Lillys Gift Foundation
Lillys Gift Foundation is a private foundation based in Yreka, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including organizations working in conservation, food assistance, youth programming, and animal rescue.
Lillys Gift Foundation at a glance
In short: Lillys Gift Foundation gave $520K across 35 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in Oregon. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $520,000
- -75.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 35
- -51.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $14,857
- -48.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $12,276,254
- -59.0% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Oregon (56% 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 Lillys Gift Foundation
- 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. Potential recipients are to submit a written letter explaining their need. The filing states there are no restrictions or limitations on awards.
- Review Cycle
- No submission deadlines.
- Deadline
- No submission deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Lilly'S Gift Foundation
Mailing address: 805 Maryhill Circle, Yreka, CA 96097
Phone: (541) 933-3000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Lillys Gift Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was McKenzie River Trust ($55K). Together the top 10 received $270K.
Grant Size Distribution
251 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 231 grants of 251 (92%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Oregon recipients received 56% of grant dollars and California recipients received 34%. Recipients in New York received 4%, while those in Virginia and Maryland each received 2%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 35 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Lillys Gift Foundation gives
- 46% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 61% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 41% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $520K (2025) to $2.1M (2024). In 2025 it made 35 grants totaling $520K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| McKenzie River Trust Eugene, OR | To Support the Charitable Mission of the Organization | $55,000 |
| Marcola Elementary PTO Marcola, OR | To Support the Charitable Mission of the Organization | $50,000 |
| Liberation Pathways Healing Place Yreka, CA | To Support the Charitable Mission of the Organization | $40,000 |
| Marcola Education Foundation Yreka, CA | To Support the Charitable Mission of the Organization | $20,000 |
| Newport Mesa Church Irvine, CA | To Support the Charitable Mission of the Organization | $20,000 |
| Oregon Horse Rescue Eugene, OR | To Support the Charitable Mission of the Organization | $20,000 |
| Seeding Justice the Chuush Fund Portland, OR | To Support the Charitable Mission of the Organization | $20,000 |
| Board House Society Bend, OR | To Support the Charitable Mission of the Organization | $15,000 |
| Companion Animal Medical Project (Camp Clinic) Bend, OR | To Support the Charitable Mission of the Organization | $15,000 |
| Oregon Worker Relief Fund Portland, OR | To Support the Charitable Mission of the Organization | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Lillys Gift 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 | $12,276,254 | $3,365,715 | $777,671 | $520,000 | 35 | $579,297 | $795,230 | $1,424,165 |
| 2024 | $29,961,012 | $4,167,092 | $2,260,727 | $2,080,500 | 72 | $2,103,004 | $1,386,119 | $1,392,855 |
| 2023 | $26,474,352 | $3,043,844 | $1,718,128 | $1,540,000 | 57 | $1,540,000 | $721,288 | $1,203,697 |
| 2022 | $22,184,230 | $2,940,956 | $1,457,846 | $1,330,000 | 44 | $1,330,000 | $1,034,785 | $1,099,990 |
| 2021 | $25,409,440 | $3,442,878 | $1,131,017 | $1,000,000 | 43 | $1,000,000 | $1,149,477 | $1,129,867 |
| 2020 | $21,290,029 | $2,461,871 | $1,203,119 | $1,100,000 | 5 | — | $392,796 | $881,569 |
| 2019 | $18,834,595 | $2,328,409 | $1,144,643 | $1,000,000 | 46 | — | $405,427 | $834,015 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lillys Gift Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.4M 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
The available filing does not state the foundation’s own mission. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, McKenzie River Trust says it conserves land and easements to protect clean water, fish and wildlife habitat, and community values. Family Kitchen says it provides nutritious meals to people in need, while Tiny Mighty and Strong Corporation describes youth health and wellness programming. Other 2025 grantees include wildlife rehabilitation and habitat restoration organizations, a food and farm network, and animal rescue and rehabilitation organizations.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 35 grants totaling $520,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $55,000, with a median of $10,000. Among the largest were $55,000 to McKenzie River Trust, $50,000 to Marcola Elementary PTO, and $40,000 to Liberation Pathways Healing Place. Other grants of $20,000 went to Marcola Education Foundation, Newport Mesa Church, Oregon Horse Rescue, and Seeding Justice The Chuush Fund.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Marilyn Ericson as CEO, Risa Ericson Knights as CFO, and Brayden Ericson as Secretary. It also lists Lois Ericson as CEO, Constance Sherwood as CFO, and Steven L Ericson as VP, with each of those roles marked as ending in September 2025.
Lillys Gift Foundation is led by Lois Ericson, CEO since 2022 (on filings since 2019); none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lois Ericson
CEO
President → CEO, 2022
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marilyn Ericson
CEO
Vice President → Secretary, 2022
Secretary → CEO, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Constance Sherwood
CFO
Secretary → CFO, 2022
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steven L. Ericson
Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brayden Ericson
Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Risa Ericson Knights
CFO
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Peggy King (2019–2021) — CFO
- Former: Constance Shepherd (2021) — Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Lillys Gift Foundation
How much does Lillys Gift Foundation give each year?
Lillys Gift Foundation gave $520K across 35 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.1M across 72 grants.
What is Lillys Gift Foundation's typical grant size?
Lillys Gift Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $14,857, across 35 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Lillys Gift Foundation give grants?
Lillys Gift Foundation gives mostly in Oregon: 56% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (34%). The most frequent recipient cities were Bend, OR (9 grants), Yreka, CA (7 grants), Eugene, OR (4 grants) and Portland, OR (3 grants).
Does Lillys Gift Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 35 grants with a stated purpose on Lillys Gift Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Support the Charitable Mission of the Organization" (35 grants).
Who are Lillys Gift Foundation's largest grantees?
Lillys Gift Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include McKenzie River Trust ($55,000), Marcola Elementary PTO ($50,000) and Liberation Pathways Healing Place ($40,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 28% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Lillys Gift Foundation?
Lillys Gift Foundation reported $12.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $579K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.4M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Lillys Gift Foundation fund?
The available filing does not state the foundation’s own mission. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, McKenzie River Trust says it conserves land and easements to protect clean water, fish and wildlife habitat, and community values. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Lillys Gift Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Lillys Gift Foundation's EIN?
Lillys Gift Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 68-0445376. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Lillys Gift 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 7, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 26, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Lillys Gift Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Lillys Gift Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/lillys-gift-foundation-morg_edb86fb2e19e48de8b53263842a462b8
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_680445376_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Lillys Gift Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/lillys-gift-foundation-morg_edb86fb2e19e48de8b53263842a462b8},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Lillys Gift 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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