Lake Charitable
Lake Charitable is a private foundation based in Saint Louis, Missouri. Its 2025 filing reports grants for scholarships, including awards to students attending colleges and universities.
Lake Charitable at a glance
In short: Lake Charitable gave $160K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), top state Connecticut. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $160,000
- +14.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +33.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,000
- -14.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $3,299,123
- +24.6% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (30% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Lake Charitable
- How to Apply
-
The filing lists a scholarship application form and identifies Catherine Basso as the contact. It describes an annual $8,000 award for a graduating student from Danbury High School who will attend an accredited four-year college. The filing lists a May 1 deadline; that date has passed as of September 28, 2026.
- Contact
Application contact: Catherine Basso
Mailing address: 43 Clapboard Ridge Road, Danbury, CT 06811
Phone: (203) 797-4808
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Lake Charitable funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Connecticut ($30K across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $122K.
Organizations only. It also paid 3 individual scholarships ($30,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
74 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 74 grants of 74 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Saint Louis, Missouri. Its reported 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states and Washington, DC: Connecticut received 30%, New York 18%, DC 14%, Pennsylvania 12%, and Massachusetts 8%. The listed 2025 recipients also include organizations in Florida and an individual recipient
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Lake Charitable gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−17%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 101% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $126K (2021) to $192K (2022). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $160K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| New York University New York, NY | Scholarship | $12,000 |
| Northeastern University Boston, MA | Scholarship | $12,000 |
| 3 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $30,000 |
| Howard University Washington, DC | Scholarship | $12,000 |
| University of Connecticut Storrs, CT | Scholarship | $10,000 |
| University of Connecticut Storrs, CT | Scholarship | $10,000 |
| Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA | Scholarship | $10,000 |
| Temple University Philadelphia, PA | Scholarship | $10,000 |
| American University Washington, DC | Scholarship | $10,000 |
| University of Connecticut Storrs, CT | Scholarship | $10,000 |
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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 | $3,299,123 | $893,352 | $241,118 | $160,000 | 16 | $189,000 | $848,307 | $186,539 |
| 2024 | $2,647,752 | $497,515 | $209,787 | $140,000 | 12 | $164,940 | $456,478 | $184,339 |
| 2023 | $2,350,860 | $330,949 | $218,059 | $163,000 | 15 | $184,656 | $296,853 | $169,150 |
| 2022 | $2,226,098 | $138,786 | $253,528 | $192,000 | 24 | $215,431 | $107,010 | $178,679 |
| 2021 | $2,321,644 | $301,018 | $182,569 | $126,000 | 7 | $147,201 | $263,646 | $202,646 |
| 2020 | $2,201,034 | $73,855 | $180,969 | $128,000 | 16 | — | $40,735 | $156,660 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lake Charitable reported a distributable amount of $187K 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 foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include scholarships to colleges and universities. Among the supported grantees, New York University describes its mission as education, research and scholarship, and patient care; Carnegie Mellon University describes a focus on students’ education, skills, and well-being; and American University describes a mission to advance knowledge, foster intellectual curiosity, build community, and empower lives of purpose, service, and leadership. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 16 grants totaling $160,000. Grant amounts ranged from $8,000 to $12,000, with a median of $10,000. Listed awards included $12,000 each to New York University, Northeastern University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Howard University, and $10,000 awards to the University of Connecticut, Carnegie Mellon University, an individual recipient State University, Temple University, American University, and Sacred Heart University.
Other 2025 recipients described in the grantee information include Manhattan University, an individual recipient State University, and Marist University, each receiving $8,000. An individual recipient State University’s alumni association describes its work as maintaining relationships among the university, alumni, students, staff, and the greater Danbury community. Marist University describes a focus on students’ intellectual, character, and skills development.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Wells Fargo Bank N.A. as trustee.
Lake Charitable's only listed officer is Wells Fargo Bank N A, Trustee on every filing since 2020 (compensated).
Officers on the 2025 filing
Wells Fargo Bank N A
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$39K (2020) → $53K (2025)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $53K, to Wells Fargo Bank N a (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Lake Charitable
How much does Lake Charitable give each year?
Lake Charitable gave $160K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $140K across 12 grants.
What is Lake Charitable's typical grant size?
Lake Charitable's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $10,000, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Lake Charitable give grants?
Lake Charitable's top state is Connecticut, with 30% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (18%) and District of Columbia (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Storrs, CT (3 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Lake Charitable give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Lake Charitable's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (16 grants).
Who are Lake Charitable's largest grantees?
Lake Charitable's largest 2025 grantees include University of Connecticut ($30,000 across 3 grants), New York University ($12,000) and Northeastern University ($12,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 3 individual scholarships ($30,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Lake Charitable?
Lake Charitable reported $3.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $189K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $187K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Lake Charitable fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include scholarships to colleges and universities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Lake Charitable?
The filing lists a scholarship application form and identifies Catherine Basso as the contact. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Lake Charitable's EIN?
Lake Charitable's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 90-0244306. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 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 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 6, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Lake Charitable funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/lake-charitable-morg_81d82cc381184b5f90cae99dc7297b99
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_900244306_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Lake Charitable funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/lake-charitable-morg_81d82cc381184b5f90cae99dc7297b99},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Lake Charitable'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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