Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation
The Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation is a private foundation based in Woodland Hills, California. In 2024, it made 22 grants totaling $260,300 to organizations working in areas including education, medical research, children’s rights, and charitable assistance.
Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation at a glance
In short: Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation gave $260K across 22 grants in 2024 (avg $12K), mostly in California. 41% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $260,300
- +58.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 22
- +37.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $11,832
- +15.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $3,663,126
- +2.2% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (9 of 22, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (85% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing lists the Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation as the contact and says requests should be submitted on the requesting organization’s letterhead. It states there are no restrictions on awards.
- Review Cycle
- No deadline.
- Deadline
- No deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: Leo And Sydelle Ward Foundation
Mailing address: 21031 Ventura Blvd Ste 600, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Phone: (818) 713-8100
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Woodland Hills Rotary Foundation ($41K). Together the top 10 received $195K.
Grant Size Distribution
99 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 99 grants of 99 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 85% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 7% to New York, 4% to Florida, and 4% to Tennessee.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 22 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $15K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 45% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 63% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 121% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $160K (2021) to $260K (2024). In 2024 it made 22 grants totaling $260K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Woodland Hills Rotary Foundation Calabasas, CA | Educational | $40,500 |
| Alliance for Children's Rights Los Angeles, CA | Protecting the rights of impoverished, neglected, and abused children and youth | $30,000 |
| Ovarian Cancer Circle Los Angeles, CA | Educational | $25,000 |
| The Heart Foundation Westlake Village, CA | Medical Research | $24,000 |
| Breakthrough T1D New York, NY | Medical Research | $18,000 |
| City of Hope Duarte, CA | Medical Research | $15,000 |
| Stillpoint Family Services West Hills, CA | Educational | $12,300 |
| Guide Dogs of America Sylmar, CA | Educational | $10,000 |
| Search Dog Foundation Santa Paula, CA | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Shriners Children's Tampa, FL | Medical Research | $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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,663,126 | $597,060 | $519,682 | $260,300 | 22 | $260,300 | $337,678 | $214,250 |
| 2023 | $3,585,764 | $635,974 | $505,502 | $164,250 | 16 | $164,250 | $294,722 | — |
| 2022 | $3,455,391 | $454,951 | $399,286 | $161,500 | 23 | $161,500 | $217,165 | — |
| 2021 | $3,399,932 | $359,012 | $350,312 | $159,700 | 17 | $159,700 | $168,400 | — |
| 2020 | $3,391,232 | $385,690 | $348,502 | $160,200 | 21 | — | $197,388 | — |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation reported a distributable amount of $214K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants included support designated for education, medical research, and charitable purposes, as well as a grant to the Alliance for Children’s Rights, whose mission includes supporting children and young adults through adoption and legal guardianship, healthcare, education, and other critical services.
Grantee missions illustrate the range of organizations supported. Breakthrough T1D describes its work as accelerating breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat type 1 diabetes and its complications. City of Hope says its mission is to make hope a reality for people touched by cancer and diabetes. Direct Relief describes itself as a humanitarian aid organization seeking to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies. Hope the Mission says it assists the needs of hungry people experiencing homelessness in the Valley.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation awarded 22 grants totaling $260,300. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $40,500, with a median grant of $10,000.
Notable 2024 grants included $40,500 to Woodland Hills Rotary Foundation for educational purposes; $30,000 to Alliance for Children’s Rights; $25,000 to Ovarian Cancer Circle for educational purposes; $24,000 to The Heart Foundation for medical research; $18,000 to Breakthrough T1D for medical research; and $15,000 to City of Hope for medical research. Other listed grants included $12,300 to Stillpoint Family Services, and $10,000 each to Guide Dogs of America, Search Dog Foundation, Shriners Children’s, Direct Relief, and Hope the Mission.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Jerold M. Ward as President, Joanne G. Ward as CEO, Alla Ratynets as Treasurer, and Vicki F. Magasinn as Secretary.
Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation is led by Joanne G. Ward, CEO on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Joanne G. Ward
CEO
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Jerold M. Ward
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Alla Ratynets
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Vicki F. Magasinn
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation
How much does Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation give each year?
Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation gave $260K across 22 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $164K across 16 grants.
What is Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation's typical grant size?
Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $11,832, across 22 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation give grants?
Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation gives mostly in California: 85% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (3 grants), Woodland Hills, CA (3 grants), Calabasas, CA (2 grants) and Van Nuys, CA (2 grants).
Does Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 22 grants with a stated purpose on Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Educational" (8 grants), "Charitable" (7 grants) and "Medical Research" (5 grants).
Who are Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation's largest grantees?
Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Woodland Hills Rotary Foundation ($40,500), Alliance for Children's Rights ($30,000) and Ovarian Cancer Circle ($25,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation?
Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation reported $3.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $260K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $214K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation?
The filing lists the Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation as the contact and says requests should be submitted on the requesting organization’s letterhead. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation's EIN?
Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-4296513. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/leo-and-sydelle-ward-foundation-morg_7918bb3206fa4e52978f2ce24cc34b4f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_954296513_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Leo and Sydelle Ward Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/leo-and-sydelle-ward-foundation-morg_7918bb3206fa4e52978f2ce24cc34b4f},
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 Leo and Sydelle Ward 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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