The Buchanan Family Foundation
The Buchanan Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Lake Forest, Illinois. It supports a range of charitable organizations, including educational institutions, wildlife and conservation organizations, community foundations, and organizations providing health and human services.
Key facts about The Buchanan Family Foundation
In short: The Buchanan Family Foundation gave $2.5M across 154 grants in 2025 (avg $16K), top state Illinois. 19% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 36-6160998
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,510,300
- Grants made (2025)
- 154
- Average grant
- $16,301
- Median grant
- $10,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (30 of 154, 2025)
- Total assets
- $38,924,707
- Primary geography
- Illinois (46% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- 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. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$38.9M
+3.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$2.5M
+0.6% YoY
Grant Count
154
-2.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$16K
+3.2% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Buchanan Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.7M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is The Buchanan Family Foundation open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 30 of 154 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $17K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 77% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−11%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for schools and colleges, wildlife and conservation organizations, community and sports organizations, and groups providing food, health, and veterinary services. For example, Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation describes its work as sponsoring natural science research in the Lake Superior area, while Fox Valley Food for Health says it provides meals, nutrition education, and support to people and families facing serious health issues. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 154 grants totaling $2,510,300. Grant amounts ranged from $2,000 to $100,000, with a median of $10,000. Notable awards included $100,000 each to Avon Old Farms School and Smith College; $75,000 each to History Center of Lake Forest–Lake Bluff and Tall Pines Conservatory; and $60,000 to Lake County Community Foundation. Other 2025 recipients included Ohio State University College of Veterinary ($55,000), Bozeman Sports Park Foundation ($50,000), Delta Waterfowl ($50,000), Feinstein Institute ($50,000), Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation ($50,000), Purdue University ($50,000), and College of Lake County Foundation ($45,000).
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 46% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois. Other leading recipient states were Florida (10%), Massachusetts (5%), Montana (5%), and Connecticut (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 154 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
States
Cities
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 2025
Grant Size Distribution
744 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| AVON OLD FARMS SCHOOL Avon, CT | GENERAL, OPERATING, ENDOWMENT OR CAPITAL. | $100,000 |
| SMITH COLLEGE Northhampton, MA | GENERAL, OPERATING, ENDOWMENT OR CAPITAL. | $100,000 |
| HISTORY CENTER OF LAKE FOREST - LAKE BUFF Chicago, IL | GENERAL, OPERATING, ENDOWMENT OR CAPITAL. | $75,000 |
| TALL PINES CONSERVATORY Nashotah, WI | GENERAL, OPERATING, ENDOWMENT OR CAPITAL. | $75,000 |
| LAKE COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Lake Forest, IL | GENERAL, OPERATING, ENDOWMENT OR CAPITAL. | $60,000 |
| OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF VETERINARY Columbus, OH | GENERAL, OPERATING, ENDOWMENT OR CAPITAL. | $55,000 |
| BOZEMAN SPORTS PARK FOUNDATION Bozeman, MT | GENERAL, OPERATING, ENDOWMENT OR CAPITAL. | $50,000 |
| DELTA WATERFOWL Bismark, ND | GENERAL, OPERATING, ENDOWMENT OR CAPITAL. | $50,000 |
| FEINSTEIN INSTITUTE Manhasset, NY | GENERAL, OPERATING, ENDOWMENT OR CAPITAL. | $50,000 |
| HURON MOUNTAIN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION Hobe Sound, FL | GENERAL, OPERATING, ENDOWMENT OR CAPITAL. | $50,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Grant total | Number of grants |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,510,300 | 154 |
| 2024 | $2,496,000 | 158 |
| 2023 | $2,237,000 | 147 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $38,924,707 | $37,545,409 | $37,115,197 |
| Revenue | $4,129,630 | $3,109,925 | $1,374,201 |
| Expenses | $2,750,332 | $2,679,713 | $2,413,961 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $2,666,869 | $2,634,414 | $2,394,743 |
| Net Investment Income | $4,110,245 | $3,090,515 | $1,568,993 |
| Distributable Amount | $2,741,205 | $2,735,748 | $2,545,047 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 10, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 20, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 16, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kenneth H Buchanan as president, Charles F Kane Jr as treasurer, Margaux Buchanan as secretary, Hunt Eldridge III as vice-president, and Brian K Jones and Perrin B Martin as directors.
The Buchanan Family Foundation is led by Kenneth H. Buchanan, President on every filing since 2019; 2 of 6 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kenneth H. Buchanan
President
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$75K (2019) → $75K (2025)
Brian K. Jones
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Perrin B. Martin
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Charles F. Kane Jr.
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$25K (2019) → $25K (2025)
Hunt Eldridge III
Vice President
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Margaux Buchanan
Secretary
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Martha R. Hinchman (2019–2021) — Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
Contact
Mailing address: 222 E Wisconsin Avenue Suite 308, Lake Forest, IL 60045
Phone: (847) 234-0235
Website: https://illinois.gov
Frequently asked questions about The Buchanan Family Foundation
How much does The Buchanan Family Foundation give each year?
The Buchanan Family Foundation gave $2.5M across 154 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.5M across 158 grants.
What is The Buchanan Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Buchanan Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $16,301, across 154 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Buchanan Family Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does The Buchanan Family Foundation give grants?
The Buchanan Family Foundation's top state is Illinois, with 46% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Florida (10%) and Massachusetts (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (33 grants), Lake Forest, IL (14 grants), Bozeman, MT (6 grants) and Geneva, IL (5 grants).
Does The Buchanan Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Buchanan Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (154 of 154) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Buchanan Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Buchanan Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Avon Old Farms School ($100,000), Smith College ($100,000) and History Center of Lake Forest - Lake Buff ($75,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 11% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Buchanan Family Foundation?
The Buchanan Family Foundation reported $38.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.7M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Buchanan Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for schools and colleges, wildlife and conservation organizations, community and sports organizations, and groups providing food, health, and veterinary services. For example, Huron Mountain Wildlife Foundation describes its work as sponsoring natural science research in the Lake Superior area, while Fox Valley Food for Health says it provides meals, nutrition education, and support to people and families facing serio…
How do I apply for a grant from The Buchanan Family 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 The Buchanan Family Foundation's EIN?
The Buchanan Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-6160998. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Buchanan Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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