Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
Historical FunderChicago, Illinois · EIN 36-6108460 · Private foundation · Website
Grants paid (2024)$7.1M
Organizations funded355
Typical grant$10,000
Total assets$194M
Half of its grants to organizations were between $6,026 and $20,256.
From the return
How to apply
The foundation filed the following application information (Form 990-PF Part XV, tax year 2024):
| Contact | GAYLORD AND DOROTHY DONNELLEY FOUND |
|---|---|
| Address | 35 EAST WACKER DRIVE SUITE 2600, CHICAGO IL 60601 |
| Phone | 3129772700 |
| Form and materials | ORGANIZATIONS APPLY FOR GRANTS USING AN ONLINE SYSTEM LINKED FROM THE GAYLORD AND DOROTHY DONNELLEY FOUNDATION'S WEBSITE (WWW.GDDF.ORG). |
| Deadlines | 11:59PM ET ON THE DEADLINES POSTED ON THE FOUNDATION'S WEBSITE. |
| Restrictions | SEE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION. |
Copied as filed. Deadlines on a tax return describe the foundation's usual process; they are not confirmation of a current open cycle.
What it funds
Share of grant lines on the latest return, classified from the purpose each grant states.
Where it gives
40% of grants went outside Illinois.
Grants paid in tax year 2024
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Audubon Society Inc | New York, NY | July 13th board/staff field trip honorarium | $235,500 |
| Nature Conservancy | Arlington, VA | July 13th 2024 gaylord and dorothy donnelley board/staff field tr | $185,500 |
| Center for Heirs Property Preservation | North Charleston, SC | Center for heirs property preservation | $170,500 |
| Ducks Unlimited | Memphis, TN | Ducks unlimited, inc. | $145,500 |
| Coastal Conservation League | Charleston, SC | Coastal conservation league | $133,500 |
| National Fish and Wildlife Foundation | Washington, DC | Chi-Cal rivers fund | $125,000 |
| Chicago Community Foundation | Chicago, IL | Arts work fund for organizational development | $120,000 |
| US Endowment for Forestry and Comm | Greenville, SC | General operations | $106,250 |
| University of Chicago Bmr | Chicago, IL | The center for the arts at usc beaufort | $106,000 |
| Trust for Public Land | San Francisco, CA | General operations | $100,500 |
| Mitchell Museum of the American Indian I | Evanston, IL | Implementation of indigenous perspectives through collections ste | $100,000 |
| Natural Resources Defense Council Inc | New York, NY | Charleston pilot buyout program (phase II) | $100,000 |
| Southern Environmental Law Center | Charlottesville, VA | Duplicate employee match payment from 2021 | $95,000 |
| Open Space Institute Land Trust | Charleston, SC | Open space institute | $85,500 |
| Openlands | Chicago, IL | General operations | $85,000 |
| South Carolina Environmental Law Project | Pawleys Island, SC | General operations and participation in lclcp | $85,000 |
| Depaul University | Chicago, IL | The hidden narratives project at graceland cemetery and arboretum | $79,277 |
| The Wetlands Initiative | Chicago, IL | General operations | $75,500 |
| Il Environmental Council Education Fund | Springfield, IL | General operations | $75,000 |
| The Conservation Foundation | Naperville, IL | General operations | $75,000 |
| South Carolina Assoc for Comm Economic Dev | Charleston, SC | South carolina association for community economic development | $74,850 |
| Alternate Roots | North Charleston, SC | Alternate roots inc | $73,500 |
| Land Trust Alliance Incorporated | Washington, DC | The land trust aliances | $65,500 |
| Friends of Coastal South Carolina | Mt Pleasant, SC | Hasty point interpretation | $60,000 |
| Shirley Heinze Land Trust | Valparaiso, IN | General operations | $60,000 |
| Open Land Trust | Beaufort, SC | Empl match - jc | $55,600 |
| Conservation Voters of Sc Ed Fund | Columbia, SC | General operations | $55,000 |
| Charleston Gaillard Center | Charleston, SC | General operations | $52,632 |
| Chicago Cultural Alliance | Chicago, IL | Filipino american historical society of chicago | $52,500 |
| American Farmland Trust | Washington, DC | Chicago region farmland protection specialist | $50,000 |
| Charleston Stage Company | Charleston, SC | General operations | $50,000 |
