Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation
The Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. In filing year 2025, it gave $184,000 through 16 grants to charitable organizations, including educational, cultural, environmental, and human-services organizations.
Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation at a glance
In short: Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation gave $184K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $12K), mostly in New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $184,000
- +12.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +700.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $11,500
- -86.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $9,000
- Total assets
- $2,780,270
- +4.6% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New York (70% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 803878, Chicago, IL 60680
Phone: (312) 630-6000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Yale University ($25K). Together the top 10 received $158K.
Grant Size Distribution
39 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 36 grants of 39 (92%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing’s reported grant-dollar distribution was NY 70%, CT 14%, IL 11%, ME 4%, and VA 2%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
How Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $65K (2021) to $185K (2022). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $184K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Yale University New Haven, CT | General Support | $25,000 |
| Eastman School of Music Rochester, NY | General Support | $25,000 |
| Dalton School New York, NY | General Support | $20,000 |
| The Chicago Community Foundation Chicago, IL | General Support | $17,000 |
| The Julliard School of Music New York, NY | General Support | $15,000 |
| American Museum of New York, NY | General Support | $15,000 |
| Open Space Institute New York, NY | General Support | $15,000 |
| Prep for Prep New York, NY | General Support | $10,000 |
| Bowdoin International Music Festival Brunswick, ME | General Support | $8,000 |
| City Harvest Inc New York, NY | General Support | $7,500 |
Ready to take the next step with Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley 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 | $2,780,270 | $322,530 | $199,976 | $184,000 | 16 | $192,459 | $315,013 | $204,708 |
| 2024 | $2,657,689 | $172,435 | $186,955 | $164,171 | 2 | $173,588 | $162,340 | $192,510 |
| 2023 | $2,672,053 | $185,039 | $186,700 | $172,017 | 17 | $179,574 | $179,734 | $171,728 |
| 2022 | $2,673,509 | $159,557 | $200,590 | $185,348 | 2 | $186,613 | $146,659 | $173,282 |
| 2021 | $2,714,553 | $172,700 | $78,260 | $65,000 | 2 | $66,265 | $162,156 | $186,187 |
| 2020 | $2,620,351 | $-106,988 | $15,528 | — | — | — | $60,150 | $146,212 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation reported a distributable amount of $205K 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 organizations working in several fields. Open Space Institute describes its work as protecting land for clean drinking water, recreation, healthy communities, wildlife habitat, and climate resilience. Prep for Prep says it provides educational access and opportunity to promising New York City students. Bowdoin International Music Festival describes a mission of offering gifted young musicians opportunities to study with artists and presenting classical music. The Nature Conservancy describes its mission as conserving the lands and waters on which life depends.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 16 grants totaling $184,000. Grant amounts ranged from $3,000 to $25,000, with a median grant of $9,000. Listed awards included $25,000 each to Yale University and Eastman School of Music; $20,000 to Dalton School; $17,000 to The Chicago Community Foundation; and $15,000 each to The Juilliard School, American Museum of (as named in the filing), and Open Space Institute.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Ceara G Donnelly, Naomi S Donnelly, Aidan Williams Donnelly, Inanna H Donnelly, and Miss Tegan Vivian Donnelly as trustees.
Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Aidan Williams Donnelley
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ceara G. Donnelley
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Inanna H. Donnelley
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Naomi S. Donnelley
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tegan Vivian Donnelley
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/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 Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation
How much does Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation give each year?
Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation gave $184K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $164K across 2 grants.
What is Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation's typical grant size?
Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $9,000, and its average grant was $11,500, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation give grants?
Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation gives mostly in New York: 70% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Connecticut (14%) and Illinois (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (10 grants) and Chicago, IL (2 grants).
Does Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation's largest grantees?
Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Yale University ($25,000), Eastman School of Music ($25,000) and Dalton School ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation?
Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation reported $2.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $192K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $205K (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 Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in several fields. Open Space Institute describes its work as protecting land for clean drinking water, recreation, healthy communities, wildlife habitat, and climate resilience. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation's EIN?
Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-7167115. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 1, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/strachan-and-vivian-h-donnelley-foundation-morg_ac4f41ba85e947d288a8c20008508c59
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_367167115_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Strachan \& Vivian H Donnelley Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/strachan-and-vivian-h-donnelley-foundation-morg_ac4f41ba85e947d288a8c20008508c59},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. 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 Strachan & Vivian H Donnelley 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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