The John And Kathleen Schreiber Foundation

Schreiber Philanthropy operates as an invitation-only family foundation undergoing deliberate institutional maturation. Founded in 2005 by John and Kathleen Schreiber in Lake Forest, Illinois, the foundation spent nearly two decades as a family-led operation before hiring its first non-family CEO, Whitney Smith, in 2023 — a watershed moment that signals more structured evaluation processes ahead.

The founders' giving philosophy derives from Kathleen's uncle, Monsignor John "Jack" Egan, who challenged the family: "What are you doing for justice?" This Catholic social justice ethos pervades the actual grantee portfolio. Loyola University Chicago ($3.65M across 7 grants), Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep ($1.16M across 5 grants), Misericordia Home ($1.08M across 3 grants), and the Catholic Bishop of Chicago ($1.03M) are among the top recipients. Organizations with Catholic, Jesuit, or faith-rooted identities have natural value alignment; those without should frame their work in the language of human dignity and economic mobility.

John Schreiber has stated publicly that management strength and financial discipline are evaluated alongside mission alignment: "Finding organizations, evaluating them, and finding ones that have strengths in both management and finances is key to sustaining the efforts." First-time grantees must be prepared to demonstrate both programmatic impact and organizational health with equal rigor.

The foundation's trajectory shifted dramatically in 2020. Responding to COVID-19's exposure of systemic inequities, the Schreibers committed to a spend-down strategy rather than perpetual endowment maintenance — deciding to invest their wealth during their lifetimes. This explains the dramatic giving increase from $6.8M (2019) to $15M (2023), and the asset surge to $185M in 2024 as new personal contributions flowed in.

Since the foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals, the viable pathway requires relationship-building: through current grantees in Lake County and Chicago, through peer funders active in the same communities, or through direct introduction to Whitney Smith or the program team. Organizations must serve historically marginalized populations — immigrants, asylum-seekers, first-generation college students, and economically underinvested communities are the explicit priority populations — located primarily in Lake County or Chicago's South and West Sides.

Schreiber Philanthropy has been on a steep and sustained upward grantmaking trajectory for over a decade. Annual giving grew from $1.76M (2012) to $2.6M (2015), $6.8M (2019), $7.8M (2020), $11.0M (2021), $12.9M (2022), and $15.0M (2023). Total foundation assets surged from $18M in 2012 to $185.2M in 2024 — a nearly 10x increase over 12 years, driven by substantial personal contributions alongside strong investment performance (Blackstone Inc. holdings alone represent $138.5M of the current portfolio).

In the most recently reported full cycle (2024), the foundation made 88 grants totaling approximately $12.7M, averaging roughly $144,000 per grant. IRS 990 data across available filings shows a median grant around $10,000 and a portfolio average of ~$79,000, reflecting a significant spread: many smaller programmatic grants of $10,000-$50,000 coexist with large flagship investments of $500,000 and above. The practical range for active recurring grantee relationships runs from $25,000 (smaller capacity-building grants to organizations like Mano A Mano Family Resource Center and Roberti Community House) to $500,000+ (multi-year commitments to anchors like Erie Family Health, Josselyn Center, and Northern Illinois Food Bank).

Geographic concentration is extremely tight: 88% of all tracked grants (315 of 356) flow to Illinois organizations, with the balance split across New York, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Colorado, and Washington DC. Within Illinois, the focus is Lake County (Waukegan, North Chicago, Lake Forest corridor) and Chicago (South and West Sides).

By program area, the portfolio distributes roughly as follows based on top-50 grantee analysis: - Education (Early Childhood through Postsecondary): ~38% — Loyola University ($3.65M), Big Shoulders Fund ($2.2M), Cristo Rey St. Martin ($1.16M), multiple charter networks and scholarship programs - Health (physical, mental, behavioral): ~22% — Erie Family Health ($1.72M), Josselyn Center ($1.75M), Lawndale Christian Health Center ($500K), Northwestern Memorial Foundation ($510K) - Basic Needs and Housing: ~18% — Northern Illinois Food Bank ($2.08M), PADS Lake County, Mercy Housing Lakefront, Greater Chicago Food Depository - Immigrant Justice and Legal Services: ~14% — National Immigrant Justice Center ($500K), CASA Lake County, Ascend Justice, North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic - Lake County Community Infrastructure: ~8% — Boys & Girls Club of Lake County, Waukegan Public Library Foundation, Lake County Community Foundation

Multi-year commitments are favored for anchor partnerships: the Camp Blue Skies endowment was structured as a five-year grant, and Erie Family Health and LEARN each appear across five documented grants in the tracking period.

