Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Schreiber Philanthropy

Schreiber Philanthropy is a private philanthropic organization that unifies the grantmaking of the John and Kathleen Schreiber Foundation and related donor-advised funds under one umbrella. Founded in 2005 in the Chicagoland and Lake County region, it focuses on supporting the well-being and economic mobility of people who are most excluded from opportunity, including historically marginalized communities, immigrants, asylum-seekers, refugees and first-generation college students. Since its inception, Schreiber Philanthropy reports more than $470 million in grants to over 600 grantees across roughly two decades of grantmaking.

The organization operates as a limited-lifespan foundation and concentrates its investments in the greater Chicago area, with a special emphasis on Lake County. Its funding portfolio spans multiple interconnected domains: early childhood development, K–postsecondary education, health, housing, immigrant justice, and cross-cutting work in Lake County. Within each area, Schreiber Philanthropy partners with nonprofits and institutions to test, scale, and sustain solutions that expand opportunity and improve long-term outcomes for individuals and families.

In early childhood, Schreiber Philanthropy invests in high-quality, affordable care and education for children aged 0–5, as well as workforce pathways that build the pipeline of early childhood educators. In K–postsecondary education, it supports academic success, college access, and completion through wrap-around services, transfer pathways, innovative scholarships, and school-based mental health supports.

Within the health sector, the organization funds access to physical, mental, and behavioral health care in under-resourced communities, including major commitments to safety-net hospitals, community health centers, prenatal and maternal health initiatives, and workforce development. Its housing grants support supportive and transitional housing, affordable rental and ownership opportunities, fair housing advocacy, and community-based models designed to increase stability and wealth-building for low- and moderate-income households.

Through its immigrant justice portfolio, Schreiber Philanthropy backs legal services, economic mobility initiatives, language access efforts, trauma-informed mental health programs, and narrative-change work that amplifies immigrant and refugee voices. A dedicated Lake County strategy knits together these issue areas, while also strengthening basic-needs providers and testing bold ideas to disrupt intergenerational poverty.

Schreiber Philanthropy uses an invitation-only application process. The team proactively builds relationships with community organizations, peer funders, public-sector partners, and local leaders to identify potential grantees that align with its priorities. Grant decisions emphasize mission fit, demonstrated and potential impact, and a commitment to equity, while complying with applicable laws governing private foundations. The foundation runs quarterly grant cycles, typically moving from application opening to decision within about four months.

The organization highlights a range of “Grantee Spotlight” partners across its website, illustrating support for institutions such as early childhood organizations, colleges, health systems, community housing developers, immigrant legal service providers, and basic-needs agencies. These spotlights showcase multi-year and, in some cases, multi-million-dollar commitments intended to build capacity, pilot innovative models, and create durable systems change.

Schreiber Philanthropy’s funding primarily serves residents of Chicago and Lake County, with explicit attention to communities on Chicago’s South and West Sides and neighborhoods that have been historically divested. Its grantmaking targets children, youth, families, immigrants, refugees, and people facing economic hardship. By coordinating investments across education, health, housing, and immigrant justice, the organization seeks to create a more equitable regional ecosystem where all individuals have a fair chance to thrive.