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The Joseph And Bessie Feinberg Foundation

Annual Giving
$3.3M
Grant Range
$0K - $0.5M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $3,318,955 (2024)
  • Total Assets: $16.6 million
  • Grant Range: $125 - $450,000
  • Typical Award: $10,000 - $50,000
  • Number of Grants: 113 (2024), 128 (2023)
  • Geographic Focus: Chicago and Los Angeles
  • Application Process: Invitation only - preselected organizations

Contact Details

Address: 415 East North Water Street, Suite 2301, Chicago, Illinois 60611-5594
EIN: 23-7028857
Website: No public website
Email: Not publicly available
Phone: Not publicly available

Overview

The Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation was established in 1969 by brothers Bernard, Louis, Reuben, and Samuel Feinberg in memory of their parents. With assets of $16.6 million and annual giving of approximately $3.3 million, the foundation is now led by second-generation family members: President Janice L. Feinberg, PharmD, JD (who assumed leadership after her uncle Reuben's death in 2002), her brother Joseph Feinberg (Vice President and Secretary), and his wife Rhonda Feinberg (Director). In 2007, the foundation was divided into two separate entities: the Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation and the Crain-Maling Foundation. The foundation describes itself as a "social impact investor" rather than a traditional charity, emphasizing strategic investments in organizations providing direct services to economically underserved communities. The foundation was honored at The People's Music School's Big Night 2023 event for its committed support to Chicago arts organizations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs with specific application deadlines. Instead, it makes grants on an invitation-only basis to preselected organizations throughout the year.

Grant Size Range: $125 - $450,000
Typical Grants: $10,000 - $50,000
Annual Distribution: Approximately $3.3 million across 113-128 grants annually

Priority Areas

The foundation focuses on community-based organizations in economically underserved areas of Chicago and Los Angeles that address:

  • Early childhood and youth development: Programs serving abused or neglected youth and children in at-risk or economically disadvantaged households
  • Arts education: Supporting Chicago and Los Angeles arts communities with emphasis on access for underserved populations
  • Housing and homelessness: Organizations addressing housing insecurity
  • Hunger and food access: Programs combating food insecurity
  • Access to healthcare: Health equity initiatives, particularly for underserved communities
  • Public media and nonprofit news organizations: Supporting journalism and public information
  • Racial justice and equity: Organizations striving for a more equitable and racially just society
  • Jewish communal causes: Supporting Jewish community organizations

The foundation also founded the Englewood Data Hub, an umbrella support organization for child and youth service providers that fosters dialogue, collaboration, advocacy, and community building through quarterly meetings and a comprehensive resource directory of 140+ community service organizations.

What They Don't Fund

  • Unsolicited requests (they only fund preselected organizations)
  • Capital campaigns for building construction (per President's statement: "I'm not interested in building buildings")
  • Medical research focused on cures (stated preference is direct service provision)
  • Organizations outside Chicago and Los Angeles geographic areas

Governance and Leadership

Janice L. Feinberg, PharmD, JD - President & Chief Executive Officer
Niece of founder Reuben Feinberg, Janice assumed leadership in 2002. She describes the foundation's philosophy: "We made a strategic decision to fund organizations that are on the ground providing direct service to people in their communities, recognizing that people living and working in the communities know best what the community needs." She also stated: "I'm not interested in building buildings or curing cancer; I'll leave that to others. My goal is to support organizations that provide services directly to those who most need them."

Joseph Feinberg - Vice President & Secretary
Brother of Janice Feinberg. Joseph and his wife Rhonda live in Los Angeles and are described as "deeply committed to philanthropy and keenly aware of the responsibility that has passed to them as stewards of the Feinberg Foundation."

Rhonda Feinberg - Director
Wife of Joseph Feinberg. She played a key role in the foundation's donation to the Center for Health Equity Transformation after being inspired by actress Yolonda Ross's portrayal of a Black woman with breast cancer on the television series "The Chi." She stated: "I understand firsthand many of the challenges of breast cancer treatment" and was motivated by Ross's encouragement to invest in "grassroots not-for-profits, on the frontlines, doing the real work."

