The Kellcie Fund

Private foundation · Grantmaker Chicago, IL EIN: 36-4267581

The Kellcie Fund is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports 94 grants totaling $390,000 to organizations whose contributions were described as serving their general charitable, educational, or scientific purposes.

The Kellcie Fund at a glance

In short: The Kellcie Fund gave $390K across 94 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), top state Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$390,000
+15.8% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
94
-4.1% vs 2024
Average grant
$4,149
+20.7% vs 2024
Median grant
$1,000
Total assets
$10,419,318
+2.7% vs 2024
Primary geography
Illinois (49% 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 The Kellcie Fund

How to Apply

The filing states that no particular form is required and that a letter is sufficient. It lists Kenneth Lehman at KKP Group LLC as the contact and says eligible organizations must qualify under IRC Section 170(c).

Review Cycle
No deadline exists.
Deadline
No deadline exists.
Contact

Application contact: Kenneth Lehman Kkp Group Llc
Mailing address: 227 W Monroe Street Suite 3750, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (847) 328-2383

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who The Kellcie Fund funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

PRX Incorporated: $75K across 2 grantsPRX Incorporated$75K · 2 grantsLake Tanganyika Floating Hospital: $50KLake Tanganyika FloatingHospital$50KNPR Foundation: $50KNPR Foundation$50KNational Public Housing Museum: $26K across 2 grantsNational Public Housing Museum$26K · 2 grantsColgate University Treasurers Office: $20KColgate University TreasurersOffice$20KCircle of Hope Health Care Services: $15KCircle of Hope Health CareServices$15KRoger Baldwin Foundation of ACLU Inc: $15KRoger Baldwin Foundation ofACLU Inc$15KJames B Moran Center for Youth Advocacy: $10KJames B Moran Center for YouthAdvocacy$10KLa Rabida Children's Hospital: $10KLa Rabida Children's Hospital$10KCW Market Foundation: $8KCW Market Foundation$8K

The largest 2025 recipient was PRX Incorporated ($75K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $278K.

Grant Size Distribution

302 grants across all recorded years

293<$50K7$50–100K$100–250K2$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 293 grants of 302 (97%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The fund is based in Chicago. In 2025, 49% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 19% to Missouri, 18% to the District of Columbia, 9% to New York, and 2% to California.

Grant Distribution by State

17states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 94 itemized grants.

Cities

ChicagoEvanstonWashingtonNew YorkAndoverLake ForestTellurideSan FranciscoSt. LouisBaltimoreBostonCoral GablesHamiltonLos AngelesMiamiMinneapolisMontgomeryPalmetto BayPomfret CenterTowson

How The Kellcie Fund gives

  • 82% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 70% 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.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$200K$400K$600K1 grant2020 1 grant2021 1 grant2022 108 grants2023 98 grants2024 94 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $337K (2024) to $435K (2022). In 2025 it made 94 grants totaling $390K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Lake Tanganyika Floating Hospital Chicago, ILAll contributions were made for the general, charitable, educational or scientific purpose of each organization.$50,000
NPR Foundation Washington, DCAll contributions were made for the general, charitable, educational or scientific purpose of each organization.$50,000
PRX Incorporated St. Louis, MOAll contributions were made for the general, charitable, educational or scientific purpose of each organization.$50,000
National Public Housing Museum Chicago, ILAll contributions were made for the general, charitable, educational or scientific purpose of each organization.$25,000
PRX Incorporated St. Louis, MOAll contributions were made for the general, charitable, educational or scientific purpose of each organization.$25,000
Colgate University Treasurers Office Hamilton, NYAll contributions were made for the general, charitable, educational or scientific purpose of each organization.$20,000
Circle of Hope Health Care Services Washington, DCAll contributions were made for the general, charitable, educational or scientific purpose of each organization.$15,000
Roger Baldwin Foundation of ACLU Inc Chicago, ILAll contributions were made for the general, charitable, educational or scientific purpose of each organization.$15,000
James B Moran Center for Youth Advocacy Evanston, ILAll contributions were made for the general, charitable, educational or scientific purpose of each organization.$10,000
La Rabida Children's Hospital Chicago, ILAll contributions were made for the general, charitable, educational or scientific purpose of each organization.$10,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$10,419,318$712,008$504,134$390,00094$393,359$601,233$558,741
2024$10,144,556$919,490$422,639$336,80098$338,254$835,105$534,440
2023$9,577,847$449,392$424,070$341,031108$360,696$368,907$493,861
2022$9,525,132$3,659,049$501,242$435,2991$442,825$145,084$416,434
2021$6,381,541$1,295,704$439,676$378,3571$381,814$862,271$356,292
2020$5,775,860$294,287$457,984$407,0591—$131,597$315,551

