Big Shoulders Fund
We provide support to underserved schools which provide a quality, values-based education for Chicago's children. In 2020, Big Shoulders Fund's programming was extended to the Northwest Indiana region.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF
Total Assets
$150.1M
+10.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$15.1M
-11.0% YoY
Grant Count
78
+6.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$194K
-16.7% YoY
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $150,134,830 | $135,423,582 | $125,993,936 |
| Revenue | $84,776,624 | $65,677,021 | $62,883,883 |
| Expenses | $75,889,009 | $58,940,127 | $52,614,506 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $11,128,285 | $8,080,344 | $-9,239,954 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
350 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Who else does Big Shoulders Fund fund?
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Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| James J OConnor | Co-Chairman (deceased 7/31/2023) | — | — |
| John Croghan | Vice Chairman | 1 | — |
| Kenneth J Velo | Co-Chairman | 25 | — |
| Kent Dauten | Co-Chairman | 15 | — |
| Arthur R Velasquez | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Charles K Bobrinskoy | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Cherryl Thomas | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Christine E Kelly | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Christopher Valenti | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Daniel Doherty | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| David Dury | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Dennis Fitzsimons | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Elizabeth Cole | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Gerald Beeson | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Giancarlo Turano | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Gregory Q Brown | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| James A Gordon | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| James Compton | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| James Hoeg | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| John A Canning Jr | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| John Schreiber | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Kimberly Querrey | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Larry Richman | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Lee Henderson | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Leigh-Anne Kazma | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Mary Dempsey | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Michael E Murphy | Board of Trustees (deceased October 22, 2023) | — | — |
| Stephen King | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Tao Huang | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Thomas E Lanctot | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Thomas Reynolds III | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Timothy Sullivan | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| William Devers | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| William T Lynch | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Joshua Hale | President and Chief Executive Officer | 50 | $559,793 |
| Malcolm Douglas | Chief Financial Officer | 50 | $255,478 |
| Amelia Drozda | Chief Advancement & Development Officer | 50 | $194,671 |
| Rebecca Lindsay-Ryan | Chief Schools Officer | 50 | $279,482 |
| Daniel Bennett | Senior Director, Scholarships | 50 | $140,849 |
| Daniel Kozlowski | Managing Director, NWI | 50 | $153,412 |
| Danielle Robinson | Managing Director, School Operations and Patrons Program | 50 | $157,330 |
| Laura Nalley | Senior Director, People and Leadership | 50 | $153,090 |
| Thomas Zbierski | Director Emeritus, Scholarship Program & School Relations | 50 | $216,185 |
Geographic Focus
Where this funder has awarded grants
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Data last updated March 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.
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