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The Chicago Community Trust
The Chicago Community Trust reported $2.14 billion in revenue and $1.27 billion in expenses for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $97.75 went to program services, $1.87 to management and general costs and $0.38 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 79.4% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $685,048 (President & CEO). 61 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 149% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $1.27BFor context, the median across 1,001 covered philanthropy, voluntarism & grantmaking charities: $91.65 programs, $6.50 management, $1.85 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $2.14BThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 97.8% | 90.2% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 1.9% | 6.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.4% | 1.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.00 | $0.02 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 79.4% | 79.9% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $685,048 | $325,675 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.05% | 1.56% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 61 | 3 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 66.6 | 56.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 17 of 17 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseDuring the year, the Trust made 19,260 total grants to 8,460 organizations totaling $1,225,337,518. The Trust mobilizes grantmaking in three main ways: donor advised funds, programmatic and designated grantmaking, and collaboratives. Through donor advised funds, the Trust inspires philanthropy broadly and facilitates charitable giving by individuals, families, and organizations. During the year, donor advisors recommended grants totaling $1.1B to more than 8,000 organizations in Chicago and beyond. This program enables donors to respond to emerging needs, support a wide range of charitable…
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President & CEO Officer, 38.00 hrs/week | $623,862 | $0 | $61,186 | $685,048 |
| Chief Financial Officer (until 3/25) Officer, 38.00 hrs/week | $326,218 | $0 | $57,269 | $383,487 |
| Chief Operating Officer Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $325,903 | $0 | $25,219 | $351,122 |
| Chief Philanthropy Officer Highest compensated employee, 38.00 hrs/week | $306,215 | $0 | $32,741 | $338,956 |
| VP Strategic Communications Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $269,293 | $0 | $55,058 | $324,351 |
| VP Innovation & Technology Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $263,265 | $0 | $54,747 | $318,012 |
| VP Community Impact Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $266,816 | $0 | $23,634 | $290,450 |
| Gen. Counsel & Secy. (until 6/25) Officer, 38.00 hrs/week | $243,747 | $0 | $34,184 | $277,931 |
61 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The Chicago Community Trust (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $2.6M (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b17 · 17 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18Yes
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 5150
- Volunteers Part I, line 617
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| Northern Trust Company Advisory Services | $4,438,559 |
| Bank of America Advisory Services | $1,188,755 |
| Clarity Partners LLC Consulting Services | $1,040,958 |
| Boston Consulting Group Consulting Services | $1,000,000 |
| JP Morgan Chase Advisory Services | $735,318 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 40 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
43 private foundations reported grants to The Chicago Community Trust totaling $10.0M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from The Chicago Community Trust's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for The Chicago Community Trust, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 The Chicago Community Trust spent in FY2025, $97.75 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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All philanthropy, voluntarism & grantmaking charities · Largest charities in Illinois
Questions people ask
How much of The Chicago Community Trust's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, The Chicago Community Trust reported that 97.8% of its $1.27 billion in expenses went to program services, 1.9% to management and general and 0.4% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The Chicago Community Trust pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The Chicago Community Trust reported for one person in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 was $685,048, for the role of President & CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The Chicago Community Trust get its money?
Of $2.14 billion in revenue in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, 79.4% came from contributions and grants and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The Chicago Community Trust a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 36-2167000 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, object 202632239349302058 · read the filing
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, object 202512119349301861 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, object 202442279349302684 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022 (amended), object 202432279349301703 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, object 202222249349300837 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, object 202112239349302351 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 36-2167000: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.