Kaufman Family Foundation
The Kaufman Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Kenilworth, Illinois. It made 30 grants totaling $700,500 in filing year 2025 to organizations including cultural, educational, health, and conservation organizations.
Kaufman Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Kaufman Family Foundation gave $701K across 30 grants in 2025 (avg $23K), mostly in Illinois. 17% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $700,500
- +12.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 30
- -11.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $23,350
- +27.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $12,500
- Total assets
- $5,724,751
- +17.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (5 of 30, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (76% 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 Kaufman Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. The filing lists Kenneth Barbara Kaufman as the contact and says to call for information about a questionnaire. Restrictions on awards: none.
- Contact
Application contact: Kenneth Barbara Kaufman
Mailing address: PO Box 211, Kenilworth, IL 60043
Phone: (847) 441-8780
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Kaufman Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Northwestern Memorial Foundation ($104K). Together the top 10 received $517K.
Grant Size Distribution
119 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 103 grants of 119 (87%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 76% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 10% to Montana, 9% to New York, 4% to California, and less than 1% to Wisconsin.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 30 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Kaufman Family Foundation open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 30 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $16K; repeat grants $25K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 53% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 205% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 231% 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 $155K (2021) to $738K (2023). In 2025 it made 30 grants totaling $701K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Memorial Foundation Chicago, IL | General Support | $104,000 |
| Temple Jeremiah Northfield, IL | General Support | $100,000 |
| Old Town School of Folk Music Chicago, IL | General Support | $87,500 |
| Central Park Conservancy New York, NY | General Support | $50,000 |
| New Trier Educational Foundation Northfield, IL | General Support | $50,000 |
| Chicago Public Media Chicago, IL | General Support | $30,000 |
| GVLT Bozeman, MT | General Support | $25,000 |
| Jewish United Fund (JUF) Chicago, IL | General Support | $25,000 |
| Wild Montana Helena, MT | General Support | $25,000 |
| Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chicago, IL | General Support | $20,000 |
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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 | $5,724,751 | $1,599,406 | $751,111 | $700,500 | 30 | $703,675 | $1,156,643 | $304,248 |
| 2024 | $4,876,456 | $714,549 | $662,884 | $624,000 | 34 | $627,175 | $465,643 | $262,267 |
| 2023 | $4,824,791 | $1,479,911 | $799,156 | $738,100 | 29 | $738,100 | $1,237,533 | $203,740 |
| 2022 | $4,144,036 | $1,404,247 | $244,102 | $230,000 | 14 | $232,000 | $1,273,274 | $176,133 |
| 2021 | $2,983,891 | $310,034 | $180,137 | $154,985 | 12 | $156,825 | $59,920 | $189,502 |
| 2020 | $2,853,994 | $1,038,217 | $171,417 | $159,500 | 14 | — | $645,471 | $95,772 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Kaufman Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $304K 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 grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Old Town School of Folk Music says it teaches and celebrates music and cultural expressions rooted in diverse American and global traditions. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association describes its mission as enriching, inspiring, and transforming lives through music, community engagement, and education. Greater Yellowstone Coalition says it works to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 30 grants totaling $700,500. Grants ranged from $500 to $104,000, with a median of $12,500. Its largest grants included $104,000 to Northwestern Memorial Foundation and $100,000 to Temple Jeremiah, both for general support; $87,500 to Old Town School of Folk Music for general support; and $50,000 each to Central Park Conservancy and New Trier Educational Foundation, also for general support.
In 2024, the foundation gave $160,000 to Old Town School of Folk Music and $120,000 to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, among other grants.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kenneth Kaufman as director and president; Barbara Kaufman as director, vice president, and treasurer; Rebecca Kaufman as director and secretary; and Sara Kaufman Elsasser as director and assistant secretary.
Kaufman Family Foundation is led by Kenneth Kaufman, Director & President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kenneth Kaufman
Director & President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Barbara Kaufman
Director, Vice President & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rebecca Kaufman
Director & Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sara Kaufman Elsasser
Director & Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 Kaufman Family Foundation
How much does Kaufman Family Foundation give each year?
Kaufman Family Foundation gave $701K across 30 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $624K across 34 grants.
What is Kaufman Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Kaufman Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $12,500, and its average grant was $23,350, across 30 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Kaufman Family Foundation that year got $16K on average.
Where does Kaufman Family Foundation give grants?
Kaufman Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 76% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Montana (10%) and New York (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (13 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Northfield, IL (2 grants) and Bozeman, MT (2 grants).
Does Kaufman Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Kaufman Family Foundation'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 Kaufman Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Kaufman Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Northwestern Memorial Foundation ($104,000), Temple Jeremiah ($100,000) and Old Town School of Folk Music ($87,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 42% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Kaufman Family Foundation?
Kaufman Family Foundation reported $5.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $704K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $304K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Kaufman Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Old Town School of Folk Music says it teaches and celebrates music and cultural expressions rooted in diverse American and global traditions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Kaufman Family Foundation?
The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Kaufman Family Foundation's EIN?
Kaufman Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-4077901. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Kaufman Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Kaufman Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Kaufman Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/kaufman-family-foundation-morg_14a06adcb2b54f0d8c35a493a3addf2e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_824077901_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Kaufman Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/kaufman-family-foundation-morg_14a06adcb2b54f0d8c35a493a3addf2e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Kaufman 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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