About Crown Family Foundation
Crown Family Foundation (doing business as Crown Family Philanthropies) is a Chicago-based, invitation-only funder that focuses on strengthening Jewish communal life (notably through support to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and the Jewish United Fund) while also investing in equitable education, Great Lakes/environmental restoration and climate justice, global health in sub‑Saharan Africa, gun violence prevention in Chicago, and health & human services (homelessness, domestic violence). Grants are strategic and range from modest awards to multi‑million dollar investments intended to advance policy, systems change, and local capacity in the Chicago metro area and the broader Midwest, with selective national and international commitments. The foundation does not operate open application programs; funding is allocated based on internal priorities and relationships.
Focus Areas
Support for Jewish communal institutions (Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Jewish United Fund)Equitable PreK–postsecondary education and arts educationGreat Lakes restoration, climate justice, and clean energyChicago-centered community gun violence preventionGlobal health equity programs focused on sub‑Saharan AfricaServices for homelessness and domestic violence survivors
Who They Fund
About Crown Family Foundation
Crown Family Foundation’s largest recent grants cluster around Jewish communal institutions in Chicago and Israel-related education and infrastructure, including a $16,890,000 award to Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago and a $12,500,000 award to Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. Those two recipients recur across the recent grants list, alongside support for Hebrew language instruction, general operating support, campus and school initiatives, and capital projects such as the Rebecca Crown Theatre and the Hassoub garage capital project. The foundation also backs scholarship and fellowship work tied to Jewish higher education and campus life, with awards to organizations such as Birthright Israel Foundation, American Friends of Tel Aviv University, and Hillel Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. Beyond the Jewish communal core, the portfolio includes education, environmental restoration and wastewater reuse, global health, gun violence prevention, and human services. The pattern is selective and relationship-driven rather than broad-based, with grants ranging from six-figure awards to multi-million dollar commitments that support institutions, capacity, and longer-horizon program goals.
What Crown Family Foundation Funds
A major share of the portfolio supports Jewish education and communal infrastructure. Crown Family Foundation gave $15,003,000 to Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago for Hebrew language instruction, general operating support, TTHS extra teaching and mentoring hours, high-tech entrepreneurship, the Hassoub garage capital project, and diversity in high-tech in Acre and Hura. In another education-linked award, it gave $12,500,000 to Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago for Chicago Jewish Day School capital campaign, LiveSecure, EZRA passthrough, Holocaust Community Services passthrough, Israel Studies on Campus, and Israel Education Center. The foundation also funds campus and scholarship work, including $1,550,000 to Birthright Israel Foundation for general operating support and tour educator training and Onward Israel. Environmental priorities appear in grants such as the $9,210,000 award to Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago for upscaling decentralized wastewater treatment and reuse.
How Crown Family Foundation Gives
Typical grant size is $112,500 at the 25th percentile, $225,000 at the median, and $750,000 at the 75th percentile, which shows a portfolio centered on mid-sized awards with a substantial upper tier. Recent grants also include very large commitments in the multi-million dollar range, alongside smaller operating and scholarship grants. Several recipients appear more than once across the recent grant list, including Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Covenant Foundation, and University of Southern California, which points to repeated support for selected organizations rather than one-off awards. The foundation operates as invitation-only grantmaking and does not accept unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$29.5M
Total Assets
$530.8M
Total Revenue
$81M
Total Expenses
$29.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $113K and $750K, with a median of $225K.
25th Percentile
$113K
Median
$225K
75th Percentile
$750K
Geographic Reach
National10 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
DAVID SHERMAN
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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