Butler Family Foundation
Lake Forest, IL · EIN 36-6101775. Reported 336 grants totalling $7,418,488 to 153 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Butler Family Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $15,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $8,333 and $25,000; the smallest was $1,000 and the largest $451,650. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Inc - Metro Ny Region Now Blood Care United | Rye Brook, NY | $451,650 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Art Institute of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $443,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Jackson Laboratory | Bar Harbor, ME | $338,333 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Assoc | Lake Forest, IL | $326,025 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The Church of the Holy Spirit | Lake Forest, IL | $306,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Make a Wish Foundation of America | Phoenix, AZ | $235,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Ravinia Festival Association | Highland Park, IL | $235,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $170,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| American National Red Cross | Chicago, IL | $160,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Dominican University | River Forest, IL | $160,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Lake Forest Open Lands Association | Lake Forest, IL | $152,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Southwestern Heights High School | Kismet, KS | $150,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Lake Forest Country Day School | Lake Forest, IL | $130,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| University of Virginia School of Architecture | Charlottesville, VA | $120,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Colgate University | Hamilton, NY | $115,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Ballet Arizona | Phoenix, AZ | $105,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Villanova University | Villanova, PA | $105,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Field Musuem of Natural History | Chicago, IL | $103,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Caney Creek Community Center - Alice Lloyd College | Pippa Passes, KY | $100,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Cancer Wellness Center | Northbrook, IL | $95,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Phoenix Symphony Association | Phoenix, AZ | $87,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Inc - Metro Ny Region | Rye Brook, NY | $84,166 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mothers Tr Foundation | Lake Forest, IL | $80,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals | New York, NY | $75,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Lake Forest College | Lake Forest, IL | $75,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Rhode Island Schoool of Design | Providence, RI | $75,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The Posse Foundation Inc - Chicago | Chicago, IL | $75,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods | Riverwoods, IL | $70,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Chicago Community Foundation | Chicago, IL | $70,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Environmental Working Group | Washington, DC | $65,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Champs Male Mentoring Program - Chirise | Chicago, IL | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Family Action Network | Evanston, IL | $60,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Guide Dogs for the Blind Inc | San Rafael, CA | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| St Stephens and St Agnes School Foundation | Alexandria, VA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Trustees of Westminster School Inc | Simsbury, CT | $60,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Project Hood Communities | Chicago, IL | $57,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence | Washington, DC | $55,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Orchard School Foundation Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $55,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Rendezvous Arts | Chicago, IL | $55,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Elawa Farm Foundation | Lake Forest, IL | $54,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Culver Education Foundation | Culver, IN | $51,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Allies for Community Business Inc | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Inc | Rye Brook, NY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Phoenix Childrens Hospital | Phoenix, AZ | $50,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Phoenix Childrens Hospital Foundation | Phoenix, AZ | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Brooks School | North Andover, MA | $48,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Animal Sanctuary of the St Croix Valley | Stillwater, MN | $45,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Big Shoulders Fund | Chicago, IL | $45,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Courageous Parents Network Inc | Newton, MA | $45,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Urban Rivers Inc | Chicago, IL | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Womans Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital | Chicago, IL | $43,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| History Center of Lake Forest Lake Bluff | Lake Forest, IL | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Union League Boys & Girls Club | Chicago, IL | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Groton School | Groton, MA | $39,431 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Chicago Heightening Opportunity & Potential for Educational Success | Chicago, IL | $36,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of the Cumberlands Inc | Williamsburg, KY | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Christ Episcopal Church | Waukegan, IL | $34,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Inc - Nyc Chapter | New York, NY | $32,950 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Stonington Historical Society | Stonington, CT | $32,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Chicago Symphony Orchestra | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Golden Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves | Libertyville, IL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| The Salvation Army - Metropolitan Division | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Chicago Shakespeare Theater | Chicago, IL | $26,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Ability 360 Inc | Phoenix, AZ | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| American Brain Tumor Association | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Lake County Community Foundation | Grayslake, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| North Chicago Community Partners Nfp | Lake Bluff, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| St Marys Food Bank Alliance | Phoenix, AZ | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| The Chicago Community Trust | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Vernon Township Food Pantry Inc | Buffalo Grove, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Way of the Rain Inc | Santa Fe, NM | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| St Giles Episcopal Church | Northbrook, IL | $24,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Chicago Horticultural Society - Chicago Botanic Garden | Glencoe, IL | $22,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Alexian Brothers Health System | Elk Grove Village, IL | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ann & Robert H Lurie Childrens Hosipital of Chicago Foundation | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Arizona Science Center | Phoenix, AZ | $20,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Bishop Anderson Foundation | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Bravo