Sidley Austin Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Sidley Austin Foundation broadly supports the empowerment of women, girls and disadvantaged youth. It also supports universities and law schools through its foundation and corporate responsibility program and funds disease-related organizations and anti-crime and anti-violence organizations across the United States.
IP TAKE: The Sidley Austin Foundation does not offer much information about its grantmaking goals and priorities. Nor does it accept applications or offer a direct avenue for getting in touch. A connection to an employee or Sidley Austin attorney is probably the best way to gain this funder’s attention.
PROFILE: Established in 2005, the Sidley Austin Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the multinational law firm Sidley Austin. Overall, the foundation is “dedicated to building stronger communities through local partnerships that make a difference in the lives of people around the world.” Sidley Austin does not have specific grantmaking programs; it focuses its grantmaking and corporate giving on empowering women and families, honoring veterans and helping disadvantaged youth.
Grants for Women and Girls
Sidley Austin names “uplifting women and families” as one of its main grantmaking priorities. It has supported organizations that promote and defend women’s rights and expand education and professional opportunity for girls and women. Grantees include Legal Momentum: Advancing Women’s Rights, Her Justice and Family Focus.
Grants for Food Systems
Sidley Austin broadly supports human services and basic needs in the communities where its employees live and work. It is a major supporter of United Way, as well as NY Common Pantry, GratiFoodNYC and Metropolitan Family Services of Chicago.
Grants for Diseases
Although supporting disease-related organizations is not a specific area of interest for the foundation, tax filings indicate a strong funding interest in this space. Disease organizations that have received support from Sidley Austin in the past include the American Cancer Society and the American Brain Tumor Association.
Grants for K-12 Education
One of the stated priorities of Sidley Austin’s grantmaking is to “advance the development of disadvantaged youth.” It supports both individual area schools and education-related nonprofits. Sidley Austin has a long-standing partnership with Kanoon Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois, to fund facilities improvements and educational programs. Other grantees include Youth Renewal Fund, Cortiva Education, and Legal Prep Charter Academies.
Grants for Higher Education
Although supporting higher education institutions and organizations is not a specific area of interest for the foundation, tax filings indicate support for large public and private universities. This funder generally awards unrestricted gifts for operating expenses rather than project-specific grants. Past grantees include the University of California Berkeley, the University of Chicago, the University of Texas and Harvard University.
Grants for Violence Prevention
Although supporting organizations that address violence prevention is not a stated area of interest for the foundation, tax filings indicate a strong funding interest in this space. Past Sidley Austin grantees include Muslim Advocates, a national organization countering anti-Muslim hate, bigotry and hate crimes; and the Network for Victim Recovery in the District of Columbia, an organization helping empowering victims of all crimes.
Important Grant Details:
Sidley Austin’s grants range from $5,000 to about $260,000, bu the majority of grant awards stay under the $25,000 mark.
Grantmaking targets cities where the firm has law offices, such as Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.
The foundation typically awards unrestricted grants to support general operating costs rather than project specific grants.
The Sidley Austin Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding.
For information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.
The Sidley Austin Foundation can be reached via telephone at (312) 853-7854.
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CONTACT:
Sidley Austin Foundation
c/o Timothy F. Bergen
1 South Dearborn
Chicago, Illinois 60603
