Lee Family Foundation
Lee Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Sarasota, Florida. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including Florida-based arts, cultural, and community organizations and organizations working in areas such as military-family support, civic engagement, and government accountability.
Lee Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Lee Family Foundation gave $236K across 48 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), top state Florida. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $235,575
- +676.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 48
- +11.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,908
- +595.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,250
- Total assets
- $1,672,064
- -8.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (13 of 48, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Florida (43% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Lee Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. It states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Its filing says to provide a letter with a full description; awards are subject to a vote by trustees.
- Contact
Application contact: Steven J Lee
Mailing address: 1439 South Lakeshore Drive, Sarasota, FL 34231
Phone: (941) 260-8826
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Lee Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Temple Sinai ($50K). Together the top 10 received $169K.
Grant Size Distribution
200 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 199 grants of 200 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Florida received 43% of grant dollars, followed by Washington, DC, at 15%, Pennsylvania at 8%, New York at 7%, and West Virginia at 6%. Sarasota recipients included Temple Sinai, Van Wezel Center Performing Arts Foundation, Selby Gardens, and Riverview High School Orchestra.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 48 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Lee Family Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 48 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $500 repeat.
- 65% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 647% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 250% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $27K (2020) to $236K (2025). In 2025 it made 48 grants totaling $236K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Temple Sinai Sarasota, FL | Charitable | $50,000 |
| Lehigh University Crew Team Bethlehem, PA | Charitable | $20,000 |
| International Fellowship Christians and Jews Washington DC, DC | Charitable | $16,000 |
| Tunnel to Towers Staten Island, NY | Charitable | $16,000 |
| Department of Government Efficiency Parkersburg, WV | Charitable | $15,000 |
| Van Wezel Center Performing Arts Foundation Sarasota, FL | Charitable | $15,000 |
| Leadership Institute Campus Reform Arlington, VA | Charitable | $11,000 |
| Operation Homefront San Antonio, TX | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Selby Gardens Sarasota, FL | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Riverview High School Orchestra Sarasota, FL | Charitable | $6,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Lee Family Foundation?
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 | $1,672,064 | $103,336 | $246,574 | $235,575 | 48 | $237,325 | $94,087 | $94,824 |
| 2024 | $1,818,498 | $461,283 | $41,789 | $30,325 | 43 | $32,075 | $451,569 | $85,211 |
| 2023 | $1,408,040 | $112,215 | $45,132 | $33,750 | 34 | $35,250 | $102,333 | $83,510 |
| 2022 | $1,343,805 | $98,602 | $42,795 | $31,525 | 33 | $33,025 | $88,832 | $78,425 |
| 2021 | $1,288,373 | $84,689 | $73,247 | $60,900 | 42 | $63,438 | $26,980 | $67,112 |
| 2020 | $1,277,245 | $124,011 | $36,654 | $26,860 | 37 | — | $25,109 | $58,180 |
| 2019 | $1,189,888 | $112,197 | $45,513 | $35,355 | 35 | — | $25,054 | $61,691 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lee Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $95K 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 show support for varied charitable organizations. For example, Operation Homefront says its mission is to help military families build strong, stable, and secure lives; Judicial Watch describes its work as promoting government integrity, transparency, and accountability; and All Faiths Food Bank says it works with partners to end hunger in its community. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 48 grants totaling $235,575. Grant amounts ranged from $50 to $50,000, with a median of $2,250. It made 43 grants totaling $30,325 in 2024 and 34 grants totaling $33,750 in 2023.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $50,000 to Temple Sinai in Sarasota, $20,000 to Lehigh University Crew Team, $16,000 each to International Fellowship Christians and Jews and Tunnel to Towers, and $15,000 each to Department of Government Efficiency and Van Wezel Center Performing Arts Foundation. Other notable grants included $11,000 to Leadership Institute Campus Reform, $10,000 each to Operation Homefront and Selby Gardens, and $6,000 to Riverview High School Orchestra.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Steven J Lee as president and Karen A Lee, Justin S Lee, and Megan A Lee as trustees.
Lee Family Foundation is led by Steven J. Lee, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Steven J. Lee
President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Justin S. Lee
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Karen A. Lee
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Megan A. Lee
Trustee
On filings since 2019
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 Lee Family Foundation
How much does Lee Family Foundation give each year?
Lee Family Foundation gave $236K across 48 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $30K across 43 grants.
What is Lee Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Lee Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,250, and its average grant was $4,908, across 48 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Lee Family Foundation that year got $11K on average.
Where does Lee Family Foundation give grants?
Lee Family Foundation's top state is Florida, with 43% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (15%) and Pennsylvania (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Sarasota, FL (9 grants), Washington, DC (6 grants), Jacksonville, FL (2 grants) and Atlanta, GA (2 grants).
Does Lee Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 48 grants with a stated purpose on Lee Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (48 grants).
Who are Lee Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Lee Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Temple Sinai ($50,000), Lehigh University Crew Team ($20,000) and International Fellowship Christians and Jews ($16,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Lee Family Foundation?
Lee Family Foundation reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $237K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $95K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Lee Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for varied charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Lee Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Lee Family Foundation's EIN?
Lee Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6919219. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Lee 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.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 15, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 29, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Lee Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Lee Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/lee-family-foundation-morg_32bfdb00905548eb91dc28b3bed54265
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_046919219_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Lee Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/lee-family-foundation-morg_32bfdb00905548eb91dc28b3bed54265},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Lee Family 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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