Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc
Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Tampa, Florida. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in Florida, including schools, churches, a college, a YMCA, and a sailing association.
Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc gave $120K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $12K), mostly in Florida. 20% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $120,000
- -27.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -28.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $12,000
- +1.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $2,833,758
- -2.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (2 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Florida (100% 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 Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 4950 W Kennedy Blvd 600, Tampa, FL 33609
Phone: (813) 288-9600
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was YMCA of West Central Florida ($35K). Together the top 10 received $120K.
Grant Size Distribution
63 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 63 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All reported 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 10 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 62% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 92% 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 (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $120K (2025) to $315K (2022). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $120K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| YMCA of West Central Florida Lakeland, FL | General | $35,000 |
| Polk State College Winter Haven, FL | General | $20,000 |
| Clearwater Community Sailing Assocition Clearwater, FL | General | $15,000 |
| South Florida Avenue Church of Christ Lakeland, FL | General | $15,000 |
| St Paul Evangelical Lutheran Churc Lakeland, FL | General | $10,000 |
| Lake to Lake Memorial Classic Lakeland, FL | General | $5,000 |
| George Jenkins High School Lakeland, FL | General | $5,000 |
| Lakeland High School Lakeland, FL | General | $5,000 |
| Lake Gibson High School Lakeland, FL | General | $5,000 |
| Kathleen High School Lakeland, FL | General | $5,000 |
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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 | $2,833,758 | $106,194 | $154,930 | $120,000 | 10 | $137,787 | $90,306 | $150,539 |
| 2024 | $2,893,285 | $894,612 | $212,762 | $165,000 | 14 | $183,064 | $877,106 | $130,368 |
| 2023 | $2,199,788 | $97,385 | $176,776 | $145,000 | 11 | $158,420 | $80,143 | $135,571 |
| 2022 | $2,276,265 | $404,621 | $352,365 | $315,000 | 16 | $329,042 | $386,673 | $139,747 |
| 2021 | $2,221,405 | $231,125 | $259,418 | $225,000 | 12 | $237,977 | $212,632 | $160,248 |
| 2020 | $2,250,990 | $211,033 | $238,334 | $205,000 | 13 | — | $194,111 | $148,649 |
| 2019 | $2,276,360 | $105,991 | $244,542 | $210,000 | 15 | — | $88,642 | $144,084 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $151K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $120,000. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $35,000, with a median grant of $7,500. The largest grants were $35,000 to YMCA of West Central Florida and $20,000 to Polk State College. It also gave $15,000 each to Clearwater Community Sailing Association and South Florida Avenue Church of Christ, and $10,000 to St Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church. Five other recipients received $5,000 each: Lake to Lake Memorial Classic, an individual recipient High School, Lakeland High School, an individual recipient High School, and Kathleen High School. The listed grant purposes were “GENERAL.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Christopher Fontaine as president; Merritt A Gardner as secretary/treasurer; Gregory J Fontaine and Warren Shatzer as directors; and Julie Fontaine as past president.
Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc is led by Christopher Fontaine, President since 2024 (on filings since 2019); none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Christopher Fontaine
President
Director → President, 2024
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Gregory J. Fontaine
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Warren Shatzer
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Julie Fontaine
Past President
Director → President & Director, 2023
President & Director → Past President, 2024
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Merritt A. Gardner
Secretary & Treasurer
Secretary & Treasurer → Secretary, 2023
Secretary → Secretary & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Glenda C Fontaine (2019–2021) — President & Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc
How much does Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc give each year?
Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc gave $120K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $165K across 14 grants.
What is Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $12,000, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc that year got $5K on average.
Where does Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc give grants?
Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc gives mostly in Florida: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Lakeland, FL (8 grants).
Does Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include YMCA of West Central Florida ($35,000), Polk State College ($20,000) and Clearwater Community Sailing Assocition ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 58% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc?
Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc reported $2.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $138K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $151K (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.
How do I apply for a grant from Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc?
The foundation 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 Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc's EIN?
Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 59-3157129. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 19, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 24, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 3, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 8, 2024)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/denis-l-fontaine-foundation-inc-morg_e6b9e32d3d824cbbb1dc0ab220ab4a7d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_593157129_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/denis-l-fontaine-foundation-inc-morg_e6b9e32d3d824cbbb1dc0ab220ab4a7d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Denis L Fontaine Foundation Inc'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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