Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $1,875,000 (2024)
• Total Assets: $37.4 million (2025)
• Decision Time: Not applicable (invitation-only)
• Grant Range: Estimated $50,000 - $300,000+ based on typical programs
• Number of Grants: 13-14 annually
• Average Grant Size: ~$144,000
• Geographic Focus: New York, Massachusetts, Maryland
• Application Process: Invitation only - does not accept unsolicited applications

Contact Details

Address:
10 S Dearborn St # IL1-0111
Chicago, IL 60603

EIN: 51-6593287

Note: The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. No phone number or email is publicly available.

Overview

Established in Delaware in 2008, the Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation based in Chicago, Illinois, with total assets of approximately $37.4 million. The foundation distributed $1,875,000 across 13 grants in 2024 and 14 grants in 2023. While headquartered in Chicago, the foundation primarily supports organizations in New York, Massachusetts, and Maryland, focusing on hearing health research, workforce development in healthcare, and initiatives that support aging populations. The foundation has been instrumental in advancing landmark research on hearing loss and cognitive decline through its long-term support of Johns Hopkins University and has enabled the training of more than 2,500 low-income women as home health aides through its partnership with PHI and Cooperative Home Care Associates since 2014. The foundation also underwrites specialized Guggenheim Fellowships in Medicine & Health annually, demonstrating its commitment to recognizing exceptional scholars and practitioners at the intersection of medicine, health, and scientific research.

Funding Priorities

Strategic Focus Areas

The Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation supports initiatives in three interconnected areas:

1. Hearing Health Research and Public Health

• Support for faculty and trainees conducting research and training related to hearing loss, public health, and aging
• Seed funding and ongoing support for major clinical trials (e.g., the ACHIEVE trial examining whether hearing interventions can reduce cognitive decline)
• Public health campaigns to increase awareness about hearing health (e.g., the "Hearing Number" initiative)
• Research on connections between hearing loss and cognitive decline, hospitalizations, and quality of life in older adults

2. Healthcare Workforce Development

• Free home health aide training for low-income women
• Employment opportunities and asset development support for direct care workers
• Employer-based workforce development programs in underserved communities

3. Excellence in Medicine & Health Scholarship

• Annual underwriting of Guggenheim Fellowships in Medicine & Health
• Support for exceptional scholars and practitioners in medical genomics, ethnobotany, precision medicine, and related fields

Known Grant Recipients

Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health (Baltimore, MD)

• Provides support to Center faculty and trainees to carry out research and training
• Early seed money and continual support for the ACHIEVE trial led by Dr. Frank Lin
• Funded the "Hearing Number" public health campaign
• Supports postdoctoral fellowship opportunities

PHI (Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute) & Cooperative Home Care Associates/CHCA (Bronx, NY)

• Since 2014: Free home health aide training, employment opportunities, and asset development supports
• Has benefited more than 2,500 low-income women
• Supports the nation's largest worker-owned home care cooperative

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (New York, NY)

• Annual underwriting of Fellowship in Medicine & Health
• Recent recipients include:
  • 2025: Rita Redberg
  • 2024: Cassandra Quave (ethnobotanist studying medicinal plants)
  • 2023: Euan Angus Ashley (physician known for innovations in medical genomics and precision medicine)

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications and only makes grants to preselected charitable organizations. There is no evidence of support for:

• Organizations outside their strategic focus areas of hearing health, healthcare workforce development, and medical/health scholarship
• Capital campaigns or building projects
• General operating support for organizations outside their established partner network
• Individual scholarships or grants (except through established programs like Guggenheim)

Governance and Leadership

Trustees

1. JP Morgan Chase Bank NA - Corporate trustee providing fiduciary oversight and professional foundation management
2. Stephen Boies - Individual trustee
3. Joan Lavella - Individual trustee

The foundation operates with a small governance structure typical of private family foundations, with JP Morgan Chase Bank NA serving as the institutional trustee responsible for asset management and administrative functions.

Financial Structure

• Total Assets (2025): $37,380,818
• Total Revenue (2025): $3,259,831
  • Dividends: $1,536,410 (47.1%)
  • Sales of Assets: $1,723,420 (52.9%)
• Total Expenses (2025): $2,542,104
  • Charitable Disbursements: $2,322,881 (91.4%)
  • Officer Compensation: $431,581 (17%)

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

All grants are made by trustee discretion to organizations with which the foundation has pre-existing relationships. Organizations cannot apply for funding through any public mechanism.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation maintains long-term relationships with a small number of grantee organizations rather than accepting new applications. Based on their funding history, the foundation identifies grantees through:

Strategic Partnerships: The foundation has maintained multi-year funding relationships with organizations like Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center (early seed funding continuing for over a decade) and PHI/CHCA (partnership since 2014).

Established Institutions: Grantees include major research universities and well-established national organizations with proven track records in the foundation's focus areas.

Mission Alignment: Organizations working at the intersection of the foundation's three focus areas (hearing health/aging research, healthcare workforce development, and medical/health excellence) appear most likely to be in the foundation's network.

