James Lee Sorenson Family Foundation

SALT LAKE CITY, UT EIN: 45-6794415

The James Lee Sorenson Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Salt Lake City, Utah, established in 2012. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) organization and focuses on grantmaking across multiple sectors including education, human services, philanthropy, and community engagement.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

—

Annual Giving

$2.6M

+74.8% YoY

Grant Count

+6.9% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$83K

+63.5% YoY

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's primary funding areas include:

General support
Impact investing initiatives
Field building
Education
Philanthropy, voluntarism, and grantmaking
Human services
Community and civic engagement
Community and school gardens
Environmental initiatives

Grantmaking

The foundation made four grants in 2023, with recent recipients including:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation primarily funds organizations in Utah, New York, and California, with some activity in the District of Columbia.

Grant Distribution by State

Utah $9.9M (89%)

District of Columbia $552K (5%)

Wisconsin $200K (2%)

Ohio $150K (1%)

California $130K (1%)

Idaho $101K (1%)

New Jersey $25K (0%)

New York $5K (0%)

+8 more states

States

Arkansas California Connecticut District of Columbia Idaho Illinois Maryland Minnesota New Jersey New York Ohio South Carolina Tennessee Utah Washington Wisconsin

Cities

Albert LeaArcataBaltimoreChicagoCincinnatiCottonwood HeightsDraperForest HillsGransvilleGreenvilleHeber SpringsHolladayIdaho FallsJanesvilleLos AngelesManhattan BeachMemphisMidvaleMt VernonMurray

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of December 2023:

Total assets: $58,441,836
Total revenues: $3,135,946
Total expenses: $1,942,724
Investment income and dividends: $1,053,056

As of 2024:

Total assets: $60,604,336
Total giving: $2,580,040

The foundation has no employees and operates as a private foundation.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	—	—	—
Revenue	—	—	—
Expenses	—	—	—
Qualifying Distributions	—	—	—
Net Investment Income	—	—	—
Distributable Amount	—	—	—

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

111 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS ($1,592,540), University of Utah ($250,000), University of Utah ($250,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
826 Valencia San Francisco, CA	Education assistance for underserved populations	$500
Amanaki Fo'ou Holladay, UT	Diabetes education and prevention	$500
Amnesty International New York, NY	Support for human rights issues	$500
Best Friends Animal Society Salt Lake City, UT	Rescue and foster services for animals	$500
Choice Humanitarian Draper, UT	Fundraising Event Sponsorship	$2,500
Choice Humanitarian Draper, UT	Charitable event fundraising	$5,000
Danielle Byron Henry Migraine Foundation Salt Lake City, UT	Research and support for migraine prgrams	$500
Educate Girls Forest Hills, NY	Equitable access to quality education	$500
Friends of the Coalition Provo, UT	Alleviation of hunger and poverty for unhoused populations	$500
Habitat for Humanity Salt Lake City, UT	General support for housing needs	$500

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

James Lee Sorenson is identified as a principal officer of related Sorenson family philanthropic entities.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
James Lee Sorenson	Trustee	5	—

Contact Information

Address: 6330 S 3000 E, Suite 630, Salt Lake City, UT 84121
Telephone: 801-490-1013
EIN: 45-6794415

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does James Lee Sorenson Family Foundation fund?

The foundation's primary funding areas include: • General support • Impact investing initiatives • Field building • Education • Philanthropy, voluntarism, and grantmaking • Human services • Community and civic engagement • Community and school gardens • Environmental initiatives

How do I apply for a grant from James Lee Sorenson Family Foundation?

**Grant Activity:** The foundation made four grants in 2023, with recent recipients including: • New Venture Fund: $100,000 (Economic Innovation) • Rise Culinary Institute: $25,000 (Providing Refugees With Culinary Job Skills Training) • Salt Contemporary Dance: $25,000 (Support for Art Programming) **Grant Characteristics:** • Typical award range: $500 to $1,700,000 • Total giving in recent years: $2,580,040 (2024) • The foundation has made 17 additional grants beyond those listed above

Where does James Lee Sorenson Family Foundation make grants?

The foundation primarily funds organizations in Utah, New York, and California, with some activity in the District of Columbia.

What size grants does James Lee Sorenson Family Foundation award?

In 2024, James Lee Sorenson Family Foundation awarded 31 grants totaling $2.6M — an average of about $83K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

What is James Lee Sorenson Family Foundation's EIN?

James Lee Sorenson Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-6794415. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.