Lisherness Foundation
Lisherness Foundation is a private foundation based in Phoenix, Arizona. Its 2024 filing reports grants to 12 charitable organizations, all in Arizona, for a total of $71,850. The filing states that the foundation gives only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Lisherness Foundation at a glance
In short: Lisherness Foundation gave $72K across 12 grants in 2024 (avg $6K), mostly in Arizona. 8% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $71,850
- +30.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 12
- +20.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $5,988
- +8.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $621,856
- -5.2% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 8% first-time grantees (1 of 12, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Arizona (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Lisherness Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1918 West Grant Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009
Phone: (602) 258-3974
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Lisherness Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was St Mary's Food Bank ($12K). Together the top 10 received $68K.
Grant Size Distribution
62 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 62 grants of 62 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2024 went to recipients in Arizona.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Lisherness Foundation open to new grantees?
8%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 1 of 12 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 75% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 75% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 149% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $37K (2020) to $72K (2024). In 2024 it made 12 grants totaling $72K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Food Bank Phoenix, AZ | Support | $12,000 |
| Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation Tempe, AZ | Support | $12,000 |
| Iranian American Society of AZ Scottsdale, AZ | Support | $11,000 |
| The Simpatico Foundation Scottsdale, AZ | Support | $7,000 |
| New School for the Arts Tempe, AZ | Support | $5,000 |
| Arizona Dance Coalition Inc Mesa, AZ | Support | $5,000 |
| ASU Foundation Tempe, AZ | Support | $5,000 |
| Ballet Arizona Phoenix, AZ | Support | $4,000 |
| American Heart Association Tempe, AZ | Support | $3,750 |
| Child Crisis Center Mesa, AZ | Support | $3,500 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $621,856 | $40,142 | $74,272 | $71,850 | 12 | $72,754 | $39,238 | $48,759 |
| 2023 | $655,987 | $39,513 | $57,202 | $55,100 | 10 | $56,151 | $13,962 | $44,435 |
| 2022 | $759,685 | $14,626 | $43,760 | $43,500 | 10 | $42,629 | $13,495 | $47,463 |
| 2021 | $727,236 | $28,167 | $46,583 | $41,000 | 15 | $42,651 | $26,517 | $45,516 |
| 2020 | $721,157 | $79,598 | $44,976 | $36,500 | 15 | — | $77,826 | $40,582 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lisherness Foundation reported a distributable amount of $49K for 2024 — 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 records do not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants went to organizations in areas including food assistance, education, arts and culture, health, and child welfare. For example, New School for the Arts says its mission is to provide students with an interest and talent in the arts a superior integrated academic and arts program. Ballet Arizona describes its mission as igniting the human spirit through dance and its vision as ballet for everyone. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation awarded 12 grants totaling $71,850. Grant amounts ranged from $600 to $12,000, with a median of $5,000. Among the largest awards were $12,000 each to St. Mary’s Food Bank and Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation, and $11,000 to Iranian American Society of AZ. Other recipients included The Simpatico Foundation ($7,000), New School for the Arts ($5,000), Arizona Dance Coalition ($5,000), ASU Foundation ($5,000), Ballet Arizona ($4,000), American Heart Association ($3,750), Child Crisis Center ($3,500), Scottsdale Center for the Arts ($3,000), and Phoenix World Art Collective ($600).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Heidi Lisherness as director, president, and secretary, and Rick Brodeur as director and treasurer.
Lisherness Foundation is led by heidi lisherness, Director, President & Secretary since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
heidi lisherness
Director, President & Secretary
Director & Secretary → Director, President & Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Rick Brodeur
Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: harley lisherness (2020–2022) — Director & President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Lisherness Foundation
How much does Lisherness Foundation give each year?
Lisherness Foundation gave $72K across 12 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $55K across 10 grants.
What is Lisherness Foundation's typical grant size?
Lisherness Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $5,988, across 12 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Lisherness Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does Lisherness Foundation give grants?
Lisherness Foundation gives mostly in Arizona: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Tempe, AZ (4 grants), Scottsdale, AZ (3 grants), Phoenix, AZ (3 grants) and Mesa, AZ (2 grants).
Does Lisherness Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on Lisherness Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support" (12 grants).
Who are Lisherness Foundation's largest grantees?
Lisherness Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include St Mary's Food Bank ($12,000), Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation ($12,000) and Iranian American Society of AZ ($11,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 49% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Lisherness Foundation?
Lisherness Foundation reported $622K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $73K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $49K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Lisherness Foundation fund?
The available records do not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants went to organizations in areas including food assistance, education, arts and culture, health, and child welfare. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Lisherness Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that 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 Lisherness Foundation's EIN?
Lisherness Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-1503658. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Lisherness 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Lisherness Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Lisherness Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Lisherness Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/lisherness-foundation-morg_3285c58937344a2cbf121c95812d42e7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_271503658_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Lisherness Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/lisherness-foundation-morg_3285c58937344a2cbf121c95812d42e7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Lisherness 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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