A Look Inside the Sidney & Lisa Glenner Foundation’s Chicago-Area Jewish Giving
/ Alyssa OchsHere at IP, we’ve covered the philanthropy of many prominent Jewish donors in Chicago, such as Abel and Judy Friedman, Michael and Janet Krasny, and Michael and Cari Sacks. Another local power couple worth mentioning is Sidney and Lisa Glenner. Based in suburban Skokie, this couple established the Sidney and Lisa Glenner Foundation in the 1980s and has consistently maintained a low profile since then.
To help Chicago-area grantseekers understand this funder a bit better, here are a few things to know about Sidney and Lisa Glenner’s charitable giving.
The Couple Strongly Supports the Jewish Community
More than anything else, the Glenners prioritize Jewish organizations when it comes to philanthropy. The couple’s faith guides Jewish education grants, especially to Telshe Yeshiva Chicago, where their children and grandchildren have gone to school. The Joan Dachs Bais Yaakov/Yeshivas Tiferes Tzvi, Jewish Sacred Society of Chicago, Jewish Federation of Chicago, and Hebrew Theological College are other Jewish-focused grantees of the Sidney & Lisa Glenner Foundation.
People with Disabilities Are a Priority
Aside from Jewish causes, or perhaps alongside them, the Glenners are also interested in helping people with disabilities. Sidney Glenner is a nursing home owner and president of Health & Home Management. Learn more about Glenner’s investments in nursing home deals here. Also, the Glenner family created the Sidney and Lisa Glenner Keshet GADOL Program to help adults with special needs through day program services. This is a cause that his close to home because the Glenners have a family member with special needs.
Small Grants to Many Organizations
In a recent year, the Glenner Foundation had over $3.6 million in total assets. We’ve seen that the Glenners usually give small grants to many different groups, so this isn’t necessarily a funder to approach for high level support but rather small grants in the $100 to $1,000 range. However, it’s good to know that nearly all of the Glenner Foundation’s grant contributions are for unrestricted purposes.
Grants Stay Close to Home and are Accessible
The Chicago area is ground zero for Glenner Foundation grantmaking, as almost all contributions stay in the city or nearby suburbs. And fortunately for local grantseekers, the Sidney & Lisa Glenner Foundation is open to unsolicited requests for funds. The couple accepts written application forms submitted to Sidney Glenner’s attention via mail. There are no strict submission guidelines or restrictions on awards, so this is a good time to contact this funder by phone or mail to request a small amount of support.
Read more about the Sidney & Lisa Glenner Foundation in IP’s Chicago Funders Guide.
