Seabury Foundation

The Seabury Foundation, established in 1947 by Charles Ward and Louise Lovett Seabury in Chicago, operates as a multi-generational family private foundation — six generations of Seabury descendants now actively shape its grantmaking. This family identity is not incidental; it is structurally baked into how grants are awarded. Understanding this duality is the single most important factor for new applicants.

The foundation runs two parallel grant tracks. The Family Grant program requires personal sponsorship by a Seabury family member — organizations without this relationship cannot access it. The Community Grant program is open to any eligible 501(c)(3) based in Chicago or Benzie County, MI, with annual operating expenses under $2.5 million, making it the primary entry point for most applicants. Community Grants require a Letter of Introduction before a full proposal is invited, so every new relationship begins with the LOI.

The foundation's five focus areas — Academic Support, Arts Enrichment, Lifelong Learning, Environmental Sustainability, and Wellness — span a wide swath of the social sector, but the grantee record reveals a clear emphasis on education and arts organizations. Top multi-year grantees include Goldin Institute (Chicago Peace Fellows program, $150,000 across two grants), Reading In Motion ($40,000), Snow City Arts Foundation ($40,000), and Working in the Schools ($40,000). In Michigan, Benzie Area Christian Neighbors ($150,000) and Munson Healthcare Foundation ($150,000, Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital) are the anchor grantees, reflecting the family's personal ties to northern Michigan.

The foundation strongly favors smaller to mid-sized nonprofits. The $2.5M budget ceiling on Community Grants signals a preference for organizations where a $10,000-$25,000 grant represents meaningful leverage. The grantee list is dominated by grassroots community organizations rather than large institutions. First-time applicants should position themselves as lean, impactful, and community-embedded — not as established institutions seeking supplemental funding.

Relationship continuity is a hallmark: most top grantees appear across two or more grant cycles, indicating the foundation values long-term partnerships. Demonstrate that your organization is built to last, not just to execute one program.

The Seabury Foundation maintains disciplined, consistent grantmaking despite modest asset growth. Annual total giving has held within a tight range: $1,387,132 in FY2021, $1,427,307 in FY2022, and $1,311,951 in FY2023 — a three-year average of approximately $1.375 million. The FY2020 figure of $535,153 was an anomaly, almost certainly reflecting COVID-19 disruption. The FY2024 990 does not yet report grants paid, though total assets reached $23.78 million.

Grants paid (the direct cash disbursements) differ from total giving in the 990 due to multi-year pledge installments. Grants paid were $847,750 in FY2023 and $977,750 in FY2022, suggesting that a portion of total giving reflects prior-year pledge fulfillments rather than new awards in any given year.

From the historical grant transaction database (124 grants, $1,955,500 total): - Median grant: $7,500 - Average grant: $10,339–$15,770 (varies by counting method) - Typical range: $1,129–$75,000 - Most common recurring award: $20,000 (general operating support) - Largest multi-year totals: $150,000 to Benzie Area Christian Neighbors, Munson Healthcare Foundation, and Goldin Institute (all two-installment grants)

Geographically, Illinois dominates at 66 of 124 grant records, followed by Michigan (24), Arizona (8, primarily Pima Community College Foundation scholarships), Indiana (6), and Wisconsin (4).

By program type, general operating support is the most common purpose — appearing in the majority of grant records across arts, education, and community organizations. Project-specific grants do appear (e.g., Ingenuity Arts Partner Re-Engagement, Conner Prairie Museum SparkLab Experience, Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital), but general operating is the modal award type. The Community Grant tiered formula makes this structural: organizations receive fixed flat amounts keyed to budget size, which implicitly function as operating support.

Net investment income funds a significant portion of grantmaking: $391,519 in FY2023 and $350,346 in FY2022. The foundation received no contributions in FY2023 and only $21,295 in FY2022, confirming it operates purely as an endowed private foundation without ongoing fundraising.

The following peer foundations are matched by asset size (~$23.8M in assets) within the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category. Note that asset-based peers do not necessarily share mission or geographic focus; the comparison is provided for benchmarking grant size and giving volume.

