Chauncey and Marion D McCormick Family Foundation

• The filing shows its giving spans social services, arts and humanities, health and medical work, education and environmental purposes, so a charity working in one of those areas has a visible record of similar grants to point to.
• Most of its grants are modest: about 8 in 10 of its 210 grants to organisations fall between $10,000 and $140,000, and half are $45,000 or less, so a request in that range is a realistic starting point, though its largest grant was about $540,000, so that band is not a ceiling.
• Repeat giving is significant, since 68% of its grant dollars to organisations in its most recent filing went to groups it had also funded in earlier filings, which suggests that building a relationship matters, although that does not rule out a first approach.
• No geographic focus is stated; its grants have mainly gone to Illinois, California, Virginia, Florida and New York, which is a record of past giving rather than a limit, so a charity elsewhere may still be worth asking.
• The filing does not say how it accepts applications, so confirm its method before sending anything.

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

• Little Traverse Conservancy · Social services
  $350,0002024 tax year
• DonorsTrust · Social services
  $322,5002024 tax year
• Charities Aid Foundation of America · Social services
  $292,5002024 tax year
• Nourishing Hope · Social services
  $200,0002024 tax year
• All Chicago · Social services
  $200,0002024 tax year
• Opportunity International · Social services
  $150,0002024 tax year
• Art Institute of Chicago · Arts and humanities
  $150,0002024 tax year
• Chicago City Day School · Educational
  $150,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

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.