Reva and David Logan Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Reva and David Logan Foundation supports investigative journalism, social justice and the arts, with a strong emphasis on the greater Chicago area.
IP TAKE: The Reva and David Logan Foundation seeks to support organizations that “challenge the status quo” in its areas of interest, so grantseekers will want to tailor their proposals accordingly. This funder does not limit its grantmaking geographically, but a sizable portion of its grants stays in Chicago.
Logan is an accessible funder that accepts and reviews letters of inquiry throughout the year. It’s also approachable, so don’t hesitate to contact them if you have further questions.
PROFILE: Reva and David Logan established their Chicago-based foundation in 1965. David Logan, an attorney and investment banker, was a partner at Mercury Investments, and Reva Logan was a teacher. They died in the 2010s, but were known as generous supporters of the arts, particularly jazz, and investigative journalism. Today, their foundation, steered by their son Richard, aims to “support powerful, innovative ideas and approaches that challenge the status quo.” Its current grantmaking areas include social justice, journalism and the arts. Grantmaking is global in scope, but Chicago is the foundation’s strongest geographic priority.
Grants for Journalism
The foundation’s journalism program aims to support investigative work that “exposes acts of tyranny and malfeasance and stands as a bulwark for freedom, justice and democracy.” One recent grant supported the work of WHISPeR, a D.C.-based organization that supports whistleblowers and journalists’ sources in the areas of national security and human rights reporting. Another grant supported France’s Disclose, an organization that conducts in-depth investigations of topics of public interest with the goal of inspiring activism. Other journalism grantees include the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, the U.K.’s Centre for Investigative Journalism, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The Logan Foundation’s arts funding mainly supports organizations in Chicago, but a few organizations in other parts of the U.S. have received grants. In a recent year, the foundation supported the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, which is held in Durham, North Carolina, and Washington D.C.’s Mosaic Theater Company. Theater appears to be an area of strong interest in Chicago, with recent grants going to About Face Theater, the Interrobang Theater Project and Pegasus Theater Chicago. The foundation also maintains a strong tradition of supporting jazz music, including the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival. Other recent arts grantees include Joel Hall Dancers, the International Latino Cultural Center, Young Chicago Authors and SkyArt, which offers free visual arts programs to children and youth in Chicago.
Grants for Education and Racial Justice
Education is one of several focus areas of the foundation’s social justice funding program, which aims to ensure that the “benefits and responsibilities accrued from membership in society are fairly distributed.” The foundation recently made a $1 million multi-year commitment to support Oakland’s Roses in Concrete Community School, a K-8 school that educates children to live with “self-discipline, integrity, love and hope in the pursuit of justice and equity for all communities.” In the U.K., the foundation has given to the Abingdon DAMASCUS Youth Project, which helps disadvantaged youth “re-engage” with education and vocational training. Other education grantees include Chicago HOPES for Kids, which provides academic support and resources to children living in homeless shelters, and Options for Youth, a Chicago organization that helps vulnerable adolescents maximize their potential.
Grants for Housing and Community Development
Homelessness is another focus of Logan’s social justice funding. In recent years, these grants have prioritized Chicago organizations. Chicago’s North Side Housing and Supportive Services has received funding for its Michael Segoviano Emergency Shelter. Another grantee, Sarah’s Circle, provides services and art therapy to homeless women. Other grantees that provide shelter and services to homeless people include the Boulevard of Chicago, Franciscan Outreach and Lincoln Park Community Services. In the U.K., the foundation has provided multi-year support to NEO Philanthropy’s Transition by Design project, which conducts research on homelessness and housing opportunity.
Grants for Criminal Justice Reform
Criminal justice reform appears to be an area of increasing interest to the Logan Foundation. Stemming from its social justice grantmaking program, many grants have supported education and counseling programs for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. Chicago’s Con Textos, received a three-year grant to support its Authors Circle program at the Cook County Jail. Another recent grantee, Project Return, used funding to run its Independent Living and Circles of Support programs, which help recently incarcerated people re-adjust to life in their communities. Other grantees include the Illinois Prison Project, St. Leonard’s Ministries of Chicago and the San Quentin News, a newspaper produced by prisoners at the San Quentin Prison in Richmond, California.
Grants for Women and Girls
The Logan Foundation conducts grantmaking for women and girls through its social justice and arts funding programs in recent years. Grantees include Assata’s Daughters, an organization of Black women that provides political education and leadership training to Chicago’s youth, and the U.K.’s Young Women’s Music Project, which uses music instruction as a means of increasing self-esteem and personal development.
Important Grant Details:
The Reva and David Logan Foundation makes between $15 and $25 million a year in grants. Grants range anywhere from a few thousand to $1 million, with an average grant size of about $50,000. Many of this funder’s grantees are small, community-led operations, but it has given to large national and international nonprofits as well. A significant portion of its funding stays in the Chicago area. Internationally, it supports U.K. organizations affiliated with NEO Philanthropy. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s recent grantee pages for its journalism, social justice and arts programs.
The Logan Foundation accepts letters of inquiry via its grantee portal. Prospective grantees are advised to check the foundation’s website frequently for updates.
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