OVERVIEW: The Circle of Service Foundation has four grantmaking focus areas: community services, education, medical research and Jewish causes. Nearly all of Circle of Service grantmaking stays in Cook and Lake Counties, Illinois.
IP TAKE: The Circle of Service Foundation is a generous supporter of nonprofits in Chicago as well as Cook and Lake Counties. This funder accepts proposals for its community services and local Jewish community funding programs only. Grantseekers looking for support in other areas will need to find an alternate method to get on the foundation’s radar. It does not accept unsolicited proposals for capital grants; however, it does frequently award challenge grants to eligible organizations, and grantseekers may see some luck there. The funder does not have an online grants database for grantseekers to review; however, it is accessible and invite interested applicants to reach out to discuss a project.
PROFILE: Established in 1997 and based in Chicago, the Circle of Service Foundation was created with the proceeds of the sale of stock by CDW Corp. Its founder is Michael P. Krasny, a former car salesman who found a way to make a fortune buying and selling computers in the early days of technology. In 2007, he sold CDW, a technical gadget and networking equipment company, to Madison Dearborn Partners for $7.3 billion. This boosted the foundation’s assets considerably. Grantmaking areas of interest are Medical Research, Education, Community Services, and Jewish causes.
Grants for K-12 and Higher Education
Circle of Service pours a majority of its grantmaking budget into its Education program. Support is pretty evenly divided between grants for primary and secondary school groups and institutions of higher education; however, education funding generally prioritizes low-income and underserved populations. Grants through this program are by invitation only.
- Previous K-12 grant recipients include Academy for Urban School Leadership, Children’s First Fund: The Chicago Public Schools Foundation, Chicago Public Education Fund, Communities in Schools of Chicago, Midtown Educational Foundation, and Golden Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching.
- Past grantees in higher education include University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Northern Illinois University Foundation, Chicago State Foundation, Southern Illinois University Foundation, and Governors State University.
Grants for Community Development, Human Services and Homelessness
The Community Services program aims to “help individuals achieve stability in their lives and grow to achieve increasing self-reliance and independence.” The program prioritizes support for nonprofit organizations in Cook and Lake Counties, Illinois. Groups focused on homelessness see a lot of support, as do those working with youth and low-income populations.
- Past community services grantees include All Chicago Making Homelessness History, Deborah’s Place, Logan Square Neighborhood, The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, Chicago Youth Centers, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, Infant Welfare Society of Chicago, and Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County.
Grants for Jewish Causes
Since Krasny is an active member of Chicago’s Jewish Community, grants have also supported many of Chicago’s Jewish organizations, although funding from this program has also supported national and international nonprofits, specifically those serving the Jewish population in Israel. Chicago groups that have seen support include those focused on Judaism, Jewish history, and education and culture.
- The Jewish Federation of Chicago regularly sees grants in the millions, as do Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago and Hillel the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.
- Other grant recipients include Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, Israel Education Resource Center, Jewish Community Centers of Chicago, ImpactIsrael, Moadon Kol Chadash, Boys Town Jerusalem Foundation of America, Jehovah Jireh #1 Outreach Ministry, Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel, Jewish Council for Youth Services, and American Friends of Tel Aviv University.
Grants for Science Research and Diseases
In the area of Medical Research, the foundation focuses on research regarding the prevention, diagnoses, treatments and cures for diseases, with many grants geared toward cancer research. Medical research funding is national in scope, but several Illinois-based organizations have received grants from this program.
- Previous grantees include American Brain Tumor Association, Gilda’s Club Chicago, Jennifer S Fallick Cancer Support Center, Northshore University Health System, Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation, and Northwestern Memorial Healthcare.
Important Grant Details
Grants typically range from $100 to $500,000, but they have reached as high as $5 million. The foundation gave away over $34.9 million in grants in a recent year and held more than $539 million in assets.
- The funder focuses the bulk of its giving on Chicago and Cook and Lake Counties in Illinois.
- The foundation accepts unsolicited pre-applications from local nonprofits for community services and Jewish community needs in Cook or Lake County.
- It accepts applications for both program and general operating support.
- The foundation also awards multi-year challenge grants to groups that have an established funding history.
- Apply via the online system.
- Look over the foundation’s FAQs before applying.
- Although the funder accepts education requests by invitation only, grantseekers can still contact the organization with a new education program idea.
- Grantseekers should contact the staff with questions at 312-897-111 or info@cosfoundation.org.
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