The Lannan Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation established in 1960 by J. Patrick Lannan, an entrepreneur and financier. Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the foundation supports contemporary artists, writers, and Native American activists through grants, fellowships, and awards. The foundation is designated as a 501(c)(3) organization and is steered by Lannan's descendants.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
Annual Giving
$29.2M
+142.3% YoY
Grant Count
93
-15.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$314K
+186.6% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Lannan is dedicated to cultural freedom, diversity, and creativity through projects, organizations, and movements of exceptional contemporary artists and writers, as well as inspired Native activists in rural indigenous communities.
The foundation recognizes the profound and often unquantifiable value of the creative process and is willing to take risks and make substantial investments in ambitious and experimental thinking. Understanding that globalization threatens all cultures and ecosystems, the foundation is particularly interested in projects that encourage freedom of inquiry, imagination, and expression.
Primary grantmaking areas:
- Contemporary visual art
- Literature and creative writing
- Indigenous communities
- Cultural freedom
Grantmaking
The Lannan Foundation provided support to non-profit organizations for a variety of contemporary art projects. The vast majority of support was given to exhibitions of work by contemporary artists in a mid-to-senior career position and in support of monographic exhibition catalogues.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Most Recent Financial Data (2023):
- Total Assets: $115,085,829
- Revenue: $6,734,286
- Expenses: $15,893,382
Prior Year Data (2022):
- Total Assets: $122,117,432
- Revenue: $21,792,027
- Expenses: $24,969,474
Additional Data (2024 IRS Filing):
- Total Assets: $94,991,981
- Total Giving: $29,237,204
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | — | — | — |
| Revenue | — | — | — |
| Expenses | — | — | — |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Brenda Coughlin serves as Executive Director.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAWRENCE P LANNAN JR | PRESIDENT, TREASURER | 40 | $274,430 |
| DAVID L UNGERLEIDER | VICE PRESIDENT | 5 | — |
| FRANK C LAWLER | VICE PRESIDENT, SECRETARY | 50 | $274,430 |
| MARY M PLAUCHE | DIRECTOR, ASST SECY, ASST | 5 | $35,000 |
| PENN SZITTYA | DIRECTOR | 7.5 | $37,500 |
| KAREN HETHERINGTON | DIRECTOR | 10 | $37,500 |
| MARIAN P DAY | DIRECTOR | 5 | $35,000 |
| ANDREA TUCH | DIRECTOR | 5 | $35,000 |
| BRENDA COUGHLIN | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 5 | $274,430 |
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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