The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck
The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation (PCLB) is a private family foundation based in an individual recipient, NY. Formed in 1999 by Dr. Peter Buck and Carmen Lucia, it supports organizations working to help people solve problems in their communities.
The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck at a glance
In short: The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck gave $106.3M across 182 grants in 2025 (avg $584K), top state New York. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $106,347,044
- +120.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 182
- +5.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $584,324
- +109.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $150,000
- Total assets
- $2,838,832,516
- +176.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (44 of 149, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (40% 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 Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
PCLB does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations. Its website nevertheless invites organizations to introduce themselves, with applications made by invitation.
- Contact
Mailing address: 633 Third Avenue 16Th Floor, New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 360-6173
Website: https://www.pclbfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck
Who The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Mind Trust ($10.4M across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $48.0M.
Organizations only. It also paid 7 individual scholarships ($97,856), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
794 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 285 grants of 794 (36%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
PCLB says its funding is targeted primarily to Connecticut and an individual recipient, except where otherwise noted. In 2025, 40% of grant dollars went to recipients in an individual recipient and 22% to recipients in Connecticut; other leading recipient states were California (13%), Indiana (10%), and Massachusetts (3%).
Its Land and Easement Acquisition Program (LEAP) supports land-conservation projects in the Hudson River and Lake Champlain watersheds in an individual recipient, across Connecticut, and in select watersheds in Maine. LEAP grants address funding gaps for projects ready to close, with priorities including interconnected open space, biodiversity, climate resilience, water resources, and public access.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 182 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 44 of 149 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $576K; repeat grants $767K. How we count
Medians: $263K first-time, $200K repeat.
- 65% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 225% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 101% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $27.4M (2021) to $106.3M (2025). In 2025 it made 182 grants totaling $106.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Kipp Foundation San Francisco, CA | General Operating Support | $10,000,000 |
| The Mind Trust Indianapolis, IN | Charterforwardct | $9,400,000 |
| Zeta Charter Schools New York, NY | General Operating Support | $4,250,000 |
| New Leaders New York, NY | Aspiring Teachers Accelerator Program | $3,600,000 |
| Achievement First New Haven, CT | General Operating Support | $3,500,000 |
| Success Academy Charter Schools New York, NY | K-12 Curriculum Redesign and Scaling | $3,500,000 |
| Lake George Land Conservancy Bolton LNDG, NY | Pilot Knob Mountain (Whitetail Trust) | $3,000,000 |
| Teachorg San Francisco, CA | General Operating Support | $2,630,000 |
| Elevate Charter Schools Hamden, CT | General Operating and Danbury Charter School Support | $2,500,000 |
| Medecins Sans Frontieres USA New York, NY | Antibiogo and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Project | $2,500,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The filing type is Form 990-PF (a private foundation).
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,838,832,516 | $1,918,181,862 | $116,089,618 | $106,347,044 | 182 | $110,125,263 | $158,623,137 | $108,534,253 |
| 2024 | $1,027,671,996 | $331,422,950 | $54,615,644 | $48,328,822 | 173 | $51,572,141 | $103,933,003 | $43,824,099 |
| 2023 | $766,417,071 | $205,282,218 | $42,847,393 | $38,438,819 | 160 | $40,722,958 | $41,405,131 | $33,012,699 |
| 2022 | $592,475,663 | $57,107,510 | $36,087,830 | $32,740,853 | 146 | $36,126,946 | $45,140,987 | $37,584,068 |
| 2021 | $685,898,037 | $60,829,826 | $30,705,253 | $27,432,082 | 133 | — | $42,866,284 | $31,314,840 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck reported a distributable amount of $108.5M 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
PCLB’s mission is “giving motivated people the tools they need to help themselves.” It seeks to support dynamic leaders and effective organizations, providing resources that can include connections, information, experience, and money.
The foundation makes grants in five program areas: education, outdoors, science, medicine, and family projects. It favors general operating support for high-performing organizations, while also making restricted grants, a limited number of large, time-limited “Big Bets,” and program-related investments in the form of low-interest loans for current grantees’ land-conservation projects and charter-school facility needs.