| Experimental Sound Studio | Chicago, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| Faith in Place | Chicago, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| Friends of the Chicago River | Chicago, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| Friends of the Forest Preserves | Chicago, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| Geneva Lake Conservancy | Fontana, WI | General operations | $50,000 |
| Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Inc | Hilton Head Island, SC | General operations | $50,000 |
| Metropolitan Planning Council | Chicago, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| The Land Conservancy of Mchenry County | Woodstock, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| Windward Fund | Washington, DC | General operations | $50,000 |
| Chicago Theological Seminary Board of Directors | Chicago, IL | Interreligious civil rights oral history project | $49,500 |
| Pee Dee Land Trust | Florence, SC | General operations | $45,000 |
| The Sustainability Institute | North Charleston, SC | General operations | $45,000 |
| South Carolina Arts Alliance | Summerville, SC | Financial management training for lc arts grantees | $41,550 |
| Access Contemporary Music | Chicago, IL | Cash reserve challenge | $38,500 |
| Chicago Int Puppet Theater Festival | Chicago, IL | General operations | $38,500 |
| Red Clay Dance Co Inc | Chicago, IL | Emergency relief | $38,500 |
| Definition Theatre Company | Chicago, IL | Work with a financial consultant | $37,000 |
| Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy | Louisville, KY | Wetland restoration in the francis marion national forest | $35,000 |
| Heritage Museum of Asian Art | Chicago, IL | A contemporary dialogue and imagery convergence of eastern and we | $35,000 |
| Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust | Moncks Corner, SC | General operations | $35,000 |
| Southeast Environmental Task Force | Chicago, IL | General operations | $35,000 |
| Charleston Symphony Orchestra | Charleston, SC | General operations | $30,000 |
| College of Charleston Foundation | Charleston, SC | Memo: 1967 legacy scholars program | $30,000 |
| Gerber Hart Lgbtq Library and Archives | Chicago, IL | Unboxing queer history podcast, season 2 | $30,000 |
| Lawyers for the Creative Arts | Chicago, IL | Transition of arts and business council | $30,000 |
| Leadership Greater Chicago | Chicago, IL | Daniel burnham fellowship | $30,000 |
| Project Osmosis Mentoring Initiative | Chicago, IL | Directed giving - denise gardner | $30,000 |
| Public Radio Exchange (Prx) | Boston, MA | Studs terkel's division street revisited podcast | $30,000 |
| Shape Community Center | Houston, TX | Directed giving - rick lowe | $30,000 |
Showing the 60 largest of 355 grants to organizations.
Grants approved for future payment
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Fish and Wildlife Foundation | Washington, DC | Chi-Cal rivers fund | $250,000 |
| Trust for Public Land | San Francisco, CA | General operations | $200,000 |
| Depaul University | Chicago, IL | The hidden narratives project at graceland cemetery and arboretum | $118,916 |
| American Farmland Trust | Washington, DC | Chicago region farmland protection specialist | $100,000 |
| Natural Resources Defense Council | New York, NY | Charleston pilot buyout program phase II | $100,000 |
| Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago | Chicago, IL | Second phase of salary for executive director | $80,000 |
| South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development | Charleston, SC | Preserving heritage, building capacity for lincolnville preservation and historical society | $76,250 |
| Illinois Environmental Council Education Fund | Springfield, IL | General operations | $75,000 |
| The Wetlands Initiative | Chicago, IL | General operations | $75,000 |
| Ducks Unlimited | Memphis, TN | Regional operations for the greater chicagoland area | $60,000 |
| Shirley Heinze Land Trust | Valparaiso, IN | General operations | $60,000 |
| The Conservation Foundation | Naperville, IL | General operations | $60,000 |
| Experimental Sound Studio | Chicago, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| Faith in Place | Chicago, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| Friends of the Chicago River | Chicago, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| Friends of the Forest Preserves | Chicago, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| Geneva Lake Conservancy | Fontana, WI | General operations | $50,000 |
