Lightspark Foundation
Lightspark Foundation is a private foundation based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Established in 2016, it says it is dedicated to improving social equity and environmental sustainability in Utah and strengthening democracy in the United States.
Lightspark Foundation at a glance
In short: Lightspark Foundation gave $413K across 41 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Utah. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $413,018
- +26.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 41
- +7.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,074
- +16.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $6,843,374
- +5.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Utah (63% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Lightspark Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 201 S Main St Ste 1400, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Phone: (801) 560-8990
Website: https://lightspark.foundation
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Lightspark Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Impact Guild ($99K). Together the top 10 received $279K.
Grant Size Distribution
126 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 120 grants of 126 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says it focuses on local initiatives in Utah, particularly given its co-founders’ history in the state, and supports nonpartisan democracy efforts in the United States. In 2025, 63% of grant dollars went to recipients in Utah, 24% to California, 6% to Arizona, 6% to Washington, DC, and 1% to Connecticut.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 41 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Lightspark Foundation gives
- 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 127% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $53K (2020) to $548K (2021). In 2025 it made 41 grants totaling $413K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Impact Guild Beverly Hills, CA | Prosocial Advocacy | $99,018 |
| Better Utah Salt Lake City, UT | Government Accountability | $50,000 |
| Boys & Girls Club Murray, UT | Youth Services | $31,000 |
| Chicanos Por La Causa Inc Phoenix, AZ | Community Support | $25,000 |
| Patriotic Millionaires Washington, DC | Equality Advocacy | $15,000 |
| Utah Donor Collaborative Salt Lake City, UT | Political Advocacy | $15,000 |
| Salt Lake City Corp Youthcity Salt Lake City, UT | Youth Services | $13,500 |
| Immigrant Legal Services Millcreek, UT | Legal Aid | $10,000 |
| International Rescue Committee West Valley City, UT | Refugee Support | $10,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Salt Lake City, UT | Healthcare and Education | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Lightspark 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 | $6,843,374 | $303,684 | $475,760 | $413,018 | 41 | $413,018 | $203,267 | $325,668 |
| 2024 | $6,508,252 | $564,953 | $439,993 | $327,667 | 38 | $365,499 | $222,271 | $314,340 |
| 2023 | $6,384,000 | $563,419 | $338,218 | $317,215 | 38 | $320,205 | $200,250 | $311,441 |
| 2022 | $6,154,978 | $-32,959 | $371,204 | — | — | $345,835 | $68,306 | $302,184 |
| 2021 | $6,559,140 | $464,556 | $592,357 | $548,364 | 9 | $561,984 | $60,807 | — |
| 2020 | $6,950,346 | $629,303 | $768,712 | $52,500 | 22 | — | $135,310 | — |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lightspark Foundation reported a distributable amount of $326K 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
Lightspark describes two current areas of focus: improving Utah and strengthening democracy in the United States. In Utah, it focuses on local initiatives addressing homelessness and food insecurity, racial justice, social equity and civil rights, and environmental sustainability. Its democracy work is nonpartisan; the foundation identifies misinformation and disinformation, political polarization, voting rights, and support for trusted journalism and news as concerns.
The 2025 filing also describes the Impact Guild as a network using media, entertainment, and storytelling for social good and healthy democracies. The foundation’s website says the Guild became an independent nonprofit in 2021.
Grantees’ stated missions illustrate the kinds of work represented in its giving. The Road Home says it helps individuals and families exit homelessness through emergency shelter and housing services. Immigrant Legal Services says it provides low-cost and pro bono immigration legal services. The Utah Donor Collaborative says it works to transform Utah politics and ensure every voice counts. Impact Guild describes its work as using entertainment media and storytelling to educate audiences about pressing issues and supporting people who use storytelling for social good.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Lightspark reported 41 grants totaling $413,018. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $99,018, with a median grant of $5,000.
The largest reported grants included $99,018 to Impact Guild for prosocial advocacy, $50,000 to Better Utah for government accountability, $31,000 to Boys & Girls Club for youth services, and $25,000 to Chicanos Por La Causa for community support. Other reported grants included $15,000 to Patriotic Millionaires for equality advocacy and $10,000 each to Immigrant Legal Services, International Rescue Committee, Planned Parenthood, Sounds Support Foundation, and Urban Rural Action.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jonathan M. Ruga, Scott F. Young, and Jared Ruga as directors. The foundation’s website identifies Jonathan Ruga as founding trustee and board chair, and Scott Young and Jared Ruga as founding trustees.
Lightspark Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jared M Ruga
Director
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan M. Ruga
Director
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Scott F. Young
Director
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.
Frequently asked questions about Lightspark Foundation
How much does Lightspark Foundation give each year?
Lightspark Foundation gave $413K across 41 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $328K across 38 grants.
What is Lightspark Foundation's typical grant size?
Lightspark Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $10,074, across 41 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Lightspark Foundation give grants?
Lightspark Foundation gives mostly in Utah: 63% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (24%) and Arizona (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Salt Lake City, UT (27 grants), Murray, UT (2 grants), Washington, DC (2 grants) and West Valley City, UT (2 grants).
Does Lightspark Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 41 grants with a stated purpose on Lightspark Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Community Support" (4 grants), "Youth Services" (3 grants) and "Homeless Services" (3 grants).
Who are Lightspark Foundation's largest grantees?
Lightspark Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Impact Guild ($99,018), Better Utah ($50,000) and Boys & Girls Club ($31,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Lightspark Foundation?
Lightspark Foundation reported $6.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $413K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $326K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Lightspark Foundation fund?
Lightspark describes two current areas of focus: improving Utah and strengthening democracy in the United States. In Utah, it focuses on local initiatives addressing homelessness and food insecurity, racial justice, social equity and civil rights, and environmental sustainability. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Lightspark Foundation?
The foundation 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 Lightspark Foundation's EIN?
Lightspark Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-3990658. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Lightspark 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 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Lightspark Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/lightspark-foundation-morg_b05ec86d07d04a099cd80868d4bdcc8f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_813990658_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Lightspark Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/lightspark-foundation-morg_b05ec86d07d04a099cd80868d4bdcc8f},
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 Lightspark 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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