Morningstar Announces New Global Headquarters at Chicago's Thompson Center and $5 Million Community Investment Donation

Morningstar plans to continue investing in local hiring alongside its headquarters move and five-year nonprofit funding commitment.

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Company strengthens its long-term commitment to Chicago through new global headquarters, the city's largest downtown lease in 2026 to date, and a five-year, $5 million philanthropic initiative supporting financial security and career advancement

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Morningstar, Inc. (Nasdaq: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment insights, today announced plans to relocate its global headquarters to the Thompson Center and commit an additional $5 million in funding over five years to Chicago nonprofits. Together, the investments reinforce Morningstar's over 40-year commitment to Chicago and help support the city's economic vitality, workforce development, and long-term growth.

Kunal Kapoor, CEO of Morningstar, said: "Morningstar was founded in Chicago more than four decades ago, and we're proud to continue building our future here. As long-term investors, we believe in backing people and communities with enduring potential. Our new headquarters and community commitment reflect our confidence in Chicago, our people, and the opportunities ahead.”

Investing in Chicago’s future

Morningstar is investing with conviction in Chicago—in its people, its communities, and its long-term economic prospects.

• Morningstar has been headquartered in Chicago since its founding, for more than 40 years
• The move keeps the company in the Loop, supporting continued downtown economic recovery
• The lease is Chicago’s largest downtown office transaction in 2026 to date
• The firm’s strong relationships with the area’s premier universities—including University of Chicago, University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business, and University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts—continue to provide great talent pipelines
• The company currently employs over 1,500 people in Chicago and plans to continue to invest in hiring local talent.

Investing in community impact

Alongside its headquarters move, Morningstar plans to donate $5 million over the next five years to Chicago nonprofits starting in 2027, combining citywide coordination with community-level investment:

• $1 million ($200,000 each year) to the Commercial Club Foundation, which supports the Civic Committee and Commercial Club’s growth plan—a new multi-year effort focused on strengthening Chicago’s economic future through talent, career pathways, business competitiveness, livability, and related growth strategies; and
• $4 million ($800,000 each year) in targeted grantmaking to local nonprofits that focus on securing financial futures and career skills advancement for Chicagoland residents through the newly established Morningstar Commitment to Chicago Fund, administered by the United Way of Metro Chicago

Morningstar’s new community giving and impact strategy focuses on harnessing the power of information to help break down barriers to investing and expand financial opportunity. To bring this strategy to life, Morningstar’s cross-functional Community Impact Committee selected United Way of Metro Chicago to lead a multi-year selection and evaluation process to administer $4 million to support grants for nonprofits in the strategy’s two focus areas:

• Securing financial futures: Expanding access to financial literacy, savings, and long-term wealth-building
• Career skills and advancement: Building pathways into and about investment research, financial services, and technology careers

Interested nonprofits can contact the United Way of Metro Chicago at LIVEUNITEDchicago.org/Morningstar and sign up to receive updates about the Morningstar Commitment to Chicago Fund, which will officially begin administering grants on behalf of Morningstar in 2027.

Investing in Morningstar’s people

Located at 171 N. LaSalle Street, the Thompson Center is one of the city’s highest-profile revitalization projects, adapting and transforming an iconic landmark into a modern workplace designed for collaboration and innovation. Following a rigorous evaluation process conducted with CBRE, Morningstar will co-anchor the building with Google and occupy more than 275,000 square feet. The company plans to move in late 2028.

Mike Miller, Vice President & Chicago Site Lead at Google, said: "We are incredibly excited to welcome Morningstar to the Thompson Center as we continue transforming this iconic building into a vibrant city hub. Having two great American brands alongside each other represents a bright future for the next generation of Chicago talent, technology, and creativity.”

"The Thompson Center was designed around openness and transparency, values that also reflect Morningstar's mission. It was designed by Helmut Jahn explicitly to connect the people in the building to the people in the surrounding city. This exciting renewal of that purpose will help make it a place where people can come together to learn, grow, and create insights that help investors make better decisions,” Kapoor said.

Morningstar’s new headquarters design focus will be around how people work, removing friction and creating space for focus, collaboration, and growth. Key features of the building and planned space include:

• Direct access to the Pedway and six train lines via the Clark & Lake CTA Station
• Large, open floor plates with floor-to-ceiling glass designed to support both focused work and collaboration
• Soaring 17-story atrium with a mix of anchor food and beverage and retail brands alongside inspiring art and public programming
• Onsite employee amenities that support wellbeing, including fitness, events, and bike facilities
• All-electric adaptive reuse building pursuing LEED Platinum certification, supporting Morningstar’s sustainability ambitions

Morningstar expects its presence to further support local businesses, increase foot traffic, and contribute to Chicago’s position as a global business and financial hub.

Statements of support

JB Pritzker, Governor: “For 40 years, Morningstar has called Chicago home. Its decision to relocate to the Thompson Center is another vote of confidence in the city and in Illinois as a place where businesses can grow,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Morningstar’s continued investment will bring new energy to the LaSalle Street corridor, and I look forward to seeing what the next 40 years bring.”