Waukegan | Lake Forest, IL | $20,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Christ Church of the Ascension | Paradise Valley, AZ | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| College of the Ozarks | Point Lookout, MO | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Fourth Presbyterian Church | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Gorton Community Center | Lake Forest, IL | $20,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| John Austin Cheley Foundation | Denver, CO | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Macular Degeneration Research | Northampton, MA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Night Ministry | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Northern Illinois Food Bank | Geneva, IL | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Young Masterminds Initiative | Brooklyn, NY | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Arizona Arts Circle Ltd | Phoenix, AZ | $18,600 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Arthritis Foundation Inc | Atlanta, GA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Chicago Childrens Theatre | Chicago, IL | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| International Chamber Artists | Lake Bluff, IL | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Primo Center for Women & Children | Chicago, IL | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Revive Center for Housing and Healing | Chicago, IL | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Shedd Aquarium Society | Chicago, IL | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Northwestern Memorial Healthcare-Northwestern Memorial Foundation | Chicago, IL | $12,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Reading Power Inc | Lake Bluff, IL | $11,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Arizona State University Foundation | Tempe, AZ | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Berklee College of Music Inc | Boston, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Blessed Stephen Bellesini Osa Academy Inc | Lawrence, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Camp Mishawaka | Grand Rapids, MI | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Child Crisis Arizona | Mesa, AZ | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Childrens Oncology Services Inc | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Forest Park Preservation Corporation | Lake Forest, IL | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Friends of Lake Forest Parks and Recreation | Lake Forest, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Frontier Nursing University Inc | Versailles, KY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Glenwood Academy | Glenwood, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Housing Opportunities & Maintenance for the Elderly Inc | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Institute for Ethnomedicine Inc | Jackson, WY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lake County Haven | Libertyville, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Lake Forest Garden Club | Lake Forest, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lake Forest High School Foundation | Lake Forest, IL | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Inc | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Margarets Village | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Myositis Association | Columbia, MD | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Role Model Movement Inc Nfp | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Sandra Day Oconnor Institute | Phoenix, AZ | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Special Olympics Illinois | Tinley Park, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| St Stephen S & St Agnes Schoold Foundation | Alexandria, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Uniting Voices | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Waukegan to College Nfp | Waukegan, IL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| West End House Inc | Boston, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Stonington Village Improvement Association Inc | Stonington, CT | $8,500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Franklin University Switzerland Inc | New York, NY | $8,333 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| North Shore Senior Center | Northfield, IL | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ragdale Foundation | Lake Forest, IL | $6,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lake Forest Foundation for Historic Preservation | Lake Forest, IL | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Avenues to Independence | Park Ridge, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Bounce Childrens Foundation | Deerfield, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Chicago Hope Academy | Chicago, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Childrens Home & Aid Society of Illinois | Chicago, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cradle Foundation | Evanston, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Culver Educational Foundation | Culver, IN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Gasparilla Island Conservation & Improvement Association Inc | Boca Grande, FL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Illinois Library Association | Chicago, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Journeycare Foundation Inc | Glenview, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lake Forest Garden Club | Lake Forest, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Inc | Alexandria, VA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Museum of Science and Industry | Chicago, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Navy Seal Foundation Inc | Virginia Beach, VA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Panhellenic Scholarship Foundation | Chicago, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the United States Inc | Winston Salem, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children - Chicago | Chicago, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Leonards Ministries | Chicago, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Triangle Inc | Malden, MA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Thresholds | Chicago, IL | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| James Merrill House Foundation | Stonington, CT | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Neuro and Brain Community Foundation Inc | Mesa, AZ | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Openland | Chicago, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rush University Medical Center | Chicago, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
82 of 153 (54%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 64%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Inc - Metro Ny Region Now Blood Care United
GENERAL CHARITABLE, RELIGIOUS, EDUCATIONAL OR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSE OF THE DONEE ORGANIZATION - Dominican University
GENERAL CHARITABLE, RELIGIOUS, EDUCATIONAL OR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSE OF THE DONEE ORGANIZATIONGENERAL CHARITABLE, RELIGIOUS, EDUCATIONAL OR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSE OF THE DONEE ORGANIZATION
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 236 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 92 | $1,549,833 | $10,000 |
| 2022 | 61 | $1,358,600 | $15,000 |
| 2023 | 55 | $1,037,000 | $15,000 |
| 2024 | 65 | $1,641,047 | $15,000 |
| 2025 | 63 | $1,832,008 | $10,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
55% of its giving went to organizations in Illinois. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $15,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Illinois.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Butler Family Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 825 S Waukegan Rd Suite A8 Pmb 218, Lake Forest, IL, 60045. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 36-6101775 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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