All officers serve without compensation.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Grants are awarded through proactive identification by the foundation's leadership, who personally visit and deeply engage with nonprofit communities to select organizations for support.

Getting on Their Radar

Based on documented instances of how the foundation discovers new grantees:

Personal Connections and Site Visits: President Janice Feinberg personally visits organizations and deeply engages with nonprofit communities. The foundation values direct interaction with programs and participants.

Community Networks: The foundation's Englewood Data Hub facilitates quarterly meetings of child and youth service providers, creating opportunities for the foundation to discover effective organizations through collaborative community networks.

Referrals and Cultural Connections: The foundation has been influenced by personal connections - for example, actress Yolonda Ross connected Dr. Melissa Simon of Northwestern's Center for Health Equity Transformation with Rhonda Feinberg, leading to a donation.

Demonstrated Community Impact: Organizations that are "on the ground providing direct service to people in their communities" align with the foundation's stated priorities.

Long-term Relationship Building: The foundation maintains multi-year relationships with grantees (e.g., supported The Dovetail Project with $25,000 annually since 2019 before making a three-year $300,000 commitment).

Decision Timeline

As grants are made by invitation only, there is no standard application-to-decision timeline. The foundation appears to make grant decisions on a rolling basis throughout the year, with 113-128 grants distributed annually.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation proactively selects organizations for funding. However, the foundation demonstrates a pattern of multi-year support for organizations it values, as evidenced by ongoing support to The People's Music School, The Dovetail Project, and others.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation operates by invitation only, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, based on the documented grants and leadership statements, organizations that attract the foundation's support share these characteristics:

Direct Service Provision: The foundation explicitly prioritizes organizations providing direct services rather than capital projects or research. President Janice Feinberg emphasizes support for "organizations that provide services directly to those who most need them."

Community-Based Operations: The foundation seeks "organizations that are on the ground providing direct service to people in their communities, recognizing that people living and working in the communities know best what the community needs."

Focus on Underserved Populations: Documented grants demonstrate priority for organizations serving economically underserved populations of Chicago and Los Angeles, particularly Black and Hispanic communities.

Clear Impact on Children and Youth: Many documented grants support youth development, including programs for young fathers (The Dovetail Project), arts education for children (The People's Music School), and at-risk youth.

Collaborative Approach: The foundation values organizations that collaborate with others, as evidenced by creation of the Englewood Data Hub for service provider collaboration.

Personal Connection to Leadership: Several documented grants originated through personal connections to the Feinberg family members, suggesting relationship-building matters.

Multi-Year Commitment to Excellence: The foundation appears to "test" organizations with smaller annual grants before making larger multi-year commitments (e.g., Dovetail Project received $25,000 annually starting in 2019, then received a three-year $300,000 grant).

Examples of Recently Funded Organizations:

  • The Dovetail Project ($300,000 over three years): Chicago nonprofit educating and supporting Black and Hispanic fathers aged 17-24
  • The People's Music School: Long-term support for arts education
  • Center for Health Equity Transformation: Addressing breast cancer disparities among Black women
  • Equal Hope and Tatisa C. Joiner Foundation: Healthcare equity for Black women in Chicago
  • TimeLine Theatre: Chicago arts community
  • Historical Preservation Society: $20,000 grant

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process exists - this foundation operates entirely by invitation and proactive selection of grantees
  • Personal relationships matter - documented grants often originate through personal connections to the Feinberg family members or community networks
  • Demonstrate direct service impact - the foundation explicitly favors organizations providing hands-on services over those focused on infrastructure, research, or advocacy alone
  • Geographic focus is strict - must serve Chicago or Los Angeles underserved populations
  • Multi-year relationships are possible - the foundation often begins with smaller annual grants and escalates to larger multi-year commitments for proven organizations
  • Join relevant networks - participation in collaborative efforts like the Englewood Data Hub or sector-specific convenings may increase visibility
  • Focus on equity and racial justice - recent grants demonstrate particular interest in organizations addressing racial disparities and serving Black and Hispanic communities
  • Youth and children are priorities - strong preference for programs serving children, youth, and families in economically disadvantaged situations

References

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