Irving Harris Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 36-6055115 · since 1947irvingharrisfdn.org·District of Columbia, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$17.8M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$600 to $105k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$25,000

Typical grant (median)

337 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

The Irving Harris Foundation works across five focus areas – reproductive health and justice, infant and early childhood mental health, early childhood, Jewish values, and arts and culture – so only work that falls within one of these areas is likely to be a fit.
It operates by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a small charity cannot simply submit a proposal; a relationship or an invitation is needed before applying.
About 8 in 10 of its 973 grants to organisations fall between $600 and $105,000, with a median grant of $25,000, so a modest request in that range is realistic, though its largest grant was about $1,350,000.
Some 73% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded in the prior two years, suggesting it tends to keep supporting organisations it already knows rather than funding many new ones in any one cycle.
Because it does not accept unsolicited requests, organisations without an existing connection or invitation should not apply directly.

Overview

Irving Harris 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

The Foundation fuels ideas, leaders and movements led by and for people most impacted by harm. It partners with those reimagining systems and shifting power to eliminate racial and gender disparities among pregnant and birthing people, babies, toddlers and their families. Its five focus areas are reproductive health and justice, infant and early childhood mental health, early childhood, Jewish values, and arts and culture. Its approach is collaborative: it works with advocacy and community groups and public officials on policy and systems solutions that address root causes, invests in leadership and workforce development—especially for people from communities most impacted by harm—and helps incubate, launch and sustain new programmes, ideas and institutions. It uses its resources and influence to galvanise people-driven movements for change.

Themes

Reproductive Health & Justice
Infant Mental Health
Early Childhood
Jewish Values
Arts & Culture

Geographic Focus

No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Illinois, New York, North Carolina, District of Columbia and South Carolina.

How to apply

The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.

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 973 grants to organisations were $25,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

The Foundation prioritises changemakers from communities most impacted by harm in its leadership and workforce development work.
The Foundation intends to allocate more of its funding to BIPOC-led organisations.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Illinois39%

New York12%

North Carolina9%

District of Columbia9%

South Carolina7%

California5%

6 other states: 12%

Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 7%

The largest single recipient received 7% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 73% of grant dollars went to organisations Irving Harris Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
35% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

337 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $25,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 337 grants in tax year 2024 by size

Under $1k8%

$1k–$2.5k13%

$2.5k–$5k6%

$5k–$10k11%

$10k–$25k10%

$25k–$50k15%

$50k–$100k21%

$100k–$250k12%

$250k–$500k2%

$500k–$1M1%

$1M and over2%

Median $25,000 (tax year 2024)

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

Stairway Fund · Endowment grant
$1,333,3332024 tax year
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago · General operating support
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Mako Foundation · Endowment grant
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Coydog Foundation · General operating support
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Coydog Foundation · General operating support
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Goldman Sachs and Company · General operating support
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · General operating support
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · General operating support
$750,0002024 tax year

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

Officers and directors

Ben Harris — Member
David Harris — Member
Nancy Meyer — Member
James Polsky — Member
George Polsky — Member
Daniel Meyer — Member
Eric Reeves — Director
Yavilah Mccoy — Director
Paul Thissen — Director / Chair
Paula Wolff — Director
Joan Harris — Member / Program Director
Walter Gilliam — Treasurer
Phyllis Glink — Secretary / Executive Director
Alicia Lieberman — Chair / Director

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$25,844,734	$18,603,729	$166,402,539	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$18,203,797	$13,552,337	$166,021,368	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$28,772,403	$17,780,039	$150,201,392	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.