James Ludke Charitable Trust
The James Ludke Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Wickenburg, Arizona. It made 23 grants totaling $121,500 in 2025 to charitable organizations in Arizona and other states.
James Ludke Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: James Ludke Charitable Trust gave $122K across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Arizona. 43% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $121,500
- -28.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- +43.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,283
- -50.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,000
- Total assets
- $2,330,751
- -0.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 43% first-time grantees (10 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Arizona (60% 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 James Ludke Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Contact
Mailing address: 1415 Jack Burden Road, Wickenburg, AZ 85390
Phone: (602) 402-1393
Website: https://www.ludke.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who James Ludke Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Sigler Western Museum ($21K). Together the top 10 received $87K.
Grant Size Distribution
106 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 104 grants of 106 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Arizona recipients received 60% of grant dollars. Other leading recipient states were Michigan (11%), Texas (8%), Oregon (8%), and Virginia (8%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is James Ludke Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
43%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 10 of 23 grantees (43%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 48% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+11%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% 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 $80K (2021) to $170K (2024). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $122K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sigler Western Museum Wickenburg, AZ | Provide Funds | $21,000 |
| Hillsdale College Hillsdale, MI | Provide Funds | $13,000 |
| Goldwater Institute Phoenix, AZ | Provide Funds | $12,500 |
| Del Webb Center Wickenburg, AZ | Provide Funds | $10,000 |
| Phoenix Chamber Music Soc Phoenix, AZ | Provide Funds | $5,000 |
| Arizona Liberty Network Phoenix, AZ | Provide Funds | $5,000 |
| Stratford Hall Stratford, VA | Provide Funds | $5,000 |
| Turning Point USA Phoenix, AZ | Provide Funds | $5,000 |
| YMCA of the Rockies Estes Park, CO | Provide Funds | $5,000 |
| Students for Liberty McLean, VA | Provide Funds | $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 | $2,330,751 | $108,976 | $123,090 | $121,500 | 23 | $123,000 | $108,886 | $125,329 |
| 2024 | $2,344,865 | $132,668 | $173,324 | $170,000 | 16 | $171,400 | $130,744 | $135,278 |
| 2023 | $2,385,521 | $118,459 | $153,717 | $141,600 | 24 | $143,200 | $107,942 | $139,877 |
| 2022 | $2,420,779 | $679,666 | $124,864 | $109,500 | 21 | $110,397 | $678,747 | $143,645 |
| 2021 | $1,865,977 | $1,453,350 | $87,692 | $79,500 | 22 | $80,373 | $602,767 | $109,348 |
| 2020 | $1,347,213 | $233,042 | $83,073 | $80,650 | 20 | — | $230,619 | $78,057 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, James Ludke Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $125K 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
No mission statement for the Trust is provided. Its grantees describe a range of activities: Stratford Hall says it engages, educates, and inspires through the history of its people, places, and past; the Portland Art Museum says it engages diverse communities through art and film and collects, preserves, and educates; and Students for Liberty says it educates and empowers future leaders of liberty. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the Trust’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the Trust made 23 grants totaling $121,500. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $21,000, with a median grant of $4,000. Larger grants included $21,000 to Sigler Western Museum, $13,000 to Hillsdale College, $12,500 to Goldwater Institute, and $10,000 to Del Webb Center. Other grants included $5,000 each to Phoenix Chamber Music Society, Arizona Liberty Network, Stratford Hall, Turning Point USA, YMCA of the Rockies, and Students for Liberty.
The Trust’s filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists James Ludke as manager and Barbara Rea Ludke, Jeanne Heaslip, Jill B Ludke Dixon, and Jamie Denler as members.
James Ludke Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
James Ludke
Manager
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Barbara Rea Ludke
Member
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jamie Denler
Member
On filings since 2024
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeanne Heaslip
Member
On filings since 2024
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jill B. Ludke Dixon
Member
On filings since 2024
0.1 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 James Ludke Charitable Trust
How much does James Ludke Charitable Trust give each year?
James Ludke Charitable Trust gave $122K across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $170K across 16 grants.
What is James Ludke Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
James Ludke Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $4,000, and its average grant was $5,283, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from James Ludke Charitable Trust that year got $5K on average.
Where does James Ludke Charitable Trust give grants?
James Ludke Charitable Trust gives mostly in Arizona: 60% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Michigan (11%) and Texas (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Phoenix, AZ (6 grants), Portland, OR (5 grants), Dallas, TX (4 grants) and Wickenburg, AZ (2 grants).
Does James Ludke Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on James Ludke Charitable Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Provide Funds" (23 grants).
Who are James Ludke Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
James Ludke Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Sigler Western Museum ($21,000), Hillsdale College ($13,000) and Goldwater Institute ($12,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is James Ludke Charitable Trust?
James Ludke Charitable Trust reported $2.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $123K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $125K (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 James Ludke Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the Trust is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from James Ludke Charitable Trust?
James Ludke Charitable Trust does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to Grantable's research on its published guidelines. Check ludke.org for any change to that policy.
What is James Ludke Charitable Trust's EIN?
James Ludke Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 74-2552121. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does James Ludke Charitable Trust 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 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). James Ludke Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/james-ludke-charitable-trust-morg_fd443d12b56d4f8ba80189c22028a75e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_742552121_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{James Ludke Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/james-ludke-charitable-trust-morg_fd443d12b56d4f8ba80189c22028a75e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 James Ludke Charitable Trust'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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