The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation
The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Elgin, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in Illinois and other states, including organizations working in education, health, youth development, and family support.
Key facts about The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation
In short: The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation gave $100K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 47-4055028
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $99,504
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- Average grant
- $4,738
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $1,562,121
- Primary geography
- Illinois (74% 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 October 2026. 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
$1.6M
-3.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$100K
+5.5% YoY
Grant Count
21
+23.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$5K
-14.6% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $106K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
How The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation gives
- 38% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 31% from 2022 to 2025. 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
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Hope Chicago says it works to expand access to debt-free postsecondary education for Chicago Public School students and their parents. Liv Like a Unicorn says it supports families facing childhood cancer and pediatric brain cancer research. Guitars Over Guns says it provides mentoring, music instruction, and performance opportunities to at-risk youth. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 21 grants totaling $99,504. Grant amounts ranged from $142 to $22,500, with a median of $2,500. Its largest reported grants included $22,500 to Cal’s Angels for cancer research; $17,500 to Hope Chicago; $10,000 to Liv Like a Unicorn; and $10,000 to Lurie’s Children’s Hospital. Other grants included $5,000 each to City Year, Embarc Chicago, Guitars Over Guns Organization, and Weish4Ever.
How to Apply
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Ready to take the next step with The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 74% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 10% to New Jersey, 7% to Florida, and 4% to North Carolina. The filing data lists the remaining 3% under an unspecified state.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $16K (2019) to $209K (2023). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $100K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cal's Angels ($23K). Together the top 10 received $86K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($510), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
94 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 91 grants of 94 (97%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cal's Angels St Charles, IL | Cancer Research | $22,500 |
| Hope Chicago Chicago, IL | General Purpose | $17,500 |
| Liv Like a Unicorn Freehold, NJ | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Luries Children's Hospital Chicago, IL | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| City Year Chicago, IL | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| Embarc Chicago Chicago, IL | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| Guitars Over Guns Organization Inc Miami, FL | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| WEISH4EVER Chicago, IL | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| Help One Now Raleigh, NC | General Purpose | $3,750 |
| Mind - Registered London England Charity | General Purpose | $2,620 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grant sum | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,562,121 | $68,980 | $122,245 | $99,504 | 21 |
| 2024 | $1,615,386 | $66,779 | $119,618 | $94,358 | 17 |
| 2023 | $1,668,225 | $29,669 | $242,651 | $209,451 | 22 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,562,121 | $1,615,386 | $1,668,225 |
| Revenue | $68,980 | $66,779 | $29,669 |
| Expenses | $122,245 | $119,618 | $242,651 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $99,804 | $94,608 | $218,207 |
| Net Investment Income | $51,553 | $48,024 | $35,690 |
| Distributable Amount | $106,216 | $98,246 | $92,373 |
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 February 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 7, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 8, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kenneth Buckman as President/Treasurer/Director, Heide Buckman as Vice President/Secretary/Director, and David Crow as Director.
The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation is led by Kenneth Buckman, President, Treasurer & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kenneth Buckman
President, Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
David Crow
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Heide Buckman
V.p., Secretary & Director
On filings since 2019
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.
Contact
Mailing address: 197 Wrenwood Circle, Elgin, IL 60124
Phone: (630) 816-8209
Frequently asked questions about The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation
How much does The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation give each year?
The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation gave $100K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $94K across 17 grants.
What is The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $4,738, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation give grants?
The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 74% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New Jersey (10%) and Florida (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (8 grants), St Charles, IL (2 grants) and Indianapolis, IN (2 grants).
Does The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 86% of The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (18 of 21) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Cal's Angels ($22,500), Hope Chicago ($17,500) and Liv Like a Unicorn ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($510), which are not listed by name. Together they received 50% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation?
The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $100K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $106K (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 The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Hope Chicago says it works to expand access to debt-free postsecondary education for Chicago Public School students and their parents. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Buckman Fun Filled 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 Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation's EIN?
The Buckman Fun Filled Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-4055028. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Buckman Fun Filled Family 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.
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