Grant funders / Illinois / Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice Grant Funders in Illinois
54 foundations with a documented criminal justice focus have made grants to Illinois nonprofits in recent years, together directing $49.9M to organizations across the state. Below are the most active — every funder links to a full giving profile, and Bespoke Grants will match all 54 against your nonprofit's specific mission, for free.
54
Criminal justice funders
$49.9M
Given to Illinois nonprofits
337
Grants on record
2025
Most recent giving
Most active criminal justice funders in Illinois
| # | Funder | Based in | Total Illinois giving | Grants | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation (consolidated) | Illinois | $19.2M | 80 | 2024 |
| 2 | The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York | $7.5M | 14 | 2024 |
| 3 | Robert R Mccormick Foundation | Illinois | $4.3M | 10 | 2024 |
| 4 | Pritzker Family Foundation | Illinois | $3.2M | 29 | 2024 |
| 5 | Laura and John Arnold Foundation | Texas | $3.0M | 13 | 2024 |
| 6 | The Chicago Community Trust | Illinois | $2.0M | 12 | 2023 |
| 7 | The Ford Foundation | New York | $1.4M | 4 | 2024 |
| 8 | Chicago Beyond Inc | Illinois | $1.2M | 3 | 2020 |
| 9 | Open Society Institute | New York | $886K | 21 | 2023 |
| 10 | Wk Kellogg Foundation | Michigan | $800K | 3 | 2020 |
| 11 | Merlin & Jo Ann Fjarli Foundation Inc | Oregon | $695K | 4 | 2024 |
| 12 | Accountable Justice Action Fund | California | $480K | 7 | 2024 |
| 13 | Ascendium Education Solutions Inc | Wisconsin | $461K | 2 | 2024 |
| 14 | Michael Reese Health Trust | Illinois | $385K | 3 | 2025 |
| 15 | The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | New Jersey | $285K | 4 | 2024 |
This list is ranked by size. Yours should be ranked by fit.
The funders above are the biggest criminal justice funders in Illinois — not necessarily the right ones for you. Bespoke Grants ranks all 54 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 →Criminal Justice 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 criminal justice 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.