The Butler Family Foundation
The Butler Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Dubuque, Iowa. In its 2025 filing, it reported 69 grants totaling $2,435,262, with the largest awards supporting a Dubuque arts organization, a Chicago opera company, and a Dubuque YMCA.
The Butler Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Butler Family Foundation gave $2.4M across 69 grants in 2025 (avg $35K), mostly in Iowa. 13% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,435,262
- -85.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 69
- +6.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $35,294
- -86.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $37,901,337
- -0.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 13% first-time grantees (9 of 67, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Iowa (66% 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 The Butler Family 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 28, Dubuque, IA 52004-0028
Phone: (563) 583-7301
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Butler Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Dubuque Museum of Art ($1.1M across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $2.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
335 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 299 grants of 335 (89%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 66% of grant dollars went to recipients in Iowa and 23% to recipients in Illinois. Recipients in Washington, DC, received 4%; those in Virginia received 2%; and those in Massachusetts received 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 69 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Butler Family Foundation open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 67 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $42K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 79% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 47% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 82% 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 (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 $1.8M (2023) to $16.5M (2024). In 2025 it made 69 grants totaling $2.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Dubuque Museum of Art Dubuque, IA | Visual Arts Matching Pledge | $1,062,365 |
| Lyric Opera of Chicago Chicago, IL | Sponsor Ship of Maestro Enrique Mazzola | $500,000 |
| Dubuque Community YMCA Dubuque, IA | Capital Campaign | $355,866 |
| American Enterprise Institute Washington, DC | Community and Economic Development | $50,000 |
| Illinois Network of Charter Schools Chicago, IL | Charter School Education | $50,000 |
| Dubuque Dream Center Dubuque, IA | Sustaining Services for Seven Students | $26,000 |
| Babson College Babson Park, MA | John E and Alice L Butler Launch Pad | $25,000 |
| Clarke University Dubuque, IA | Clarke Fund | $25,000 |
| Institute for Justice Arlington, VA | Support their continuing defense of the constitution and the liberties it guarantees for all americans | $25,000 |
| Judicial Watch Washington, DC | Fight Government Corruption | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Butler Family 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 | $37,901,337 | $2,663,503 | $2,763,431 | $2,435,262 | 69 | $2,438,643 | $2,538,156 | $2,986,308 |
| 2024 | $38,001,265 | $6,346,760 | $16,737,866 | $16,487,062 | 65 | $16,489,817 | $6,167,933 | $3,010,450 |
| 2023 | $48,392,371 | $1,794,416 | $1,956,951 | $1,832,406 | 66 | $1,833,126 | $1,663,440 | $2,954,523 |
| 2022 | $48,476,406 | $6,388,002 | $4,786,049 | $4,557,416 | 65 | $4,575,851 | $1,409,837 | $2,893,356 |
| 2021 | $48,442,192 | $3,565,783 | $3,281,291 | $3,111,764 | 70 | $3,113,898 | $3,399,770 | $3,218,182 |
| 2020 | $46,992,890 | $1,944,542 | $2,986,759 | $2,814,506 | 64 | — | $862,559 | $2,608,215 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Butler Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3.0M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose stated missions include presenting and promoting the arts, advancing education, supporting community development, and pursuing legal advocacy.
For example, the Dubuque Museum of Art describes its mission as exciting, engaging, and educating constituents through collections, exhibitions, and programming, and building partnerships that enhance the arts’ role in the community. Lyric Opera of Chicago says it provides cultural service to the Chicago region and the nation and advances opera. The Illinois Network of Charter Schools says it advocates for public education through the charter school model. The Dubuque Dream Center describes itself as a community development center serving the local community.
Other 2025 grantees include legal advocacy organizations. The Institute for Justice says it uses strategic litigation, training, communication, activism, and research to advance individual liberties. Judicial Watch says it promotes government integrity, transparency, and accountability through advocacy, litigation, monitoring, and investigation. Liberty Justice Center says it advances economic and social liberties and a free enterprise society.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 69 grants totaling $2,435,262. Grants ranged from $100 to $1,062,365, with a median of $5,000. The largest awards were $1,062,365 to the Dubuque Museum of Art for a visual arts matching pledge, $500,000 to Lyric Opera of Chicago for sponsorship of Maestro Enrique Mazzola, and $355,866 to Dubuque Community YMCA for a capital campaign.
Other 2025 grants included $50,000 to the American Enterprise Institute for community and economic development and $50,000 to the Illinois Network of Charter Schools for charter school education. The foundation also awarded $26,000 to Dubuque Dream Center for sustaining services for seven students and $25,000 each to Babson College, Clarke University, the Institute for Justice, Judicial Watch, Liberty Justice Center, and Mayo Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John E Butler as chairperson, Alice L Butler as vice-chairperson, Timothy L Berns as treasurer, and Jean McMahon as secretary.
The Butler Family Foundation is led by John E. Butler, Chairperson on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John E. Butler
Chairperson
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alice L. Butler
Vice Chairperson
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Timothy L. Berns
Treasurer
Secretary & Treasurer → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jean McMahon
Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
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 The Butler Family Foundation
How much does The Butler Family Foundation give each year?
The Butler Family Foundation gave $2.4M across 69 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $16.5M across 65 grants.
What is The Butler Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Butler Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $35,294, across 69 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Butler Family Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does The Butler Family Foundation give grants?
The Butler Family Foundation gives mostly in Iowa: 66% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Illinois (23%). The most frequent recipient cities were Dubuque, IA (39 grants), Chicago, IL (7 grants), Washington, DC (4 grants) and Arlington, VA (3 grants).
Does The Butler Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 69 grants with a stated purpose on The Butler Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are The Butler Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Butler Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Dubuque Museum of Art ($1,074,365 across 2 grants), Lyric Opera of Chicago ($500,000) and Dubuque Community YMCA ($360,866 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 79% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Butler Family Foundation?
The Butler Family Foundation reported $37.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3.0M (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 Butler Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose stated missions include presenting and promoting the arts, advancing education, supporting community development, and pursuing legal advocacy. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Butler 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 Butler Family Foundation's EIN?
The Butler Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-1429940. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Butler 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 October 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 May 17, 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 October 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 25, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 20, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Butler Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-butler-family-foundation-morg_7a418a357a634397b1dcbd0edbe8507c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_421429940_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Butler Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-butler-family-foundation-morg_7a418a357a634397b1dcbd0edbe8507c},
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 The Butler 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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