Janet Q Lawson Foundation
The Janet Q Lawson Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1991 in Salt Lake City, Utah, honoring Janet Quinney Lawson (1922-2008), daughter of prominent Utah lawyer and philanthropist S.J. Quinney. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) organization with no employees and distributes grants through trustee-selected beneficiaries.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$59.0M
-0.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$3.9M
+45.5% YoY
Grant Count
54
-5.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$72K
+53.6% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's mission focuses on supporting:
- Performing arts
- Children's services
- Social services
- Children's medical centers
- Zoological organizations
The foundation also supports creative writing, higher education, journalism, arts grants for nonprofits, and historic buildings preservation. Grant-making utilizes dividend and interest income, as well as a portion of capital gains and losses.
Grantmaking
The foundation operates on an invitation-only basis and does not accept unsolicited grant applications. All grantmaking is managed through trustee-selected beneficiaries.
Grant Range
$10,000 to $7 million
Average Grant
amounts vary, with notable grants including $1,202,000 to Utah State University and $410,000 to the University of Utah (2023)
How to Apply
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds organizations in Utah, with particular emphasis on the Salt Lake City area. Some grantmaking also extends to Massachusetts and Arizona.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2023:
- Total assets: $59,505,637
- Total revenues: $3,519,027
- Total expenses: $3,500,419
- Total liabilities: $27,300
- Investment income and dividends: $1,191,884
As of 2024:
- Total assets: $58,986,635
- Total giving: $3,889,500
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $58,986,635 | $59,505,637 | $56,730,935 |
| Revenue | $5,042,038 | $3,519,027 | $1,072,699 |
| Expenses | $4,640,664 | $3,500,419 | $4,167,464 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $3,914,610 | $2,709,650 | $3,229,943 |
| Net Investment Income | $4,354,984 | $2,756,583 | $1,215,610 |
| Distributable Amount | $3,402,434 | $3,164,032 | $3,179,653 |
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
238 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The foundation is managed by family trustees, including:
- Frederick Q. Lawson (son of Janet Quinney Lawson)
- Peter Q. Lawson (son of Janet Quinney Lawson)
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick Q Lawson | Trustee/Advisor | 0.5 | $5,000 |
| Peter Q Lawson | Trustee/Advisor | 0.5 | $5,000 |
| Ellen E Rossi | Trustee/Advisor | 0.5 | $5,000 |
| Dr Erik C Erlingsson | Trustee/Advisor | 0.5 | $5,000 |
| Charles H Livsey | Trustee/Advisor | 0.5 | $5,000 |
| Stewart Q Lawson | Trustee/Advisor | 0.5 | $5,000 |
| Tatiana E Lawson | Advisor | 0.5 | $5,000 |
| Mathieu C Shrontz | Advisor | 0.5 | $5,000 |
| Jason Tholen | Advisor | 0.5 | $5,000 |
Contact Information
Address: PO Box 45385, Salt Lake City, UT 84145
Phone: 801-532-1500
EIN: 87-0481508
The foundation does not maintain public contact information for grant inquiries due to its invitation-only application policy.
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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