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Non-profit

Richard H. Driehaus Foundation

Website:

driehausfoundation.org/
Location:

Chicago, IL
Tax ID:

36-3261347
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2023):

Revenue: $8,835,016
Expenses: $19,897,268
Assets: $363,758,900
Type:

Grantmaking foundation
Formation:

1983
Executive Director:

Anne Lazar

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The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation is a grantmaking institution that provides grants to Chicago-based organizations committed to preserving historic spaces. 1 The foundation also supports left-leaning nonprofits such as City Bureau and has been a longtime partner of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. 2

Background

The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation was founded in 1983 by businessman and investor Richard H. Driehaus, one year after he established Driehaus Capital Management. 3

The Foundation is committed to the preservation of historic buildings, 1 providing support to local media, 4 and art-based programs in Chicago. 5

Between 2003 and 2008, Richard H. Driehaus acquired and restored the Nickerson Mansion, which later became the Richard H. Driehaus Museum. 6

Leadership

Anne Lazar assumed the role of executive director in July 2019. Lazar managed operations at Driehaus Securities Corporation between 1987 and 1992. She sits on the national board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s advisory committee and on the board of trustees of the Richard H. Driehaus Museum. 7

Brad White is the senior program director at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Before joining the nonprofit, White spent almost a decade working as the associate director of the Alpha Wood Foundation. Appointed by former President Barack Obama, he served as a general-public member of the advisory council on historic preservation from 2011 to 2020. 8

JC Aevaliotis is a senior program director at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Aevaliotis has over nine years of experience working as a senior program officer at Polk Brothers Foundation. 9

Anita Alexander holds the position of senior program officer at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Prior to working at the foundation, Alexander was a program officer at the Chicago Community Trust for four years. 10

Noemi Garcia assumed the position of senior program officer in June 2024 after working as a program manager at the Pritzker Traubert Foundation. 11

Maurice Cox joined the board of the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation in 2024. Cox previously worked as the design director at the National Endowment for the Arts under former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. 12

Other board members include two of Richard H. Driehaus’ sisters: Dorothy Driehaus Mellin, vice president, and Elizabeth Driehaus, treasurer. 13

Partnerships

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation created a “MacArthur-Driehaus” partnership that enabled the MacArthur Foundation to provide 20 years of funding to the Foundation for operating support to arts and culture organizations in Chicago. 2

The Foundation also partnered with the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation to provide $504,480 in grant funding to offset proposed federal cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency that supports art programs nationwide. 14

Funding

In July 2015, the Driehaus Foundation awarded over $3 million in operating and program support grants to 30 left-leaning nonprofits. Recipients of the grants included City Bureau, Chalkbeat in New York, and the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance in Chicago. 15

Between 1999 and 2017, the “MacArthur-Driehaus” partnership provided over $33 million to the Driehaus Foundation. 16

In November 2005, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Prince Charitable Trusts and the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, awarded nearly $3 million to 87 local arts and cultural organizations. In April 2018, the three nonprofits also provided $24.3 million to continue its support for Chicago art organizations. 17

The Foundation funds left-leaning groups like the Better Government Association and Injustice Watch. In November 2023, Injustice Watch received a $4,000 capacity-building grant from the Foundation, 18 and a $200,000 general operating grant in November 2024 to support its programs and initiatives. 19

In December 2023, the Foundation awarded ProPublica a three-year grant of $733,000 to improve local news reporting and to fund a one-day training program designed to bring more diversity to its investigative staff. 20

The Foundation also awarded $4,000 to the Better Government Association to provide diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) trainings for staff in 2024, 21 a year before the nonprofit was awarded a $1,434,000 legacy grant by the Foundation. 22

In February 2025, the Foundation gave a $10 million museum restoration grant to the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. 23

Financials

The financial records of the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation indicate that in 2023, the nonprofit had over $350 million in assets. The Foundation generated $8,835,016 in revenue and reported $19,897,268 in expenses. 24

