Annual report season is one of our favorite times of the year.

Our mailboxes and inboxes are filled with the good and important news of what nonprofits have been doing, and the impact they are having on their sectors and their communities. Lives are improved. The world is better. An annual report is no place to be shy!

Quite often, we read the financials first. When organizations are transparent with their data, they build trust. When they show where their money goes—how they leverage grants, donations and other resources—it builds confidence that they are stable. It builds hope that they may scale.

In a time where there seems to be more evil than good in the world, our nonprofits continue to bring us hope. Hope builds trust. Trust leads to commitment. Commitment—sustained over time—transforms the world.

In this, our own annual report, you can learn more about our commitments. In 2023, we discovered new partners, and we continued to support those we know and love. After nearly three decades of giving, we wrote our largest single grant check in our history: $2 million to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. To be clear, we have funded much larger commitments—and that check was just the first in a multi-year commitment—but we have never written a single check that large.

Of course, we asked ourselves, Why this gift? Why now?

The answer was consistent with our history. We recognized a beautiful three-part harmony: our long-standing commitment to education and the environment, our trust in the leader whom we have worked with before, and our belief in the organization. How could we resist?

We have many people to thank in 2023. From our staff who work tirelessly each and every day, to our nonprofit leaders who are creating new solutions to their communities’ toughest problems.

We are filled with gratitude to John’s parents, who continue to mentor us, and to our children who have embraced our family foundation and are funding great projects of their own.

Thank you for joining us on our journey!