATION | LAKE GEORGE, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| LINCOLN PARK ZOO | CHICAGO, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| LAKE GEORGE LAND CONSERVANCY | BOLTON LANDING, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| SHIRLEY RYAN ABILITY LAB | CHICAGO, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| BOCA GRANDE DISASTER FUND CO BOCA GRANDE UNITED METHODIST CHUCH | BOCA GRANDE, FL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ST PAUL'S SCHOOL | CONCORD, NH | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| WILLIAMS COLLEGE | WILLIAMSTOWN, MA | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC FOUNDATION | BOCA GRANDE, FL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| AMERICAN FARM SCHOOL ANNUAL FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| NUVEEN COMMUNITY CENTER FOR THE ARTS | MONTAGUE, MI | $35,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE | CHICAGO, IL | $35,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| NEW CANAAN LAND TRUST | NEW CANAAN, CT | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ST CATHERINE'S CENTER FOR SPECIAL NEEDS | ALBANY, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN | PROVIDENCE, RI | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| VERMONT LAW SCHOOL | SOUTH ROYALTON, VT | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| SPORTSBUDDIES STAR | NORWALK, CT | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT | BURLINGTON, VT | $2,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| FSH SOCIETY | LEXINGTON, MA | $2,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| AMERICAN FARM SCHOOL ANNUAL FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| LAKE GEORGE LAND CONSERVANCY | BOLTON LANDING, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| WILLIAMS COLLEGE | WILLIAMSTOWN, MA | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| LAKE GEORGE ASSOCIATION | LAKE GEORGE, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ST PAUL'S SCHOOL | CONCORD, NH | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| LINCOLN PARK ZOO | CHICAGO, IL | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC FOUNDATION | BOCA GRANDE, FL | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| SHIRLEY RYAN ABILITY LAB | CHICAGO, IL | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| NEW CANAAN YMCA | NEW CANAAN, CT | $250 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| NUVEEN COMMUNITY CENTER FOR THE ARTS | MONTAGUE, MI | $35,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE | CHICAGO, IL | $35,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| ST CATHERINE'S CENTER FOR SPECIAL NEEDS | ALBANY, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN | PROVIDENCE, RI | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| SPORTSBUDDIES STAR | NORWALK, CT | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| NEW CANAAN LAND TRUST | NEW CANAAN, CT | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| VERMONT LAW SCHOOL | SOUTH ROYALTON, VT | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| AMERICAN FARM SCHOOL ANNUAL FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| FSH SOCIETY | LEXINGTON, MA | $2,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT | BURLINGTON, VT | $2,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO - ORIENTAL INSTITUTE (EPIGRAPHIC SURVEY) | CHICAGO, IL | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| SHIRLEY RYAN ABILITY LAB | CHICAGO, IL | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE
$35,000GENERAL
NUVEEN COMMUNITY CENTER FOR THE ARTS
$35,000GENERAL
RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN
$5,000GENERAL
VERMONT LAW SCHOOL
$5,000GENERAL
ABILIS
$5,000GENERAL
ST CATHERINE'S CENTER FOR SPECIAL NEEDS
$5,000GENERAL
NEW CANAAN LAND TRUST
GENERAL
SPORTSBUDDIES STAR
$2,500GENERAL
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
$2,000GENERAL
FSH SOCIETY
$2,000GENERAL
NEW CANAAN YMCA
$1,000GENERAL
LAKE GEORGE ASSOCIATION
$1,000GENERAL
LINCOLN PARK ZOO
$1,000GENERAL
LAKE GEORGE LAND CONSERVANCY
$1,000GENERAL
SHIRLEY RYAN ABILITY LAB
$1,000GENERAL
BOCA GRANDE DISASTER FUND CO BOCA GRANDE UNITED METHODIST CHUCH
$1,000GENERAL
ST PAUL'S SCHOOL
$1,000GENERAL
WILLIAMS COLLEGE
$1,000GENERAL
BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC FOUNDATION
$1,000GENERAL
AMERICAN FARM SCHOOL ANNUAL FUND
$500GENERAL
NUVEEN COMMUNITY CENTER FOR THE ARTS
$35,000GENERAL
SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE
$35,000GENERAL
NEW CANAAN LAND TRUST
$10,000GENERAL
ST CATHERINE'S CENTER FOR SPECIAL NEEDS
$5,000GENERAL
RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN
$5,000GENERAL
VERMONT LAW SCHOOL
$2,500GENERAL
SPORTSBUDDIES STAR
$2,500GENERAL
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
$2,000GENERAL
FSH SOCIETY
$2,000GENERAL
AMERICAN FARM SCHOOL ANNUAL FUND
$1,000GENERAL
LAKE GEORGE LAND CONSERVANCY
$1,000GENERAL
WILLIAMS COLLEGE
$1,000GENERAL
LAKE GEORGE ASSOCIATION
$1,000GENERAL
ST PAUL'S SCHOOL
$1,000GENERAL
LINCOLN PARK ZOO
$1,000GENERAL
BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC FOUNDATION
$1,000GENERAL
SHIRLEY RYAN ABILITY LAB
$1,000GENERAL
NEW CANAAN YMCA
$250GENERAL
NUVEEN COMMUNITY CENTER FOR THE ARTS
$35,000GENERAL
SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE
$35,000GENERAL
ST CATHERINE'S CENTER FOR SPECIAL NEEDS
$5,000GENERAL
RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN
$5,000GENERAL
SPORTSBUDDIES STAR
$2,500GENERAL
NEW CANAAN LAND TRUST
$2,500GENERAL
VERMONT LAW SCHOOL
$2,500GENERAL
AMERICAN FARM SCHOOL ANNUAL FUND
$2,000GENERAL
FSH SOCIETY
$2,000GENERAL
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
$2,000GENERAL
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO - ORIENTAL INSTITUTE (EPIGRAPHIC SURVEY)
$1,000GENERAL
SHIRLEY RYAN ABILITY LAB
$1,000GENERAL