The Negaunee Foundation
The Negaunee Foundation is a private foundation based in Northbrook, Illinois. In 2024, it awarded grants to organizations including arts and music institutions, an environmental organization, and a medical institution.
The Negaunee Foundation at a glance
In short: The Negaunee Foundation gave $33.8M across 114 grants in 2024 (avg $296K), mostly in Illinois. 10% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $33,751,490
- -19.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 114
- +8.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $296,066
- -25.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $60,000
- Total assets
- $615,618,721
- +16.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 10% first-time grantees (10 of 99, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (85% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Negaunee Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 555 Skokie Blvd Ste 555, Northbrook, IL 60062
Phone: (847) 480-4690
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Negaunee Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Ravina Festival ($6.2M). Together the top 10 received $25.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
535 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 253 grants of 535 (47%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 85% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 8% to California, 2% to New York, 2% to Ohio, and 1% to Georgia. The listed grants include recipients in the Chicago area and Highland Park, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; and Yellow Springs, Ohio.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 114 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Negaunee Foundation open to new grantees?
10%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 10 of 99 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $642K; repeat grants $307K. How we count
Medians: $19K first-time, $50K repeat.
- 88% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 80% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 125% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $16.6M (2020) to $41.8M (2023). In 2024 it made 114 grants totaling $33.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ravina Festival Highland Park, IL | Restricted Use | $6,150,000 |
| Field Museum Chicago, IL | Restricted Use | $4,550,000 |
| Chicago Botanic Garden Glencoe, IL | Restricted Use | $2,860,000 |
| IL Saint Andrew Society Riverside, IL | Restricted Use | $2,500,000 |
| The Colburn School Los Angeles, CA | Restricted Use | $2,050,000 |
| WTTW - Network Chicago Chicago, IL | Restricted Use | $1,650,000 |
| Lyric Opera of Chicago Chicago, IL | Restricted Use | $1,500,000 |
| Openlands Chicago, IL | Restricted | $1,060,000 |
| Music Institute of Chicago Evanston, IL | Restricted Use | $1,000,000 |
| Merit School of Music Chicago, IL | Unrestricted | $1,000,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Negaunee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $615,618,721 | $65,286,969 | $37,509,871 | $33,751,490 | 114 | $37,153,862 | $8,884,166 | $29,712,933 |
| 2023 | $527,628,201 | $111,485,176 | $44,081,806 | $41,798,642 | 105 | $43,837,190 | $8,316,548 | $23,860,425 |
| 2022 | $331,313,275 | $44,044,070 | $23,078,485 | $20,698,278 | 107 | $2,123,878 | $12,856,274 | $19,091,848 |
| 2021 | $437,708,562 | $110,682,868 | $20,398,502 | $18,724,993 | 106 | $20,393,972 | $24,235,974 | $16,699,319 |
| 2020 | $284,908,990 | $64,127,110 | $17,504,691 | $16,627,749 | 103 | — | $9,869,048 | $11,736,209 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Negaunee Foundation reported a distributable amount of $29.7M for 2024 — 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 here. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including music, opera, performing arts, environmental conservation, and medicine. For example, Lyric Opera of Chicago describes its work as providing cultural service to the Chicago region and nation and advancing opera. Openlands says it protects natural and open spaces in northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region. Merit School of Music describes its work as removing barriers to high-quality music education for young people.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 114 grants totaling $33,751,490. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $6,150,000, with a median of $60,000. Among the largest awards were $6,150,000 to Ravinia Festival, $4,550,000 to the Field Museum, $2,860,000 to Chicago Botanic Garden, and $2,500,000 to the IL Saint Andrew Society. Other notable grants included $2,050,000 to The Colburn School, $1,500,000 to Lyric Opera of Chicago, and $1,060,000 to Openlands.
The foundation awarded $1,000,000 to the Music Institute of Chicago and $1,000,000 to Merit School of Music, as well as a separate $550,000 grant to Merit. The Music Institute says it provides accessible resources for music teaching, performing, and service activities; Merit describes its work as helping young people access high-quality music education.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Richard Colburn as president and director, Robin T. Colburn as vice president and director, Ewa Jones as secretary, and Dale Kuntz, Debbie Creek, and Heather McCowen as directors.
The Negaunee Foundation's 2024 filing lists 6 officers; none of the 6 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Dale Kuntz
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Debbie Creek
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heather McCowen
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ewa Jones
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard Colburn
Presidentdirector
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robin T. Colburn
Vice Presidentdirector
On filings since 2020
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Negaunee Foundation
How much does The Negaunee Foundation give each year?
The Negaunee Foundation gave $33.8M across 114 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $41.8M across 105 grants.
What is The Negaunee Foundation's typical grant size?
The Negaunee Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $60,000, and its average grant was $296,066, across 114 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Negaunee Foundation that year got $642K on average.
Where does The Negaunee Foundation give grants?
The Negaunee Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 85% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (36 grants), New York, NY (12 grants), Lake Forest, IL (8 grants) and Evanston, IL (6 grants).
Does The Negaunee Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 74% of The Negaunee Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (84 of 114) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Restricted Use" (19 grants) and "Restricted" (8 grants).
Who are The Negaunee Foundation's largest grantees?
The Negaunee Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Ravina Festival ($6,150,000), Field Museum ($4,625,000 across 2 grants) and Chicago Botanic Garden ($2,960,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Negaunee Foundation?
The Negaunee Foundation reported $615.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $37.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $29.7M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Negaunee Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided here. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including music, opera, performing arts, environmental conservation, and medicine. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Negaunee Foundation?
The foundation 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 Negaunee Foundation's EIN?
The Negaunee Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3555046. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Negaunee 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Negaunee Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-negaunee-foundation-morg_a977537995a241319335a5039a12341f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363555046_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Negaunee Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-negaunee-foundation-morg_a977537995a241319335a5039a12341f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-19. 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 Negaunee 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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