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Negaunee Foundation Ltd

Annual Giving
$41.8M
Grant Range
$10K - $21.0M

Negaunee Foundation Ltd

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $41,798,642 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $527+ million
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed (invitation-only process)
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $21,000,000
  • Most Common Grant: $10,000
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily Chicago area, with some national grants
  • Number of Annual Awards: Approximately 105-107

Contact Details

Address: 555 Skokie Boulevard, Suite 555, Northbrook, IL 60062

Phone: 847-480-4690

Website: No public website

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications and does not maintain a website for grantseekers.

Overview

The Negaunee Foundation was established in 1987 as the philanthropic vehicle of Richard W. Colburn, founder of Consolidated Electrical Distributors, and his wife Robin T. Colburn. With over $527 million in assets, the foundation is one of Chicago's major cultural philanthropies. The foundation contributed $41,798,642 in grants in 2023, distributed across approximately 105 awards. Almost 67% of their giving supports arts and culture, with music and music education being particularly strong priorities. The foundation has a documented tendency to award substantial gifts to well-established local institutions in the Chicago area, including recent landmark gifts of $21 million each to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (2024) and the Chicago Botanic Garden (2023). The foundation awards both restricted and unrestricted grants, and its grantmaking has been increasing in recent years.

Funding Priorities

Priority Areas

Arts & Culture (Primary Focus - ~67% of giving):

  • Classical music and music education (strongest priority)
  • Museums and natural history
  • Performing arts including ballet and theater
  • Botanical gardens and environmental education
  • Art museums

Other Areas:

  • Art education programs
  • Elderly services and senior living
  • Higher education
  • Human services

Major Grant Recipients

Music Organizations:

  • Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association: $21 million (2024) and $15 million (2014) to endow the Negaunee Music Institute
  • Music of the Baroque: $225,000
  • Steans Music Institute: $260,000

Museums & Gardens:

  • Chicago Botanic Garden: $21 million (2023) - largest gift in the garden's history
  • Field Museum of Natural History: $7.8 million (2023), plus 28 contributions totaling $63.8 million between 2008-2023
  • Art Institute of Chicago: Multiple grants (amounts not specified)

Theater & Performing Arts:

  • Joffrey Ballet
  • Steppenwolf Theatre
  • Chicago Shakespeare Theater
  • Chicago High School for the Arts

Elderly Services:

  • Scottish House/Caledonia Senior Living facility: $2 million for renovation (North Riverside, IL)

Education:

  • Colburn School (California): $16.6 million - largest gift ever made to a California institution by the foundation

Grant Range

  • Typical range: $10,000 - $500,000
  • Most common amount: $10,000
  • Large institutional grants: $7.8 million - $21 million
  • Total number of grants per year: 105-107

What They Don't Fund

While the foundation has not published explicit exclusions, their funding history shows:

  • Limited support outside the Chicago area (though some national grants exist)
  • Primary focus on established institutions rather than startup organizations
  • No evidence of international grantmaking

Governance and Leadership

Key Personnel:

  • Richard W. Colburn: President and Director (founder of Consolidated Electrical Distributors)
  • Robin T. Colburn: Vice President and Director

Leadership does not receive compensation for their roles with the foundation. The foundation operates with a family-based governance structure.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and explicitly does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. The foundation does not maintain a website or provide grantseekers with clear application guidelines.

Organizations interested in funding must contact the foundation directly at 847-480-4690, though there is no guarantee that unsolicited contact will result in funding consideration.

Getting on Their Radar

The Negaunee Foundation identifies grantees through the trustees' existing relationships and knowledge of the Chicago cultural and nonprofit landscape. Based on their funding patterns, the foundation appears to:

  • Focus on well-established Chicago institutions where the Colburn family may have existing relationships (board membership, donor involvement, or long-standing connections)
  • Support institutions through multi-year or repeated giving relationships (e.g., 28 contributions to the Field Museum over 15 years)
  • Make large transformational gifts to anchor cultural institutions in Chicago
  • Occasionally support institutions outside Chicago where the Colburn family has connections (such as the Colburn School in California, which shares the family name)

Organizations seeking funding would need to develop relationships with the Colburn family or foundation trustees through shared institutional connections, though no specific process for doing so has been documented.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. As an invitation-only funder, decision timelines are determined at the discretion of the trustees.

Grant Duration and Structure

The foundation awards both restricted and unrestricted grants, with evidence of both one-time transformational gifts and ongoing multi-year support relationships.

Application Success Factors

Since the Negaunee Foundation operates by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, analysis of their funding patterns reveals what the foundation values:

Institution Profile:

  • Well-established organizations with strong track records
  • Major cultural institutions in the Chicago area, particularly in music, museums, and performing arts
  • Organizations where transformational gifts can have significant impact (naming opportunities, endowment creation, capital projects)

Focus Areas That Attract Support:

  • Classical music and music education programs (strongest documented priority)
  • Museums with strong educational missions
  • Performing arts organizations with regional or national reputation
  • Senior living facilities and services for the elderly
  • Botanical gardens and environmental education

Grant Structure Preferences:

  • Both capital projects and endowment gifts
  • Multi-year relationships with repeat grantees
  • Gifts ranging from small ($10,000) to transformational ($21 million)
  • Named programs and facilities (e.g., Negaunee Music Institute at CSO, Negaunee Integrative Research Center at Field Museum)

Geographic Priority:

  • Strong preference for Chicago-area organizations (majority of grants)
  • Occasional grants to institutions with Colburn family connections outside Chicago

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process: This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Organizations should not spend time crafting speculative proposals.

  • Invitation-only model: Funding is extended to preselected organizations, typically those with existing relationships to the Colburn family or foundation trustees.

  • Focus on established institutions: The foundation has a documented "tendency to award huge gifts to well-established local institutions" rather than emerging organizations.

  • Music is the priority: With almost 67% of giving going to arts and culture and a particular emphasis on classical music and music education, organizations in this sector have received the largest grants.

  • Long-term relationships matter: Evidence shows multi-year giving patterns (e.g., 28 grants to Field Museum over 15 years), suggesting the foundation values sustained partnerships.

  • Transformational giving model: The foundation makes both small grants ($10,000) and very large transformational gifts ($21 million), with the latter typically supporting capital projects, endowments, or named programs.

  • Geographic focus: Strongly concentrated in Chicago and surrounding areas, with most grants staying local.

  • Direct contact only: Organizations must contact the foundation at 847-480-4690; there is no website or online presence for grantseekers.

References

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