Who funds Northwestern University?
458 private foundations reported grants to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois totaling $96.3 million across 552 grants in tax years 2023 to 2025. The largest funder was Pritzker Family Foundation, with $10.0 million.
From the funders' IRS Form 990-PF filings.
- Foundation funders458
- Grants reported552
- Total received$96.3 million
- Funders taking applications31
Foundations that fund Northwestern University
| Foundation | Purpose given | Grants | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pritzker Family Foundation | Law school operations | 1 | $10.0 million |
| The Benificus Foundation | General purpose | 1 | $8.1 million |
| Sherman Fairchild Foundation Inc | Cryoelectron Microscopy Advancement | 1 | $7.5 million |
| The Simons Foundation Inc | National institute for theory and mathematics in biology | 15 | $7.1 million |
| Hevolution Foundation US | Develop the proteostasis index of healthy aging (piha) | 1 | $6.9 million |
| Eleven Eleven Foundation | Unrestricted charitable gift | 1 | $6.6 million |
| Gates Foundation | Create novel technology platform capabilities | 6 | $4.7 million |
| K5 Foundation | to support creation of an integrated program to ensure enhanced academic, social, and career to support | 1 | $2.0 million |
| Scanlan Family Foundation | All contributions made for the intent established by the various charities | 1 | $1.5 million |
| Wm Keck Foundation | To test for violation of quantum linearity due to gravity | 1 | $1.3 million |
| Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation | To support efforts to develop an open-access state-of-the-art binary-star modeling tool that leads to a deeper understanding of stellar evolution and astronomical observations. | 2 | $1.1 million |
| Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Inc | To support research, mentorship, and capacity building for the research for indigenous social action and equity center | 1 | $1.1 million |
| Beard Scholarship Fund | Unrestricted general | 1 | $1.1 million |
| Sacks Family Foundation | To further the exempt purpose of the organization | 1 | $1.1 million |
| The Allstate Foundation | The allstate foundation executive leadership program | 3 | $1.1 million |
| Leducq Foundation | General support | 1 | $1.0 million |
| J Christopher and Anne N Reyes Foundation | 2024 pledge payment | 1 | $1.0 million |
| The Future Wanxiang Foundation Inc | General support | 1 | $1.0 million |
| P Kent Hawryluk Charitable Trust | Education | 1 | $1.0 million |
| Freedom Together Foundation | Molecular and cellular mechanisms of parkinson's disease | 1 | $1.0 million |
| Cele H & William B Rubin Family Fund | General | 2 | $988,721 |
| John S and James L Knight Foundation | To drive responsible adoption of generative artificial intelligence among news organizations by making relevant, expert-level knowledge and tools widely accessible. | 2 | $929,300 |
| J Landis and Sharon Martin Family Foundation | To further program services | 1 | $835,000 |
| Bobbie and Stanton Cook Family Foundation | Mary beth richard scholarship fund ($75k)kellogg veterans scholarships ($750k) | 1 | $825,000 |
| Karin Bain and John Kukral Foundation | $76,666 to ryan field project; $100,000 to water systems research fund, $250,000 to family medicine, $250,000 to women's cardiac research, $50,000 to mccormick architectural engineering & design; $10,000 to phi gamma delta 2331 sheridan building fund; $10,000 to steven l. Glick fund; $5000 to formula racing (fsae) program | 1 | $751,666 |
| IS15 Foundation | The Fund shall be used to support a professorship within the Department of History at Weinberg College | 1 | $750,000 |
| Idp Foundation Inc | To support a variety of medical research. | 1 | $740,000 |
| Trott Family Philanthropies Inc | To Support The Tina Trott Chair in Integrative Hea | 2 | $700,000 |
| Lasater Family Charitable Trust | Unrestricted | 1 | $690,041 |
| The David and Lucile Packard Foundation | Environment and Science | 4 | $612,500 |
| Rainwater Charitable Foundation | Medical research | 5 | $600,000 |
| Alfred P Sloan Foundation | To consolidate, coordinate, and communicate work in the emerging field of science of science and support community building through the establishment of international conferences and a professional society | 5 | $599,409 |
| John R Flanagan Charitable Foundation | For general charitable purposes | 1 | $525,000 |
| Carnegie Corporation of New York | As a final grant for a project on media studies in the Arab region. | 2 | $516,000 |
| HSJK Foundation Inc | general support | 1 | $500,000 |
| Fulk Family Foundation Inc | To manage and conduct a not-for-profit leadership training program for lake county, illinois not-for-profit organizations | 3 | $465,000 |
| Tinberg Foundation | General support | 1 | $450,000 |
| The Canning Foundation | To further program services of the canning inspire fund | 2 | $450,000 |
| Research Corporation dba Research Corporation for Science Advancement | Developing Mathematical Models for the Formation of New Collaborations at Conferences | 4 | $380,142 |
| Dr Ralph & Marian Falk Medical Research Tr | Therapy for chronic kidney | 2 | $378,586 |
| The Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation | General operating support | 1 | $350,000 |
| Melva Bucksbaum Family Foundation | All contributions made for the intent established by the various charities | 1 | $335,334 |
| John Templeton Foundation | Quantum-limited detection of one-quantum transitions of one isolated electron | 2 | $330,022 |
| The Negaunee Foundation | Restricted use | 1 | $330,000 |
| The Ford Foundation | Core support for the center on disability and racial justice | 1 | $300,000 |
