Carl Lesnor Family Foundation
The Carl Lesnor Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Melville, New York. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations working in areas including arts and culture, legal services, nonviolent conflict resolution, restorative justice, and medical assistance.
Carl Lesnor Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Carl Lesnor Family Foundation gave $425K across 15 grants in 2024 (avg $28K), mostly in New York. 40% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $425,000
- +32.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 15
- +25.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $28,333
- +5.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $30,000
- Total assets
- $5,019,821
- +18.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 40% first-time grantees (6 of 15, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (61% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Carl Lesnor Family 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: Cbiz 68 South Service Road 300, Melville, NY 11747
Phone: (516) 992-5838
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Carl Lesnor Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Archipelago Books ($70K). Together the top 10 received $395K.
Grant Size Distribution
51 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 43 grants of 51 (84%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 61% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 21% to Massachusetts, 13% to California, 3% to Vermont, and 1% to Connecticut.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Carl Lesnor Family Foundation open to new grantees?
40%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 6 of 15 grantees (40%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $28K; repeat grants $28K. How we count
Medians: $31K first-time, $12K repeat.
- 60% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 113% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 163% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $200K (2020) to $425K (2024). In 2024 it made 15 grants totaling $425K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Archipelago Books Brooklyn, NY | Arts, Culture, and Humanities | $70,000 |
| Grid Books Beacon, NY | To support operations with the goal of expanding book publishing | $57,000 |
| Palestine Legal San Francisco, CA | Legal Internship | $52,000 |
| Worcester Art Museum Worcester, MA | Arts, Culture, and Humanities | $48,000 |
| Peace Action Fund of New York State New York, NY | Promote Non-Violent Resolution of Conflict, | $43,000 |
| The New Masses Foundation New York, NY | Arts, Culture, and Humanities | $40,000 |
| Parole Prep New York, NY | Supports currently and formerly incarcerated new yorkers through advocacy, litigation, and community care | $32,000 |
| Boston Arts Ensemble Newton, MA | Arts, Culture, and Humanities | $30,000 |
| Global Medical Knowledge Alliance Inc Wellesley, MA | Provide cancer and trauma educational resources, medical and surgical supplies. | $12,000 |
| Restorative Community Justice of Southern Vermont Townshend, VT | Provide Restorative Justice Practices | $11,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Carl Lesnor Family Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5,019,821 | $1,288,537 | $521,056 | $425,000 | 15 | $455,458 | $2,246,616 | $279,513 |
| 2023 | $4,252,340 | $1,967,986 | $347,736 | $321,000 | 12 | $330,558 | $91,091 | $204,775 |
| 2022 | $2,632,090 | $93,571 | $247,004 | $230,000 | 10 | $238,290 | $89,334 | $205,661 |
| 2021 | $2,785,523 | $154,695 | $222,882 | $200,000 | 7 | $213,040 | $144,853 | $217,746 |
| 2020 | $2,853,710 | $100,294 | $200,983 | $200,000 | 7 | — | $98,468 | $186,020 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Carl Lesnor Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $280K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for arts and cultural organizations, legal work, conflict resolution, restorative justice, services for currently and formerly incarcerated people, and medical assistance.
The grantees describe their own work in varied terms. Archipelago Books says it publishes translations of classic and contemporary world literature. Worcester Art Museum says it connects people, communities, and cultures through art. Freedom Reads describes its work as bringing libraries into prisons, and Marlboro School of Music says it supports intensive chamber-music study by artists of diverse ages, nationalities, and perspectives.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation awarded 15 grants totaling $425,000. Grants ranged from $4,000 to $70,000, with a median of $30,000. It awarded 12 grants totaling $321,000 in 2023 and 10 grants totaling $230,000 in 2022.
Among its largest 2024 grants were $70,000 to Archipelago Books, $57,000 to Grid Books to support operations with the goal of expanding book publishing, $52,000 to Palestine Legal for a legal internship, $48,000 to Worcester Art Museum, and $43,000 to Peace Action Fund of New York State to promote nonviolent resolution of conflict. Other listed grants included $40,000 to The New Masses Foundation, $32,000 to Parole Prep, and $30,000 to Boston Arts Ensemble. The 2024 filing also lists grants of $12,000 to Global Medical Knowledge Alliance, $11,000 to Restorative Community Justice of Southern Vermont, $10,000 to Doctors Without Borders, $6,000 to Brooklyn Bodega, $5,000 to Freedom Reads, and $4,000 to Marlboro School of Music.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Dana H. Marti as director, president, and treasurer, and Kenneth Estey as director and vice president.
Carl Lesnor Family Foundation is led by Dana H. Marti, Director, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Dana H. Marti
Director, President & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kenneth Estey
Director & Vice President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: James Hullett (2020–2022) — Director & Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Carl Lesnor Family Foundation
How much does Carl Lesnor Family Foundation give each year?
Carl Lesnor Family Foundation gave $425K across 15 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $321K across 12 grants.
What is Carl Lesnor Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Carl Lesnor Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $30,000, and its average grant was $28,333, across 15 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Carl Lesnor Family Foundation that year got $28K on average.
Where does Carl Lesnor Family Foundation give grants?
Carl Lesnor Family Foundation gives mostly in New York: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (21%) and California (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (4 grants) and Brooklyn, NY (2 grants).
Does Carl Lesnor Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 15 grants with a stated purpose on Carl Lesnor Family Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Arts, Culture, and Humanities" (5 grants).
Who are Carl Lesnor Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Carl Lesnor Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Archipelago Books ($70,000), Grid Books ($57,000) and Palestine Legal ($52,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 42% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Carl Lesnor Family Foundation?
Carl Lesnor Family Foundation reported $5.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $455K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $280K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Carl Lesnor Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for arts and cultural organizations, legal work, conflict resolution, restorative justice, services for currently and formerly incarcerated people, and medical assistance. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Carl Lesnor Family 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 Carl Lesnor Family Foundation's EIN?
Carl Lesnor Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-1611644. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Carl Lesnor Family 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Carl Lesnor Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/carl-lesnor-family-foundation-morg_aa622edc7ac94a00a73e079d94fc642e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_461611644_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Carl Lesnor Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/carl-lesnor-family-foundation-morg_aa622edc7ac94a00a73e079d94fc642e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Carl Lesnor Family 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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