Note: Given the foundation's closed application process and small number of annual grants (13-14), unsolicited outreach is unlikely to be productive. Organizations seeking funding in similar areas should explore the foundation's known grantees as potential partners or models.

Application Success Factors

Strategic Considerations

While the Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation does not accept applications, their funding patterns reveal clear preferences:

Multi-Year Impact Focus

• The foundation makes sustained, long-term investments rather than one-time grants
• PHI/CHCA partnership: 10+ years (since 2014)
• Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center: Multiple years of seed funding and ongoing support
• Guggenheim Fellowship underwriting: Annual commitment across multiple years

Evidence-Based Approaches

• Strong preference for research-backed interventions
• Support for rigorous clinical trials (ACHIEVE trial published in The Lancet)
• Interest in work that advances both knowledge and practice

Serving Vulnerable Populations

• Focus on low-income women in healthcare workforce development
• Research on aging populations and age-related health challenges
• Programs that address health equity and access issues

Intersection of Research and Practice

• Support for initiatives that bridge academic research and real-world application
• Public health campaigns that translate research findings into actionable tools (Hearing Number initiative)
• Training programs that elevate workforce quality while creating economic opportunity

Measurable Outcomes

• Partners demonstrate clear metrics: "more than 2,500 low-income women" trained; "48% reduction in cognitive decline"
• Emphasis on programs with defined beneficiary populations and quantifiable results

Foundation's Stated Priorities

According to Johns Hopkins materials, the Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation supports "research and training related to hearing loss, public health, and aging." This three-part framework appears central to their grantmaking philosophy.

From PHI materials: The foundation's support has enabled "free home health aide training, employment opportunities, and asset development supports" - indicating interest in holistic approaches that address multiple barriers simultaneously.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No Application Process: This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Organizations should not invest time in attempting to apply for funding.

• Long-Term Strategic Partnerships: The foundation's model is built on sustained, multi-year relationships with a small number of carefully selected organizations rather than numerous one-time grants.

• Three Core Focus Areas: Hearing health/aging research, healthcare workforce development, and excellence in medicine & health scholarship define the foundation's strategic priorities.

• Geographic Concentration: Despite being based in Chicago, grantmaking focuses on organizations in New York, Massachusetts, and Maryland - particularly major research institutions and established national organizations.

• Significant Average Grant Size: With ~$144,000 average grant size, the foundation makes substantial investments in selected organizations rather than spreading resources across many small grants.

• Research Translation Focus: The foundation values work that bridges research and practice, such as clinical trials that inform public health campaigns and training programs that embody evidence-based approaches.

• Demonstrated Impact Required: Successful partners show measurable outcomes, serve clearly defined populations, and can document long-term effectiveness.

• Alternative Funding Sources: Organizations working in similar areas should explore the foundation's known grantees (Johns Hopkins, PHI, Guggenheim Foundation) as potential partners or examine other foundations with similar missions that do accept applications.

References

1. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation (EIN 51-6593287). https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/516593287. Accessed February 4, 2026.

2. Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health - Funding page. "The Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation provides support to Center faculty and trainees to carry out research and training related to hearing loss, public health, and aging." https://jhucochlearcenter.org/training-learning-opportunities/students-and-trainees/funding. Accessed February 4, 2026.

3. Johns Hopkins Giving - "Hearing Aids Can Slow Rate of Cognitive Decline by Nearly Half." "Early seed money and continual support from the Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation helped fuel Lin's advocacy work and jumpstart the ACHIEVE trial." https://giving.jhu.edu/story/hearing-aids/. Accessed February 4, 2026.

4. PHI (Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute) - Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation Supporter Page. "With support from the Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation, PHI and CHCA have provided free home health aide training, employment opportunities, and asset development supports to more than 2,500 low-income women since 2014." https://www.phinational.org/supporter/eleanor-schwartz-charitable-foundation/. Accessed February 4, 2026.

5. Guggenheim Foundation - "Announcing the 2025 Guggenheim Fellows." https://www.gf.org/stories/announcing-the-2025-guggenheim-fellows. Accessed February 4, 2026.

6. Guggenheim Foundation - "Announcing the 2024 Guggenheim Fellows." https://www.gf.org/stories/announcing-the-2024-guggenheim-fellows. Accessed February 4, 2026.

7. Guggenheim Foundation - "Announcing the 2023 Guggenheim Fellows." https://www.gf.org/news/foundation-news/announcing-the-2023-guggenheim-fellows/. Accessed February 4, 2026.

8. Hearing Number - About page. "Support for this public health campaign has come from the Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation, the estate of Miriam Hardy, and other philanthropic and institutional resources." https://hearingnumber.org/about/. Accessed February 4, 2026.

9. GuideStar Profile - Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/51-6593287. Accessed February 4, 2026.

10. Candid Foundation Directory - E Schwartz Charitable Foundation. https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile/?key=SCHW445. Accessed February 4, 2026.