Forefront EIN 23-7376023

Forefront FY2023 filing

EIN  23-7376023 Public foundation / grantmaker Chicago, IL Founded 1974
Form 990 (PDF)
You’re viewing the FY2023 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →
Compare with another nonprofit →
Verified accurate 7/18/26 · see original filing: IRS
Is this your organization?
Claim this profile to manage it and share your story.
Claim
Provided by the organization

This section is blank until Forefront claims this page.

Know this organization? Claim it to add your story

Size
$10–100M
What they do
Strengthens Illinois's social impact sector by providing nonprofits and foundations with essential financial, accounting, administrative, and consulting services to help them achieve their missions.
Leadership
Monique B Jones · President, CEO · $271K
Money in and out
$22.6M revenue, $10.0M expenses
Bottom line
86% program efficiency

Strengthens Illinois's social impact sector by providing nonprofits and foundations with essential financial, accounting, administrative, and consulting services to help them achieve their missions. For fiscal year 2023 it reported $22.6M in revenue, $10.0M in expenses, and $21.0M in net assets.Pt I

Grants paid & assets · FY2023
Total revenue
$22.6M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$10.0M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$21.0M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): $12.6M
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.86 Management & general $0.08 Fundraising $0.05
Program efficiency
86%
of spending reaches programs
Operating runway
13.9mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate
Surplus margin
+56%
revenue over expenses, this year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2023 · Form 990
Revenue
$22.6M
FY2023▲ +56%
Expenses
$10.0M
FY2023▲ +6%
Total assets
$26.1M
FY2023▲ +178%
Total liabilities
$5.1M
FY2023▲ +422%
Total revenue
$22.6M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$10.0M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$21.0M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$12.6M
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$26.1M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B86%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 322
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 422
Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

3 program services account for $7.1M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2022.
01

Fresh taste is a sponsored project of forefront. It is a staffed funder initiative formed in 2002 by a group of illinois-based foundations and chicago city officials interested in changing how food is produced for, and processed and consumed in the chicago region.

$5.2Mprogram expense
02

Forefront leverages the collective power of philanthropy and nonprofits to improve lives and strengthen communities. Founded in 1974, forefront is the only membership association in illinois for funders and nonprofits of all kinds, as well as their advisors and consultants.

$1.4Mprogram expense
03

Chicago african americans in philanthropy (caaip) is a membership organization committed to achieving racial equity in philanthropy by advocating for investments in black communities and expanding black leadership opportunities in the social sector.

$509Kprogram expense

Run this program? Claim this org to tell your story

Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CForefront
EINHdr · item D23-7376023
Principal addressHdr · item CChicago, IL
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.myforefront.org
Year of formationHdr · item L1974
State of legal domicileHdr · item MIL
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFFoundations & Grantmakers (T50Z)
Ruling yearIRS BMFJun 1974

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a22
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b22
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2No

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2022); the FY2023 filing did not itemize Part VII
President, CEO
$271,437Pt VII · Sec A
$185,461Pt VII · Sec A
Chief External Affairs Officer
$147,999Pt VII · Sec A
Director, Fresh Taste
$112,585Pt VII · Sec A
Controller
$112,447Pt VII · Sec A
SR Consultant, Converge
$104,944Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Program Officer
$101,608Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Monique B Jones’s $287K as President, CEO is at the 66th percentile of top reported officer pay among 658 $10–100M philanthropy & grantmaking nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Monique B Jones$286,886$281,250$271,437$258,789
Eric Weinheimer$156,296$221,726
Derek Stovall-Leonard$191,886$185,461$164,823$153,135$138,127
Patrice James$151,914
Karen Lehman$112,585$140,335$151,636$140,686
Yusef Garcia$132,906$147,999$131,838$131,937$117,336
Dawn Melchiorre$146,706$130,608
Aerica Camille Love$113,249$119,186$104,944

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

See Forefront executive salaries →

Are you one of these people? Claim this org to confirm your role

Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants$21.9M · 97%
Program service revenue$657K · 3%
Contributions & grants97%$21.9M
Program service revenue3%$657K
Investment income$11K
Other revenue$21K
— government grantsLn 1e$6K
Total revenueLn 12$22.6M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.86 Management & general $0.08 Fundraising $0.05
Program services86%$8.6M
Management & general8%$838K
Fundraising5%$512K
Total functional expensesLn 25$10.0M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$11.5M
Total assetsLn 16$26.1M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$5.1M
Total net assetsLn 32$21.0M
Months of cash on handcomputed13.8

