Kanter Family Foundation
The Kanter Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Sandy, Utah. It supports charitable grants, and its stated scope of interest is educational and cultural activities and programs in the greater Chicago, Washington, DC, and Salt Lake City areas.
Kanter Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Kanter Family Foundation gave $517K across 50 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), top state Utah. 34% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $517,419
- -0.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 50
- -10.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,348
- +11.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $8,592,744
- +1.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 34% first-time grantees (17 of 50, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Utah (31% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Kanter Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Requests should be sent to the Foundation, stating the intended purpose and use of the donation. The filing lists Joel S Kanter as the contact. It lists no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: Joel S Kanter
Mailing address: 925 H Street Nw 1106, Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (703) 448-7688
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Kanter Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Better Utah Institute ($95K). Together the top 10 received $343K.
Grant Size Distribution
289 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 282 grants of 289 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated scope of interest is educational and cultural activities and programs in the greater Chicago, Illinois; Washington, DC; and Salt Lake City areas. Its 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in several states; the largest shares were in Utah (23%), Illinois (21%), and DC (17%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 50 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Kanter Family Foundation open to new grantees?
34%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 17 of 50 grantees (34%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 62% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−5%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 87% 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 $474K (2019) to $634K (2020). In 2025 it made 50 grants totaling $517K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Better Utah Institute Sandy, UT | Support Charitable Purpose | $95,000 |
| Lubeznick Center for the Arts Michigan City, IN | Support Charitable Purpose | $65,000 |
| Chikaming Open Lands Sawyer, MI | Support Charitable Purpose | $50,000 |
| Tulane Program Development New Orleans, LA | Support Charitable Purpose | $25,000 |
| Tulane University New Orleans, LA | Support Charitable Purpose | $22,000 |
| Arena Stage Theatre Washington, DC | Support Charitable Purpose | $20,000 |
| Temple Rodef Shalom Chantilly, VA | Support Charitable Purpose | $17,634 |
| International Sculpture Center Hamilton, NJ | Support Charitable Purpose | $17,500 |
| Crohn's and Colitis Foundation Rockville, MD | Support Charitable Purpose | $16,000 |
| The Langley School McLean, VA | Support Charitable Purpose | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Kanter 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 | $8,592,744 | $683,900 | $589,181 | $517,419 | 50 | $522,863 | $630,485 | $602,022 |
| 2024 | $8,489,025 | $367,240 | $614,146 | $521,593 | 56 | $530,147 | $289,782 | $643,720 |
| 2023 | $8,730,931 | $953,419 | $701,225 | $542,300 | 71 | $542,624 | $842,453 | $469,672 |
| 2022 | $8,478,737 | $1,608,653 | $715,130 | $546,475 | 64 | $546,951 | $1,433,350 | $568,260 |
| 2021 | $7,587,714 | $551,889 | $650,487 | $488,390 | 48 | — | $390,647 | $437,022 |
| 2020 | $7,675,107 | $419,730 | $879,784 | $634,117 | 51 | — | $174,886 | $413,670 |
| 2019 | $7,877,034 | $185,918 | $730,915 | $474,240 | 52 | — | $139,598 | $434,039 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Kanter Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $602K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its filing identifies educational and cultural activities and programs as its areas of interest. Its grantees illustrate the range of supported organizations: Hyde Park Art Center says it works to sustain visual arts in Chicago, while Chikaming Open Lands says it preserves open space and the natural character of Berrien County.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 56 grants totaling $521,593. Grants ranged from $250 to $50,000, with a median of $4,850. Among the largest were $50,000 each to Hyde Park Art Center and Chikaming Open Lands, $47,443 to the John F Kennedy Center, $45,000 to Better Utah Institute, and $40,000 to the University of Chicago Smart Museum. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 50 grants totaling $517,419.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Joel S Kanter as president, treasurer, and director; Joshua S Kanter as vice president, secretary, and director; Janis S Kanter, Ricki Kanter, Catherine M Kanter, and Thomas McCormick as vice presidents and directors; and Phillip J Karmin as director.
Kanter Family Foundation is led by Joel S Kanter, President, Treasurer & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Joel S Kanter
President, Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Catherine M Kanter
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Janis S Kanter
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joshua S Kanter
Vice President, Secretary & Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Phillip J Karmin
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ricki Kanter
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas McCormick
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 Kanter Family Foundation
How much does Kanter Family Foundation give each year?
Kanter Family Foundation gave $517K across 50 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $522K across 56 grants.
What is Kanter Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Kanter Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $10,348, across 50 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Kanter Family Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does Kanter Family Foundation give grants?
Kanter Family Foundation's top state is Utah, with 31% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Indiana (13%) and Michigan (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Salt Lake City, UT (13 grants), Washington, DC (5 grants), Chicago, IL (5 grants) and Michigan City, IN (2 grants).
Who are Kanter Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Kanter Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Better Utah Institute ($95,000), Lubeznick Center for the Arts ($65,000) and Chikaming Open Lands ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Kanter Family Foundation?
Kanter Family Foundation reported $8.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $523K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $602K (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 Kanter Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its filing identifies educational and cultural activities and programs as its areas of interest. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Kanter Family Foundation?
Requests should be sent to the Foundation, stating the intended purpose and use of the donation. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Kanter Family Foundation's EIN?
Kanter Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3682199. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 15, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 30, 2020)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work Kanter Family Foundation funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Kanter Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Kanter Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/kanter-family-foundation-morg_17aa04fb0d644c15b12bbd2c28c2361d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363682199_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Kanter Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/kanter-family-foundation-morg_17aa04fb0d644c15b12bbd2c28c2361d},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-06. 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 Kanter 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.
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