Cowie Family Charitable Trust
Cowie Family Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 grants went to charitable organizations working in areas including the arts, education, animal welfare, environmental conservation, reproductive rights, social services, and religion.
Cowie Family Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: Cowie Family Charitable Trust gave $30K across 30 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), top state Alaska. 3% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $30,000
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 30
- -6.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,000
- +6.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $300
- Total assets
- $471,673
- -0.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 3% first-time grantees (1 of 30, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Alaska (33% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Cowie Family Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The trust does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 803878, Chicago, IL 60680
Phone: (312) 630-6000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Cowie Family Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was St Peters by the Sea Episcopal Church ($10K). Together the top 10 received $25K.
Grant Size Distribution
168 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 168 grants of 168 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars were distributed primarily to recipients in Alaska (33%), New York (33%), and Massachusetts (27%). Smaller shares went to recipients in Washington, DC (2%) and California (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 30 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Cowie Family Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
3%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 30 grantees (3%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $250; repeat grants $1K. How we count
Medians: $250 first-time, $300 repeat.
- 90% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 35% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 84% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $20K (2021) to $46K (2022). In 2025 it made 30 grants totaling $30K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| St Peters by the Sea Episcopal Church Sitka, AK | General Support | $10,000 |
| Cornell Jazz Ensembles Alumni Ithaca, NY | General Support | $3,000 |
| Smith College Northampton, MA | General Support | $3,000 |
| International Arts Relations New York, NY | General Support | $3,000 |
| Camba Brooklyn, NY | General Support | $1,500 |
| Animal Rescue League of Boston Boston, MA | General Support | $1,000 |
| Ali Forney Center New York, NY | General Support | $1,000 |
| Conservation Law Foundation Boston, MA | General Support | $1,000 |
| Unitarian Universalist Meeting House Provincetown, MA | General Support | $1,000 |
| American Museum of Natural History New York, NY | General Support | $600 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $471,673 | $25,477 | $38,308 | $30,000 | 30 | $34,869 | $20,416 | $41,450 |
| 2024 | $474,457 | $121,742 | $36,979 | $30,000 | 32 | $31,250 | $12,856 | $36,394 |
| 2023 | $399,868 | $32,383 | $36,457 | $30,500 | 33 | $33,659 | $29,729 | $30,587 |
| 2022 | $403,959 | $30,626 | $51,416 | $46,000 | 42 | $48,677 | $27,980 | $31,427 |
| 2021 | $424,749 | $24,679 | $25,115 | $19,750 | 31 | $22,541 | $22,686 | $35,124 |
| 2020 | $425,183 | $22,001 | $31,788 | $27,000 | 37 | — | $19,777 | $29,284 |
| 2019 | $434,974 | $21,110 | $33,795 | $28,803 | 29 | — | $14,221 | $29,607 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Cowie Family Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $41K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2025 grants included general support for organizations with varied missions. For example, International Arts Relations says its mission is to develop and present Hispanic American theatre artists and multicultural visual artists; Conservation Law Foundation says it works to protect New England’s environment; and Ali Forney Center says it supports LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness. Other 2025 grantees include Smith College, St Peters by the Sea Episcopal Church, the Animal Rescue League of Boston, and Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the trust awarded 30 grants totaling $30,000. Grants ranged from $100 to $10,000, with a median of $300. Most listed grants were designated for general support. Larger 2025 grants included $10,000 to St Peters by the Sea Episcopal Church in Sitka, Alaska; $3,000 each to Cornell Jazz Ensembles Alumni, Smith College, and International Arts Relations; and $1,500 to CAMBA.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Robert A Cowie is listed as trustee on the 2025 filing.
Cowie Family Charitable Trust is led by Robert A. Cowie, Trustee on every filing since 2019 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert A. Cowie
Trustee
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Vanne S. Cowie (2019–2021) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Cowie Family Charitable Trust
How much does Cowie Family Charitable Trust give each year?
Cowie Family Charitable Trust gave $30K across 30 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $30K across 32 grants.
What is Cowie Family Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
Cowie Family Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $300, and its average grant was $1,000, across 30 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Cowie Family Charitable Trust that year got $250 on average.
Where does Cowie Family Charitable Trust give grants?
Cowie Family Charitable Trust's top state is Alaska, with 33% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (33%) and Massachusetts (27%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (6 grants), Boston, MA (3 grants), Provincetown, MA (3 grants) and Truro, MA (3 grants).
Does Cowie Family Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Cowie Family Charitable Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (30 of 30) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Cowie Family Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
Cowie Family Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include St Peters by the Sea Episcopal Church ($10,000), Cornell Jazz Ensembles Alumni ($3,000) and Smith College ($3,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 53% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Cowie Family Charitable Trust?
Cowie Family Charitable Trust reported $472K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $35K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $41K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Cowie Family Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2025 grants included general support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cowie Family Charitable Trust?
The trust does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Cowie Family Charitable Trust's EIN?
Cowie Family Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-7191705. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Cowie Family Charitable Trust accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 29, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 7, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work Cowie Family Charitable Trust funds
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