The Buchanan Family Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $2,237,000 (2023)
• Success Rate: N/A — no public application process; grants made to preselected organizations only
• Decision Time: N/A — invitation/discretion only
• Grant Range: $1,000 – $160,000
• Geographic Focus: Primarily Illinois; secondary giving in New York and Florida, with additional grants in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin

Contact Details

• Address: 222 E Wisconsin Ave, Suite 308, Lake Forest, IL 60045-1723
• EIN: 36-6160998
• Website: No public website identified
• Application Portal: None — the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications

Overview

The Buchanan Family Foundation is a long-established private family foundation headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, incorporated in 1967. The foundation holds approximately $37.5 million in total assets (as of the most recent 990-PF filing) and distributes approximately $2.2 million annually through a substantial number of individual grants. In 2023 the foundation made 147 separate awards, reflecting a broad pattern of giving across many organizations rather than concentration in a small number of large grants.

The foundation's stated areas of interest span cultural programs, hospitals and health associations, education, social services, community funds, and environmental associations. Its giving is geographically centered on Illinois, with meaningful secondary giving in New York and Florida and a national reach across approximately 20 US states. The foundation operates entirely on a by-invitation or preselection basis; it does not accept unsolicited grant requests. It is classified by the IRS as a private non-operating foundation filing Form 990-PF annually.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate named, publicly described grant streams. Based on IRS 990-PF filings and aggregator data, its giving is distributed widely across sectors, with individual awards ranging from $1,000 to $160,000.

• Smaller discretionary grants: $1,000 – $10,000 (broad range of community, cultural, and social-service organizations)
• Mid-range grants: $10,000 – $50,000 (education, health, and environment)
• Larger strategic grants: $50,000 – $160,000 (likely to established institutional partners)

With 147 awards totaling $2.237 million in 2023, the average grant was approximately $15,215, suggesting the portfolio is weighted toward mid-range and smaller awards spread across a large number of organizations.

Priority Areas

• Cultural programs and the arts
• Hospitals and health associations
• Education (K–12 and higher education)
• Social services and community funds
• Environmental associations

What They Don't Fund

• Unsolicited applications — the foundation explicitly states it only supports preselected organizations
• No information is publicly available on formal exclusions, but as a US-based private foundation it cannot fund individuals, political campaigns, or foreign organizations without specific IRS-compliant procedures

Governance and Leadership

Based on the most recent publicly available IRS Form 990-PF filings:

Name	Role	Compensation
Kenneth H Buchanan	President	$75,000
Charles F Kane Jr	Treasurer	$25,000
Margaux Buchanan	Secretary	Not disclosed
Hunt Eldridge III	Director	Not disclosed
Brian K Jones	Director	Not disclosed
Perrin B Martin	Director	Not disclosed

The foundation is family-led, with Kenneth H Buchanan serving as president and Margaux Buchanan as secretary, indicating continued Buchanan family involvement in governance. The presence of non-family directors (Eldridge, Jones, Martin) suggests some external perspective in grant-making decisions. No public quotes from leadership about funding priorities have been identified; the foundation maintains a very low public profile.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

The Buchanan Family Foundation has formally stated in its IRS filings that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds." There is no application portal, no published request-for-proposals process, and no contact mechanism for prospective grantees on any publicly accessible platform.

Grants are made entirely at the discretion of the foundation's trustees and president based on pre-existing relationships with recipient organizations.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation has a very limited public profile and no documented outreach or networking activities have been identified. However, the following observations may assist organizations seeking to understand how to build a relationship:

• Geographic proximity: The foundation is headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois (Lake County). Organizations with operations or presence in the Lake County / North Shore Chicago area may have the strongest organic connection to the foundation's leadership network.
• Board network: The foundation's board includes named individuals (Kenneth H Buchanan, Hunt Eldridge III, Brian K Jones, Perrin B Martin, Margaux Buchanan, Charles F Kane Jr) who may be active in Lake County philanthropic, civic, or business circles. Engagement with those circles — through community events, shared board service, or sector-specific networks — is the most realistic pathway to the foundation's awareness.
• Sector alignment: Given the foundation's documented focus on cultural programs, education, health, social services, and environmental causes, organizations active in these sectors in Illinois are most likely to come to the trustees' attention through shared professional or civic networks.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable — no public application process. Grants are awarded at trustee discretion on an undisclosed internal schedule.

