Grant funders / Illinois / Arts Education
Arts Education Grant Funders in Illinois
152 foundations with a documented arts education focus have made grants to Illinois nonprofits in recent years, together directing $95.6M to organizations across the state. Below are the most active — every funder links to a full giving profile, and Bespoke Grants will match all 152 against your nonprofit's specific mission, for free.
152
Arts education funders
$95.6M
Given to Illinois nonprofits
1,104
Grants on record
2025
Most recent giving
Most active arts education funders in Illinois
| # | Funder | Based in | Total Illinois giving | Grants | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vulcan Materials Company Foundation | Alabama | $26.8M | 5 | 2024 |
| 2 | The Chicago Community Trust | Illinois | $13.6M | 43 | 2023 |
| 3 | Chiarts Foundation | Illinois | $7.7M | 3 | 2025 |
| 4 | Terra Foundation for American Art | Illinois | $7.1M | 77 | 2023 |
| 5 | Ingenuity Incorporated Chicago | Illinois | $5.8M | 7 | 2025 |
| 6 | John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation (consolidated) | Illinois | $5.0M | 18 | 2024 |
| 7 | The Rhimes Family Foundation | California | $3.0M | 2 | 2020 |
| 8 | The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York | $3.0M | 5 | 2024 |
| 9 | Lloyd a Fry Foundation | Illinois | $2.1M | 57 | 2024 |
| 10 | Builders Initiative Foundation (fka the Builders Initiative Inc) | Arkansas | $2.1M | 9 | 2024 |
| 11 | Robert R Mccormick Foundation | Illinois | $1.3M | 3 | 2024 |
| 12 | Southern Illinois University | Illinois | $1.1M | 4 | 2019 |
| 13 | Marsteller Family Foundation | Illinois | $1.1M | 152 | 2023 |
| 14 | Camp Ramah in Wisconsin Endowment Corp | Illinois | $1.1M | 7 | 2024 |
| 15 | Caerus Foundation Inc | Illinois | $970K | 10 | 2024 |
This list is ranked by size. Yours should be ranked by fit.
The funders above are the biggest arts education funders in Illinois — not necessarily the right ones for you. Bespoke Grants ranks all 152 against your nonprofit's actual mission, service area, and budget, and shows you why each one matches. Free, no credit card.
Rank these funders for my nonprofit →Arts Education funders in other states
Other causes funded in Illinois
How this list is built. Bespoke Grants indexes 13M+ grants from public IRS Form 990 filings. This page shows foundations whose giving carries a documented arts education focus and that have funded Illinois nonprofits. Giving figures reflect each funder's total recent grants to Illinois recipients. IRS data publishes on a 1–2 year lag; figures are current through the most recent available filings.