| Lawyers for the Creative Arts | Chicago, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| League of Chicago Theatres Foundation | Chicago, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| Metropolitan Planning Council | Chicago, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| Open Land Trust | Beaufort, SC | General operations | $50,000 |
| The Land Conservancy of Mchenry County | Woodstock, IL | General operations | $50,000 |
| The South Carolina Historical Society | Charleston, SC | Processing the mother emanuel condolence correspondence | $50,000 |
| Windward Fund | Washington, DC | Pooled daybreak fund | $50,000 |
| Alternate Roots | Atlanta, GA | Gullah traveling theater staff capacity building | $47,600 |
| Pee Dee Land Trust | Florence, SC | General operations | $45,000 |
| The Sustainability Institute | North Charleston Sc, SC | General operations | $45,000 |
| The Village Group | Georgetown, SC | Plantersville cultural complex | $45,000 |
| Voice of the City | Chicago, IL | Pullman arts | $35,500 |
| Southeast Environmental Task Force | Chicago, IL | General operations | $35,000 |
| High Concept Labs | Chicago, IL | General operations | $32,500 |
| City of Charleston | Charleston, SC | The moja, free verse, and piccolo spoleto festival through the office of cultural affairs | $30,000 |
| Chicago Jazz Philharmonic | Chicago, IL | General operations | $27,000 |
| Jazz Institute of Chicago | Chicago, IL | General operations | $27,000 |
| Natya Dance Theatre | Oak Brook, IL | General operations | $27,000 |
| See Chicago Dance | Chicago, IL | General operations | $27,000 |
| Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center | Chicago, IL | General operations | $27,000 |
| Silk Road Rising | Chicago, IL | General operations | $27,000 |
| Chicago Latino Theater Alliance | Chicago, IL | General operations | $25,000 |
| Full Spectrum Features | Chicago, IL | Cash reserve challenge | $25,000 |
| Gibbes Museum of Art | Charleston, SC | General operations | $25,000 |
| Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra | Hilton Head Island, SC | General operations | $25,000 |
| Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves | Libertyville, IL | General operations | $25,000 |
| Red Clay Dance Company | Chicago, IL | Business model consulting | $25,000 |
| The Charleston Gaillard Center | Charleston, SC | General operations | $25,000 |
| The Chicago Poetry Center | Chicago, IL | Cash reserve challenge | $25,000 |
| Definition Theatre Company | Chicago, IL | General operations | $24,000 |
| Kiawah Conservancy | Kiawah Island, SC | Johns island community engagement and conservation planning | $24,000 |
| Shattered Globe Theatre | Chicago, IL | General operations | $24,000 |
| Asian Improv Arts Midwest | Chicago, IL | General operations | $20,000 |
| Chicago Dancemakers Forum | Chicago, IL | General operations | $20,000 |
| Ensemble Dal Niente | Chicago, IL | General operations | $20,000 |
| Franklin G Burroughs-Simeon B Chapin Art Museum | Myrtle Beach, SC | General operations and strategic plan | $20,000 |
| Long Bay Symphonic Society | Myrtle Beach, SC | General operations | $20,000 |
| Lucky Plush Productions | Chicago, IL | General operations | $20,000 |
| Mandala South Asian Performing Arts Inc | Chicago, IL | General operations | $20,000 |
| Rivendell Theatre Ensemble | Chicago, IL | General operations | $20,000 |
| South Carolina Arts Alliance | Spartanburg, SC | General operations | $20,000 |
| Steep Theatre Company | Chicago, IL | General operations | $20,000 |
| The Newberry Consort | Chicago, IL | General operations | $20,000 |
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants paid | Grant lines |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $7,116,176 | 505 |
| 2023 | $6,982,461 | 545 |
| 2022 | $6,473,161 | 641 |
Sources
- IRS Form 990-PF, tax year 2024, filed Nov 1, 2025 - IRS e-file batch, object ID 202513059349100601
- IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for EIN 36-6108460
- Profile updated Nov 4, 2026
Facts on this page come from the foundation's own IRS Form 990-PF filings as published by the IRS. Grantvello does not know whether a foundation is accepting proposals right now: a past grant is not an open opportunity. Always confirm current guidelines with the funder before applying.