VNA Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The work fits best if you are a health-related nonprofit serving medically underserved people, with Cook County as the foundation's stated priority.
- Half of its grants to organisations were $50,000 or less, and its grant range is $40,000 to $80,000, so a request of about $50,000 sits comfortably within what it has given.
- Send a Letter of Intent first, since a full proposal goes online only if the foundation invites it, and make sure your request states measurable goals and objectives.
- In its filing, 73% of grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded in earlier filings, so a first-time applicant should expect a field weighted towards continuing grantees, though a new organisation should not be deterred from applying.
- Organisations that are not health-related, and anyone seeking funding for lobbying or of the 509(a)(3) supporting-organisation kind, are excluded or should frame their request around health.
Overview
VNA Foundation is a US private foundation based in Chicago, IL.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
VNA Foundation supports nonprofit organisations providing home- and community-based health services to medically underserved people in the Chicago metropolitan area. Its priority areas are access to healthcare, social determinants of health, mental health and counselling, and strengthening the health sector and resiliency. It supports community-based and mobile care, reproductive health, chronic-disease care, service coordination and enrolment, preventive-health education, and basic human needs linked to health. Its mental-health priorities include early intervention, trauma-informed care and services for survivors of violence; sector priorities include organisational capacity, collaboration and health-workforce development. Priority populations include people experiencing homelessness, uninsured families, populations with high mortality and morbidity, young people in vulnerable communities, and survivors of gender-based violence. Most grants go to organisations serving Cook County.
Themes
- Access to Healthcare
- Social Determinants of Health
- Mental Health and Counseling
- Strengthening the Sector
Geographic Focus
Priority: Cook County.
What They Don't Fund
- Section 509(a)(3) supporting organizations
- Lobbying
How to apply
After a Letter of Intent is reviewed, the foundation may invite a full proposal submitted online; otherwise the applicant is advised to seek funding elsewhere.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 73% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 210 grants to organisations were $50,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- Grant requests must have measurable goals and objectives and serve the medically underserved.
- A health-related agency whose programmes align with VNA’s priorities may be a good fit; non-health agencies are advised to request support for health-related work.
- Funding priority is generally given to organisations with operating budgets of $30,000,000 or less.
- For mental-health requests, VNA generally prioritises designated community mental health centres, federally qualified health centres and other community health centres.
- Grantees must provide six- and twelve-month follow-up reports unless the Foundation requests otherwise.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
- The largest single recipient received 3% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 73% of grant dollars went to organisations VNA Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 2% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 64 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $50,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights · To provide education and training on healthcare access to medically underserved individuals and health providers in cook, will, lake, and dupage counties, with a focus on chicago.$100,0002024 tax year
- Shriver Center on Poverty Law · To support the shriver centers training, technical assistance, education, and outreach efforts to facilitate healthcare enrollment and access, improve health outcomes, and address social determinants of health.$100,0002024 tax year
- Network Advocating Against Domestic Violence · To improve the lives of those impacted by gender-based violence through education, advocacy, & connecting community with providers.$100,0002024 tax year
- Chicago Community Foundation · Funding for a pooled fund that provides core grants and special initiative grants to support people who are medically underserved.$100,0002024 tax year
- RefugeeOne · General operating support for this agency that supports some of our communitys most vulnerable residents.$89,0002024 tax year
- Planned Parenthood of Illinois · To support the salary of an advanced practice nurse who provides comprehensive, compassionate sexual and reproductive health care at ppils austin health center.$80,0002024 tax year
- Equal Hope · An education and nurse navigation program aimed at improving diagnostic follow-up and comprehensive cancer care for women undergoing screening mammograms in chicago's safety net hospitals.$75,0002024 tax year
- Health & Medicine Policy Research Group · To support the schweitzer fellows program and fellows for life initiative, which work to enhance health and well-being in underserved chicago communities through direct service projects led by emerging health professionals.$75,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- David Rutter — Director
- Tanay Solov — Director
- Marie C Winters — Director
- Laura N Stern CFA — Director
- Nancy Scinto — Director
- Sandra Wilks — Director
- Brian Egwele — Director
- Jorgia B Connor PhD RN — Director
- Sharmili Majmudar — Secretary, Director
- Jacqueline L Simon — Treasurer, Director
- Arlene Michaels Miller PhD RN — Vice Chair, Director
- Brigid E Kenney — Chair, Director
- Robert N Dileonardi — Executive Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $4,360,626 | $3,116,650 | $60,499,362 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $4,737,692 | $3,226,409 | $63,208,727 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $4,765,471 | $3,324,209 | $65,284,484 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to VNA Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (312) 214-1521
- ann@vnafoundation.net
- info@vnafoundation.net
- Chicago, IL
- vnafoundation.net
Applying to VNA Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (312) 214-1521
- ann@vnafoundation.net
- info@vnafoundation.net
- Chicago, IL
- vnafoundation.net