The Zell Family Foundation is a private family foundation based in Chicago, Illinois founded by the late real estate investor and billionaire philanthropist Sam Zell. It is a major funder in the Chicago area, particularly in education. In 2023, the foundation awarded over $133 million in grants. ^{1 2}

Background

The Zell Family Foundation was established in 1986 by real estate investor and entrepreneur Sam Zell who passed away in May 2023. His wife Helen was the foundation’s president as of 2025. It has provided grants towards educational, cultural, health, Jewish, public policy, and social services institutions within Chicago. ³

Zell founded Equity Group Investments in 1968 and expanded into a real estate empire. He had a net worth of $5.2 billion as of April 4, 2023, just before he died. ⁴

Through his foundation, Zell established the Zell Lurie Institute at the University of Michigan, the Zell Fellows Program for Entrepreneurship at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, the Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and the Zell Entrepreneurship Program at Reichman University in Israel. ^{5 6}

Funding and Grants

In 2023, the Zell Family Foundation awarded over $133 million in grants. Many of the grants focused on the arts and education. ⁷ That year, it gave $200,000 to venture philanthropy group A Better Chicago which has granted over $73 million to nonprofits in the Chicago area, mainly focused on youth support. ⁸ It gave $100,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation. It gave $1.4 million to American Friends of Reichman University, Israel’s first private university. ⁹ It sent $24 million to the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, a Jewish day school in Chicago which was named after Sam Zell’s father. ¹⁰ It gave $1.25 million to the Birthright Israel Foundation which raises funds to support an educational trip to Israel for young Jewish adults. ¹¹

It gave $1 million to the Chicago Public Education Fund. It donated $4.1 million to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA). The Zell Family Foundation made several large grants to the CSOA over the years. In 2024, the foundation gifted the CSOA $50 million. ³

It gave $150,000 to Facing History and Ourselves which provides teachers with lessons that encourage students to “stand up to racism, antisemitism, and other forms of bigotry and hate.” ¹² It also gave $1.35 million to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. ¹³

It donated $10 million to Rochelle Zell Jewish High School, a Chicago high school that was renamed in honor of Sam Zell’s mother Rochelle in 2015 after the Zell Family Foundation made a large contribution to the school. ¹⁴ It gave $750,000 to teacher training organization Teach for America, a member of the AmeriCorps network. ¹⁵ It sent $2.2 million to the University of Chicago, mainly to support the Zell Series that hosts speakers and events related to “academic freedom and free expression.” ¹⁶ It gave over $80 million to the University of Michigan for several programs, including the Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies and the Helen Zell Writers Fund. ⁷

Leadership

Sam Zell was president of the Zell Family Foundation and Helen Zell was executive director until his death in May 2023. At that time Helen Zell became president of the foundation. ¹⁷

Sam Zell was born four months after his parents immigrated to the United States from Poland. He graduated from the University of Michigan and earned a law degree, then went into real estate investments with his partner Robert Lurie. ¹⁸ In addition to Equity Group Investments, he founded Equity Residential, Equity LifeStyle Properties, Equity Office, and Equity Commonwealth. In 2007, he sold Equity Office to Blackstone Group for $39 billion, which was then the biggest leveraged buyout in corporate history. ¹⁹

As of 2025, Helen Zell is the president of the foundation. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in English and literature and an honorary doctor of humane letters. She was Sam Zell’s third wife. She has held several leadership roles with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, including trustee and board chair. She is also on the boards of the Steppenwolf Theatre, the Chicago Public Education Fund, the Ounce of Prevention Fund, and Teach for America. ^{20 3}

Sam Zell’s three children, Kelli, Matthew, and JoAnn were vice presidents of the foundation as of 2025. ¹⁷

1. “Zell Family Foundation.” Inside Philanthropy. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant-places/illinois-grants/zell-family-foundation
2. Zell Family Foundation. Return of Private Foundation. (Form 990PF – Part I). 2023.
3. “The Zell Family Foundation gives $50 million to the CSOA.” Chicago Symphony Orchestra. December 10, 2024. Accessed April 4, 2025. https://cso.org/experience/article/21308/the-zell-family-foundation-gives-50-million-t
4. “Sam Zell.” Forbes profile. Accessed April 4, 2025. https://www.forbes.com/profile/sam-zell/?ctpv=searchpage
5. “SZ.” Sam Zell Legacy. Accessed April 4, 2025. https://www.samzelllegacy.com/
6. “Sam Zell 1941 – 2023.” Sam Zell Legacy. Accessed April 4, 2025. https://samzelllegacy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Sam-ZellLegacy-Press-Release_5.18.23.pdf
7. Zell Family Foundation. Return of Private Foundation. (Form 990-PF – Part XIV). 2023.
8. “A Better Chicago.” A Better Chicago – Donate. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://give.abetterchicago.org/campaign/638830/donate
9. LinkedIn – American Friends of Reichman University. Accessed April 4, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-friends-of-reichman-university/
10. “Honoring the Legacy of Sam Zell.” Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. Accessed April 4, 2025. https://www.bernardzell.org/student-life/weekly-news/school-news-post/~board/ma-nishma/post/baruch-dayan-emet-sincerest-condolences-sam-zell
11.  “Our Mission & Vision.” Birthright Israel Foundation. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://birthrightisrael.foundation/mission/
12. Facing History & Ourselves homepage. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://www.facinghistory.org/
13. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer search. Accessed April 4, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?form%5B%5D=IRS990ScheduleI&page=2&q=04-3467254&sort=best&submit=Apply&year%5B%5D=2022&year%5B%5D=2023&year%5B%5D=2024
14. “Welcome from our Head of School.” Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. Accessed April 4, 2025. https://www.rzjhs.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1264723&type=d&pREC_ID=1483583
15. Teach for America homepage. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://www.teachforamerica.org/
16. “The Zell Series.” The University of Chicago. Accessed April 4, 2025. https://thechicagoforum.uchicago.edu/the-zell-series
17. Zell Family Foundation. Return of Private Foundation. (Form 990-PF – Part VII). 2023.
18. “Sam Zell, Chicago billionaire real estate investor, dies at 81.” Fox32. May 18, 2023. Accessed April 4, 2025. https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/sam-zell-chicago-death
19.  David Roeder. “Sam Zell, Chicago real estate tycoon, dead at 81.” Chicago Sun Times. May 18, 2023. Accessed April 4, 2025.. https://chicago.suntimes.com/business/2023/5/18/23728642/sam-zell-dies-obituary-billionaire-chicago-equity-group
20. “Helen Zell.” The Chicago Public Education Fund.” Accessed April 4, 2025. https://thefundchicago.org/who-we-are/board/helen-zell/