A Look at the McIntosh Foundation’s Chicago-Area Giving

Catholic causes in the Chicago area often receive McIntosh support. Photo: Leonid Andronov/shutterstock

In many cases, successful investment bankers lean toward philanthropy late in their careers or upon retirement. One such executive is William A. McIntosh, who was a managing director at Salomon Brothers/Salomon Smith Barney and served on its executive committee.

McIntosh lives just outside the city of Chicago in the North Shore community of Kenilworth. Here’s a look at the McIntosh Foundation’s Chicago-area giving to help local grantseekers get to know this low-key foundation that prioritizes the Great Lakes region.

Over three decades of giving

Although many local nonprofits may not have heard of the McIntosh Foundation because of its low public profile and limited transparency, it has been around since 1985 and typically awards between half a million and one million dollars in grants per year. Most of these grants are in the $5,000 to $20,000 range and go to well-established organizations that the McIntosh family is personally familiar with.

Many interests

The McIntosh Foundation often supports charitable causes with personal meaning for the McIntosh family. For example, William McIntosh chairs the Chicago Jesuit Academy, a regular grantee. McIntosh has also served as a trustee of the American Ballet Theatre, another recipient of grant support.

Over the years, the foundation has backed many different charitable interests, including the arts, education, youth, human services and religion. The family has a strong Catholic affiliation and often supports Catholic social services like Catholic Charities of Chicago, as well as specific churches including St. Benedict the African Parish.

Chicago-area grantees

Many McIntosh Foundation grants stay close to home in the Chicago area. Recent grantees in the city include John Marshall Law School, the Community of St. Sabina Parish, Cardinal’s Big Shoulders Fund and Zacchaeus House.

Although McIntosh lives in the Chicago area, other family members with ties to different parts of the country also have a hand in running the foundation. Other geographic areas of interest for the foundation include Boston, Los Angeles, Minnesota and the Northeast.

Getting connected

The McIntosh Foundation does not have a website and does not make itself easily accessible to grantseekers, even ones in the Chicago area. According to recent tax records, the foundation is not open to receiving unsolicited requests and only supports pre-selected organizations. Grantseekers can contact the foundation by phone, but may still need to have a personal connection to the family to secure support at this time.

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