Pepper Family Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The foundation makes contributions only to charities it has preselected and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a cold proposal is unlikely to be considered and a charity should not send one.
- Its filings record operating-fund grants to public charities across cultural institutions, colleges, hospitals, youth and family services, and environmental and community organisations, so a charity should first check that its work sits within that mix.
- About 8 in 10 of its 69 grants to organisations fall between $10,000 and $185,000, and the median is $29,000, so a modest request is realistic; its largest grant was about $1,000,000, so that band is typical rather than a ceiling.
- In the filing, 75% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in earlier filings, so relationships carry real weight, and the filing states no geographic focus even though its grants are mainly in Illinois.
Overview
Pepper Family Foundation is a US private foundation based in Chicago, IL.
What they fund
Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation’s filings record operating-fund grants to public charities. Recipients include museums, an aquarium, zoos, a planetarium and symphony orchestras; colleges and universities; hospitals and health networks; youth and family services organisations; and environmental and community organisations. Its recorded giving is concentrated in Illinois, with additional grants reaching Arkansas, Ohio and Indiana. The recipient mix spans cultural institutions, education, healthcare, social services, youth and family support, and conservation. Across the filings, the stated grant purpose is operating funds, rather than a more specific project description.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Illinois.
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to charitable organisations it has preselected; it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 75% 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 69 grants to organisations were $29,000 or less.
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 21% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 75% of grant dollars went to organisations Pepper Family Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 28 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $50,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Art Institute of Chicago · Operating funds$1,010,0002024 tax year
- John G. Shedd Aquarium · Operating funds$500,0002024 tax year
- Northwestern University · Operating funds$305,0002024 tax year
- NorthShore Hospitals Foundation · Operating funds$300,0002024 tax year
- Lincoln Park Zoo · Operating funds$185,0002024 tax year
- Adler Planetarium · Operating funds$146,2502024 tax year
- Plymouth Place · Operating funds$100,0002024 tax year
- Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts · Operating funds$100,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Lisa Pepper — Director, President
- J Scot Pepper — Director, Vice President
- J Richard Pepper — Director, Assistant Treasurer
- W Franklin Appleby JR — Secretary & Treasurer
- J Stanley Pepper — Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $673,030 | $415,000 | $21,860,789 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $1,856,035 | $1,573,000 | $33,107,606 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $3,580,333 | $3,243,186 | $42,454,878 | 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
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At a glance
Applying to Pepper Family Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Chicago, IL
Applying to Pepper Family Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Chicago, IL