Virginia Lee Shirley Private Foundation
Private foundation · Chicago, IL · EIN 27-2545558 · reported 2023–2025
101grants reported
$10Kmedian award
$5,000lower quartile
$1,000smallest grant
$1.4Mtotal paid
9states reached
3years giving
This foundation funds faith-based organizations. 9 of its 101 reported grants went to churches, ministries or other religious organizations, $167K in total. That is what it paid, not what it says in a policy.
Gives every year. This foundation reported grants in 2023, 2024, 2025. A funder that shows up year after year is worth a letter even if this year is a no.
Where to write
333 W Wacker Dr Ste 1700
Chicago, IL 60606-1247
Address as registered with the IRS. Most foundations this size have no website and no application form, which is not a dead end: a short letter to this address is the whole process, and almost nobody sends one.
This address is a trust department, not an office. 59 other foundations file from the same address, which means a bank or a management company administers the trust. Put the full legal name of the fund and its EIN at the top of the letter, or it lands in a pile with thousands of others and nobody knows which fund you are writing about.
Who they funded
| Recipient and stated purpose | Where | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Can DO Canines | New Hope, MN | $55,000 |
| Can DO Canines | New Hope, MN | $55,000 |
| Can DO Canines | New Hope, MN | $55,000 |
| Ravinia | Highland Park, IL | $50,000 |
| South Suburban Humane Society | Matteson, IL | $30,000 |
| St Mary's School and Catholic Church | Dixon, IL | $30,000 |
| South Suburban Humane Society | Matteson, IL | $30,000 |
| St Mary's School and Catholic Church | Dixon, IL | $30,000 |
| Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation | Springfield, IL | $25,000 |
| Deaf Unity - United Advocates Against Violence | Richmond, CA | $25,000 |
| Duke Law School Annual Fund | Durham, NC | $25,000 |
| Lurie Children's Foundation | Chicago, IL | $25,000 |
| St Peter's Catholic Church | Clifton, IL | $25,000 |
| Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation | Springfield, IL | $25,000 |
| Colgate University | Hamilton, NY | $25,000 |
| Covenant House | Chicago, IL | $25,000 |
| Deaf Unity - United Advocates Against Violence | Richmond, CA | $25,000 |
| Duke Law School Annual Fund | Durham, NC | $25,000 |
| Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation | Springfield, IL | $25,000 |
| Covenant House | Chicago, IL | $25,000 |
| Deaf Unity - United Advocates Against Violence | Richmond, CA | $25,000 |
| Duke Law School Annual Fund | Durham, NC | $25,000 |
| Hadley Institute for the Blind | Winnetka, IL | $25,000 |
| The Nora Project | Montgomery, IL | $25,000 |
| Bishop McNamara Catholic School | Kankakee, IL | $20,000 |
| Salvation Army | Chicago, IL | $20,000 |
| Bishop McNamara Catholic School | Kankakee, IL | $20,000 |
| Salvation Army | Chicago, IL | $20,000 |
| St Mary's School | Dixon, IL | $20,000 |
| Bishop McNamara Catholic School | Kankakee, IL | $20,000 |
| Cystic Fibrosis Foundation | Manteno, IL | $20,000 |
| Salvation Army | Chicago, IL | $20,000 |
| Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind | Chicago, IL | $15,000 |
| Jewish United Fund of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $15,000 |
| Legal Aid Chicago (laf) | Chicago, IL | $15,000 |
| South Suburban Humane Society | Matteson, IL | $15,000 |
| Hadley Institute for the Blind | Winnetka, IL | $12,500 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters - Chicago | Chicago, IL | $10,000 |
| Civic Leadership Foundation | Northbrook, IL | $10,000 |
| Colgate University - Camp Colgate | Hamilton, NY | $10,000 |
| Cystic Fibrosis Foundation | Manteno, IL | $10,000 |
| Inspiration Stables | LA Motte, IA | $10,000 |
| Mentor Teacher Brother Inc | Chicago, IL | $10,000 |
| St Vincent de Paul Society | Sterling, IL | $10,000 |
| The H Foundation | Lagrange, IL | $10,000 |
| Youth Guidance | Chicago, IL | $10,000 |
| Civic Leadership Foundation | Northbrook, IL | $10,000 |
| Cystic Fibrosis Foundation | Manteno, IL | $10,000 |
| Goodman Theatre | Chicago, IL | $10,000 |
| Hadley Institute for the Blind | Winnetka, IL | $10,000 |
| Mentor Teacher Brother Inc | Chicago, IL | $10,000 |
| Ravinia - Reachteachplay | Highland Park, IL | $10,000 |
| Rush University Medical Center | Chicago, IL | $10,000 |
| The H Foundation | Lagrange, IL | $10,000 |
| Adirondack Mountain Club (adk) | Lake Placid, NY | $10,000 |
| Chicago History Museum | Chicago, IL | $10,000 |
| Civic Leadership Foundation | Northbrook, IL | $10,000 |
| Colgate University | Hamilton, NY | $10,000 |
| Goodman Theatre | Chicago, IL | $10,000 |
| Mentor Teacher Brother Inc | Chicago, IL | $10,000 |
Showing the 60 largest of 101 reported grants.
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