Chicago Lights

Analysis

Chicago Lights is a registered charity in United States, based in Chicago, IL. It received its IRS tax-exemption ruling in November 1991, 35 years ago. Its declared purposes cover philanthropy, voluntarism and grantmaking foundations, which this site groups under grant-making and general purposes. The IRS classifies it as a publicly supported organisation (gross receipts test) under section 501(c)(3), and contributions to it are listed as tax-deductible.

In the financial year ending December 2023, Chicago Lights reported income of $2.5m and spending of $2.2m, spending 87% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2019 to December 2023, income grew from $2.3m to $2.5m (+8.1%), an average of +2.0% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2020, when income rose by 16%. Over the whole period it spent 94% of the income it received.

Among 19,413 United States charities whose main cause is grant-making and general purposes and that reported income, Chicago Lights sits at the 89th percentile: it is larger than about 89% of them. Against every charity in United States with reported income it ranks in the 88th percentile, and in the 87th percentile within IL. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Ccpro Foundation ($2.5m), Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way ($2.5m) and Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation ($2.5m).

On its Form 990 for the period ending December 2023, revenue came from contributions and grants 103% and program service revenue 1.5% of the total. Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees was $160k (7.4% of expenses). Other salaries and wages came to $1.2m. At year end it held assets of $1.6m against liabilities of $61k, net assets of $1.5m. It reported 199 employees.