Ft Cares Foundation
Wheaton, IL · EIN 45-4006107. Reported 213 grants totalling $3,268,481 to 85 organizations across tax years 2021-2025, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Ft Cares Foundation, by its IRS classification it raises and distributes funds for human services (NTEE P122).
- How spread out its giving is. 85 distinct organizations, with 6% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 67% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 4 year-to-year transitions. That is about the 56% median for grantmaking charities -- lower than the 67% median for private foundations. It describes the organizations it already funds, not whether it would consider a new one.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $10,500. Half of what it reported fell between $7,500 and $17,984; the smallest was $5,010 and the largest $77,702. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
56 of those grants were non-cash -- goods, property or services worth $464,800 in total. In-kind giving is real support but it is not a cheque.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CASA Kane Co | Geneva, IL | $196,187 | 8 | 5 | 2025 |
| Ronald Mcdonald House Charities of Central Texas Inc | Austin, TX | $169,021 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| By the Hand Club for Kids | Chicago, IL | $147,951 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Milton Township Food Pantry Inc | Wheaton, IL | $141,054 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Tricity Family Services | Geneva, IL | $123,511 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Cals All Star Angel Foundation Inc | St Charles, IL | $123,257 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Peoples Resource Center | Wheaton, IL | $122,506 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Special Spaces Inc | Knoxville, TN | $121,218 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Opportunity International Inc | Chicago, IL | $108,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Wayne Township Pantry and Senior Services Nfp | West Chicago, IL | $98,785 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Outreach House | Lombard, IL | $92,546 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Northern Illinois Food Bank | Geneva, IL | $87,285 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| B U I L D Incorporated | Chicago, IL | $86,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Vincare Services of Austin Foundation | Austin, TX | $79,699 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Mobile Loaves & Fishes Inc | Austin, TX | $78,554 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Donorschoose Org | New York, NY | $76,361 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Dupage P a D S Inc | Wheaton, IL | $70,504 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Dupage Convalescent Center Foundation | Wheaton, IL | $63,336 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Bartlett Learning Center Inc | Wheaton, IL | $55,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| My Half | Wheaton, IL | $54,187 | 4 | 2 | 2025 |
| Charity Global Inc | Franklin, TN | $52,614 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Outreach Community Ministries Inc | Carol Stream, IL | $46,433 | 5 | 4 | 2025 |
| Western Dupage Special Recreation Association Foundation | Carol Stream, IL | $46,043 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Court Appointed Special Advocates of Travis County | Austin, TX | $45,458 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Ray Graham Association for People With Disabilities | Lisle, IL | $44,218 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Voices of September 11 Inc | New Canaan, CT | $40,206 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| College of Dupage Foundation | Glen Ellyn, IL | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Central Texas Food Bank Inc | Austin, TX | $37,500 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Naomis Heart Mission Association Inc | Springfield, OH | $37,150 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Team Rubicon | Los Angeles, CA | $35,754 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Normal Moments Inc | Naperville, IL | $34,668 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Montgomery Foundation | Montgomery, IL | $32,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Homes for Our Troops Inc | Taunton, MA | $31,122 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Marklund Childrens Home | Geneva, IL | $29,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Random Acts | St Charles, IL | $24,246 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Lakeview Polar Bear Club Nfp | Chicago, IL | $23,549 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Tfk Chicago Voyagers | Schaumburg, IL | $22,530 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Neighborhood Food Pantries | West Chicago, IL | $22,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Rush Copley Foundation | Aurora, IL | $20,800 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| CASA - Kendall County | Yorkville, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Fox Valley United Way | Aurora, IL | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Austin Groups for the Elderly | Austin, TX | $18,700 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| World Relief Corporation O National | Baltimore, MD | $18,642 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| World Central Kitchen Incorporated | Washington, DC | $18,027 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| The Gardenworks Project | Wheaton, IL | $18,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Save the Children Federation Inc | Fairfield, CT | $17,699 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Bridge Communities Inc | Glen Ellyn, IL | $17,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Dan Gibbons Turkey Trot Foundation | Wheaton, IL | $17,150 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Americares Foundation Inc | Stamford, CT | $17,002 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Almost Home Kids | Naperville, IL | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Doodlebug Workshop Vocational Training Center Inc | Wheaton, IL | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Food for Greater Elgin Inc | Elgin, IL | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| United Service Organizations Inc | Arlington, VA | $12,832 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Mcdermott Center | Chicago, IL | $12,754 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Feeding America | Chicago, IL | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country Inc | Kerrville, TX | $12,024 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Operation Support Our Troops - America Inc | Naperville, IL | $10,412 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Team Western Kentucky Relief Fund | Frankfort, KY | $10,340 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Neads Inc | Princeton, MA | $10,300 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Ann & Robert H Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago Foundation | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Christians Against Poverty America | Wheaton, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| International Rett Syndrome Foundation | West Chester, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Loaves & Fishes Community Services | Naperville, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Off the Street Club | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| One Million Wells | Memphis, TN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Pat Tillman Foundation | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| USO of Illinois | Chicago, IL | $9,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lazarus House | St Charles, IL | $8,943 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans Inc | Wheaton, IL | $8,543 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Center for Disaster Philanthropy Inc | Washington, DC | $8,064 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Regional Reclaim Ministries Inc | Molalla, OR | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Texas Advocacy Project Inc | Austin, TX | $7,816 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Partnerships for Children | Austin, TX | $7,805 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| NAMI of Dupage County Illinois | Wheaton, IL | $7,731 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Fox Valley Hands of Hope | Geneva, IL | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee Inc | Nashville, TN | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Inside Out Club | Naperville, IL | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Safe Alliance | Austin, TX | $5,753 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Austin Dog Alliance | Cedar Park, TX | $5,300 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere Inc | Atlanta, GA | $5,250 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the United States Inc | Winston Salem, NC | $5,228 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| National Disaster Search Dog Foundation Inc | Santa Paula, CA | $5,150 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Maui Food Bank Inc | Wailuku, HI | $5,133 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Direct Relief | Santa Barbara, CA | $5,120 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Concerns of Police Survivors | Camdenton, MO | $5,010 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
51 of 85 (60%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 73 of 85 recipients we could match to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's, not ours -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 31 | $532,891 | $12,851 |
| 2022 | 45 | $599,810 | $8,965 |
| 2023 | 46 | $608,529 | $10,000 |
| 2024 | 43 | $735,849 | $15,000 |
| 2025 | 48 | $791,402 | $12,250 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
68% of its giving went to organizations in Illinois. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $10,500 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in Illinois.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Ft Cares Foundation's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Recipient classifications, the concentration and retention figures and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations from them, described in how we build this.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 48 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 0 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 120 East Liberty Drive Rm/Ste 400, Wheaton, IL, 60187.
EIN 45-4006107 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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