Circle of Service Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Circle of Service Foundation, based in Chicago, IL, funds Community Services, Education, Jewish Community and Medical Research, but for Community Services and Jewish Community requests the applicant or programme must be in Cook County or Lake County, Illinois; Education and Medical Research work through different invitation arrangements, so check before applying.
- Most grants are modest: about eight in ten of its 1,795 grants to organisations fall between $1,000 and $150,000, and half were $25,000 or less, so a request in that range is realistic, even though the largest grant recorded was around $3,450,000.
- The foundation leans heavily on existing relationships – 92% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had already funded in the two preceding filings – so a first-time applicant should expect strong competition for the remaining share.
- Most grants carry a challenge component, so applicants should be ready to show the capacity to fulfil a challenge grant, including raising new and increased gifts and tracking and reporting them, and should plan around their own fundraising goals and donor prospects.
- Applications are made through an online portal (starting with a pre-application that routes to the right form) and are reviewed on a rolling basis with no fixed deadlines; do not apply for support of specific special events, as this is explicitly excluded.
Overview
Circle of Service 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
Circle of Service Foundation makes grants to support organisations in Community Services, Education, Jewish Community and Medical Research, with the aim of enhancing community, opportunity and well-being. It welcomes applications for specific programmes and general operating support. It sees challenge grants as powerful fundraising tools, and most of its grants have a challenge component. Its application criteria include public-charity status and the capacity to fulfil a challenge grant, including raising new and increased gifts and tracking and reporting them. For Community Services and Jewish Community requests, applicants or programmes must be in Cook County or Lake County, Illinois; other focus areas have different invitation arrangements. Applicants are encouraged to plan around their fundraising goals and donor prospects.
Themes
- Community Services
- Education
- Jewish Community
- Medical Research
Geographic Focus
Cook County; Lake County.
What They Don't Fund
- Specific special events
How to apply
Applicants start a new pre-application or application through the online portal. They answer basic questions, which route them to the appropriate form; the form can be saved and completed over multiple visits.
Deadlines: Pre-applications and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with no specific deadlines unless the foundation says otherwise.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 92% 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 1,795 grants to organisations were $25,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- Applicants need the capacity to fulfil a challenge grant and to raise and track new and increased gifts.
- Applicants are encouraged to consider their existing donors and potential new prospects when planning a challenge grant.
- After an application, staff may seek clarification and arrange a phone call or site visit to learn about the organisation and requested programme.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 4%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 2%
- The largest single recipient received 5% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 92% of grant dollars went to organisations Circle of Service Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 15% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 637 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $25,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago · Medical research$1,735,8572024 tax year
- Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago · Jewish community$1,264,8832024 tax year
- Sinai Health System · Community services$776,2922024 tax year
- Jewish Funders Network · Jewish community$685,0002024 tax year
- American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee · Jewish community$652,5002024 tax year
- University of Chicago · Education$629,0002024 tax year
- Metropolitan Family Services · Violence reduction$600,0002024 tax year
- Chicago Community Foundation · Violence reduction$600,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Ron Sonenthal — Director
- Lianne Jacobs — Director
- Daniel Jacobs — Director
- Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein — Director
- Alan Patzik — Director
- Michelle Collins — Director
- Gary Kash — Director
- Kimberly Miller Rubenfeld — Executive Vice President
- Adam J Levine — President, Secretary, Treasurer & Director
- Michael P Krasny — Chairman Of The Board
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $35,317,839 | $34,950,181 | $539,006,294 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $44,465,030 | $38,657,147 | $565,709,610 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $40,704,046 | $37,027,087 | $591,975,965 | 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 Circle of Service Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (312) 897-1100
- Chicago, IL
- cosfoundation.org
Applying to Circle of Service Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (312) 897-1100
- Chicago, IL
- cosfoundation.org