Frank E Payne and Seba B Payne Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a small charity should not send it a cold application.
- Its stated themes are health and education, and its filings also show grants for environmental conservation, food assistance, social services, culture, and civil liberties and legal services.
- About 8 in 10 of its grants to organisations fall between $25,000 and $350,000, with a median of $75,000, so a request in that range is typical; the largest grant in the filings was $3,000,000, so that band is not a ceiling.
- In its most recent filing, 79% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded in the two earlier filings, so the record points to a foundation that works mostly with organisations it already knows.
- The materials do not set out timing or any open application route, so an organisation with a connection to the foundation is the only route the filing supports.
Overview
Frank E Payne and Seba B Payne Foundation is a US private foundation based in Chicago, IL.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and web pages about the foundation (mcall.com), with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
A newspaper account describes the foundation as supporting health and educational facilities and programmes. Its filings record grants chiefly as general operating support, annual gifts and project support, with smaller amounts classified as research and further grantmaking. Recipients shown in the filings work in environmental conservation, food assistance and other social services, health, education and culture, and civil liberties and legal services. Taken together, the record shows support across a wide range of charitable organisations and activities, rather than a single type of recipient. The materials reviewed do not set out broader eligibility criteria or a formal open application route; the filing states that contributions are made only to preselected charitable organisations.
Themes
- Health
- Education
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Massachusetts, Virginia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York and the United States.
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests; no open application steps are provided.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 79% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 126 grants to organisations were $75,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 16%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 2%
- The largest single recipient received 16% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 79% of grant dollars went to organisations Frank E Payne and Seba B Payne Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- 2% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Finland).
- 20% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 47 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $85,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Field Museum of Natural History · Project support$500,0002024 tax year
- Snowchange Cooperative (Lumimuutos Osuuskunta) · Project support$500,0002024 tax year
- Land Trust Alliance · General operating support$500,0002024 tax year
- Natural Resources Defense Council · Project support$400,0002024 tax year
- American Cancer Society · Research$400,0002024 tax year
- Fidelity Charitable · For further granting$400,0002024 tax year
- American Civil Liberties Union Foundation · General operating support$350,0002024 tax year
- Western Resource Advocates · General operating support$350,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- M Cumings — Vice President / Director
- T Scott — Vice President / Director
- A Greene — Vice President / Director
- L Scott — Vice President / Director
- Michael Mcquinn — Treasurer
- Lauren Macdonald — President / Executive Director / Secretary
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $9,358,832 | $8,909,200 | $165,296,222 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $9,046,059 | $6,142,000 | $195,189,252 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $8,370,340 | $6,614,500 | $214,029,397 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
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At a glance
Applying to Frank E Payne and Seba B Payne Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Chicago, IL
Applying to Frank E Payne and Seba B Payne Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Chicago, IL