Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker New York, NY EIN: 13-3316656

The Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. In 2024, it reported nine grants totaling $690,900 to organizations including medical colleges, Jewish community organizations, and other charitable organizations.

Key facts about Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation

In short: Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation gave $691K across 9 grants in 2024 (avg $77K), mostly in New York. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
13-3316656
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$690,900
Grants made (2024)
9
Average grant
$76,767
Median grant
$50,000
Total assets
$7,675,523
Primary geography
New York (96% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
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. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$7.7M

+2.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$691K

-3.8% YoY

Grant Count

9

-10.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$77K

+6.9% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation reported a distributable amount of $712K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

How Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation gives

  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+13%). Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 97% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.

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 show support for organizations including Weill Cornell Medical College, NYU Medical School, UJA Federation of New York, HIAS Inc., and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Selfhelp Community Services, a 2024 grantee, describes its mission as maintaining the independence and dignity of seniors and at-risk populations through housing, home health care, and social services.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation reported nine grants totaling $690,900. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $250,000, with a median grant of $50,000.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 4% to recipients in California, and 1% to recipients in the District of Columbia, as reported in the filing.

Grant Distribution by State

4states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 9 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkN MiamiWashingtonSanta Barbara

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$200K$400K$600K$800K8 grants2020 9 grants2021 9 grants2022 10 grants2023 9 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $580K (2020) to $718K (2023). In 2024 it made 9 grants totaling $691K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 9 recipients in 2024

Weill Cornell Medical College: $250KWeill Cornell Medical College$250KNYU Medical School: $141KNYU Medical School$141KUJA Federation of New York: $95KUJA Federation of New York$95KHiasinc: $65KHiasinc$65KMetropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty: $50KMetropolitan Council on JewishPoverty$50KSelfhelp Community Services: $50KSelfhelp Community Services$50KDirect Relief for Ukraine: $25KDirect Relief for Ukraine$25KUJA Israel Emergency Fund: $11KUJA Israel Emergency Fund$11KUS Holocaust Memorial Museum: $5KUS Holocaust Memorial Museum$5K

The largest 2024 recipient was Weill Cornell Medical College ($250K). Together the top 9 received $691K.

Grant Size Distribution

45 grants across all recorded years

23<$50K12$50–100K7$100–250K3$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 23 grants of 45 (51%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Weill Cornell Medical College New York, NYProvide 501c3 org funds to carry out charitable purpose$250,000
NYU Medical School New York, NYProvide 501c3 org funds to carry out charitable purpose$141,200
UJA Federation of New York New York, NYProvide 501c3 org funds to carry out charitable purpose$94,500
Hiasinc New York, NYProvide 501c3 org funds to carry out charitable purpose$64,700
Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty New York, NYProvide 501c3 org funds to carry out charitable purpose$50,000
Selfhelp Community Services New York, NYProvide 501c3 org funds to carry out charitable purpose$50,000
Direct Relief for Ukraine Santa Barbara, CAProvide 501c3 org funds to carry out charitable purpose$25,000
UJA Israel Emergency Fund New York, NYProvide 501c3 org funds to carry out charitable purpose$10,500
US Holocaust Memorial Museum Washington, DCProvide 501c3 org funds to carry out charitable purpose$5,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2024 $7,675,523 $925,921 $777,823 $690,900
2023 $7,527,425 $751,399 $811,463 $718,425
2022 $7,587,489 $167,030 $835,765 $718,425
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$500K$1M$1.5M$2M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$7,675,523$7,527,425$7,587,489
Revenue$925,921$751,399$167,030
Expenses$777,823$811,463$835,765
Qualifying Distributions$690,900$718,425$718,425
Net Investment Income$838,998$658,361$142,161
Distributable Amount$711,968$656,542$722,719

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Ann B. Lesk as president, Emily Johnson as vice president, and Howard Lubcher as secretary and treasurer.

Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation is led by Ann B. Lesk, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Ann B. Lesk

    President

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Emily Johnson

    Vice President

    Director → Vice President, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Howard Lubcher

    Secretary & Treasurer

    On filings since 2022

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (1)
  • Former: Frederick Lubcher (2020–2021) — Sec-Treasurer · Filing note: Deceased 112920

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.

Contact

Mailing address: A Lesk-Fried Frank1 New York Pza, New York, NY 10004
Phone: (212) 859-8070

Frequently asked questions about Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation

How much does Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation give each year?

Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation gave $691K across 9 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $718K across 10 grants.

What is Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation's typical grant size?

Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $50,000, and its average grant was $76,767, across 9 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation give grants?

Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation gives mostly in New York: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (7 grants).

Who are Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation's largest grantees?

Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Weill Cornell Medical College ($250,000), NYU Medical School ($141,200) and UJA Federation of New York ($94,500), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 70% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation?

Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation reported $7.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $691K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $712K (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 Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations including Weill Cornell Medical College, NYU Medical School, UJA Federation of New York, HIAS Inc., and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Helen & Rita Lurie 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 Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation's EIN?

Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3316656. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does Helen & Rita Lurie Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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