Schreiber Philanthropy sits within a cohort of private foundations in the $185-186M asset range, all classified as Philanthropy & Grantmaking organizations. The following comparison uses IRS 990 and public database filings; annual giving estimates for peer foundations reflect available public data:

Note: Annual giving estimates for peer foundations are based on available 990 data and public profiles; exact figures vary by year and may lag by 12-18 months.

Schreiber Philanthropy distinguishes itself from asset-equivalent peers in three meaningful ways. First, its spend-down commitment means annual giving is expected to increase substantially — peers at similar asset levels typically distribute 4-6% annually, while Schreiber distributed over 12% of assets in 2023. Second, its geographic focus is unusually concentrated (88% to Illinois), making it a dominant philanthropic actor in Lake County specifically rather than a diffuse multi-state or national funder. Third, the transition to a professional CEO in 2023 signals an institutionalization trajectory that most family foundations at this stage do not undertake — suggesting greater structural capacity for strategic grantmaking ahead. For Illinois nonprofits serving Lake County or Chicago's South and West Sides, no direct peer foundation combines this regional focus, this scale, and this growth trajectory.

The most consequential recent development is the appointment of Whitney Smith as the foundation's first non-family CEO in 2023. This followed nearly two decades in which Heather Sannes (daughter of John and Kathleen) served as the founding Director, earning $225,725 in compensation in FY2021 and $202,880 in FY2020 before transitioning to an uncompensated board role. Sannes remains a Director, but day-to-day professional leadership has shifted to Smith, and this transition has been accompanied by the formal rebranding to Schreiber Philanthropy in 2024.

The foundation celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2025 and filed its most recent primary tax return on November 13, 2025.

Financially, FY2024 was a breakout year: total assets grew from $116.9M to $185.2M, a $68.3M increase driven by new personal contributions ($17.4M in contributions received in FY2023 alone) combined with strong investment performance. As of Q2 2025, the foundation held equity positions totaling approximately $142M, with $138.5M concentrated in Blackstone Inc. That Blackstone stake decreased modestly by 3% during Q3 2025 (25,370 shares sold), leaving 810,823 shares still held as of March 2026.

The foundation's two largest publicly known commitments are a $100 million gift to Loyola University Chicago (the largest in that institution's history) and a $25 million gift establishing the Schreiber Family Center for Early Childhood Health and Wellness at Lurie Children's Hospital. No new major program announcements or leadership changes have been publicly identified for early 2025 or 2026 beyond the continued professionalization trajectory established in 2023.

The most essential strategic reality: Schreiber Philanthropy accepts no unsolicited applications. Every funded organization in its portfolio arrived through relationship and invitation. Working with this reality requires a long-horizon approach.

Map your network to their portfolio before making contact. If your organization already partners with, receives referrals from, or shares programming space with Erie Family Health Center, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Lake County Community Foundation, Big Shoulders Fund, or the Josselyn Center, you have potential introduction pathways. Peer funders — Chicago Community Trust, Crown Family Philanthropies, Robert R. McCormick Foundation — that operate in the same geographic and programmatic space can also open doors through their own program officers.

Lead with organizational quality, not just need. John Schreiber has explicitly stated that management strength and financial health are primary evaluation criteria: "Finding organizations that have strengths in both management and finances is key." When making first contact via the foundation's website form or phone (224-552-5201), foreground your operational metrics — leadership tenure, clean audit history, operating reserves in months, revenue diversification, and program-to-overhead ratio.

Use the foundation's precise mission language. Their stated purpose is "inspiring hope by supporting the well-being and economic mobility of all people," with emphasis on "historically marginalized populations," "first-generation" students, immigrants, and asylum-seekers. The language of "systemic change" and addressing "adjacent problems" resonates with their theory of change. Avoid framing your work as charity delivery without an equity and systems lens.

Time outreach to quarterly cycles. Grant cycles run on 4-month timelines from application open to decision. Plan initial relationship-building 5-6 months before any target funding date and confirm cycle timing directly with program staff.

Never pitch lobbying activities. The foundation explicitly notes it cannot fund direct lobbying under private foundation tax rules. Frame any advocacy work as public education and systems-change work within a general operating support request — do not itemize it separately.

Plan for a multi-year arc. The pattern across top grantees shows modest initial grants (typically $25,000-$75,000) escalating over multiple years to six-figure and then multi-year commitments. Camp Blue Skies received a 5-year endowment grant; Erie Family Health and LEARN each received 5 grants in the tracked period. First-time applicants should approach this as a 3-5 year relationship investment, not a single-cycle transaction.