Lester Family Foundation
Lester Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Its 2024 filing reports 18 grants totaling $20,500 to charitable organizations in Oklahoma, Indiana, Colorado, and Illinois. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 19 grants totaling $57,600.
Lester Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Lester Family Foundation gave $58K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), top state Illinois. 26% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $57,600
- +181.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +5.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,032
- +166.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $500
- Total assets
- $164,200
- -22.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (5 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (47% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Lester Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1736 Runway Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73108
Phone: (405) 879-9253
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Lester Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Sigma Chi Foundation ($27K). Together the top 10 received $54K.
Grant Size Distribution
89 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 89 grants of 89 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 51% of grant dollars went to recipients in Oklahoma, 29% to Indiana, 10% to Colorado, and 10% to Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Lester Family Foundation open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 19 grantees (26%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $500 first-time, $750 repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2018–2025). 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 2018 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $19K (2022) to $58K (2025). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $58K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sigma Chi Foundation Evanston, IL | Continuing Operation | $27,000 |
| Crested Butte Land Trust Crested Butted, CO | Continuing Operation | $10,000 |
| Purdue for Life Foundation West Lafayette, IN | Continuing Operation | $5,000 |
| Oklahoma Geological Foundation Edmond, OK | Continuing Operation | $4,500 |
| Allied Arts Oklahoma City, OK | Continuing Operation | $2,500 |
| Impact Oklahoma Oklahoma City, OK | Continuing Operation | $1,500 |
| Indiana University Foundation Bloomington, IN | Continuing Operation | $1,000 |
| Bishop McGuiness Catholic High School Oklahoma City, OK | Continuing Operation | $1,000 |
| Oklahoma Arts Insitute Foundation Oklahoma City, OK | Continuing Operation | $500 |
| Annual Catholic Appeal Oklahoma City, OK | Continuing Operation | $500 |
Ready to take the next step with Lester Family Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $164,200 | $10,332 | $58,111 | $57,600 | 19 | $57,600 | $9,821 |
| 2024 | $211,979 | $15,535 | $20,995 | $20,500 | 18 | $20,500 | $15,040 |
| 2023 | $217,439 | $22,349 | $20,973 | $20,000 | 18 | $20,000 | $24,496 |
| 2022 | $216,063 | $50,557 | $19,000 | $19,000 | 16 | $19,000 | $6,398 |
| 2021 | $184,506 | $25,338 | $22,325 | $19,500 | 18 | $19,747 | $15,051 |
| 2020 | $181,493 | $-403,874 | $27,990 | $22,500 | 16 | — | $11,133 |
| 2018 | $619,929 | $25,752 | $40,497 | $34,500 | 17 | — | $16,287 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose stated work ranges from leadership development and philanthropy to land conservation, university advancement, arts, athletics, and teen substance-abuse recovery. For example, Sigma Chi Foundation describes its work as supporting Sigma Chi and leadership development; Crested Butte Land Trust says it protects and stewards open lands; and Teen Recovery Solutions describes its work as helping teens recover from substance abuse and addiction.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation gave $20,500 through 18 grants. Grants ranged from $500 to $5,000, with a median grant of $500. Notable grants included $5,000 to Purdue for Life Foundation, $2,500 to Allied Arts, $2,000 to Sigma Chi Foundation, and $1,500 each to Impact Oklahoma and Crested Butte Land Trust. The filing lists “Continuing Operation” as the purpose for these grants. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 19 grants totaling $57,600.
The 2024 grantees’ own statements describe a range of activities. Impact Oklahoma says it brings together women to increase philanthropy and fund charitable organizations in central Oklahoma. Special Olympics Oklahoma describes providing year-round sports training and athletic competition for people with intellectual disabilities.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists J Mark Lester and Carol A Lester as trustees.
Lester Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Carol A Lester
Trustee
On filings since 2018
No compensation reported
J Mark Lester
Trustee
On filings since 2018
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2018–2025. "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 Lester Family Foundation
How much does Lester Family Foundation give each year?
Lester Family Foundation gave $58K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $21K across 18 grants.
What is Lester Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Lester Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $500, and its average grant was $3,032, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Lester Family Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does Lester Family Foundation give grants?
Lester Family Foundation's top state is Illinois, with 47% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Oklahoma (23%) and Colorado (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Oklahoma City, OK (9 grants) and Crested Butted, CO (2 grants).
Does Lester Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on Lester Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Continuing Operation" (19 grants).
Who are Lester Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Lester Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Sigma Chi Foundation ($27,000), Crested Butte Land Trust ($10,000) and Purdue for Life Foundation ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 73% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Lester Family Foundation?
Lester Family Foundation reported $164K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $10K.
What does Lester Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose stated work ranges from leadership development and philanthropy to land conservation, university advancement, arts, athletics, and teen substance-abuse recovery. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Lester Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Lester Family Foundation's EIN?
Lester Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 73-1622433. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2018–2025.
Does Lester Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated November 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
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 10, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2018 (received by the IRS November 15, 2019)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 29, 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 August 21, 2024)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Lester Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Lester Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Lester Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/lester-family-foundation-morg_5c5b5741e5c8476c8d6b6723325ec341
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_731622433_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Lester Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/lester-family-foundation-morg_5c5b5741e5c8476c8d6b6723325ec341},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-14. 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 Lester 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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