It’s up to us, the Owners, friends, and supporters of the Co-op, to provide a portion of funding for our store. Donations at any size make an impact — they ripple through our community once we open, providing jobs, community support, healthy local food, and more. 

There are two ways to donate to Chicago Market:
(and there's a recurring option for both)

1. Donate directly (not tax-deductible)	2. Donate through our fiscal sponsor (tax-deductible)
You can give directly in support of Chicago Market's development here:	Select Chicago Market in the "Fund Designation" menu:
Or you may mail a check to: Chicago Market P.O. Box 408560 Chicago, IL 60640 Please note that contributions made to Chicago Market directly are NOT tax-deductible.	Checks should be made out to Cooperative Development Fund of CDS and mailed to: Chicago Market P.O. Box 408560 Chicago, IL 60640 Donations made to CDS Fund are tax-deductible. (see below)

Would you like to donate to provide Ownerships to others?

Learn more and donate to our
Ownership Grant Program.

• Tax-deductible donations to Chicago Market can be made through our fiscal sponsor, The Cooperative Development Fund of CDS (Cooperative Development Services). The mission of the fund is to support the wise use of cooperative approaches through education and development. The organization meets the requirements for a charitable and educational institution as described in Chapter 501(c)3 of the federal tax code, and demonstrates compliance by filing annual financial statements (Form 990) with the IRS.
  
  
• There is no minimum donation amount.
• The Fund is registered to receive charitable donations from our supporters in the following states: IL, MN, WI, PA, VA and TN. The Fund is also able to receive contributions from our supporters in IN and IA because those states do not require charitable registration when only volunteers are being used to solicit donations.
• Charitable donations of $200 and above will be recognized in writing by the Fund. Donors will need such letters for their records should they seek to deduct their gift on their tax returns. Donors of less than $200 have other options for supporting their claim of deductibility and do not require a written letter of acknowledgement from the Fund.
• Administrative fees: The Fund will deduct administrative fees on all donations. Administrative fees are used to cover expenses such as staff time to review the project and create an MOU; staff time to research, develop, file, and maintain state registrations; accounting, audit expenses, and check fees, among others. Fee levels may change in the future based on actual costs incurred for program administration. Our current fee schedule is:
  • For charitable contributions, an administrative fee will be assessed at the rate of 10% of the first $75,000 in contributions; a marginal rate of 8% for contributions in excess of $75,000 but less than $125,000; a marginal rate of 6% on all contributions in excess of an aggregated $125,000. This amount may be revised annually to reflect actual costs of program operation and regulatory compliance.
  • For each public or foundation grant where the Fund serves as fiscal agent, an administrative fee of 10% of the first $5000 of grant funds plus 5% of funds awarded in excess of $5000. This amount may be revised annually to reflect actual costs of program operation and regulatory compliance.
    
    
• Our full Memorandum of Understanding with CDS Fund can be read here (pdf).