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Kellcie Fund reported a distributable amount of $559K 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

The filing does not state a separate mission for the fund. Its grants include support for organizations working in areas such as health care, public media, education, conflict resolution, community development, disability services, and humanitarian aid. These are examples of grantee activities, not stated focus areas of the fund.

For example, La Rabida Children’s Hospital says it provides specialized, family-centered care to children with complex medical conditions, disabilities, and chronic illness. The Center for Conflict Resolution describes its mission as helping individuals, communities, courts, and institutions manage and resolve conflict. White Stork United States says its mission is to give every Ukrainian the means to survive.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the fund made 94 grants totaling $390,000. Grants ranged from $250 to $50,000, with a median grant of $1,000.

Among the largest reported grants were $50,000 each to Lake Tanganyika Floating Hospital in Chicago, NPR Foundation in Washington, DC, and PRX Incorporated in St. Louis. Other grants included $25,000 to the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago; $20,000 to Colgate University; and $15,000 each to Circle of Hope Health Care Services and the Roger Baldwin Foundation of ACLU Inc.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Kenneth Lehman and Lucy Lehman as co-presidents, Amy Lehman as secretary, Betsy Lehman as assistant secretary, and Peter Lehman as treasurer.

The Kellcie Fund is led by Kenneth Lehman, Co-President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Kenneth Lehman

    Co-President

    On filings since 2020

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Lucy Lehman

    Co-President

    On filings since 2020

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Amy Lehman

    Secretary

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Betsy Lehman

    Assistant Secretary

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Peter Lehman

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 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 The Kellcie Fund

How much does The Kellcie Fund give each year?

The Kellcie Fund gave $390K across 94 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $337K across 98 grants.

What is The Kellcie Fund's typical grant size?

The Kellcie Fund's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $4,149, across 94 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does The Kellcie Fund give grants?

The Kellcie Fund's top state is Illinois, with 49% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Missouri (19%) and District of Columbia (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (35 grants), Evanston, IL (20 grants), Washington, DC (7 grants) and New York, NY (7 grants).

Does The Kellcie Fund give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The Kellcie Fund's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (94 of 94) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Kellcie Fund's largest grantees?

The Kellcie Fund's largest 2025 grantees include PRX Incorporated ($75,000 across 2 grants), Lake Tanganyika Floating Hospital ($50,000) and NPR Foundation ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 45% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Kellcie Fund?

The Kellcie Fund reported $10.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $393K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $559K (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 Kellcie Fund fund?

The filing does not state a separate mission for the fund. Its grants include support for organizations working in areas such as health care, public media, education, conflict resolution, community development, disability services, and humanitarian aid. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Kellcie Fund?

The filing states that no particular form is required and that a letter is sufficient. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is The Kellcie Fund's EIN?

The Kellcie Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4267581. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

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

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 9, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 10, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 21, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 12, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Explore Open Grants

Browse active grant opportunities in The Kellcie Fund's focus areas in our free grants database

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Kellcie Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-kellcie-fund-morg_f87813538db24deb81309044a0c6fe4c

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_364267581_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Kellcie Fund funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-kellcie-fund-morg_f87813538db24deb81309044a0c6fe4c},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Kellcie Fund'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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