Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
ActivePhilanthropy & Voluntarism
About Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
Strengthen and support the Jewish community in the Chicago region through philanthropy, community services, education, advocacy and connection to Israel.
Focus Areas
Antisemitism response and preventionIsrael support and educationCollege and campus resourcesYoung adults and youth programsFamily services and early childhoodRefugee resettlement and social servicesWomen’s philanthropy and foundations
Who They Fund
Jewish nonprofits and institutions in Metropolitan Chicagolocal Jewish community members served by those organizationsCongregations and faith-based service providers
Funding Style
About Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
A defining feature of Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago’s recent giving is the scale of operating support to core Jewish institutions in the Chicago region. The largest grant in the recent list went to JFMC Facilities Corporation, followed closely by Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, showing a pattern of funding that helps anchor major organizations rather than only short-term projects. The federation also backs CJE Senior Life, Jewish Child and Family Services, and Jewish Community Centers of Chicago, which places elder care, family services, and community infrastructure at the center of its portfolio. Its grantmaking reflects a broad Jewish communal remit. Recent awards include support for day schools such as Arie Crown Hebrew Day School, Ida Crown Jewish Academy, Solomon Schechter Day School, and Chicago Jewish Day School, alongside grants to congregational and education-oriented institutions. The presence of both federation grants and donor-advised fund disbursements indicates a mixed structure rather than a single-purpose grantmaker. Across the recent record, the foundation’s work reads as sustained support for institutions serving Chicago-area Jewish life, with additional funding reaching refugee services and university-based recipients in the city.
What Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago Funds
Education is one of the clearest strands in the federation’s recent grants. It gave $32,647,844 to Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies for operating support, and $13,327,053 to Arie Crown Hebrew Day School for operating support. In the same area, it also backed Ida Crown Jewish Academy, a sign of continued support for Jewish learning across age groups. Family and community services are another major theme. Jewish Child and Family Services received $11,778,803 in 2024 for operating support, while CJE Senior Life received $23,073,356 for operating support. The federation also funded RefugeeOne with $2,124,096, connecting its social-service portfolio to refugee support. Its Chicago-based community infrastructure work extends to Jewish Community Centers of Chicago, which received $9,277,922 in 2024, and to the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago through donor-advised fund grants. These grants point to a model that supports institutions doing day-to-day communal work.
How Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$166.6M
Total Assets
$1.1B
Total Revenue
$284.6M
Total Expenses
$205.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
National40 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Lonnie Nasatir
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago Funds
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 3,352 | $670.5M | 100.0% |
| 2 | Canada |
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