About

From generation to generation, we work together with our communities, in the spirit of tikkun olam, to catalyze and advance just and lasting social impact.

At the end of the 19th century, Arie and Ida Crown emigrated from Eastern Europe and settled in Chicago with hopes of providing a better life and opportunities for their children. Despite humble beginnings, they were able to provide their children a stable home that was rooted in Jewish values and traditions.

These shared values served as the foundation on which Arie and Ida’s children built one of the most successful companies in the United States, Material Service Corporation. In 1947, the Crown Family allocated a portion of the profits from the business to create a foundation that would allow them to give back to the country and communities that provided them with opportunities to prosper.

In 2009, after more than 60 years of family grantmaking under the name Arie and Ida Crown Memorial, Crown Family Philanthropies (CFP) was developed to represent an array of family grantmaking practices.

Today the legacy of Arie and Ida Crown lives on in the work continued by their descendants, who remain dedicated to the Jewish tradition of tikkun olam, or “repairing the world.” Supported by a professional staff of experts, CFP is led by more than 50 family members across multiple generations who come together to set strategy and make grantmaking decisions.