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2023 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $11.5M · Operating expenses/yr $10.0M
13.9 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $8.6M · Total expenses $10.0M
86%
Management & General
Management & general $838K · Total expenses $10.0M
8%
Fundraising
Fundraising $512K · Total expenses $10.0M
5%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (3-yr avg) $476K · Solicited contributions (3-yr avg) $14.2M
$0.03 to raise $1 (3-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $21.9M · Total revenue $22.6M
97%
Government reliance
Government grants $6K · Total revenue $22.6M
0%
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $657K · Total revenue $22.6M
3%
Investment reliance
Investment income $11K · Total revenue $22.6M
0%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $657K · Total expenses $10.0M
7%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $22.6M · Prior year $14.5M
+56%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $21.0M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $22.6M · Expenses $10.0M
+56%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $26.1M
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $21.0M · Total assets $26.1M
80%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) $32K · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $26.1M
0%
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Monique B Jones · Reported title PRESIDENT, CEO · Highest reported compensation $271K · Total expenses $10.0M
3%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $2.8M · Total expenses $10.0M
28%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 86%
Overhead ratio 8%
Fundraising cost ratio 2%
Revenue growth 56%
Legal fee ratio 0%
Accounting fee ratio 1%

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$1K
Grants paid · 497 grants · $36.3M · 2019–2024
Austin Coming TogetherIL · FY2024$543,031
YmenIL · FY2024$450,000
Westside Health AuthorityIL · FY2024$260,000
Dion S Chicago Dream INC NfpIL · FY2024$253,000
GardeneersIL · FY2024$221,000
Chicago Horticultural SocietyIL · FY2024$200,000
Grow Greater Englewood INCIL · FY2024$150,000
First Congregational United Church of ChristFY2024$150,000
Enlace ChicagoIL · FY2024$125,000
Circle Urban MinistriesIL · FY2024$120,000
Illinois Stewardship AllianceIL · FY2024$100,000
The Hack FoundationCA · FY2024$100,000
Gsj Family Life CenterIL · FY2024$100,000
American Indian Center INCIL · FY2024$100,000
Trickster Art GalleryIL · FY2024$78,000
Movement Strategy CenterCA · FY2024$78,000
Growing Home INCIL · FY2024$78,000
See all 497 grants →

Similar Organizations

Closest in mission — by what they do
See all organizations like Forefront →

Compare

Search another nonprofit to view revenue, expenses, assets, key metrics, and leaders side by side

Filings & Schedule Manifest

Part IV
III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
FY2025 (Latest)$16.1M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2024$8.5M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$22.6M revenue · viewing · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2022$14.5M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$8.9M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2020$9.6M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

Want to add your own materials alongside these filings? Claim this org

Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2023IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
Names, privacy, and removal requests More

The names, titles, and compensation shown on this page are reproduced from IRS Form 990 filings, which are public records.

Philanthropy.org does not alter the content of those filings. All information appears exactly as reported by the filing organization for the tax year shown.

We publish only information contained in the public IRS filing — and less than the filing contains. Our profile pages do not display street addresses, telephone numbers, personal email addresses, or other personal contact information, even where the filing includes them.

Many people share the same name. A name shown on this page reflects only what one organization reported in one IRS filing for one tax year. It should not be interpreted as identifying any other individual with the same or a similar name.

If you are no longer affiliated with the organization, your name will generally stop appearing in future IRS filings once the organization no longer reports you. Pages for tax years in which you were reported remain published because those filings remain part of the public record.

Philanthropy.org does not alter or remove IRS filing records. Removing a page from this website would not remove the underlying IRS filing, which remains publicly available from the IRS and other publishers of the same information.

If you believe the IRS filing itself is inaccurate, corrections must be made by the filing organization or the IRS directly.

If you ARE the filing organization, claim this org and add context

Made it to the end? Claim this organization

All figures are derived from public IRS Form 990 filings and are presented without evaluation of any organization. philanthropy.org does not rate, score, or rank organizations, including the peer-cohort and compensation comparisons above.