The Seabury Foundation was established in Chicago, Illinois, in 1947 by Charles Ward and Louise Lovett Seabury.  Early interests of the Foundation included the major cultural and civic institutions in Chicago, educational opportunities for those who could not afford them, conservation of animals and their habitats, ground-breaking medical techniques, health care for the poor, and recreational and character-building opportunities for city children.

Sixty years and four generations later, a larger, geographically dispersed family, with a broad range of funding interests, seeks to respond to challenges in our society and to an expanding number of requests from worthy organizations.  Fortunately, our founders had the foresight to allow these subsequent generations the latitude to adapt to the times and consider new areas in which to fund as determined by the exigencies of the times.

While a significant portion of the Foundation’s grants each year are developed under the care and sponsorship of individual family members, the statements on the following pages attempt to express the values and guidelines which the Trustees apply in assessing new proposals which are submitted without family sponsorship.