Brandon Johnson, Chicago Mayor: “I want to thank Morningstar for its continued investment in Chicago and congratulate the company on this exciting new chapter,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “After more than 40 years in Chicago, Morningstar’s decision to relocate its global headquarters to the Thompson Center reaffirms its longstanding commitment to our city and its continued confidence in our central business district and the future of the LaSalle Street corridor. Morningstar’s $5 million commitment to local nonprofits will also help Chicagoans build financial security and gain the skills to pursue good-paying careers, ensuring that the benefits of economic growth extend beyond downtown and into our neighborhoods.”

Sean Garrett, President and CEO, United Way of Metro Chicago: “United Way of Metro Chicago is proud to team with Morningstar as it deepens its philanthropic commitment to Chicago through a $5 million investment in the city’s people, neighborhoods, and future. Morningstar’s leadership and collaboration will expand access to financial and workforce development programs, helping to build vibrant, thriving communities. Together, through the Morningstar Commitment to Chicago Fund, we will create lasting impact across the Chicago region.”

Derek R.B. Douglas, President of the Civic Committee and the Commercial Club: “Chicago’s future depends on growth. This commitment from Morningstar helps ensure that we can turn our vision of a growing Chicago into real opportunities and prosperity across the city. As a global company rooted in Chicago that has invested in Chicagoans for decades, Morningstar reflects the bold ideas, collaborative spirit, and civic dedication that make Chicago special and we look forward to building on this momentum together.”

Phil Clement, President and CEO of World Business Chicago: “On behalf of Chicago’s business community, I congratulate the entire Morningstar team,” said Phil Clement, President and CEO of World Business Chicago. “Billions of dollars in investment are taking shape across our city, from downtown to our neighborhoods. Morningstar’s decision to co-anchor the Thompson Center with Google adds to that momentum, bringing new vitality to the Loop and serving as another catalyst in our city’s renaissance. More than 40 years after its founding here, Morningstar is reaffirming what the world increasingly sees: Chicago is where business can and will thrive.”

Key Facts

• Morningstar will relocate its global headquarters to Chicago's Thompson Center.
• Morningstar plans to occupy more than 275,000 square feet.
• The move is planned for late 2028.
• Morningstar has been headquartered in Chicago for more than 40 years.
• Morningstar is committing $5 million over five years to Chicago nonprofits.
• The community investment focuses on financial security and career advancement.
• Morningstar will remain headquartered in Chicago's Loop.

Learn more about career opportunities at Morningstar at www.morningstar.com/company/careers.

Morningstar was represented by Stacy Osmond of DLA Piper and the CBRE team of Jon Milonas, Peter Livaditis, and Haley Maxwell.

About Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment insights in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The Company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers and owners, retirement plan providers and sponsors, institutional investors in the debt and private capital markets, and alliances and redistributors. Morningstar provides data and research insights on a wide range of investment offerings, including managed investment products, publicly listed companies, private capital markets, debt securities, and real-time global market data. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with approximately $375 billion in AUMA as of June 30, 2026. The Company operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries in 32 countries. For more information, visit www.morningstar.com/company.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on our current expectations about future events or future performance. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain, and often contain words such as “ consider,” “future,” “maintain,” “may,” “expect,” “potential,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “will,” “intend”, “aim” or the negative thereof, and similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the events we discuss not to occur or to differ significantly from what we expect. For us, these risks and uncertainties include, among other things, failure to relocate Morningstar headquarters and failure to achieve the anticipated benefits of the community investment initiatives, in each case, on a timely basis or at all. A more complete description of these risks and uncertainties can be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our most recent Report on Form 10-K. If any of these risks and uncertainties materialize, our actual future results and other future events may vary significantly from what we expect. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. You are, however, advised to review any further disclosures we make on related subjects, and about new or additional risks, uncertainties and assumptions in our filings with the SEC on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K.

©2026 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

MORN-C

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260930828841/en/

Media Contact: Stephanie Lerdall, +1 312 696-6037, Newsroom@morningstar.com

Source: Morningstar, Inc.

Key Terms

adaptive reuse technical

Turning an existing building into a new type of property by renovating its structure and systems—for example converting an old factory into apartments or office space. For investors it matters because adaptive reuse can unlock value faster and often cheaper than building from scratch, qualify for tax or zoning incentives, and appeal to tenants who like character and sustainability, but it also carries risks from construction surprises and regulatory hurdles.

leed platinum certification technical

The highest level of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system, awarded when a building meets stringent standards for energy and water use, materials, indoor air quality, and site sustainability. For investors it signals a visible, third-party quality mark similar to a fuel-efficiency rating for a car: it can correlate with lower ongoing operating costs, stronger tenant interest, and potential regulatory or market advantages that affect a property’s income and resale value.