Success Rates

Not applicable — no open application process. In 2023 the foundation made 147 awards, in 2022 it made 146 awards, and in 2021 it made 139 awards, suggesting a stable and growing grantee portfolio.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable — ongoing grantee relationships are maintained at the trustees' discretion.

Application Success Factors

Because this foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, the following guidance is specific to understanding its documented patterns of giving:

• Volume of grants: With 140–147 awards per year totaling ~$2.2 million, the foundation maintains a broad portfolio. This suggests it supports a wide ecosystem of organizations rather than concentrating resources, which may indicate many long-term, repeat grantee relationships.
• Average grant size: The average award of approximately $15,000 is modest by foundation standards, suggesting the foundation values breadth of impact and relationships over transformational single grants.
• National but Illinois-first geography: While the foundation gives nationally (20+ states documented), Illinois — and likely the North Shore Chicago / Lake County area — is the core giving geography. Organizations located here are most likely to be in the existing network.
• Sector breadth: The documented priority areas (culture, health, education, social services, environment) are broad. This is not a foundation with a highly specialized programmatic focus, which means sector-specific targeting is less useful than relationship-based access.
• Stability of giving: Grant counts have grown steadily from 129 (2020) to 147 (2023), suggesting the foundation is gradually expanding its grantee base rather than contracting it — a positive sign for organizations seeking to enter the portfolio.
• Family foundation dynamics: Decision-making is concentrated in a small family-led board. Relationship quality with one or more individual board members is likely the primary determinant of funding.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process exists: The Buchanan Family Foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited grant requests. Cold outreach is unlikely to be productive and should be approached with care.
• Relationship-first strategy: Access to this foundation is driven entirely by pre-existing relationships with board members, particularly within the Lake Forest / Lake County, Illinois philanthropic community.
• Broad sector coverage but Illinois focus: Alignment with arts, education, health, social services, or environment is necessary but not sufficient — geographic proximity to the foundation's home community is a key factor.
• Mid-sized grant portfolio: With average grants of approximately $15,000 and a maximum observed grant of $160,000, this is not a source for transformational capital. It suits organizations seeking to diversify their funding base with reliable, relationship-based grants.
• Stable and growing grantee count: The foundation increased its number of awards from 129 (2020) to 147 (2023), indicating modest portfolio growth and some openness to new relationships over time.
• Low public profile: The foundation has no website, no published annual report, and no documented public communications. Grant writers must rely on 990-PF data and sector networks for intelligence.
• Board engagement: The most actionable path to this foundation is through genuine, sustained engagement with the Lake County / North Shore Chicago philanthropic, civic, and business networks where board members Kenneth H Buchanan, Hunt Eldridge III, Brian K Jones, Perrin B Martin, Margaux Buchanan, and Charles F Kane Jr are likely active.

References

1. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer — The Buchanan Family Foundation (EIN: 36-6160998). Financial data, officer compensation, and filing history. URL: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/366160998 — Accessed February 2026.

2. Instrumentl 990 Report — The Buchanan Family Foundation. Grant range, geographic distribution, leadership, and award counts. URL: https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/buchanan-family-foundation-194afcf2-ba3e-42b1-81ff-7541db69ce7d — Accessed February 2026.

3. Grantmakers.io Profile — The Buchanan Family Foundation (EIN: 36-6160998). Grantee and board member data as of 2023 tax year. URL: https://www.grantmakers.io/profiles/v0/366160998-the-buchanan-family-foundation/ — Accessed February 2026.

4. Cause IQ — Buchanan Family Foundation, Lake Forest, IL (EIN: 36-6160998). Financial overview and grant activity. URL: https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/buchanan-family-foundation,366160998/ — Accessed February 2026.

5. Charity Navigator — The Buchanan Family Foundation (EIN: 36-6160998). Classification and status data. URL: https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/366160998 — Accessed February 2026.

6. TaxExemptWorld — The Buchanan Family Foundation (EIN: 36-6160998). Classification and principal activity data. URL: https://www.taxexemptworld.com/organization.asp?tn=894146 — Accessed February 2026.

7. Candid / Foundation Directory Online — The Buchanan Family Foundation. Funder profile. URL: https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile?key=BUCH002 — Accessed February 2026.