References

  1. Richard H. Driehaus. Accessed September 1, 2025. https://www.driehaus.com/about/richard-driehaus
  2. “Bringing MacArthur-Driehaus Grantees Together.” Driehaus Foundation. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://driehausfoundation.org/news/2023/bringing-macarthur-driehaus-grantees-together.
  3. “About.” Driehaus Foundation. Accessed September 8, 2025. https://driehausfoundation.org/about
  4.  Burt, Nicholas. “Investigative Journalism for Government Accountability.” Driehaus Foundation. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://driehausfoundation.org/funding/investigative-journalism-for-government-accountability
  5.  “Arts and Culture.” Driehaus Foundation. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://driehausfoundation.org/funding/arts-and-culture
  6. “History of the Driehaus Museum.” History of the Nickerson Mansion | Driehaus Museum. Accessed August 31, 2025. https://driehausmuseum.org/about/history
  7. Anne Lazar – Executive director – the richard H. driehaus foundation | linkedin. Accessed September 1, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-lazar-3a6b4218b/
  8. Brad White – Senior program director responsible for the built environment program | linkedin. Accessed September 1, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-white-0709b45/
  9. “JC Aevaliotis – Senior Program Director.” linkedin . Accessed September 1, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-aevaliotis-2b71aa58
  10. “Anita Alexander – Senior Program Officer .” linkedin . Accessed September 1, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitahalexander
  11. “Noemi Garcia – Senior Program Officer .” LinkedIn. Accessed August 31, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/garcianoemi/
  12. “Maurice Cox Joins Driehaus Foundation Board of Directors.” Driehaus Foundation, December 2024. https://driehausfoundation.org/news/2024/maurice-cox-joins-driehaus-foundation-board-of-directors
  13. Roberts, Sam. “Richard H. Driehaus, Champion of Classic Architecture, Dies at 78.” New York Times, March 10, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/20/arts/design/richard-h-driehaus-dead.html
  14. Paulson, Michael. “Amid Trump Cuts, Officials Resign From the National Endowment for the Arts.” New York Times, May 5, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/arts/national-endowment-for-the-arts-resignations.html
  15. “July 2025 Grant Awards.” Driehaus Foundation, July 2025. https://driehausfoundation.org/news/2025/july-2025-grant-awards
  16. “Richard H. Driehaus Foundation – MacArthur Foundation.” Grants. Accessed August 31, 2025. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/richard-h-driehaus-foundation-31134/
  17. “MacArthur Foundation, Partners Announce $3 Million for Chicago Arts Groups.” Candid, November 23, 2005. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/macarthur-foundation-partners-announce-3-million-for-chicago-arts-groups
  18. [1] “2023 Professional Development and Organizational Vitality Grants.” Driehaus Foundation, November 2023. https://driehausfoundation.org/news/2023/driehaus-foundation-announces-2023-professional-development-and-organizational-vitality-grants
  19. “November 2024 Grant Awards.” Driehaus Foundation, December 2024. https://driehausfoundation.org/news/2024/driehaus-foundation-announces-november-2024-grant-awards
  20. “Grant to ProPublica Establishes Urban Affairs Beat in Illinois.” Driehaus Foundation, December 2023. https://driehausfoundation.org/news/2023/driehaus-foundation-grant-to-propublica-establishes-dedicated-urban-affairs-beat-in-illinois
  21. “2024 Professional Development and Organizational Vitality Grants.” Driehaus Foundation, November 2024. https://driehausfoundation.org/news/2024/driehaus-foundation-announces-2024-professional-development-and-organizational-vitality-grants
  22. “Driehaus Foundation Announces Special Legacy Grants in Memory of Founder Richard H. Driehaus” Driehaus Foundation, April 2023. https://driehausfoundation.org/news/2023/test
  23. “Chicago’s Griffin Museum Receives $10 Million for Restoration Project.” Candid, February 5, 2025. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/chicago-s-griffin-museum-receives-10-million-for-restoration-project
  24.  Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2023, Part I https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/363261347/202423209349102072/full
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: May 1, 1985

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2023 Dec Form PF $8,835,016 $19,897,268 $363,758,900 $8,366,865 $0 $0 $0 $0
    2022 Dec Form PF $200,949 $7,447,544 $334,699,905 $2,277,362 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2021 Dec Form PF $282,865,843 $5,704,861 $357,794,391 $2,883,067 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2020 Dec Form PF $1,453,050 $6,550,768 $100,822,251 $3,357,968 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2019 Dec Form PF $15,868,299 $5,106,464 $81,922,200 $2,448,899 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2015 Dec Form PF $4,603,937 $5,548,970 $65,684,284 $1,584,132 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2014 Dec Form PF $3,173,508 $5,746,816 $73,362,774 $2,399,517 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2013 Dec Form PF $5,548,722 $7,088,510 $78,833,375 $2,959,904 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2012 Dec Form PF $12,545,660 $5,463,923 $68,459,646 $2,306,722 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2011 Dec Form PF $1,170,337 $5,216,936 $57,061,486 $1,915,144 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Richard H. Driehaus Foundation

    25 E ERIE ST
    Chicago, IL 60611-2735