Walder Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- Walder Foundation funds science innovation, environmental sustainability, the performing arts, migration and immigrant communities, and Jewish life, with priority given to the Chicago metropolitan area and additional support for select projects around the globe.
- It applies by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a grant writer's energy is best spent on visibility and relationship-building rather than a cold application.
- A realistic request would sit around the median grant of $100,000, since about 8 in 10 of its 523 grants to organisations fall between $36,000 and $250,000; larger awards, such as the $2,250,000 given to Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, an organisation that regrants to others, are exceptional.
- The foundation looks relationship-led and fairly competitive for newcomers, as 81% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had already funded in earlier filings.
- It does not fund lobbying groups or political campaigns.
Overview
Walder Foundation is a US private foundation based in Skokie, Illinois.
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
Walder Foundation invests in science innovation, environmental sustainability, the performing arts, migration and immigrant communities, and Jewish life. Its grantmaking is concentrated primarily in the Chicago metropolitan area, with additional support for select projects around the globe. The foundation generally limits grants to organisations with Section 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt status, including qualifying fiscal sponsors. It supports projects and organisations aligned with its strategies, including programmes or project-based work, capacity building, direct services and technical assistance. Across its programme areas, it looks for results-oriented outcomes, collaboration, creativity and innovation, and the leverage of partners and resources to maximise impact. It also describes learning from grantees and partners, adapting to emerging issues and pressing needs, and fostering sector sustainability and resilience through efficiencies, capacity building and collaboration.
Themes
- Science innovation
- Environmental sustainability
- Performing arts
- Migration and immigrant communities
- Jewish life
Geographic Focus
Priority: Chicago metropolitan area; around the globe.
What They Don't Fund
- Lobbying groups or political campaigns
How to apply
Organisations are invited to apply; staff identify organisations aligned with programme-area strategies. Invited applicants complete an online application, and some requests use a two-step process of a letter of inquiry followed by a full proposal.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 81% 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 523 grants to organisations were $100,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The foundation favours organisations that align with its mission.
- The foundation favours organisations focused on results-oriented outcomes.
- The foundation favours organisations that embrace collaboration.
- The foundation favours organisations that demonstrate creativity and innovation.
- The foundation favours organisations that leverage partners and resources to maximise impact.
- The foundation funds organisations identified by staff that align with programme-area strategies.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 5%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 5%
- The largest single recipient received 5% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 81% of grant dollars went to organisations Walder Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- 3% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Canada, Israel).
- 12% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 180 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $100k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago · Arie Crown Hebrew Day School Capital Project$2,250,0002024 tax year
- Lubavitch Girls High School · Capital Expenses for Construction of a New School building$1,500,0002024 tax year
- Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School · Hillel Torah Campus Expansion and Renovation$500,0002024 tax year
- Lincoln Park Zoological Society · Global expansion of Chicago-led urban biodiversity research and conservation network$482,7092024 tax year
- Alliance for the Great Lakes · Chicago(land) Flooding and Sanitation Equity Initiative$450,0002024 tax year
- Morton Arboretum · A Chicago Based Hub For Assessment, Planning, And Action For Saving Threatened Trees$388,0742024 tax year
- Chicago Horticultural Society · Improving ex situ plant conservation: Scaling up zoo pedigree management approaches to critically rare plants in the Pacific$387,0492024 tax year
- Shedd Aquarium Society · Maximizing Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation Through global partnerships$373,3822024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Joseph Walder through March 2024 — Director
- Elizabeth Walder — President, Secretary, Director
- Jeffrey L Sweet — VP
- Kate Coughlin — Treasurer
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $25,167,135 | $19,557,367 | $212,751,059 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $29,076,872 | $22,496,937 | $215,889,426 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $32,011,208 | $24,415,290 | $199,745,590 | 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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Applying to Walder Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required