Lewis House Foundation
Lewis House Foundation is a private foundation based in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations working in areas including disaster relief, social services, medical care, research, and wildlife and habitat preservation.
Lewis House Foundation at a glance
In short: Lewis House Foundation gave $25K across 48 grants in 2025 (avg $526.042), top state District of Columbia. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $25,250
- +2.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 48
- +20.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $526
- -15.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $250
- Total assets
- $127,632
- -14.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (15 of 48, 2025)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (36% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Lewis House 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: 27 Highland Avenue, Narragansett, RI 02882
Phone: (781) 366-2788
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Lewis House Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Doctors Without Borders ($3K). Together the top 10 received $16K.
Grant Size Distribution
145 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 145 grants of 145 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in the District of Columbia (36%), Rhode Island (27%), Massachusetts (14%), New York (11%), and Georgia (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 48 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Lewis House Foundation open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 15 of 48 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $260; repeat grants $647. How we count
Medians: $250 first-time, $250 repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 137% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 372% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2022–2025). 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 2022 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $11K (2022) to $25K (2025). In 2025 it made 48 grants totaling $25K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | Medical Care | $2,500 |
| Jonnycake Center Peace Dale, RI | Social Services | $2,000 |
| Un High Command for Refugees Washington, DC | Disaster Relief | $2,000 |
| UNICEF USA Washington, DC | Disaster Relief | $2,000 |
| World Central Kitchen Washington, DC | Disaster Relief | $2,000 |
| Narrow River Land Trust Saunderstown, RI | Wildlife & Habitat Preservation | $1,500 |
| Angel Fund Wakefield, MA | ALS Research | $1,000 |
| Oxfam America Boston, MA | World Betterment | $1,000 |
| Sudan Relief Fund Washington, DC | Provides food and safe drinking water and other items to the people of south sudan | $1,000 |
| World Food Programme Washington, DC | Disaster Relief | $1,000 |
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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 | $127,632 | $3,442 | $25,405 | $25,250 | 48 | $25,250 | $3,442 | $6,779 |
| 2024 | $149,595 | $4,651 | $24,917 | $24,750 | 40 | $24,750 | $4,651 | $7,802 |
| 2023 | $169,861 | $4,097 | $23,401 | $23,150 | 41 | $23,150 | $4,097 | $8,784 |
| 2022 | $189,165 | $890 | $11,745 | $10,653 | 16 | $10,653 | $890 | $9,572 |
| 2021 | $200,020 | $202,520 | $2,500 | — | — | — | — | $1,349 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lewis House Foundation reported a distributable amount of $7K 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 include support for organizations addressing humanitarian crises, local social needs, medical research, and conservation. For example, World Central Kitchen describes its work as providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises; the Narrow River Land Trust describes its mission as preserving natural and cultural resources in and around the Narrow River Watershed; and the Angel Fund says it supports ALS research and scientific investigations at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.
Other 2025 grantees describe work that includes providing food, shelter, education, and medical attention in South Sudan (Sudan Relief Fund); increasing access to education, healthy food, and family supports (Martha’s Table); and helping people move out of homelessness and poverty through services and programs (Amos House).
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 48 grants totaling $25,250. Grant amounts ranged from $50 to $2,500, with a median of $250. Notable grants included $2,500 to Doctors Without Borders for medical care; $2,000 each to the Jonnycake Center for social services, UN High Command for Refugees for disaster relief, UNICEF USA for disaster relief, and World Central Kitchen for disaster relief; and $1,500 to the Narrow River Land Trust for wildlife and habitat preservation. Other grants included $1,000 each to the Angel Fund for ALS research, Oxfam America for world betterment, Sudan Relief Fund for food, safe drinking water, and other items for people in South Sudan, and the World Food Programme for disaster relief.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Martha Shults as president and Richard Shults as secretary.
Lewis House Foundation is led by Martha L Shults, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Martha L Shults
President
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard G Shults
Secretary
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Lewis House Foundation
How much does Lewis House Foundation give each year?
Lewis House Foundation gave $25K across 48 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $25K across 40 grants.
What is Lewis House Foundation's typical grant size?
Lewis House Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $250, and its average grant was $526, across 48 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Lewis House Foundation that year got $260 on average.
Where does Lewis House Foundation give grants?
Lewis House Foundation's top state is District of Columbia, with 36% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Rhode Island (27%) and Massachusetts (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (8 grants), Providence, RI (8 grants), Narragansett, RI (4 grants) and Saunderstown, RI (3 grants).
Does Lewis House Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 48 grants with a stated purpose on Lewis House Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Disaster Relief" (8 grants), "Wildlife & Habitat Preservation" (6 grants) and "Community Support" (3 grants).
Who are Lewis House Foundation's largest grantees?
Lewis House Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Doctors Without Borders ($2,500), Jonnycake Center ($2,000) and Un High Command for Refugees ($2,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Lewis House Foundation?
Lewis House Foundation reported $128K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $25K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $7K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Lewis House Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations addressing humanitarian crises, local social needs, medical research, and conservation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Lewis House 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 Lewis House Foundation's EIN?
Lewis House Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-3551350. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Lewis House Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
Live grants for the work Lewis House Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Lewis House Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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