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Lannan Foundation

Annual Giving
$29.2M
Grant Range
$0K - $0.5M

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Lannan Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $29,237,204 (2024)
  • Grant Range: $200 - $500,000 (most grants $10,000-$200,000)
  • Average Grant: $109,689
  • Geographic Focus: National (US), with emphasis on rural indigenous communities
  • Status: No longer accepting new applications; spending down assets through 2032

Contact Details

Address: 369 Montezuma Ave #312, Santa Fe, NM 87501

EIN: 36-6062451

Website: https://www.lannan.org/

Contact: Visit lannan.org/contact for current information

Note: As of 2022, the foundation is no longer accepting letters of inquiry in any grant-making programmes.

Overview

The Lannan Foundation was established in 1960 by J. Patrick Lannan, Sr. The foundation, with assets of approximately $115 million, is dedicated to cultural freedom, diversity, and creativity in support of exceptional contemporary artists, writers, and inspired Native activists in rural indigenous communities. In April 2022, the foundation announced plans to spend down approximately $150 million in assets and close by 2032. Lawrence P. Lannan, Jr. serves as President, and Brenda Coughlin was appointed Executive Director in April 2022. The foundation distributed $29,237,204 in grants during 2024, making 93 awards. As Patrick Lannan, Jr. stated: "We never intended to operate in perpetuity, and we want to have the greatest impact we can right now."

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

The foundation operates four main programmes:

Contemporary Visual Arts Grants to nonprofit art organisations for publishing, exhibitions, tours, and other public art programmes with an emphasis on contemporary art and artists. Past recipients include the Folger Shakespeare Library and Marfa Public Radio.

Literary Programme (established 1987) Grants to nonprofit publishers, distributors, literary journals, educational programmes, and libraries to increase public appreciation and support for contemporary literature written originally in English. Past recipients include the National Poetry Series. The foundation also awarded prestigious Literary Awards (poetry, fiction, and nonfiction), which were among the richest literary prizes in the world, with award amounts of $150,000 in the mid-2000s and typically $100,000 in the 2010s. The final Literary Awards were announced in November 2021.

Indigenous Communities (established 1994) Multi-year grants for rural indigenous projects consistent with traditional values in areas of education, Native cultures, language revival and preservation, legal rights, and environmental protection. Examples include:

  • Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival (supporting the Breath of Life Institute and Master Apprentice Language Learning Programme)
  • Euchee Language Project ($500,000 in 2023)
  • Blackfeet Reservation Development Fund (over $7 million from 1998-2009 for trust lands litigation)

Cultural Freedom (established 1999) Special cultural projects and ideas that promote and protect cultural freedom, diversity, and creativity through prizes and fellowships.

Priority Areas

  • Contemporary visual arts and artists
  • Creative writing and literature (poetry, fiction, nonfiction)
  • Rural Native American communities
  • Language revitalisation projects
  • Cultural freedom and diversity initiatives
  • Projects that encourage freedom of inquiry, imagination, and expression
  • Multi-year funding for project costs, operating costs, technical assistance, and collaborative activities that build organisational strength and community capacity

What They Don't Fund

  • Documentary film or video projects
  • Performing arts or theatre
  • Crafts or decorative arts
  • Political campaigns or activities intended to support candidates for political office
  • Lobbying or activities to influence legislation
  • Unsolicited proposals (with the exception of fellowships and awards for creative writing)

Governance and Leadership

President: Lawrence P. Lannan, Jr.

Executive Director: Brenda Coughlin (appointed April 2022)

Board Members: Brenda Coughlin, Frank C. Lawler (Vice President), Andrea Lannan Tuch, David Ungerleider, SJ

Quote from Brenda Coughlin: Regarding literary funding priorities, she stated: "It's shocking – not even 2% of arts funding goes toward our shared literary life," expressing hope that their initiatives would "invite in and encourage new supporters to experience, as we have, the delight and high returns of literary brilliance."

The foundation "recognises the profound and often unquantifiable value of the creative process and is willing to take risks and make substantial investments in ambitious and experimental thinking."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

IMPORTANT: The Lannan Foundation is no longer accepting letters of inquiry in any of its grant-making programmes as of 2022. The foundation announced plans to spend down all assets and close by 2032.

Historically, the foundation:

  • Invited Letters of Inquiry (LOI) with instructions available online
  • Rarely funded unsolicited requests
  • Worked primarily with organisations through invitation or existing relationships

For Literary Awards and Fellowships: Candidates were nominated anonymously by a network of writers, literary scholars, publishers, and editors, with the foundation's literary committee making final determinations. The foundation did not accept applications for these awards. The final Literary Awards were announced in November 2021.

Decision Timeline

Specific decision timelines were not publicly disclosed. The foundation considered multi-year funding requests, suggesting a thorough review process for major grants.

Success Rates

Specific success rate data is not publicly available. However, given that the foundation "rarely funded unsolicited requests" and made 93 awards in 2024, 110 in 2023, and 161 in 2022, competition was highly selective.

Application Success Factors

While the foundation is no longer accepting new applications, historical success factors included:

For Indigenous Communities Grants:

  • Projects consistent with traditional values
  • Focus on rural indigenous communities
  • Emphasis on education, Native cultures, language revival and preservation, legal rights, and environmental protection
  • Multi-year approach to building organisational strength and community capacity

For Arts and Literary Grants:

  • Support for exceptional contemporary work
  • Projects that increase public appreciation and understanding
  • Organisations with strong track records in their fields
  • Alignment with cultural freedom, diversity, and creativity

Foundation Philosophy: The foundation values "freedom of inquiry, imagination, and expression" and is "willing to take risks and make substantial investments in ambitious and experimental thinking."

Recent Grant Examples (2023):

  • Center for Economic Change and Social Research: $4,044,000
  • Jewish Voice for Peace: $500,000
  • Euchee Language Project: $500,000
  • Various organisations: $100,000 - $400,000

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Application Status: The foundation is no longer accepting new letters of inquiry as of 2022 and plans to close by 2032
  • Spend-Down Phase: The foundation is actively deploying remaining assets (approximately $150 million) to existing programmes and initiatives
  • Historical Approach: Worked primarily through invitation and existing relationships rather than open applications
  • Large Average Grants: With an average grant of approximately $109,689, the foundation made substantial investments
  • Grant Range: Grants to organisations ranged from $200 to $500,000, though most grants fell in the $10,000 to $200,000 range
  • Multi-Year Support: Considered and provided multi-year funding for organisational capacity building
  • Risk-Taking Philosophy: Valued ambitious, experimental thinking and the "unquantifiable value of the creative process"
  • Four Programme Focus: Maintained distinct programmes for visual arts, literature, indigenous communities, and cultural freedom
  • Literary Arts Initiative: In October 2025, the foundation joined six other foundations to launch the Literary Arts Fund, a coalition that will distribute at least $50 million over five years (through 2031) to support the nonprofit literary arts field in the United States

References

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