The Arie and Ida Crown Memorial is a fund named in honor of the parents of Henry, Irving, Herman, and Edward Crown. At the end of the 19th century, Arie and Ida Crown immigrated from Eastern Europe and settled in Chicago with hope to provide a better life and opportunities for their children. Although Arie was an itinerant peddler, but he and Ida were able to offer their children a stable home embedded in Jewish values and traditions. The upbringing of the Crown brothers gave them a strong foundation on which to build one of the most successful corporations in America today, Material Service Corporation.

In 1947, the Crown brothers allocated a portion of the profits from their corporation to create a foundation that would allow them to give back to the country and community that offered them the opportunity to prosper. Today, the work of the Foundation is continued by the descendants of the Crown brothers; and focuses on various program areas in the Greater Chicago Area, as well as with members of the Jewish community locally, nationally, and internationally.