Franke Family Charitable Foundation
The Franke Family Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, New York. Its 2025 grants supported universities and organizations working in the humanities and the arts, including a humanities festival, a theatre fund, and a music festival.
Franke Family Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Franke Family Charitable Foundation gave $6.1M across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $358K), top state Connecticut. 43% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $6,086,000
- +39.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- -15.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $358,000
- +64.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $58,914,439
- +1.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 43% first-time grantees (6 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (35% 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 Franke Family Charitable Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: Co Pkf Oconnor Davies 245 Park A, New York, NY 10167-0008
Phone: (312) 573-2743
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Franke Family Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Yale University Development ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $6.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
119 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 73 grants of 119 (61%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Connecticut (35%), Illinois (19%), Washington, DC (16%), Kentucky (16%), and New York (8%). The listed grants also included recipients in Arizona and Minnesota.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Franke Family Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
43%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 14 grantees (43%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $600K; repeat grants $311K. How we count
Medians: $750K first-time, $173K repeat.
- 57% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 128% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 220% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.2M (2021) to $6.1M (2025). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $6.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Yale University Development New Haven, CT | General Operations | $1,025,000 |
| Amalgamated Foundation Washington, DC | General Operations | $1,000,000 |
| Fidelity Chartable Covington, KY | General Operations | $1,000,000 |
| The Conneciticut Players Foundation New Haven, CT | Long Wharf Theatre | $1,000,000 |
| Chicago Humanities Festival Chicago, IL | General Operations | $600,000 |
| Jumpseed Stone Ridge, NY | General Operations | $500,000 |
| University of Chicago Chicago, IL | Court Theatre Fund | $410,000 |
| Arizona Musicfest Scottsdale, AZ | General Operations | $275,000 |
| Northwestern University Evanston, IL | General Operations | $50,000 |
| The Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, IL | Operations Account | $50,000 |
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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 | $58,914,439 | $870,485 | $6,352,782 | $6,086,000 | 17 | $6,095,528 | $3,138,319 | $2,776,578 |
| 2024 | $58,004,998 | $11,572,303 | $4,248,595 | $4,351,333 | 20 | $4,065,030 | $1,214,246 | $2,725,226 |
| 2023 | $53,723,676 | $14,567,426 | $4,203,091 | $4,207,583 | 22 | $4,243,241 | $9,689,303 | $2,519,180 |
| 2022 | $52,963,266 | $1,412,955 | $2,665,288 | $2,663,833 | 28 | $2,735,511 | $2,471,225 | $2,856,315 |
| 2021 | $59,520,941 | $1,906,993 | $1,566,699 | $1,248,050 | 32 | — | $1,679,020 | $2,638,192 |
| 2020 | $48,097,873 | $2,249,824 | $1,829,435 | $2,126,008 | 37 | — | $2,623,380 | $2,375,004 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Franke Family Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.8M 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 foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for higher education and cultural organizations. The Chicago Humanities Festival describes its mission as promoting public appreciation, understanding, and support of the humanities through festivals and educational programs. The University of Chicago describes its mission as communicating and creating knowledge and fostering a dynamic community of scholars and students. Northwestern University says it is committed to excellent teaching, innovative research, and students’ personal and intellectual growth in a diverse academic community.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 17 grants totaling $6,086,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $1,025,000, with a median of $50,000. Notable grants included $1,025,000 to Yale University Development for general operations; $1,000,000 each to Amalgamated Foundation for general operations, Fidelity Charitable, and The Connecticut Players Foundation for Long Wharf Theatre; and $600,000 to the Chicago Humanities Festival for general operations. Other grants included $500,000 to Jumpseed for general operations, $410,000 to the University of Chicago for the Court Theatre Fund, and $275,000 to Arizona Musicfest for general operations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Barbara E Franke, Jane Franke, and Katherine M Franke as trustees.
Franke Family Charitable Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Barbara E. Franke
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jane S. Franke
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Katherine M. Franke
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Richard J. Franke (2020–2022) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Franke Family Charitable Foundation
How much does Franke Family Charitable Foundation give each year?
Franke Family Charitable Foundation gave $6.1M across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $4.4M across 20 grants.
What is Franke Family Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Franke Family Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $358,000, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Franke Family Charitable Foundation that year got $600K on average.
Where does Franke Family Charitable Foundation give grants?
Franke Family Charitable Foundation's top state is Connecticut, with 35% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Illinois (19%) and District of Columbia (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (6 grants) and New Haven, CT (5 grants).
Does Franke Family Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 65% of Franke Family Charitable Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Franke Family Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Franke Family Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Yale University Development ($1,025,000), Amalgamated Foundation ($1,000,000) and Fidelity Chartable ($1,000,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 50% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Franke Family Charitable Foundation?
Franke Family Charitable Foundation reported $58.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $6.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.8M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Franke Family Charitable Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for higher education and cultural organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Franke Family Charitable Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Franke Family Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Franke Family Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3662848. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Franke Family Charitable Foundation 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 27, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Franke Family Charitable Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Franke Family Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/franke-family-charitable-foundation-morg_3923655497ad477c8f7d0a3ba4aa06f1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363662848_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Franke Family Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/franke-family-charitable-foundation-morg_3923655497ad477c8f7d0a3ba4aa06f1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Franke Family Charitable Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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