Vivo Foundation - Funder Overview

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $11.1 million (2024)
Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation-only)
Decision Time: Not publicly available
Grant Range: Varies widely (largest grants $600,000-$650,000)
Geographic Focus: Chicago and Lake County, Illinois
Total Assets: $183 million

Contact Details

Website: https://www.vivofdn.org/
Address: 2460 Dundee Rd Unit 1247, Northbrook, IL 60065-7939
Contact: Contact form available on website

Overview

Founded in 2021 by Medline Industries president Andy Mills and his wife Nancy Mills with a $200 million bequest, Vivo Foundation is a family foundation dedicated to education equity in Chicago and Lake County, Illinois. The foundation operates with approximately $183 million in assets and distributed $11.1 million in charitable grants in 2024. In 2022, the foundation hired Mara Botman as Executive Director, who previously spent over a decade at the Circle of Service Foundation. Vivo Foundation has quickly scaled its grantmaking, awarding 75 grants in 2021, 105 in 2022, and 129 in 2023. The foundation emphasizes being "designed to balance speed and flexibility with thoughtful decision-making" while fostering "deep and engaging relationships internally and externally to unlock human potential."

Funding Priorities

Mission and Vision

Vivo Foundation's vision is "a world where young people of every race, ethnicity, belief system and socioeconomic status thrive and are inspired to learn, grow, and contribute to society." Their work spans the education continuum, from early childhood education and care through college and career success.

Priority Areas

Education

Early Childhood Education and Care - Enhancing access to quality early learning for equitable opportunities
Academic Development - Supporting K-12 educational programs
Experiential Learning - Hands-on learning opportunities for students
College and Career Access, Persistence and Success - Programs supporting postsecondary completion and workforce readiness
Systems Capacity Building - Strengthening educational infrastructure

Health and Wellness

Family Supports - Services that support families in educational success
Mental Health and Wellbeing - Youth mental health initiatives
Healthcare Pipeline - Building pathways to healthcare careers
Violence Intervention - Programs focused on violence reduction and prevention

Grant Recipients (Documented)

The foundation makes grants to dozens of schools, student programs, advocacy organizations, and universities. Known recipients include:

University of Chicago Education Lab ($650,000 - largest grant 2021-2022)
Illinois Action for Children ($600,000 - largest grant 2021-2022)
Equal Justice Initiative
Advance Illinois
All Chicago
American Heart Association
Chicago Foundation for Women
College Bound Opportunities
Planned Parenthood of Illinois
University of Chicago
Chicago State University
Children First Fund
Network for College Success
One Million Degrees
North Shore University Health System
Kids First Chicago
Latino Policy Forum
Waterkeeper Alliance

Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

Andrew J. Mills (Co-Trustee) - President of Medline Industries and co-founder of Vivo Foundation
Nancy Mills (Co-Trustee) - Co-founder of Vivo Foundation

Staff Leadership:

Mara Botman (Executive Director, hired 2022) - Previously spent over a decade at Circle of Service Foundation. Holds an MBA from University of Chicago's Booth School of Business with a concentration in Behavioral Economics and Entrepreneurship, and an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in Social Policy and Political Science. She serves on the boards of Braven and Kids First Chicago, co-founded and co-leads Forefront's College and Career Access, Persistence and Success network, and was deeply engaged in the launch of the Partnership for College Completion and the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative.

Additional Staff (2024):

Chelsea Dawkins - Partnerships Lead ($120,000 compensation)
Ivan Nieves - Impact Lead ($112,731 compensation)
Brogan O'Brien - Grants Manager ($60,475 compensation)

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Vivo Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications. The foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, making contributions to preselected charitable organizations only. They work proactively to identify and select the organizations they support rather than reviewing incoming grant proposals.

Organizations cannot apply through a standard open application process. The foundation's approach involves identifying organizations aligned with their mission and strategic priorities in Chicago and Lake County, Illinois.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation does not provide specific public guidance on how organizations can get on their radar. However, based on their documented approach:

Geographic Alignment: Organizations must operate in Chicago or Lake County, Illinois
Mission Alignment: Focus on education equity across the continuum (early childhood through college/career) or related health and wellness supports for youth
Sector Engagement: Executive Director Mara Botman is deeply engaged in Chicago's education equity sector through her board service at Braven and Kids First Chicago, and co-leadership of Forefront's College and Career Access, Persistence and Success network
Contact Approach: The foundation's website includes a contact form for inquiries

Application Success Factors

Since Vivo Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, organizations that have received funding share these characteristics:

Alignment with Strategic Priorities:

Focus on education equity in Chicago and Lake County, Illinois
Work spanning early childhood through college/career success
Programs addressing critical supports like mental health, violence intervention, or family supports
Systems-level work building capacity in the education sector

Types of Organizations Funded:

Educational institutions (universities, schools)
Youth-serving nonprofits
Advocacy organizations focused on education equity
Healthcare organizations with youth/education focus
Organizations building educational infrastructure and capacity

Scale and Impact:

The foundation has made grants ranging from modest amounts to $650,000
They fund both established institutions (University of Chicago) and community-based organizations
They support both direct service and systems change work

Geographic Focus:

Organizations must serve Chicago and/or Lake County, Illinois
The foundation has funded organizations throughout the Chicago metropolitan area

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Invitation-Only Process: Vivo Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications; they identify and invite organizations to apply
Education Equity Focus: All funding must align with education equity in Chicago and Lake County, from early childhood through college/career success
Comprehensive Approach: The foundation funds the full education continuum plus critical supports (mental health, violence intervention, family supports)
Relationship-Driven: With an Executive Director deeply embedded in Chicago's education equity networks, sector relationships and visibility matter
Significant Resources: With $183 million in assets and $11+ million in annual giving, this is a substantial new funder in the Chicago region
Rapid Growth: The foundation has quickly scaled from 75 grants (2021) to 129 grants (2023), indicating expanding capacity and reach
Systems Thinking: Funding priorities include "systems capacity building," suggesting interest in infrastructure and sector-strengthening work

References

Vivo Foundation official website - https://www.vivofdn.org/ (Accessed December 2024)
Vivo Foundation - ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/876329967 (Accessed December 2024)
Vivo Foundation - InfluenceWatch - https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/vivo-foundation/ (Accessed December 2024)
Vivo Foundation - Cause IQ - https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/vivo-foundation,876329967/ (Accessed December 2024)
Vivo Foundation - Instrumentl 990 Report - https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/vivo-foundation (Accessed December 2024)
Vivo Foundation - Charity Navigator - https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/876329967 (Accessed December 2024)
Mara Botman profile - Chicago Public Education Fund - https://thefundchicago.org/who-we-are/leadership/mara-botman/ (Accessed December 2024)
Vivo Foundation - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/vivo-foundation (Accessed December 2024)
Vivo Foundation - Idealist - https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit/4f21a5b034ce4b9cacc230135c5daff5-vivo-foundation-chicago (Accessed December 2024)