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Canning Foundation

Annual Giving
$8.6M
Grant Range
$5K - $3.0M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $8.6 million (2024)
  • Assets: $21.2 million
  • Grant Range: $5,000 - $3,000,000+
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily Chicago/Illinois, with some grants in New York and Washington D.C.
  • Application Process: Invitation only - does not accept unsolicited proposals

Contact Details

Address: 1650 Dublin Court, Inverness, IL 60067
Phone: (312) 895-1100
Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Overview

Established in 1993, the Canning Foundation is the philanthropic vehicle of financier John A. Canning Jr., founder and chairman of Madison Dearborn Partners, and his wife Rita Canning. With assets of $21.2 million and annual giving of approximately $8.6 million, the foundation focuses on education, healthcare, arts and culture, and support for women and children escaping domestic violence. The Cannings have a particularly strong commitment to inner-city education and programs for abused women and their children. Over recent years, the foundation has made 390 individual grants totaling $23.8 million. Notable recent gifts include a $20 million donation in 2021 to establish the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute, and major ongoing support exceeding $5 million to the Big Shoulders Fund, where John Canning serves as co-chairman.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Canning Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, supporting preselected organizations that align with their philanthropic interests. Grant amounts typically range from $5,000 to $100,000, though the foundation occasionally makes transformational gifts in the millions.

Recent grant activity: 65 awards in 2024 and 90 awards in 2023, with total annual distributions of approximately $8.6 million.

Priority Areas

K-12 Education: Strong focus on inner-city Catholic schools and scholarship programs for low-income students

  • Big Shoulders Fund (over $5 million in cumulative support)
  • The Chicago Scholars Foundation
  • Individual scholarship programs for students at low-income elementary and high schools

Higher Education: Support for universities and community colleges, particularly programs serving underserved populations

  • Northwestern University
  • DePaul University
  • Harper College (including the Canning Student Center and Rita and John Canning Women's Program)

Healthcare: Major support for medical institutions and research

  • Northwestern Memorial Healthcare (including the $20 million Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute, established 2021)
  • Rush University Medical Center
  • Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
  • Brain Research Foundation
  • St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Illinois

Women and Children: Programs supporting domestic violence survivors and women's empowerment

  • WINGS Program (Women in Need Growing Stronger) - Rita Canning founded the WINGS Safe House and serves as board chair

Arts and Culture: Chicago-area museums and cultural institutions

  • The Field Museum (John Canning served as trustee and former chairman)
  • Museum of Science and Industry (Kenneth C. Griffin Museum)
  • Adler Planetarium
  • Chicago Historical Society
  • Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and only supports preselected organizations. There is no public information about specific funding exclusions.

Governance and Leadership

John A. Canning Jr. - Founder and President
John Canning is the founder and chairman of Madison Dearborn Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm he founded in 1992. Prior to that, he spent 24 years with The First National Bank of Chicago, serving as Executive Vice President and President of First Chicago Venture Capital. His extensive community involvement includes service as co-chairman of the Big Shoulders Fund, director and chairman of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Life Trustee of Northwestern University, trustee and chairman of the Museum of Science and Industry, trustee and former chairman of The Field Museum, former chairman of The Chicago Community Trust, and former director and chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Rita J. Canning - Vice President
Rita Canning is chairman of WINGS (Women in Need Growing Stronger), where she founded WINGS Safe House, the first domestic violence shelter in Chicago's northwest suburbs, currently serving 45 women and children. The organization has since expanded to 30 homes and apartments in the Chicago area. She serves as a longtime volunteer for Northwestern University, The Field Museum, the YMCA, and Harper College. Rita has received the Children's Home and Aid Society's "For the Love of Children Award" among numerous other honors for her volunteer work and leadership in domestic violence prevention.

Quote from Rita Canning: "We strongly believe in empowering women to soar to great heights. We're inspired by the countless number of courageous women, many in their darkest moments, who have turned to Harper College to start on a new path."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

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

Grants are awarded at the discretion of the foundation's leadership, John and Rita Canning, based on their longstanding relationships with organizations and causes they are passionate about supporting.

Getting on Their Radar

The Canning Foundation operates through established relationships and board connections. Both John and Rita Canning serve on numerous boards where they identify organizations to support:

John Canning's Board Service: Northwestern University (Life Trustee), Northwestern Memorial Hospital, The Field Museum (former chairman), Museum of Science and Industry (former chairman), Big Shoulders Fund (co-chairman), The Economic Club of Chicago (former chairman), The Chicago Community Trust (former chairman)

Rita Canning's Board Service: WINGS Program (chairman/founder), Northwestern University (volunteer), The Field Museum (volunteer), Harper College (volunteer), YMCA (volunteer)

Organizations seeking support should focus on:

  • Inner-city education, particularly Catholic schools serving low-income, minority students
  • Programs supporting women escaping domestic violence
  • Chicago-area healthcare institutions
  • Arts and cultural institutions in Chicago
  • Higher education scholarships for underserved populations

The foundation prioritizes Chicago-area organizations where the Cannings can be personally involved, either through board service or as active volunteers.

Application Success Factors

Since the Canning Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, success depends on alignment with the Cannings' core philanthropic interests and personal connections rather than a competitive application process.

Key Alignment Factors:

  1. Education Focus on Low-Income Students: The Cannings provide 100 annual scholarships to students at two low-income elementary schools and at least five high schools with simple criteria: no drugs, no alcohol, and no trouble in school. As co-chairman of Big Shoulders Fund, John Canning has helped raise over $100 million for Chicago's inner-city parochial schools serving 24,000 students, 80% minority and 62% from families at or below poverty level.

  2. Women's Empowerment and Safety: Rita Canning's passion for supporting women escaping domestic violence is central to their giving. The Rita and John Canning Women's Program at Harper College provides support services and scholarships for eligible low-income students who are women fleeing domestic violence, single parents, non-traditional career seekers, or women pursuing ESL coursework. Through WINGS, Rita's fundraising leadership has raised over $12.5 million for ongoing services.

  3. Major Institutional Gifts: The foundation makes occasional transformational gifts to institutions where the Cannings have deep connections, such as the $20 million gift in 2021 to establish the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute in response to growing demand for lung care during COVID-19.

  4. Chicago Geographic Focus: Nearly all funding stays within the Chicago metropolitan area, with the Cannings supporting institutions where they can be personally engaged through volunteering or board service.

  5. Long-term Relationships: The foundation demonstrates sustained, multi-year support to core organizations rather than one-time grants to many different groups. Big Shoulders Fund alone has received over $5 million in cumulative support.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • The Canning Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis and does not accept unsolicited proposals—public applications are not possible
  • The foundation focuses heavily on Chicago-area organizations, particularly inner-city education and programs for women escaping domestic violence
  • Grants range widely from $5,000 to multi-million dollar transformational gifts, depending on the relationship and project
  • Both John and Rita Canning are highly engaged philanthropists who serve on multiple boards—their giving follows their personal involvement
  • Organizations supported by the Cannings typically receive sustained, multi-year funding rather than one-time grants
  • Education grants prioritize serving low-income, minority students with clear behavioral expectations (no drugs, no alcohol, no trouble in school)
  • The Cannings value empowering women "to soar to great heights" and have created multiple scholarship and support programs specifically for women
  • Major gifts have been made to healthcare institutions where John Canning serves on the board (Northwestern Memorial Hospital) and arts/cultural institutions where both serve as trustees or volunteers (Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry)

References

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