| John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation | In support of its center for neighborhood engaged research & science (corners) to establish a community of practice that would include leading researchers and community partners to identify, compile, and disseminate emerging public safety research | 1 | $300,000 |
| The Dr M Lee Pearce Foundation Inc | Scholarship support | 1 | $300,000 |
| Root Arthur TW | Program support | 1 | $281,277 |
| Circle of Service Foundation | Education | 3 | $280,000 |
| The Heising-Simons Foundation | To investigate spectroscopic signatures of planet formation | 2 | $275,254 |
| The IV Fund | Positive emotion & health research fund | 4 | $275,000 |
| The Spencer Foundation | Indigenous education salons | 4 | $263,352 |
| John Ruan Foundation Trust | Sports, Athletic | 2 | $260,000 |
| Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation | Activities of the organization to which money was donated | 1 | $253,500 |
| Buehler Family Foundation | Unrestricted general | 1 | $250,000 |
| Knight Impact Partners | Knight scholars fund | 1 | $250,000 |
| Mitchell Kapor Foundation | Gift to support programs | 1 | $250,000 |
| Adolph Frederick Lange Fund | Unrestricted general | 1 | $246,938 |
| The Meyer Family Charitable Trust UA 12-17-13 | General donation | 1 | $229,218 |
| Reynolds Family Foundation | Full Circle Campaign - Center for Enlightened Disagreement | 2 | $225,000 |
| Michael Gross Family Foundation | Contribution | 1 | $225,000 |
| The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation | Program support | 1 | $204,214 |
| The Evans Family Foundation | To further charity's purpose | 1 | $200,000 |
| Wonderful Life Foundation | Havey institute for global health | 1 | $200,000 |
| The Jay Pritzker Foundation | For foia practicum fund for pritzker school of law | 1 | $187,500 |
| Additional Ventures Foundation | Catalyst to independence award | 1 | $185,538 |
| Dr Miriam & Sheldon G Adelson Medical Research Foundation | Medical research | 1 | $182,945 |
| Peter G Peterson Foundation | To fund selected pandemic-related research projects through the peter g. Peterson foundation pandemic response policy research fund. | 1 | $177,811 |
| Camille Lange Rathbun Fund | Unrestricted general | 1 | $167,279 |
| The G Harold & Leila Y Mathers Charitable Foundation | Research project | 1 | $165,994 |
| Stephen M Coffman Charitable Trust | Education | 1 | $155,000 |
| Arie and Ida Crown Memorial | General operating | 2 | $155,000 |
| Edward P Evans Foundation | Support scientific research | 1 | $150,000 |
| Mary Jane Crowe Foundation | Unrestricted general | 1 | $150,000 |
| The Kemper Foundation | 2024-2025 kemper scholars program | 1 | $150,000 |
| Minow Family Foundation | Unrestricted | 1 | $150,000 |
| Arthur and Gladys L Pancoe Foundation | General fund | 1 | $150,000 |
| Zellis Family Foundation | Education | 1 | $150,000 |
| Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation | Research, general support & education | 1 | $150,000 |
| Walder Foundation | A Chicago Biomedical Consortium Hub of Innovative Technologies for Entrepreneurship and Science (CBC-HITES) | 2 | $148,003 |
| The Brinson Foundation | Nu-uchicago brinson postdoctoral fellowship in astrophysics | 2 | $145,000 |
| MSBD Foundation | To further program services | 1 | $142,857 |
| Stearns Family Charitable Fund | For support of educational endeavors | 2 | $138,914 |
| The Wallace Foundation | To help explore barriers to emloyment for people of color in media in the Midwest. | 1 | $127,067 |
| The Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Family Foundation | Shapiro Hall fund | 1 | $125,000 |
| Oechsle Family Foundation Inc | Student Affairs Tentative pilot program for coordinator of clinical support | 1 | $125,000 |
| Glen and Wendy Miller Family Foundation | Research & education | 1 | $125,000 |
| Margaret B Barry Foundation | Lurie Cancer Center | 1 | $115,823 |
| Good Ventures Foundation | Living literature review on ai accountability | 1 | $114,302 |
| The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience | Funds Transferred from Van Andel. Regulation mechanism of thermosensitive receptors in nervous system. Principal Investigator: Juan Du, Ph.D. | 1 | $110,310 |
| Charles Koch Foundation | General operating support | 1 | $110,000 |
| Pepper Family Foundation | Operating funds | 1 | $105,000 |
| Trio Foundation | Support education | 1 | $100,000 |
| The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Inc | Camille teacher- scholar award grant | 1 | $100,000 |
| Lemberg Foundation Inc | General public support | 1 | $100,000 |
| The Sidley Austin Foundation | General support | 1 | $100,000 |
| RPM Foundation | General operations | 1 | $100,000 |
| Mazda Foundation (USA) Inc | Funding to support students with limited resources to chart their course to college. | 1 | $100,000 |
| Bear Foundation- Tr | Scholarships | 1 | $100,000 |
| The Papa Family Charitable Trust | Charitable activities | 1 | $100,000 |
Using this list
A foundation that already gives to Northwestern University gives in its field and region, so the list doubles as a prospect list for similar organizations in Evanston. Open a foundation to see its application rules, typical grant and every other grant it paid.
Questions people ask
Who funds Northwestern University?
Pritzker Family Foundation, The Benificus Foundation, Sherman Fairchild Foundation Inc, The Simons Foundation Inc and Hevolution Foundation US, and 453 more, according to their IRS Form 990-PF filings.
How much does Northwestern University get from foundations?
$96.3 million in 552 reported grants from 458 private foundations in tax years 2023 to 2025. Government grants and gifts from individuals are not included.
Which of these funders accept applications?
Gates Foundation, Wm Keck Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Inc, The Allstate Foundation and The Future Wanxiang Foundation Inc say in their filings that they accept applications.