Things to Know about Carl R. Hendrickson Family Foundation’s Northern Illinois Giving

Chicago is an epicenter of philanthropy in the Great Lakes region, with many local foundations focusing their attention on the specific needs of the city. Meanwhile, other funders take a step back and consider the broader region too, such as the Carl R. Hendrickson Family Foundation. This private foundation has been on the local giving scene since 1991 and makes grants each year to organizations that provide basic needs services with a spiritual angle.

Since this foundation is accessible to first-time grantseekers in the region, here are three important things to know about the Carl R. Hendrickson Family Foundation.

1. The Foundation is Managed by Bank of America

Bank of American Philanthropic Solutions’ Illinois office manages numerous foundations and trusts for donor organizations that do not have their own professional staff. The Hendrickson Family Foundation is one such organizations, which is good news for local grantseekers.

Bank of America has a very straightforward grantmaking process and online application procedure for nonprofits—and it is accessible to grantseekers with questions via email. The annual grant application deadline is July 31, and the foundation makes its grant decisions by mid-November. Since resources are limited, grantseekers applying for a Hendrickson grant may not also apply to the Alfred Bersted Foundation, Grace Bersted Foundation, Henrietta Lange Burke Fund or Colonel R. Stanley McNeil Foundation in the same calendar year.

2. Local Grantmaking Extends Beyond Chicago

While many local funders in this region focus their efforts exclusively on the city of Chicago, the Hendrickson Family Foundation takes a broader geographic approach. It considers education, health and human services needs throughout Northern Illinois, including communities like Woodstock, Evanston, Libertyville, McHenry and Lake Forest.

Most of the foundation’s grants are for single-year periods and go towards program support and general operating support. This is a good funder to know for organizations with budgets of $10 million or less, but keep in mind that program grant requests cannot be more than 30 percent of a program’s budget. Most Hendrickson grants are between $10,000 and $50,000 each.

3. The Entrepreneurial Approach is Prioritized

A notable Hendrickson Family Foundation interest is local entrepreneurialism. Carl Hendrickson was an entrepreneur himself who established the Hendrickson Trucking Company with his father and brothers. He and his wife invented the tandem truck and encouraged others to have an entrepreneurial spirit as well.

Recently, the foundation has provided support to Healthcare Alternative Systems, which provides bilingual and culturally competent behavioral health services to under-resourced populations, and the Will-Grundy Medical Clinic, a nonprofit that provides free medical and dental care to adults who have no insurance coverage.

You can learn more about this foundation and others that give locally in Northern Illinois in IP’s Chicago & Great Lakes Funding Guide.