Paul M. Angell Family Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation supports conservation, performing arts and social causes, prioritizing the greater Chicago area. Its social justice and arts grantmaking prioritize early childhood education, economic opportunity, classical music, and performing arts in the Chicago area, while its environmental grants center around oceans and marine wildlife.
IP TAKE: This is an approachable funder that typically makes a large number of modest grants to a wide range of organizations in its focus areas. Aside from its global conservation giving, this funder prefers supporting small, local organizations in the Chicago area and Midwest. If your organization is based elsewhere or doesn’t benefit the foundation’s geographic priority areas, then look elsewhere for funding.
Grant application begins with a brief eligibility quiz, after which applicants may submit LOIs. The foundation runs two grantmaking cycles per year, with LOIs due in November for spring and June for fall. Selected applicants will be notified and invited to submit full proposals.
PROFILE: Established in 2011, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation honors the memory of its namesake, Paul Angell, the founder of the Newly Weds Foods company and an early manufacturer of the ice cream cake roll. Based in Chicago, Illinois, the foundation seeks to “advance society through the performing arts, conservation of the world’s oceans and alleviation of poverty.” Angell supports programs in conservation, the performing arts, and social causes.
Grants for Marine and Freshwater Conservation
The Angell Family Foundation's environmental program area centers around marine conservation, supporting efforts to protect the world's oceans and iconic marine species. The foundation provides general operating grants, grants supporting specific programs and education grants towards marine work that supports the creation of Marine Protected Areas, promotes sustainable fisheries, addresses illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, advocates for shark and ray conservation, limits plastics pollution, and preserves coral species and ecosystems. Past Angell marine conservation grantees include the Coral Reef Foundation, Oceana's Campaign to Stop Seafood Fraud, and Environmental Law & Policy Center's Initiative to Protect Waterways from Toxic Coal Ash.
Grants for Education
Angell’s social causes program area supports "efforts to address the root causes of poverty and inequality” by supporting programs that “alter the life trajectories of socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals and families toward a path to self sufficiency.” The foundation is particularly interested in increasing literacy, and it prioritizes evidence-based programs that target low-income, disadvantaged, minority youth. It supports programs at all levels of education, including early childhood, secondary, and post-secondary.
Grants for Early Childhood Education: In the field of education, The Angell Family Foundation is interested in early intervention programs for low-income, disadvantaged, minority youth. It prioritizes programs addressing “infant mental health & attachment” and “cognitive and non-cognitive development.” Grantees include the Reading in Motion intervention program, Chicago Commons Association, and the Children's Place Association, which provides center-based and at-home educational services to Chicago's most vulnerable children.
Grants for K-12 Education: The Angell Family Foundation is interested in K-12 early intervention programs for low-income, disadvantaged, minority youth. It prioritizes programs addressing academic skills, attendance, social skills, behavioral health, and trauma. Grantees include America SCORES Chicago, Bright Promises Foundation, and the Chicago Chess Foundation.
Grants for Higher Education: The Angell Family Foundation’s higher education interests include early intervention programs for low-income, disadvantaged, minority youth. It prioritizes “college access, persistence, and graduation” for 2- and 4-year institutions, as well as “exploration of career interests/pathways.” Grantees include BUILD Metro DC, Denver Scholarship Foundation, and Adler University.
Grants for Work and Opportunity
The Angell Family Foundation supports economic opportunity efforts through its social causes program area, which supports "efforts to address the root causes of poverty and inequality” by supporting programs that “alter the life trajectories of socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals and families toward a path to self sufficiency.” In the field of work and opportunity, the foundation prioritizes “quality workforce training,” including vocational training and credentialing, as well as education for financial literacy and stability. Grantees include the Center for Economic Progress, Center for Work Education and Employment, and Centro Humanitario Para Los Trabajadores.
Grants for Arts and Culture
Angell's performing arts program area supports theater and performing arts organizations, particularly classical music and theater companies. It also awards grants to theater performers, presenters, and educators. The foundation is currently focusing on arts organizations in the Chicago area, Cleveland, Detroit, and the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Grants for Theater: In the past, Angell funded the Annapolis Shakespeare Company, About Face Theater’s mainstage season, and the Albany Park Theater Project’s Youth Development through Theater project.
Grants for Music: Past grantees include Akropolis Quintet in Detroit, Michigan, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, and Bella Voce.
Important Grant Details:
Paul M. Angell Family foundation grants range between $15,000 and $300,000, with an average grant amount of about $60,000. Its grantees range from large, national organizations to small, community-based efforts. While this foundation prioritizes the greater Chicago area, organizations operating elsewhere in the U.S. have received funding for general operations, specific projects and educational programs. A database of past grants is available on the foundation's website.
This funder accepts letters of inquiry through its online application portal for its spring and fall funding cycles. Guidelines are posted on the foundation's web site. The foundation may be contacted via its contact page, which also provides email addresses for its individual grantmaking programs.
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