Bardsley Foundation
The Bardsley Foundation is a private foundation based in Denver, Colorado. Its 2025 filing lists 14 grants totaling $375,500, with most grant dollars going to organizations in Colorado.
Bardsley Foundation at a glance
In short: Bardsley Foundation gave $376K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $27K), mostly in Colorado. 14% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $375,500
- +5.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- +7.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $26,821
- -2.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $11,250
- Total assets
- $6,102,902
- +0.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 14% first-time grantees (2 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Colorado (81% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Bardsley Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. No application process or materials are specified.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 461310, Denver, CO 80246-9998
Phone: (303) 249-8146
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Bardsley Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Colorado Foundation ($129K). Together the top 10 received $371K.
Grant Size Distribution
58 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 48 grants of 58 (83%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 81% of grant dollars went to recipients in Colorado, 9% to California, 5% to Montana, 3% to Massachusetts, and 2% to Iowa.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Bardsley Foundation open to new grantees?
14%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 14 grantees (14%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $31K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $16K repeat.
- 71% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+4%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 95% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $341K (2020) to $376K (2025). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $376K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Colorado Foundation Denver, CO | General Contribution | $129,000 |
| Colorado Youth Tennis Foundation Denver, CO | General Contribution | $55,000 |
| Denver Zoological Foundation Inc Denver, CO | General Contribution | $55,000 |
| Nathan Yip Foundation Denver, CO | General Contribution | $40,000 |
| Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla, CA | General Contribution | $35,000 |
| Montana State University Bozeman, MT | GENER | $20,000 |
| Children's Diabetes Foundation Aurora, CO | General Contribution | $12,500 |
| Merrimack College North Andover, MA | General Contribution | $10,000 |
| Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA | General Contribution | $7,500 |
| Opera Colorado Englewood, CO | General Contribution | $7,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $6,102,902 | $463,224 | $451,760 | $375,500 | 14 | $400,181 | $351,645 | $421,276 |
| 2024 | $6,094,549 | $404,707 | $425,560 | $356,000 | 13 | $374,206 | $297,110 | $399,528 |
| 2023 | $6,114,458 | $401,642 | $415,952 | $356,301 | 15 | $369,112 | $301,951 | $363,553 |
| 2022 | $6,127,316 | $446,396 | $427,272 | $360,605 | 8 | $370,455 | $333,044 | $367,286 |
| 2021 | $6,108,631 | $620,211 | $405,764 | $348,500 | 8 | $358,810 | $509,747 | $393,539 |
| 2020 | $5,886,356 | $332,365 | $392,104 | $341,050 | 11 | — | $230,435 | $332,895 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bardsley Foundation reported a distributable amount of $421K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose work spans higher education, youth tennis, wildlife conservation, rural education, childhood diabetes care, opera, and other areas. For example, the University of Colorado Foundation says it receives, manages, and invests gifts for the benefit of the University of Colorado; the Colorado Youth Tennis Foundation says it helps Colorado youth thrive through tennis; and the Denver Zoological Foundation says it inspires communities to save wildlife for future generations. The Nathan Yip Foundation describes its purpose as supporting rural education in Colorado to help close educational opportunity and equality gaps between rural and urban areas.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $375,500 through 14 grants. Grants ranged from $500 to $129,000, with a median grant of $11,250.
Its largest listed grants were $129,000 to the University of Colorado Foundation, $55,000 each to the Colorado Youth Tennis Foundation and Denver Zoological Foundation, $40,000 to the Nathan Yip Foundation, and $35,000 to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Other listed recipients included Montana State University ($20,000), Children’s Diabetes Foundation ($12,500), Merrimack College ($10,000), Cornell College ($7,500), Opera Colorado ($7,000), The Empowerment Program ($2,500), and the National Western Stock Show Association ($1,000). The filing identifies the listed grant purposes as general contributions, except that Montana State University’s purpose is truncated in the available information.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lynn Kitt as president.
Bardsley Foundation is led by Lynn Kitt, President on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lynn Kitt
President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Bardsley Foundation
How much does Bardsley Foundation give each year?
Bardsley Foundation gave $376K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $356K across 13 grants.
What is Bardsley Foundation's typical grant size?
Bardsley Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $11,250, and its average grant was $26,821, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Bardsley Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Bardsley Foundation give grants?
Bardsley Foundation gives mostly in Colorado: 81% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (9%) and Montana (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Denver, CO (7 grants) and Englewood, CO (2 grants).
Does Bardsley Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 93% of Bardsley Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Bardsley Foundation's largest grantees?
Bardsley Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University of Colorado Foundation ($129,000), Colorado Youth Tennis Foundation ($55,000) and Denver Zoological Foundation Inc ($55,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 64% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bardsley Foundation?
Bardsley Foundation reported $6.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $400K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $421K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Bardsley Foundation fund?
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose work spans higher education, youth tennis, wildlife conservation, rural education, childhood diabetes care, opera, and other areas. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bardsley Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Bardsley Foundation's EIN?
Bardsley Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-1521212. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Bardsley Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Bardsley Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bardsley Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bardsley-foundation-morg_39080349741f43c3913cded4e7a5cbd0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_841521212_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bardsley Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bardsley-foundation-morg_39080349741f43c3913cded4e7a5cbd0},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Bardsley Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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