Lake Road Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Melville, NY EIN: 13-3745065

Lake Road Foundation is a private foundation based in Melville, New York. Its 2025 filing reports 68 grants totaling $1,780,477 to charitable organizations.

Lake Road Foundation at a glance

In short: Lake Road Foundation gave $1.8M across 68 grants in 2025 (avg $26K), mostly in New York. 43% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$1,780,477
+4.0% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
68
+83.8% vs 2024
Average grant
$26,183
-43.4% vs 2024
Median grant
$2,413
Total assets
$25,206,022
-1.8% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
43% first-time grantees (29 of 68, 2025)
Primary geography
New York (83% 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 Lake Road Foundation

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.

Contact

Mailing address: Co Singer Falk 48 S Service Rd, Melville, NY 11747
Phone: (516) 938-1828

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Lake Road Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Jewish Communal Fund: $1.1MJewish Communal Fund$1.1MThird Way Institute: $100KThird Way Institute$100KMedia Matters for America: $100KMedia Matters for America$100KThe Afya Foundation: $75KThe Afya Foundation$75KCenter for Jewish Culture & Creativity: $50KCenter for Jewish Culture &Creativity$50KAgahozo-Shalom Youth Village: $40KAgahozo-Shalom Youth Village$40KWestchester Jewish Community Services: $26KWestchester Jewish CommunityServices$26KHospital for Special Surgery: $25KHospital for Special Surgery$25KNY Community Fridge Corp: $25KNY Community Fridge Corp$25KSunrise Day Camps Association: $21KSunrise Day Camps Association$21K

The largest 2025 recipient was Jewish Communal Fund ($1.1M). Together the top 10 received $1.6M.

Grant Size Distribution

284 grants across all recorded years

256<$50K6$50–100K12$100–250K3$250–500K3$500K–1M4$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 256 grants of 284 (90%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 83% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York and 11% to recipients in Washington, DC. Smaller shares went to Utah (2%), Massachusetts (1%), and Florida (1%).

Grant Distribution by State

22states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 68 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkMamaroneckLarchmontWashingtonLos AngelesPark CityNeedhamWarrenChicagoOceansideBoca RatonBronxNewtonScarsdaleAtlantaBaltimoreBedford HillsBrooklineElmsfordSalt Lake City

Is Lake Road Foundation open to new grantees?

43%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 29 of 68 grantees (43%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $42K. How we count

Medians: $1K first-time, $5K repeat.

  • 38% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving fell 40% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 79% 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 (2021–2025). 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

$0$1M$2M$3M78 grants2021 57 grants2022 44 grants2023 37 grants2024 68 grants2025

From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.5M (2023) to $3.0M (2022). In 2025 it made 68 grants totaling $1.8M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Jewish Communal Fund New York, NYGeneral$1,110,000
Third Way Institute Washington, DCGeneral$100,000
Media Matters for America Washington, DCGeneral$100,000
The Afya Foundation Yonkers, NYGeneral$75,000
Center for Jewish Culture & Creativity New York, NYGeneral$50,000
Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village New York, NYGeneral$40,000
Westchester Jewish Community Services White Plains, NYGeneral$25,720
Hospital for Special Surgery New York, NYGeneral$25,189
NY Community Fridge Corp New York, NYGeneral$25,000
Sunrise Day Camps Association Oceanside, NYGeneral$21,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$25,206,022$1,821,357$1,896,215$1,780,47768$1,780,720$1,715,326$2,241,752
2024$25,659,609$922,615$1,945,956$1,711,31237$1,714,710$702,454$1,890,037
2023$26,908,434$565,381$1,820,256$1,475,74544$1,482,238$392,543$1,722,240
2022$28,155,330$17,309,869$3,220,028$2,960,72157$2,968,434$11,785,703$1,816,679
2021$14,065,489$337,085$1,942,643$1,802,98978—$194,190$1,112,866

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lake Road Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.2M 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 support for organizations working in areas such as Jewish community and culture, policy, health care, services for vulnerable youth, and food access. For example, Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village describes its work as empowering orphaned and vulnerable Rwandan youth through healing, education, and love; NY Community Fridge describes its work as expanding dignified access to food in disadvantaged communities.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation made 68 grants totaling $1,780,477. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $1,110,000, with a median grant of $2,412. The largest grants included $1,110,000 to Jewish Communal Fund, $100,000 each to Third Way Institute and Media Matters for America, $75,000 to The Afya Foundation, and $50,000 to Center for Jewish Culture & Creativity. The listed purposes for these grants were general.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Wendy Sandler as president, Neil Sandler as secretary and treasurer, and Susan Lewen as director.

Lake Road Foundation is led by Wendy Sandler, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Wendy Sandler

    President

    On filings since 2021

    No compensation reported

  • Susan Lewen

    Director

    On filings since 2022

    No compensation reported

  • Neil Sandler

    Secretary & Treasurer

    On filings since 2021

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Lake Road Foundation

How much does Lake Road Foundation give each year?

Lake Road Foundation gave $1.8M across 68 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.7M across 37 grants.

What is Lake Road Foundation's typical grant size?

Lake Road Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,413, and its average grant was $26,183, across 68 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Lake Road Foundation that year got $6K on average.

Where does Lake Road Foundation give grants?

Lake Road Foundation gives mostly in New York: 83% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (21 grants), Mamaroneck, NY (6 grants), Park City, UT (4 grants) and Washington, DC (3 grants).

Does Lake Road Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of Lake Road Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (68 of 68) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Lake Road Foundation's largest grantees?

Lake Road Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Jewish Communal Fund ($1,110,000), Third Way Institute ($100,000) and Media Matters for America ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 74% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Lake Road Foundation?

Lake Road Foundation reported $25.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.8M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.2M (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 Lake Road Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in areas such as Jewish community and culture, policy, health care, services for vulnerable youth, and food access. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Lake Road 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 Lake Road Foundation's EIN?

Lake Road Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3745065. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.

Does Lake Road Foundation 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

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Lake Road Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/lake-road-foundation-morg_3096a231b4654b84b49bc56938740bfa

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133745065_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Lake Road Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/lake-road-foundation-morg_3096a231b4654b84b49bc56938740bfa},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Road Foundation'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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