Grant funders / Illinois / Sports & Recreation
Sports & Recreation Grant Funders in Illinois
191 foundations with a documented sports & recreation focus have made grants to Illinois nonprofits in recent years, together directing $82.2M to organizations across the state. Below are the most active — every funder links to a full giving profile, and Bespoke Grants will match all 191 against your nonprofit's specific mission, for free.
191
Sports & recreation funders
$82.2M
Given to Illinois nonprofits
1,214
Grants on record
2025
Most recent giving
Most active sports & recreation funders in Illinois
| # | Funder | Based in | Total Illinois giving | Grants | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big East Conference Inc | New York | $23.9M | 6 | 2023 |
| 2 | Academy for Urban School Leadership | Illinois | $4.1M | 4 | 2023 |
| 3 | Chicago Cubs Charities | Illinois | $4.1M | 6 | 2024 |
| 4 | Robert R Mccormick Foundation | Illinois | $3.7M | 10 | 2024 |
| 5 | The Missouri Valley Conference | Missouri | $3.3M | 20 | 2023 |
| 6 | Gator Bowl Sports Inc | Florida | $3.2M | 2 | 2022 |
| 7 | Ohio Valley Conference | Tennessee | $3.1M | 16 | 2025 |
| 8 | Quad Cities Golf Classic Charitable | Illinois | $2.5M | 11 | 2022 |
| 9 | The Chicago Community Trust | Illinois | $2.3M | 12 | 2023 |
| 10 | Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation | Illinois | $2.2M | 3 | 2024 |
| 11 | William Howard Charitable Trust | Illinois | $1.2M | 23 | 2024 |
| 12 | New Trier Booster Club | Illinois | $1.0M | 7 | 2025 |
| 13 | Midway USA Foundation Inc | Missouri | $954K | 75 | 2024 |
| 14 | Chicago White Sox Charities Inc | Illinois | $920K | 4 | 2023 |
| 15 | Shear Family Foundation Inc | Pennsylvania | $915K | 6 | 2024 |
This list is ranked by size. Yours should be ranked by fit.
The funders above are the biggest sports & recreation funders in Illinois — not necessarily the right ones for you. Bespoke Grants ranks all 191 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 →Sports & Recreation 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 sports & recreation 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.