The Graunke Family Foundation concentrates most of its resources on one large beneficiary — Naples Children & Education Foundation — while also supporting conservation, local health and community services, and historic/arts preservation. Grants are almost exclusively general operating and program support, suggesting a preference for flexible funding. The foundation’s geography is dispersed (notably Naples, FL and several Southeast and Illinois organizations), and it makes occasional repeat grants to conservation organizations.
Highly concentrated giving dominated by one very large grant recipient, supplemented by several modest operational grants; prefers unrestricted or program support and makes occasional repeat gifts to conservation-oriented grantees.
A single grant to Naples Children & Education Foundation accounted for $163,310 in 2024, showing how the Graunke Family Foundation can place substantial weight behind one beneficiary while still keeping a wider local and regional portfolio. Most of the grants in the current file are described as support for operational and program expenses, pointing to flexible funding rather than restricted project-only awards. The foundation’s recent work reaches beyond that flagship Florida recipient into Illinois, Georgia, and other Southeast conservation and community organizations. In the recent grants list, the foundation backed Barrington Youth and Family Services in Barrington, Illinois, and Northwest Community Hospital Foundation in Arlington Heights, Illinois, both with operating support. It also funded Tall Timbers Research Inc in Tallahassee, Florida, and Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation in Dundee, Illinois, reflecting an interest in conservation and land stewardship. Two Thomasville, Georgia recipients — Pebble Hill Plantation Preservation Fund and Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation Inc — show support for preservation and cultural activity as part of the same grantmaking pattern.
The Graunke Family Foundation’s cause areas are broad but identifiable across the recent grants list. In children’s services and education, it gave $163,310 to Naples Children & Education Foundation for operational and program expenses. In local family services, it awarded $12,500 to Barrington Youth and Family Services for the same purpose, continuing a visible pattern of support for community-based organizations. Environmental and land-conservation work is another recurring area. The foundation granted $10,000 to Tall Timbers Research Inc in Tallahassee, Florida, and $7,500 to Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation in Dundee, Illinois, both for operational and program expenses. It also supported preservation and cultural projects in Thomasville, Georgia, including $2,500 to Pebble Hill Plantation Preservation Fund and $2,500 to Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation Inc. Health-related support appears as well through $10,000 to Northwest Community Hospital Foundation in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Typical awards sit in the mid-thousands, with a p25 of $2,500, median of $7,500, and p75 of $10,000. The distribution is shaped by one much larger grant to Naples Children & Education Foundation, alongside a smaller set of operating and program grants. The pattern suggests selective, flexible support rather than many high-volume awards. Recipients can appear more than once: Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation received grants in both 2024 and 2025, indicating repeat support across years. The foundation’s grants in the file are all to organizations rather than individuals, and the awards are framed as operating or program support.
$217K
$151K
$8K
$10K
Most grants fall between $3K and $10K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$10K
About 56% of grants go to recipients in IL.
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Notable grantees: Naples Children & Education Foundation, Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, Tall Timbers Research Inc, Barrington Youth and Family Services
Grantmaking is entirely domestic in the recent file, with all 9 grants going to U.S. recipients. Illinois is the top state by grant count, and 56% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s headquarters state. Recent Illinois recipients include Barrington, Arlington Heights, Dundee, and Barrington Area Community Foundation. Outside Illinois, grants reached Naples and Tallahassee in Florida, plus Thomasville, Georgia. The geography looks regional rather than national, with a concentration in Illinois and a smaller cluster in the Southeast.
The recent grants point to children’s services and education, family services, wildlife and land conservation, healthcare, and preservation or cultural projects. Examples include Naples Children & Education Foundation for children and education, Tall Timbers Research Inc and Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation for conservation, and Northwest Community Hospital Foundation for healthcare support.
The grant-size profile is centered in the mid-thousands: p25 is $2,500, median is $7,500, and p75 is $10,000. That distribution sits alongside one much larger 2024 award of $163,310, so the funder uses both smaller operating grants and occasional larger commitments.
Yes. Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation in Dundee, Illinois received $7,500 in 2024 and another $7,500 in 2025. That repeat pattern suggests the foundation sometimes renews support for the same organization across years rather than only giving one-time awards.
Illinois is the top state by grant count, with 56% of grants going to recipients in the foundation’s headquarters state. The recent file also includes recipients in Florida and Georgia, so the grantmaking is regional rather than limited to one city.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation | Dundee, IL | $7,500 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES |
| Naples Children & Education Foundation | Naples, FL | $163,310 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES |
| Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation | Dundee, IL | $7,500 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES |
| Barrington Youth and Family Services | Barrington, IL | $12,500 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES |
| Tall Timbers Research Inc | Tallahassee, FL | $10,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES |
| Northwest Community Hospital Foundation | Arlington Heights, IL | $10,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES |
| Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation Inc | Thomasville, GA | $2,500 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES |
| Pebble Hill Plantation Preservation Fund | Thomasville, GA | $2,500 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES |
| Barrington Area Community Foundation | Barrington, IL | $1,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES |
Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation
$7,500TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES
Naples Children & Education Foundation
$163,310TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES
Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation
$7,500TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES
Barrington Youth and Family Services
$12,500TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES
Tall Timbers Research Inc
$10,000TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES
Northwest Community Hospital Foundation
$10,000TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES
Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation Inc
$2,500TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES
Pebble Hill Plantation Preservation Fund
$2,500TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES
Barrington Area Community Foundation
$1,000TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL AND PROGRAM EXPENSES