The James & Catherine Buck Charitable Trust concentrates its support on higher education through scholarship funding, primarily for Kansas-based universities. Nearly all giving goes to a small set of repeat grantees, with a notable earmark for scholarships and a specific gift linked to French studies at Wichita State. The foundation’s profile is that of a focused donor favoring durable scholarship support rather than wide-ranging charitable giving.
Highly concentrated: very few, large grants directed to a small number of repeat university grantees (multi-grant relationships), primarily for scholarship endowments/programs rather than many small awards.
James & Catherine Buck Charitable Trust has built a clear pattern around scholarship support for Kansas higher education, with Wichita State University Foundation receiving the largest recent gifts and an earmark that includes French-related funding. The trust’s recent record shows a small set of repeat grantees rather than a broad, diversified roster, and its support is directed to undergraduate students through institutional scholarship funds. Wichita State’s grants were $695,683 in 2025, $638,569 in 2024, and $576,370 in 2023, all marked for scholarships and French. Friends University also appears as a repeated recipient, with grants in consecutive years for scholarships and undergraduate support. The trust’s giving is concentrated in Kansas colleges and universities, including Wichita State, Friends University, Newman University, and Butler Community College. That pattern points to a funder using substantial institutional grants to underwrite tuition assistance and related academic support, especially in Wichita and nearby Kansas communities. The structure of the giving suggests long-running scholarship commitments rather than one-time project funding across many causes.
Higher education access is the trust’s main theme. Friends University received $178,890 in 2025 for scholarships, following $164,203 in 2024 and $148,209 in 2023 for undergraduate support. Newman University also appears consistently, with $59,630 in 2025 and $54,734 in 2024 for undergraduate support. Butler Community College received the same pattern at a slightly lower scale, including $59,630 in 2025 for scholarships and $54,734 in 2024 for undergraduate support. The trust also supports a specific academic area at Wichita State through funding labeled scholarships and French, tying its scholarship work to French language or Francophone study.
The trust’s typical grant size is fairly large for scholarship philanthropy: the 25th percentile is $53,401, the median is $101,472, and the 75th percentile is $267,245. The recent record shows repeated awards to the same institutions across 2023, 2024, and 2025, which indicates ongoing institutional relationships rather than one-off grants. It does not fund individuals directly and does not make program-related investments. The available data points to restricted scholarship support through universities and colleges, often with purpose language attached to undergraduate aid.
$1.1M
$16.1M
$1.4M
$1.3M
Most grants fall between $53K and $267K, with a median of $101K.
25th Percentile
$53K
Median
$101K
75th Percentile
$267K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in KS.
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Notable grantees: Wichita State University Foundation, Friends University, Kansas higher-education institutions (collective representation of grantee focus)
Grantmaking is regional and entirely domestic in the recent grants shown, with 12 grants to U.S. recipients. Kansas is the clear center of activity: Wichita State University Foundation and Friends University are both in Wichita, while Butler Community College is in El Dorado and Newman University is in Wichita. The trust gives most often in Kansas, and no recent grants were made to recipients in Texas despite the foundation’s Dallas headquarters.
It focuses on higher education scholarships and undergraduate support, especially through Kansas institutions. Recent grants include repeated funding for Wichita State University Foundation, Friends University, Newman University, and Butler Community College, with one recurring program-level emphasis on scholarships and French at Wichita State.
Wichita State University Foundation appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025 with large scholarship and French-related grants. Friends University, Newman University, and Butler Community College also show repeat awards across multiple years, usually tied to scholarships or undergraduate support.
The grant-size distribution is relatively high for education philanthropy: p25 is $53,401, median grant size is $101,472, and p75 is $267,245. That range reflects substantial institutional awards rather than small one-time gifts.
In the recent grants listed, all 12 grants went to U.S. recipients, for a 100% U.S. distribution. The named recipients are Kansas-based colleges and university foundations.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | WICHITA, KS | $752,064 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIPS (95%) & FRENCH |
| FRIENDS UNIVERSITY | WICHITA, KS | $193,388 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE | EL DORADO, KS | $64,463 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| NEWMAN UNIVERSITY | WICHITA, KS | $64,463 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | WICHITA, KS | $695,683 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS (95%) & FRENCH |
| FRIENDS UNIVERSITY | WICHITA, KS | $178,890 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| NEWMAN UNIVERSITY | WICHITA, KS | $59,630 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE | EL DORADO, KS | $59,630 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | WICHITA, KS | $638,569 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS (95%) & FRENCH |
| FRIENDS UNIVERSITY | WICHITA, KS | $164,203 | 2024 | TO PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE |
| NEWMAN UNIVERSITY | WICHITA, KS | $54,734 | 2024 | TO PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE |
| BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE | EL DORADO, KS | $54,734 | 2024 | TO PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE |
| WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | WICHITA, KS | $576,370 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS (95%) & FRENCH |
| FRIENDS UNIVERSITY | WICHITA, KS | $148,209 | 2023 | TO PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE |
| BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE | EL DORADO, KS | $49,403 | 2023 | TO PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE |
| NEWMAN UNIVERSITY | WICHITA, KS | $49,403 | 2023 | TO PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE |
FRIENDS UNIVERSITY
$193,388UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE
$64,463UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
NEWMAN UNIVERSITY
$64,463UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
FRIENDS UNIVERSITY
$178,890SCHOLARSHIPS
NEWMAN UNIVERSITY
$59,630SCHOLARSHIPS
BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE
$59,630SCHOLARSHIPS
FRIENDS UNIVERSITY
$164,203TO PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE
NEWMAN UNIVERSITY
$54,734TO PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE
BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE
$54,734TO PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE
FRIENDS UNIVERSITY
$148,209TO PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE
BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE
$49,403TO PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE
NEWMAN UNIVERSITY
$49,403TO PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE