Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation
The Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its 2025 grants included support for arts and cultural organizations, educational and research institutions, health organizations, and public spaces.
Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation at a glance
In short: Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation gave $696K across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $27K), mostly in New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $695,750
- +6.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 26
- -10.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $26,760
- +18.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $11,581,286
- +0.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New York (73% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 73 Bowling Green Station, New York, NY 10274-0073
Phone: (212) 902-8711
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was National Theatre in America Inc ($175K). Together the top 10 received $592K.
Grant Size Distribution
96 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 78 grants of 96 (81%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 73% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 14% to recipients in DC, 7% to recipients in Rhode Island, 4% to recipients in Virginia, and 1% to recipients in North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
Cities
How Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation gives
- 77% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 46% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% 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 (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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $332K (2021) to $696K (2025). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $696K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| National Theatre in America Inc New York, NY | General | $175,000 |
| Brookings Institution Washington, DC | General | $100,000 |
| Brooklyn Academy Of Music Brooklyn, NY | General | $75,000 |
| Brown University Providence, RI | General | $50,000 |
| British Schools and Universities Foundation Inc New York, NY | General | $50,000 |
| Whitney Museum Of American Art New York, NY | General | $35,000 |
| Friends Of The High Line New York, NY | General | $30,000 |
| Joyce Theater Foundation New York, NY | General | $26,500 |
| Friends Of Hudson River Park New York, NY | General | $25,000 |
| University of Virginia (Darden Annual Fund) Charlottesville, VA | General | $25,000 |
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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 | $11,581,286 | $961,472 | $789,690 | $695,750 | 26 | $718,500 | $703,322 | $764,115 |
| 2024 | $11,523,033 | $538,631 | $736,767 | $654,700 | 29 | $662,450 | $474,314 | $703,137 |
| 2023 | $11,707,555 | $607,205 | $711,258 | $645,750 | 21 | $653,513 | $553,460 | $656,177 |
| 2022 | $11,811,608 | $552,685 | $547,059 | $477,600 | 19 | $484,182 | $499,805 | $679,674 |
| 2021 | $11,805,982 | $5,906,338 | $447,477 | $332,430 | 1 | — | $4,563,881 | $590,463 |
| 2020 | $7,588,769 | $1,362,059 | $489,176 | $444,460 | 1 | — | $315,597 | $505,879 |
| 2019 | $7,675,035 | $825,577 | $507,626 | $472,300 | 1 | — | $409,135 | $459,826 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation reported a distributable amount of $764K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. Among them, the National Theatre in America says it promotes and supports the work of the National Theatre in Great Britain and the United States. Brooklyn Academy of Music says it supports artistic experimentation and champions inclusion and accessibility in the arts. The Whitney Museum of American Art says it presents and collects art of the United States and champions living artists. Friends of the High Line says it works to build and maintain the High Line as a public space. Joyce Theater Foundation says it supports dance and choreography. Other 2025 recipients included a reproductive health organization, a medical school, and a nonprofit supporting Hudson River Park.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 26 grants totaling $695,750. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $175,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest grants included $175,000 to National Theatre in America Inc, $100,000 to Brookings Institution, $75,000 to Brooklyn Academy of Music, $50,000 to Brown University, and $50,000 to British Schools and Universities Foundation Inc. Other grants included $35,000 to Whitney Museum of American Art, $30,000 to Friends of the High Line, and $26,500 to Joyce Theater Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lawton W Fitt and James I McLaren as trustees.
Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
James I. McLaren
Trustee
Trustee - As Needed → Trustee, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lawton W. Fitt
Trustee
Trustee - As Needed → Trustee, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation
How much does Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation give each year?
Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation gave $696K across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $655K across 29 grants.
What is Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation's typical grant size?
Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $26,760, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation give grants?
Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation gives mostly in New York: 73% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (14%) and Rhode Island (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (13 grants), Bellport, NY (4 grants) and Brooklyn, NY (3 grants).
Does Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (26 of 26) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation's largest grantees?
Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include National Theatre in America Inc ($175,000), Brookings Institution ($100,000) and Brooklyn Academy Of Music ($75,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 50% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation?
Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation reported $11.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $719K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $764K (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 Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. Among them, the National Theatre in America says it promotes and supports the work of the National Theatre in Great Britain and the United States. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation's EIN?
Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3919763. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 18, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 6, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 5, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/lawton-w-fitt-and-james-i-mclaren-foundation-morg_9ca9a218f4a54aaca8e67aea42ca9d1c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133919763_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Lawton W Fitt \& James I McLaren Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/lawton-w-fitt-and-james-i-mclaren-foundation-morg_9ca9a218f4a54aaca8e67aea42ca9d1c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren 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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