Leader Family Foundation
The Leader Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. In its 2025 filing, it reported 35 grants totaling $291,500 to charitable organizations, including recipients in Pennsylvania and other states.
Key facts about Leader Family Foundation
In short: Leader Family Foundation gave $292K across 35 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 40% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 16-1720952
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $291,500
- Grants made (2025)
- 35
- Average grant
- $8,329
- Median grant
- $5,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 40% first-time grantees (14 of 35, 2025)
- Total assets
- $4,436,781
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (54% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- 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. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$4.4M
-1.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$292K
+7.4% YoY
Grant Count
35
+6.1% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$8K
+1.2% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Leader Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $253K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Leader Family Foundation open to new grantees?
40%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 14 of 35 grantees (40%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 46% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 65% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 116% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in areas such as reproductive health, education, journalism, food assistance, and international relief. These are grantees’ activities, not stated focus areas of the foundation. For example, Planned Parenthood Keystone describes its mission as providing and promoting access to reproductive health care and sexuality education; Spotlight PA describes its mission as investigative and public service journalism; and Relief International describes its work as partnering with communities affected by conflict, climate change, and disaster.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 35 grants totaling $291,500. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $50,000, with a median of $5,000. The filing lists the purposes of the largest grants as “general support of programs.”
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 54% of grant dollars went to recipients in Pennsylvania. Other recipient-state shares were 15% in Washington, DC, 12% in Massachusetts, 8% in New York, and 4% in Minnesota.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 35 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
States
Cities
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 2025
Grant Size Distribution
148 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| PENN STATE UNIVERSITY University Park, PA | GENERAL SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS | $50,000 |
| LAWYERS DEFENDING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY Framingham, MA | GENERAL SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS | $25,000 |
| UNRWA Washington, DC | GENERAL SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS | $25,000 |
| UNITED WAY OF THE CAPITOL REGION Enola, PA | GENERAL SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS | $20,000 |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD KEYSTONE Warminster, PA | GENERAL SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS | $15,000 |
| CENTRAL PA FOOD BANK Harrisburg, PA | GENERAL SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS | $11,500 |
| ACLU FOUNDATION New York, NY | GENERAL SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS | $10,000 |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS ( DESIGNATE TOWARDS CA WILDFIRE RELIEF ) Boone, IA | GENERAL SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS | $10,000 |
| GRASSROOTS INTERNATIONAL Boston, MA | GENERAL SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS | $10,000 |
| NATIONAL ATAXIA FOUNDATION Gloden Valley, MN | GENERAL SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS | $10,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $4,436,781 | $238,792 | $324,460 | $291,500 (35 grants) |
| 2024 | $4,520,579 | $562,110 | $311,565 | $271,500 (33 grants) |
| 2023 | $4,270,034 | $1,076,948 | $210,955 | $186,500 (29 grants) |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $4,436,781 | $4,520,579 | $4,270,034 |
| Revenue | $238,792 | $562,110 | $1,076,948 |
| Expenses | $324,460 | $311,565 | $210,955 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $292,748 | $272,982 | $187,487 |
| Net Investment Income | $101,289 | $535,629 | $553,880 |
| Distributable Amount | $252,732 | $236,832 | $208,718 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS September 30, 2021)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 1, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists G Michael Leader III as president and director, Jane L Janeczek as secretary and director, and David C Leader as treasurer and director.
Leader Family Foundation is led by G. Michael Leader III, President & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
G. Michael Leader III
President & Director
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David C. Leader
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jane L. Janeczek
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/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.
Contact
Mailing address: 830 Cherry Drive, Hershey, PA 17033
Phone: (717) 533-2474
Frequently asked questions about Leader Family Foundation
How much does Leader Family Foundation give each year?
Leader Family Foundation gave $292K across 35 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $272K across 33 grants.
What is Leader Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Leader Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $8,329, across 35 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Leader Family Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does Leader Family Foundation give grants?
Leader Family Foundation gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 54% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (15%) and Massachusetts (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Harrisburg, PA (6 grants), Washington, DC (5 grants), New York, NY (4 grants) and Lancaster, PA (2 grants).
Does Leader Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Leader Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (35 of 35) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Leader Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Leader Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Penn State University ($50,000), Lawyers Defending American Democracy ($25,000) and Unrwa ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Leader Family Foundation?
Leader Family Foundation reported $4.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $293K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $253K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Leader Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in areas such as reproductive health, education, journalism, food assistance, and international relief. These are grantees’ activities, not stated focus areas of the foundation. For example, Planned Parenthood Keystone describes its mission as providing and promoting access to reproductive health care and sexuality education; Spotlight PA describes its mission as investigative and pub…
How do I apply for a grant from Leader Family 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 Leader Family Foundation's EIN?
Leader Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 16-1720952. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Leader Family 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.
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