The Henry and Gilda Buchbinder Family Foundation concentrates its limited giving on two areas: medical research/rare disease support and major Chicago cultural institutions. Grants are local and charity-focused, with multiple awards to a single health-focused nonprofit and a sizable gift to the Art Institute of Chicago, indicating a blend of health philanthropy and civic arts support tied to their Chicago base.
Highly concentrated giving: a small number of relatively large gifts, including repeat support to the same health-focused grantee and a single substantial cultural gift; local (Chicago) emphasis.
A single $80,000 grant to the Art Institute of Chicago stands out in The Henry and Gilda Buchbinder Family Foundation’s recent giving, and it helps define the funder’s mix of Chicago cultural support and rare-disease philanthropy. The foundation also gave repeated support to the Osteogenisis Foundation, including $50,000 grants in both 2023 and 2024, showing a pattern of multi-year backing for osteogenesis imperfecta research and patient support. Alongside those larger awards, the foundation has funded Chicago institutions such as the Chicago Symphony, Grant Park Music Festival, Northwestern, Millennium Park Foundation, WTTW, and Lyric Opera. The recent record also includes smaller gifts to community and charitable organizations, including Columbus Arts Council, Doctors Without Borders, Paws Chicago, Santa Fe Conservatory Trust, and the City of Chicago. Across this portfolio, the foundation’s giving is limited in number but distinct in focus: concentrated support for a specific medical condition and for cultural organizations tied to Chicago.
Medical research and patient support for osteogenesis imperfecta is one of the foundation’s clearest priorities. It gave $50,000 in 2024 to Osteogenisis Foundation, following a $50,000 grant in 2023, indicating sustained support for that organization’s work. The arts are the other major thread in the record. In 2024, the foundation gave $15,000 to Chicago Symphony and $13,000 to Grant Park Music Festival, both in Chicago. It also supported museums and media with an $80,000 grant to the Art Institute of Chicago and a $500 gift to WTTW. Smaller awards show some breadth within the arts and civic sphere, including $500 to Lyric Opera and $10,000 to Millennium Park Foundation.
Typical grants are relatively small to mid-sized for a private foundation with this asset base: the p25 grant is $500, the median is $7,500, and the p75 is $15,000. The recent record also shows a few large anchor gifts, including one $80,000 award and multiple $50,000 and $15,000 grants. Giving appears concentrated rather than broad, with only 16 recent grants listed and repeated support to the same recipient across 2023 and 2024. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$5.3M
$1.1M
$115K
$5.3M
Most grants fall between $500 and $15K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$500
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$15K
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Notable grantees: Osteogenesis Foundation, Art Institute of Chicago, Other Chicago-based health and arts nonprofits (representative of the foundation's local focus)
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly U.S.-based, and 62% of grants go to recipients in Illinois, the foundation’s top giving state. Chicago is the main city in the portfolio, with grants to the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Symphony, Grant Park Music Festival, Northwestern, Millennium Park Foundation, WTTW, Lyric Opera, Paws Chicago, and the City of Chicago. Outside Illinois, the foundation gave to recipients in Gaithersburg, Maryland; Columbus, Indiana; New York, New York; and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Its recent grants point to two main areas: osteogenesis imperfecta research and patient support, and Chicago cultural institutions. The record includes repeated support for the Osteogenisis Foundation and multiple grants to Chicago arts organizations such as the Chicago Symphony and Grant Park Music Festival.
Yes. The Osteogenisis Foundation received $50,000 in 2023 and another $50,000 in 2024. Chicago Symphony also appears in consecutive years, with $15,000 grants in both 2023 and 2024.
The typical grant profile is modest to mid-sized: p25 is $500, the median is $7,500, and p75 is $15,000. The recent list also includes a few much larger awards, including one at $80,000 and two at $50,000.
Illinois is the top state by grant count, with 62% of grants going to recipients in the state. Chicago is the main recipient city in the recent record.
No on both counts. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $5,226,783 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| OSTEOGENISIS FOUNDATION | GAITHERSBURG, MD | $25,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLECHARITABLE |
| MILLENEUM PARK FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| NORTHWESTEN UNIVERSITY | EVANSTON, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| GRANT PARK MUSIC FESTIVAL | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| WTTW | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $145,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| OSTEOGENISIS FOUNDATION | GAITHERSBURG, MD | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLECHARITABLE |
| NORTHWESTEN UNIVERSITY | EVANSTON, IL | $15,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| GRANT PARK MILLENNIUM | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| COLUMBUS ARTS COUNCIL | COLUMBUS, IN | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $80,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| OSTEOGENISIS FOUNDATION | GAITHERSBURG, MD | $50,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| CHICAGO SYMPHONY | CHICAGO, IL | $15,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| GRANT PARK MUSIC FESTIVAL | CHICAGO, IL | $13,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| COLUMBUS ARTS COUNCIL | COLUMBUS, IN | $5,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| LYRIC OPERA | CHICAGO, IL | $500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| SANTA FE CONSERVATORY TRUST | SANTA FE, NM | $500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| WTTW | CHICAGO, IL | $500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| CITY OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $50 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| OSTEOGENISIS FOUNDATION | GAITHERSBURG, MD | $50,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| CHICAGO SYMPHONY | CHICAGO, IL | $15,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| NORTHWESTERN | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| MILLENIUM PARK FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| COLUMBUS ARTS COUNCIL | COLUMBUS, IN | $2,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| PAWS CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $250 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
MILLENEUM PARK FOUNDATION
$10,000CHARITABLE
CHARITABLE
WTTW
$10,000CHARITABLE
GRANT PARK MILLENNIUM
$10,000CHARITABLE
COLUMBUS ARTS COUNCIL
$5,000CHARITABLE
COLUMBUS ARTS COUNCIL
$5,000CHARITABLE
WTTW
$500CHARITABLE
CITY OF CHICAGO
$50CHARITABLE
NORTHWESTERN
$10,000CHARITABLE
MILLENIUM PARK FOUNDATION
$10,000CHARITABLE
COLUMBUS ARTS COUNCIL
$2,000CHARITABLE
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$1,000CHARITABLE