The grantees’ stated missions illustrate the types of organizations supported. KIPP Foundation says it works with families and communities to create academically excellent schools that prepare students for college and beyond. New Leaders says it develops school leaders and advances policies and practices to support high academic achievement, especially for students from under-resourced communities. An individual recipient Land Conservancy says it works to preserve the natural, scenic, and recreational resources of the an individual recipient Basin.
Grantmaking
In 2025, PCLB reported 182 grants totaling $106,347,044. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $10 million, with a median of $150,000. Its largest reported grants included $10 million to KIPP Foundation for general operating support; $9.4 million to The Mind Trust for CharterForwardCT; $4.25 million to Zeta Charter Schools for general operating support; and $3.6 million to New Leaders for its Aspiring Teachers Accelerator Program. Other large awards included $3.5 million each to Achievement First for general operating support and Success Academy Charter Schools for K-12 curriculum redesign and scaling.
PCLB’s website describes a relationship-based process: organizations may introduce themselves to the foundation, and, if there is a potential fit, a program officer may request meetings. The organization and program officer then determine whether there is a match; organizations selected to proceed are invited to apply through an online system a few months before the board reviews grant awards. PCLB primarily awards grants to tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organizations and public governmental agencies, with case-by-case consideration of other organizations. It does not fund ticketed events or individuals.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists William Buck as president and director; Michael Buck as treasurer and director; Samuel Buck as secretary and director; D Ben Benoit as chief financial officer and director; and Christopher Buck and Vera Lourenco as directors. Carrie Schindele is listed as executive director.
The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck is led by William Buck, President & Director since 2025 (on filings since 2021); all 7 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
William Buck
President & Director
Treasurer & Director → President & Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
20 hrs/week
$25K (2021) → $25K (2025)
Carrie Schindele
Executive Director
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$306K (2023) → $408K (2025)
Christopher Buck
Director
President & Director → Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
20 hrs/week
$25K (2021) → $25K (2025)
D. Ben Benoit
Chief Financial Officer & Director
Executive Director → CFO, 2023
CFO → Chief Financial Officer & Director, 2024
On filings since 2021
30 hrs/week
$240K (2021) → $301K (2025)
Michael Buck
Treasurer & Director
Secretary & Director → Treasurer & Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
20 hrs/week
$25K (2021) → $25K (2025)
Samuel Buck
Secretary & Director
Director → Secretary & Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
20 hrs/week
$25K (2021) → $25K (2025)
Vera Lourenco
Director
On filings since 2021
20 hrs/week
$25K (2021) → $25K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $408K, to Carrie Schindele (Executive Director). 7 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck
How much does The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck give each year?
The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck gave $106.3M across 182 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $48.3M across 173 grants.
What is The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck's typical grant size?
The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck's median grant in 2025 was $150,000, and its average grant was $584,324, across 182 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck that year got $576K on average.
Where does The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck give grants?
The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck's top state is New York, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Connecticut (22%) and California (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (30 grants), Danbury, CT (11 grants), New Haven, CT (7 grants) and Bronx, NY (6 grants).
Does The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck give general operating support?
Yes: 45% of The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (81 of 182) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Camping" (7 grants).
Who are The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck's largest grantees?
The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck's largest 2025 grantees include The Mind Trust ($10,425,000 across 2 grants), Kipp Foundation ($10,000,000) and Zeta Charter Schools ($4,250,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 7 individual scholarships ($97,856), which are not listed by name. Together they received 23% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck?
The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck reported $2.8B in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $110.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $108.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck fund?
PCLB’s mission is “giving motivated people the tools they need to help themselves.” It seeks to support dynamic leaders and effective organizations, providing resources that can include connections, information, experience, and money. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck?
PCLB does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck's EIN?
The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-1547852. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck 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 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-peter-and-carmen-lucia-buck-morg_a2cddededd0c4132bdb7650800d5fbb2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_061547852_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-peter-and-carmen-lucia-buck-morg_a2cddededd0c4132bdb7650800d5fbb2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck'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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