Among this asset-size cohort, the Seabury Foundation stands out for its transparency and accessibility. It publishes detailed program guidelines, a tiered grant formula, explicit deadlines, and a publicly accessible LOI process — while most peers in this tier either lack websites or operate exclusively by invitation. Seabury's ~$1.3M annual giving rate represents approximately 5.5% of assets, which is consistent with the IRS minimum distribution requirement (5%) for private foundations. For applicants, Seabury is notably more approachable than comparable private foundations: an organization that meets the size, geography, and focus area criteria can apply without a prior relationship, making it one of the more accessible family foundations at this asset level.

The Seabury Foundation's most concrete recent action is the September 17, 2025 refresh of both its Community Grant and Family Grant application materials (LOI template and full proposal template), suggesting active program management heading into the 2025-2026 grant year. This is a reliable signal that the foundation is operating on schedule with no signs of a grantmaking pause.

Published 2026-2027 grant cycle deadlines confirm full operational continuity: - Chicago Community — Fall 2026: LOI due May 22, 2026; proposals due July 31, 2026; awards November 20, 2026 - Chicago Community — Spring 2027: LOI due November 6, 2026; proposals due February 5, 2027; awards May 14, 2027 - Benzie County — Summer 2026: LOI due February 13, 2026; proposals due May 1, 2026; awards August 7, 2026 - Family Grants — Fall 2026: Proposals due July 31, 2026; decisions November 20, 2026

Leadership has been stable. William J. McGuinness (Executive Director) has served continuously and received $135,960 in FY2023 compensation, up from $112,475 in FY2022. Board officers — Robin Holloway (President), Deborah Seabury Holloway (Treasurer), Kristen Seabury (Vice President), Dustin Holloway (Secretary) — are all family members, confirming the foundation's insulated governance model. No leadership transitions were identified in public records.

The foundation's participation in Benzie County Connects 2025 indicates sustained investment in its Michigan community engagement beyond pure grantmaking. No major new program initiatives, endowment expansions, or strategic pivots were announced publicly in 2025-2026.

Know your grant track before anything else. Community Grants are open to eligible 501(c)(3)s in Chicago or Benzie County, MI; Family Grants require personal sponsorship by a Seabury family member. If you don't have a Seabury family connection, your path is Community Grants — full stop.

Calculate your Community Grant tier before submitting. The foundation uses a strict tiered formula: under $100K in annual expenses receives up to 10% of expenses; $100K-$1M receives $10,000; $1M-$1.5M receives $15,000; $1.5M-$2M receives $20,000; $2M-$2.5M receives $25,000. Know your award ceiling before you invest time in the application.

Start with the LOI — never jump to a full proposal. For Community Grants, a full proposal invitation is only issued after an approved LOI. The LOI and full proposal templates (updated September 17, 2025) are available for download at seaburyfoundation.org/community-grant-application/. Read both before drafting your LOI so your language aligns with what the full proposal will require.

Mirror the foundation's five focus area language. The foundation explicitly names Academic Support, Arts Enrichment, Lifelong Learning, Environmental Sustainability, and Wellness. Applications that map their work to these terms — using the foundation's exact vocabulary — demonstrate alignment more effectively than descriptions that require staff to infer the connection.

Lead with general operating support. The grantee record is dominated by general operating awards. If your organization can credibly request unrestricted operating support rather than project-specific funding, that framing aligns with the foundation's demonstrated preferences. Project support is available but appears secondary.

Demonstrate organizational staying power. The foundation consistently renews grantees across multiple cycles. In your application, emphasize leadership stability, financial health, community trust, and a multi-year track record. First-time applicants competing against renewal grantees need to signal that a grant relationship with them will compound over time.

Submit through GrantInterface only. All applications — LOIs and full proposals — are submitted at grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=seaburyfoundation. Contact: grants@seaburyfoundation.org. Phone: (312) 587-7146.

Plan for a 5-6 month cycle. From LOI submission to award decision is approximately 5-6 months for Chicago Community Grants. Budget your cash flow and program timelines accordingly.