Perry Family Charitable Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The foundation accepts no unsolicited requests and works by invitation only, so a cold approach is unlikely to be considered; a small nonprofit without an existing link should not send one and should first look for a route through someone connected to the foundation.
- Most of its grants are modest, with half of its 106 grants to organisations at $5,000 or less and a median of $5,000, so a modest request fits.
- About 8 in 10 grants fall between $500 and $135,000, but that is a typical band rather than a ceiling, since the largest grant was about $1,350,000.
- Its recorded recipients include universities, secondary schools, Catholic charities, a children's hospital and historical societies, and no geographic focus is stated, though nearly all recorded grant dollars went to Illinois.
- Because 97% of its grant dollars to organisations in the latest filing went to organisations it had also funded in earlier filings, the foundation appears relationship-led and heavily repeat-funded.
Overview
Perry Family Charitable Foundation is a US private foundation based in Chicago, IL.
What they fund
Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2025, TY2024, TY2023) 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
Across the recorded grants, recipients include universities and colleges, secondary schools, Catholic charities and parishes, a children’s hospital, a music school and historical societies. The filings describe the purposes simply as furthering programme services, without identifying a particular field of funding. The organisations represented therefore span higher and secondary education, faith communities, charitable services, health, music and local history; these categories describe the recorded recipients, not stated eligibility rules. Illinois received nearly all recorded grant dollars, while the grant list also includes recipients elsewhere. The sources reviewed do not give broader funding priorities or conditions for organisational applicants.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Illinois.
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2025 filing, 97% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2023 or TY2024 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2023, TY2024 and TY2025 filings, half of its 106 grants to organisations were $5,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2023–2025.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: <1%
- The largest single recipient received 34% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2025, 97% of grant dollars went to organisations Perry Family Charitable Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 10% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 39 grants in tax year 2025 by size
Median $10,000 (tax year 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- University of Illinois Foundation · To further program services$1,251,0002025 tax year
- Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago · To further program services$715,0002025 tax year
- Cristo Rey Network · To further program services$150,0002025 tax year
- Catholic Extension · To further program services$125,0002025 tax year
- Cristo Rey Saint Martin College Prep · To further program services$125,0002025 tax year
- Phi Kappa Psi Foundation · To further program services$100,0002025 tax year
- Chicago Jesuit Academy · To further program services$100,0002025 tax year
- Clearbrook · To further program services$85,0002025 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Martin Perry — Vice President
- Mary Kathleen Perry — Vice President
- Christopher Perry — President
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 tax year | $1,097,113 | $1,097,000 | $8,944,046 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $3,107,262 | $3,107,000 | $11,539,594 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
| 2025 tax year | $3,124,261 | $3,063,259 | $17,430,727 | Filing for 2025 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 Perry Family Charitable 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 Perry Family Charitable Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Chicago, IL