Richard Black Foundation

Richard B. Black, as founder and the foundation's visible principal, controls grantmaking. He is a former CEO of AM International and founder of imaging-tech firm ECRM. His wife, Heather Bilandic Black, is also associated with the family's philanthropic activities, though her formal role in the foundation is not publicly defined. No professional program staff is known.

The Black family maintains deep Chicago ties. Richard Black serves on the Board of Governors of the University of Chicago's Smart Museum of Art, and the family has supported the museum's collection and exhibitions. Heather Bilandic Black's father, Michael Bilandic, served as Mayor of Chicago from 1976 to 1979, reinforcing the family's multigenerational link to the city's civic and cultural life.

There is no evidence the foundation accepts unsolicited proposals. It operates no public website, publishes no grant guidelines, and maintains no known program staff — characteristics typical of a founder-driven private foundation that originates its own grants through personal and institutional networks.

The Black family maintains trusts in Wyoming, per public record, but no related family office, investment partnership, or operating business is publicly linked to the foundation. The absence of a website or public filings beyond IRS Form 990-PF limits visibility into any parallel investment structures.

Richard B. Black built his career in manufacturing and technology. He served as CEO of AM International, a diversified business-equipment and graphics company, and founded ECRM, a firm specializing in imaging and optical character recognition systems for the printing and publishing industries.