Julian Grace Foundation

The Julian Grace Foundation (JGF) is a family-founded, BIPOC-led private foundation launched in 2015 by Jessica Sarowitz in Highland Park, Illinois. Its core philosophy is "high-engagement grantmaking" — the foundation doesn't fund from a distance. Staff spend approximately 12 hours per applicant reviewing materials, conducting site visits, and building relationships over the grant year. JGF attends grantee events, connects partners to resources, and views each grantee relationship as a reciprocal learning partnership. This is not a foundation where a polished proposal wins the grant; authentic alignment with racial equity principles and organizational authenticity matter more.

Access is strictly controlled: all grants are by invitation only. The sole unsolicited pathway is the "Introduce Yourself" form on juliangrace.org, which accepts a 250-word description plus website link. Submission does not guarantee an invitation — selections flow primarily through recommendations from the Board of Directors and professional staff. Attending the same professional networks, convenings, and coalition spaces as JGF leadership is a legitimate long-game strategy for getting noticed.

JGF explicitly targets small and emerging organizations over established institutions. The grantee roster is dominated by grassroots BIPOC-led nonprofits, many with limited development staff. The foundation provides unrestricted general operating support (GOS) almost exclusively — all 230 recorded grants in the database carry the "GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT" designation. For small organizations that struggle to access flexible funding, JGF represents one of the most valuable funding relationships in the Midwest.

First-time applicants should understand the five-year engagement cap, which creates a natural relationship arc. Getting in the door requires patience and timing: submit the Introduce Yourself form in January–February for the Spring cycle (April application deadline) or June–July for the Fall cycle (September deadline). Once invited, applicants complete an application through the GrantInterface portal (grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=juliangrace), participate in a one-hour video conversation, and may receive a site visit before the board renders a decision within 2–3 months.

Analysis of JGF's 230 recorded grants totaling $16,964,318 reveals a median grant of $66,758 and an average of $89,944. The technical floor is $750, but meaningful grants begin much higher — the practical entry point for new grantees appears to be in the $50,000–$100,000 range, with multi-year relationships scaling toward $200,000–$500,000+ per cycle. The ceiling recorded in the database is $544,104. The top grantee, Mano A Mano Family Resource Center, received $950,000 across two grants — illustrating how sustained partnerships compound in value over the five-year engagement window.

Annual grants paid by fiscal year: - 2021: $10,343,553 (peak — total assets then $112.7M) - 2022: $8,482,159 - 2023: $7,383,639 - 2024: Assets $87.0M; grants_paid data not yet filed

The roughly 29% decline from the 2021 peak tracks directly with a $25M reduction in total assets from $112.7M to $87.0M, driven by investment market cycles between 2022 and 2024. JGF's giving rate historically runs 8–10% of assets in strong years.

Geographically, Illinois dominates with 184 of 230 recorded grants (80%), led by Chicago and Lake County organizations. California receives ~6% of grants (14 total). Virginia (6), DC (4), Georgia (4), and Texas (4) receive smaller shares. International grantees — particularly Latin American organizations — receive some of JGF's largest individual awards: Fundacion Asistencial Maria Rosa ($740,000 across 2 grants) and Sociedad Amigos De Los Ninos ($624,958 across 2 grants) both rank in the top three by cumulative amount.

By program area, Immigration & Human Rights grantees occupy five of the top ten slots (Mano A Mano, Fundacion Asistencial, Sociedad Amigos, Tahirih Justice Center, Beyond Legal Aid). Community health contributes meaningfully (Fenix Family Health Center, $278,000), as does community organizing and racial justice (Workers Center for Racial Justice, Illinois Black Advocacy Initiative, Chicago Freedom School). All grants are general operating support — JGF does not fund restricted programs.

The following table compares JGF to its nearest asset-tier peers identified in the foundation database. These peers share a similar endowment scale (~$87M) but diverge sharply in focus, geography, and access model.

JGF stands apart from these same-asset-tier peers in two important ways. First, its giving philosophy is unusually specific and public: JGF commits more than 90% of annual funding toward BIPOC communities and 75%+ of grant dollars to BIPOC-led organizations — a measurable standard that most family foundations at this asset level do not publicly articulate. Second, JGF's 100% general operating support model contrasts with peers that more commonly fund restricted programs or geographic endowments. Mary Black Foundation is the most comparable in its community-health focus and LOI-based access, but it serves a single South Carolina metro area. For Midwestern nonprofits serving immigrant and BIPOC communities, JGF's combination of flexible funding and high-engagement partnership makes it a top-tier relationship target despite its invitation-only gate.

JGF was actively grantmaking through its Fall 2025 cycle, confirmed when WAVES publicly thanked the foundation for a grant award on November 18, 2025 — indicating the Fall cycle ran on schedule with funds likely released in December 2025.

In early 2025, the foundation published three substantive blog posts signaling strategic direction. In January, founder Jessica Sarowitz wrote about building a "foundation for generational impact," reflecting stable long-term portfolio planning rather than pivots. That same month, program officer Carrie Madden detailed JGF's health grantmaking philosophy, specifically naming Rosalind Franklin University's mobile clinic and Fenix Family Health Center as model grantees addressing social determinants of health — food insecurity, housing instability, and lack of primary care — in underserved Lake County communities. In February 2025, staff writer Scott McLellan's personal essay on BIPOC identity reinforced that JGF's racial equity commitment is embedded in institutional culture, not just policy language.

In September 2024, JGF's annual board retreat brought staff and directors to the Arizona/Mexico border for an immersive exploration of migration, safety, and dignity. This signals continued — and possibly deepening — attention to international immigration corridors, potentially expanding JGF's already-significant Latin American grantee portfolio in 2025 and 2026.

Leadership is stable: Executive Director Alison Upton Lopez has led operations continuously across the past four recorded fiscal years (compensation: $170,325 in most recent year). No major leadership transitions or organizational restructuring were identified. The database record was last verified March 20, 2026, confirming active status.

The most important insight for first-time JGF applicants: the "Introduce Yourself" form is a one-shot first impression, not a routine intake form. In 250 words, lead with BIPOC leadership or the BIPOC communities you serve — do not bury this. Follow with your mission in plain language, your organizational scale (the smaller the better for JGF), and one concrete example of systemic change, not just services delivered. Include your website link. Do not exceed 250 words.

Timing is critical. Submit your introduction in January–February if targeting the Spring cycle (application deadline early April; funds released July) or June–July for the Fall cycle (application deadline early September; funds released December). Avoid submitting during active review periods — April through June and September through December — when program officer bandwidth is consumed by current-cycle applicants.

Avoid these three common misalignments: (1) Large budgets signal misfit — JGF explicitly targets "smaller upstart organizations," so if your annual budget exceeds $3–5M, acknowledge your lean stage clearly; (2) Project-specific proposals are the wrong frame — JGF funds general operations exclusively, so articulate organizational need, not program need; (3) Education is currently closed to new organizations — do not lead with educational programming as a primary focus area.

When invited for the one-hour video call with a program officer, prepare to speak to your theory of change, how your community holds your organization accountable, and how equity is embedded in your internal practices (hiring, governance, compensation). JGF program officers take notes on these calls and use them in board presentations.

For Illinois-based organizations, anticipate a 1–2 hour site visit from JGF staff — approximately 65% of IL grantees receive in-person visits. Have senior leadership available, bring current financials, and demonstrate relational warmth. Frame proposal language around: systemic change, BIPOC-led, unrestricted operating support, community organizing, racial justice. Avoid charity/recipient framing or institutional language that implies large bureaucratic overhead.