Lighten Family Foundation
Lighten Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. Its 2025 filing reports $460,500 in grants to 16 organizations, including a $300,000 grant to the Boule Foundation and grants to organizations in several states.
Key facts about Lighten Family Foundation
In short: Lighten Family Foundation gave $461K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $29K), mostly in Georgia. 33% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 20-8069108
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $460,500
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- Average grant
- $28,781
- Median grant
- $4,750
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (5 of 15, 2025)
- Total assets
- $5,145,322
- Primary geography
- Georgia (65% 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
$5.1M
+4.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$461K
+453.5% YoY
Grant Count
16
+45.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$29K
+280.5% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lighten Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $329K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Lighten Family Foundation open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 15 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $63K; repeat grants $15K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 47% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 293% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 145% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants included support for a scholarship and leadership forum at Yale University, the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation’s dancers’ resource fund, and organizations whose own missions include scholarships and leadership development, dance and arts education, community programs, and assistance for cancer patients. These are the grantees’ stated missions and purposes, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 16 grants totaling $460,500. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $300,000, with a median of $4,750. The largest grants were $300,000 to the Boule Foundation, $32,000 to Grace Baptist Church, $26,000 to Divine Favor & Fellowship Ministries, and $25,000 each to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Yale University. The two Yale grants supported the Peter Salovey and Marta Moret Scholarship Fund and the Ogilvie Robinson deChabert Leadership Forum of the Afro-American Cultural Center.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing’s grant-dollar distribution by recipient state was Georgia, 65%; New York, 16%; Connecticut, 11%; Tennessee, 7%; and Michigan, 0% as reported. Listed recipients also included organizations in Virginia and Washington, DC. These figures describe the reported 2025 grants.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $83K (2024) to $461K (2025). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $461K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Boule Foundation ($300K). Together the top 10 received $456K.
Grant Size Distribution
60 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 55 grants of 60 (92%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Boule Foundation Atlanta, GA | General & Unrestricted | $300,000 |
| Grace Baptist Church Mt Vernon, NY | General & Unrestricted | $32,000 |
| Divine Favor & Fellowship Ministries Moscow, TN | General & Unrestricted | $26,000 |
| NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc New York, NY | General & Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Yale University New Haven, CT | The Peter Salovey and Marta Moret Scholarship Fund at Yale | $25,000 |
| Yale University New Haven, CT | The Ogilvie Robinson deChabert Leadership Forum of the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale | $25,000 |
| Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation Inc New York, NY | Ailey Dancers' Resource Fund | $10,000 |
| Center Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Memphis, TN | General & Unrestricted | $7,000 |
| New Rochelle Police Foundation Inc New Rochelle, NY | General & Unrestricted | $2,500 |
| March of Dimes Inc Arlington, VA | General & Unrestricted | $2,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,145,322 | $729,756 | $530,248 | $460,500 |
| 2024 | $4,945,814 | $702,396 | $138,693 | $83,200 |
| 2023 | $4,382,111 | $345,259 | $175,890 | $122,500 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $5,145,322 | $4,945,814 | $4,382,111 |
| Revenue | $729,756 | $702,396 | $345,259 |
| Expenses | $530,248 | $138,693 | $175,890 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $475,525 | $98,225 | $137,525 |
| Net Investment Income | $808,863 | $467,429 | $311,351 |
| Distributable Amount | $328,765 | $295,086 | $245,704 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists William E. Lighten as president, director, and secretary. It lists Adrienne J. Lighten, Alexis N. Lighten, Christopher W. Lighten, and Michael D. Lighten as vice presidents.
Lighten Family Foundation is led by William E Lighten, President, Director & Secretary on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
William E Lighten
President, Director & Secretary
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Adrienne J Lighten
Vice President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alexis N Lighten
Vice President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christopher W Lighten
Vice President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael D Lighten
Vice President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Contact
Mailing address: Foundation Source 501 Silverside Rd, Wilmington, DE 19809-1377
Phone: (800) 839-1754
Frequently asked questions about Lighten Family Foundation
How much does Lighten Family Foundation give each year?
Lighten Family Foundation gave $461K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $83K across 11 grants.
What is Lighten Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Lighten Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,750, and its average grant was $28,781, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Lighten Family Foundation that year got $63K on average.
Where does Lighten Family Foundation give grants?
Lighten Family Foundation gives mostly in Georgia: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (16%) and Connecticut (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were New Haven, CT (2 grants), New York, NY (2 grants) and Escanaba, MI (2 grants).
Does Lighten Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 81% of Lighten Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Lighten Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Lighten Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Boule Foundation ($300,000), Yale University ($50,000 across 2 grants) and Grace Baptist Church ($32,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 83% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Lighten Family Foundation?
Lighten Family Foundation reported $5.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $476K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $329K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Lighten Family Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Lighten 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 Lighten Family Foundation's EIN?
Lighten Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-8069108. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Lighten 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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