Herbst Family Foundation
The Herbst Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in several states and Washington, DC, including universities, arts organizations, and other nonprofits.
Herbst Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Herbst Family Foundation gave $121K across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), top state Illinois. 33% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $120,900
- -4.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- -9.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,169
- +5.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $600
- Total assets
- $1,878,090
- +51.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (9 of 27, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (43% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Herbst Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1040 N Lake Shore Drive 5C, Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 636-1796
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Herbst Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Chicago ($51K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $114K.
Grant Size Distribution
145 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 142 grants of 145 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois (43%), Arizona (38%), New York (13%), Washington, DC (2%), and Massachusetts (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Herbst Family Foundation open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 27 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $317; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $300 first-time, $1K repeat.
- 59% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−13%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 89% 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 $96K (2020) to $142K (2021). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $121K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago Chicago, IL | Program Support | $50,000 |
| U of a Foundation Tucson, AZ | College of Science | $20,000 |
| Gilder Lehrman Inst of Amer Hist New York, NY | Program Support | $15,000 |
| U of a Foundation Tucson, AZ | Program Support | $12,200 |
| Arizona Theatre Company Tucson, AZ | Program Support | $5,000 |
| Tucson Symphony Orchestra Tucson, AZ | Program Support | $5,000 |
| Smithsonian Washington, DC | Program Support | $1,250 |
| Tucson Festival of Books Tucson, AZ | Program Support | $1,100 |
| Arizona Public Media Tucson, AZ | Program Support | $1,000 |
| Harvard Radcliffe Institute Boston, MA | Program Support | $1,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Herbst Family Foundation?
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 | $1,878,090 | $784,028 | $142,009 | $120,900 | 29 | $122,215 | $767,418 | $137,338 |
| 2024 | $1,236,071 | $153,383 | $146,832 | $126,310 | 32 | $127,999 | $136,448 | $142,352 |
| 2023 | $1,229,520 | $63,073 | $126,599 | $111,875 | 27 | $113,226 | $39,700 | $119,636 |
| 2022 | $1,293,114 | $232,863 | $152,371 | $138,450 | 26 | $139,447 | $24,939 | $117,804 |
| 2021 | $1,272,454 | $151,565 | $155,977 | $141,700 | 31 | $142,383 | $18,215 | $127,730 |
| 2020 | $1,276,379 | $174,873 | $110,300 | $95,950 | 34 | — | $163,657 | $100,532 |
| 2019 | $1,257,337 | $177,041 | $115,661 | $101,650 | 27 | — | $119,854 | $95,318 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Herbst Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $137K 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 include support for educational, cultural, health, environmental, and community organizations. These examples reflect the grantees’ work, not a stated foundation focus: the University of Chicago describes its mission as communicating and creating knowledge and fostering a community of scholars and students; Arizona Theatre Company says it creates theatre intended to inspire curiosity, creativity, empathy, and joy; and the Tucson Festival of Books describes itself as a free, family-friendly celebration of literature that engages the community.
Other 2025 recipients include Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which describes its mission as providing leadership in reproductive and related health care; Therapeutic Riding of Tucson, which says it empowers people with diverse abilities through equine-assisted services; and Love to Serve, which says it provides tennis and education programs for youth development and academic outcomes.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 29 grants totaling $120,900. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $50,000, with a median of $600.
The largest reported grants included $50,000 to the University of Chicago for program support, $20,000 to the U of A Foundation for the College of Science, $15,000 to the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History for program support, and $12,200 to the U of A Foundation for program support. Other notable grants were $5,000 each to Arizona Theatre Company and Tucson Symphony Orchestra, both for program support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lee G Herbst as president and Arthur L Herbst Jr as director.
Herbst Family Foundation is led by Lee G. Herbst, President since 2024 (on filings since 2019); none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lee G. Herbst
President
Vice President → President, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Arthur L. Herbst Jr.
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Arthur L. Herbst (2019–2023) — President
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 Herbst Family Foundation
How much does Herbst Family Foundation give each year?
Herbst Family Foundation gave $121K across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $126K across 32 grants.
What is Herbst Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Herbst Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $600, and its average grant was $4,169, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Herbst Family Foundation that year got $317 on average.
Where does Herbst Family Foundation give grants?
Herbst Family Foundation's top state is Illinois, with 43% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Arizona (38%) and New York (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Tucson, AZ (8 grants), Chicago, IL (5 grants), Washington, DC (4 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).
Does Herbst Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 29 grants with a stated purpose on Herbst Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (27 grants).
Who are Herbst Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Herbst Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University of Chicago ($51,000 across 2 grants), U of a Foundation ($32,200 across 2 grants) and Gilder Lehrman Inst of Amer Hist ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 81% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Herbst Family Foundation?
Herbst Family Foundation reported $1.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $122K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $137K (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 Herbst Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for educational, cultural, health, environmental, and community organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Herbst Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 Herbst Family Foundation's EIN?
Herbst Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4333045. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Herbst Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 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 May 28, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 26, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 27, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 7, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 1, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work Herbst Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
- Nixa Affiliate Grantmaking Program Up to US $10,000 · Due October 19, 2026
- Community and School Grants $28,000 total pool; 10-15 grants expected · Due October 19, 2026
- Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund $500 - $5,000 for ongoing programs; up to $15,000 for Strategic Initiative Grants · Due October 19, 2026
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Herbst Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Herbst Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/herbst-family-foundation-morg_1e55487ff0a04725b8b87c35ee45624f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_364333045_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Herbst Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/herbst-family-foundation-morg_1e55487ff0a04725b8b87c35ee45624f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Herbst Family 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.
Herbst Family Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?