The Oberweis Foundation concentrates its giving on faith‑infused community service alongside support for Illinois higher education and local schooling. A single large programmatic award dominates the portfolio, complemented by several institutional contributions to public universities and a parochial/independent school. The foundation appears to prioritize mission-driven, community‑level religious outreach and education in Illinois-related institutions.
Concentrated giving: one very large programmatic grant accounts for the majority of dollars, while the remainder are moderate unrestricted/contribution gifts to a small set of educational institutions; mix of one-time large award and repeat or multiple grants to universities.
A single $100,000 grant to Project Hood in Chicago anchors the Oberweis Foundation’s recent giving and points to a pattern of support for faith-infused community service. The foundation also made sizeable contributions to Illinois public higher education, including $20,000 to the University of Illinois in 2025 and $15,000 to the Siue Foundation the same year. Those gifts sit alongside a smaller set of awards to schools, social-service providers, and community organizations, suggesting a portfolio built around mission-driven institutions rather than a single program area. Illinois appears repeatedly in the recent record, especially through university and school support. At the same time, the foundation’s checks also reach community-serving groups in Florida and other states, including a $10,000 grant to Hesed House in Aurora and a $10,000 contribution to St Nicholas School in Struthers, Ohio. The result is a giving profile that mixes large, programmatic awards with smaller contributions to local and regional nonprofits. Across the latest 990 year on file, the Oberweis Foundation reported $198,525 in annual grants and $2,010,464 in assets, indicating a modest foundation with selective, concentrated grantmaking.
Faith-based community outreach is the clearest through line in the Oberweis Foundation’s recent grants. The largest award in the file, $100,000 to Project Hood in Chicago, was labeled “HELPING OTHERS OBTAIN DESTINY,” tying the grant to community service with a faith-informed framing. Education is another recurring area. In 2025, the foundation gave $20,000 to the University of Illinois and $15,000 to the Siue Foundation, both listed simply as contributions. It also supported K-12 education with a $10,000 grant to St Nicholas School in Struthers, Ohio, and a $3,000 grant to Marmion Academy in Aurora, Illinois. A smaller set of grants points to community enrichment and public-benefit work in Florida. Those include $5,000 to Fundation for Goverment Acctability for “ADVANDCES POLICIES THAT IMPROVE LIVES,” $2,500 to Everglades Foundation, and $1,000 to Habitat for Humanity in Naples.
Typical grants are small, even though the portfolio includes one much larger outlier: p25 is $1,000, median grant size is $2,000, and p75 is $10,000. That spread shows a mix of modest local awards and a few substantially larger institutional gifts. The recent record also suggests some repetition rather than one-off activity: the University of Illinois received grants in both 2024 and 2025, and Fundation for Goverment Acctability appears in multiple years as well. Oberweis Foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments, so its support comes through standard grants rather than direct aid or PRI structures.
$199K
$2M
$357K
$85K
Most grants fall between $1K and $10K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$10K
About 45% of grants go to recipients in FL.
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Notable grantees: PROJECT HOOD, University of Illinois, SIUE Foundation, St Nicholas School
Grantmaking is national, but the foundation gives most often in Florida, which accounts for 45% of recipient locations. Recent Florida recipients include Naples, Fort Myers, Miami, and Bonita Springs, with several awards clustered in southwest Florida. Illinois is also prominent through Chicago, Champaign, Edwardsville, Aurora, and Evanston. All recent grants in the file went to U.S. organizations, with no non-U.S. recipient countries represented.
The recent grants point to faith-based community service, public higher education in Illinois, K-12 schooling, and community-serving nonprofits. Examples in the file include Project Hood, the University of Illinois, Siue Foundation, St Nicholas School, and Habitat for Humanity.
The grant-size distribution is centered on smaller awards: p25 is $1,000, median grant size is $2,000, and p75 is $10,000. The recent record also includes a $100,000 outlier at the top end.
Yes. The University of Illinois appears in both 2024 and 2025, and Fundation for Goverment Acctability also appears across multiple years. That suggests some repeat support rather than strictly one-time giving.
Florida is the top state by grant count, with 45% of grants going to recipients in the foundation’s headquarters state. Recent Florida recipients include Naples, Fort Myers, Miami, and Bonita Springs.
No. The scope of giving is national, and the recent grants list shows recipients in Illinois, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and New York, all within the U.S.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS | CHAMPAIGN, IL | $20,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| SIUE FOUNDATION | EDWARDSVILLE, IL | $15,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| ST NICHOLAS SCHOOL | STRUTHERS, OH | $10,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| HESED HOUSE | Aurora, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| ZETA HOUSE | NEENAH, WI | $5,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| FUNDATION FOR GOVERMENT ACCTABILITY | NAPLES, FL | $5,000 | 2025 | ADVANDCES POLICIES THAT IMPROVE LIVES |
| MARMION ACADEMY | AURORA, IL | $3,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| EVERGLADES FOUNDATION | MIAMI, FL | $2,500 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| LEE HEALTH | Fort Myers, FL | $1,500 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | Naples, FL | $1,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| HARRY CHAPTIN FOOD BANK | Fort Myers, FL | $1,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| FRIENDS OF B E R T | BONITA SPRINGS, FL | $500 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| WONDER GARDENS | BONITA SPRINGS, FL | $500 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| FOLDS OF HONOR | OWASSO, OK | $500 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| FLORIDA SHERIFFS ASSOCIATION | Tallahassee, FL | $25 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION |
| PROJECT HOOD | CHICAGO, IL | $100,000 | 2024 | HELPING OTHERS OBTAIN DESTINY |
| UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS | CHAMPAIGN, IL | $20,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| ETHS BOOSTERS | EVANSTON, IL | $1,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| FUNDATION FOR GOVERMENT ACCTABILITY | NAPLES, FL | $1,000 | 2024 | ADVANDCES POLICIES THAT IMPROVE LIVES |
| FOX VALLEY PARK DISTRICT | AURORA, IL | $1,000 | 2024 | ENRICH COMMUNITY |
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
$20,000CONTRIBUTION
SIUE FOUNDATION
$15,000CONTRIBUTION
ST NICHOLAS SCHOOL
$10,000CONTRIBUTION
HESED HOUSE
$10,000CONTRIBUTION
ZETA HOUSE
$5,000CONTRIBUTION
FUNDATION FOR GOVERMENT ACCTABILITY
$5,000ADVANDCES POLICIES THAT IMPROVE LIVES
MARMION ACADEMY
CONTRIBUTION
EVERGLADES FOUNDATION
$2,500CONTRIBUTION
LEE HEALTH
$1,500CONTRIBUTION
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
$1,000CONTRIBUTION
HARRY CHAPTIN FOOD BANK
$1,000CONTRIBUTION
FRIENDS OF B E R T
$500CONTRIBUTION
WONDER GARDENS
$500CONTRIBUTION
FOLDS OF HONOR
$500CONTRIBUTION
FLORIDA SHERIFFS ASSOCIATION
$25CONTRIBUTION
PROJECT HOOD
$100,000HELPING OTHERS OBTAIN DESTINY
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
$20,000DONATION
ETHS BOOSTERS
$1,000DONATION
FUNDATION FOR GOVERMENT ACCTABILITY
$1,000ADVANDCES POLICIES THAT IMPROVE LIVES
FOX VALLEY PARK DISTRICT
$1,000ENRICH COMMUNITY