Grant funders / Illinois / Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Education Grant Funders in Illinois
90 foundations with a documented early childhood education focus have made grants to Illinois nonprofits in recent years, together directing $157.3M to organizations across the state. Below are the most active — every funder links to a full giving profile, and Bespoke Grants will match all 90 against your nonprofit's specific mission, for free.
90
Early childhood education funders
$157.3M
Given to Illinois nonprofits
718
Grants on record
2025
Most recent giving
Most active early childhood education funders in Illinois
| # | Funder | Based in | Total Illinois giving | Grants | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Commons Association | Illinois | $24.2M | 10 | 2023 |
| 2 | Ounce of Prevention Fund | Illinois | $22.9M | 21 | 2022 |
| 3 | The Chicago Community Trust | Illinois | $17.6M | 20 | 2023 |
| 4 | Robert R Mccormick Foundation | Illinois | $17.0M | 21 | 2024 |
| 5 | Henry Booth House | Illinois | $9.8M | 24 | 2025 |
| 6 | Wk Kellogg Foundation | Michigan | $9.6M | 26 | 2023 |
| 7 | YWCA Metropolitan Chicago | Illinois | $7.2M | 53 | 2024 |
| 8 | Pritzker Family Foundation | Illinois | $7.1M | 65 | 2024 |
| 9 | United Way of Greater St Louis Inc | Missouri | $5.7M | 48 | 2024 |
| 10 | Pillars Community Health | Illinois | $5.4M | 3 | 2020 |
| 11 | Childcare Network of Evanston | Illinois | $5.0M | 23 | 2022 |
| 12 | The Kresge Foundation | Michigan | $4.0M | 8 | 2024 |
| 13 | Valhalla Foundation | California | $1.9M | 3 | 2024 |
| 14 | The Dupage Community Foundation | Illinois | $1.6M | 28 | 2025 |
| 15 | Heart of Illinois United Way Inc | Illinois | $1.1M | 4 | 2025 |
This list is ranked by size. Yours should be ranked by fit.
The funders above are the biggest early childhood education funders in Illinois — not necessarily the right ones for you. Bespoke Grants ranks all 90 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 →Early Childhood 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 early childhood 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.