Lissy Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Needham, MA EIN: 46-5181325

LISSY FAMILY FOUNDATION is a private foundation based in Needham, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with operating support listed as the purpose for the largest grants.

Key facts about Lissy Family Foundation

In short: Lissy Family Foundation gave $492K across 31 grants in 2025 (avg $16K), mostly in Massachusetts. 52% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
46-5181325
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$492,379
Grants made (2025)
31
Average grant
$15,883
Median grant
$515
New grantees (estimate)
52% first-time grantees (16 of 31, 2025)
Total assets
$3,105,966
Primary geography
Massachusetts (79% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation 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

$3.1M

-12.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$492K

-39.3% YoY

Grant Count

31

+14.8% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$16K

-47.2% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lissy Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $16K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is Lissy Family Foundation open to new grantees?

52%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 16 of 31 grantees (52%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $31K. How we count

Medians: $264 first-time, $1K repeat.

  • 32% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−8%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out well above 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.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No foundation mission is stated. Its 2025 grantees include organizations whose own missions span different activities: Bright Horizons Foundation for Children says it supports children, youth, and families in crisis; The Immigrant Learning Center says it offers English-language instruction to foreign-born adults; and Golf Fights Cancer says it raises funds for cancer-related organizations and families affected by cancer.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 31 grants totaling $492,379. Grants ranged from $100 to $200,000, with a median of $515. The largest grants were $200,000 to Alzheimer’s Association, $135,000 to Combined Jewish Philanthropies, and $95,000 to Wake Forest University. Other reported grants included $10,000 to Bright Horizons Foundation for Children and $6,113 to The Immigrant Learning Center.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, Massachusetts recipients received 79% of grant dollars and North Carolina recipients received 19%. New York received 1%; Rhode Island and New Jersey each received 0% as reported.

Grant Distribution by State

13states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 31 itemized grants.

Cities

BostonNeedhamNewtonNew YorkWalthamNatickIthacaWinston-SalemArlingtonElonWatertownNortonProvidenceRoxburyWellesleyAmesburyBelmontChestnut HillDedhamFoxboro

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$250K$500K$750K$1M29 grants2020 32 grants2021 27 grants2022 33 grants2023 27 grants2024 31 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $313K (2020) to $940K (2023). In 2025 it made 31 grants totaling $492K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Alzheimer's Association: $200KAlzheimer's Association$200KCombined Jewish Philanthropy: $135KCombined Jewish Philanthropy$135KWake Forest University: $95KWake Forest University$95KBeaver Country Day School: $10KBeaver Country Day School$10KBright Horizons Foundation for Children: $10KBright Horizons Foundation forChildren$10KCoalition for Healthy Democracy: $10KCoalition for HealthyDemocracy$10KOne Company Fund: $10KOne Company Fund$10KThe Immigrant Learning Center: $6KThe Immigrant Learning Center$6KIthaca University: $5KIthaca University$5KThe Giving Back Fund: $2KThe Giving Back Fund$2K

The largest 2025 recipient was Alzheimer's Association ($200K). Together the top 10 received $484K.

Grant Size Distribution

150 grants across all recorded years

130<$50K8$50–100K8$100–250K4$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 130 grants of 150 (87%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Alzheimer's Association Waltham, MAFor Operating Support$200,000
Combined Jewish Philanthropy Boston, MAFor Operating Support$135,000
Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NCFor Operating Support$95,000
Beaver Country Day School Chestnut Hill, MAFor Operating Support$10,497
Bright Horizons Foundation for Children Newton, MAFor Operating Support$10,000
Coalition for Healthy Democracy Foxboro, MAFor Operating Support$10,000
One Company Fund Waltham, MAFor Operating Support$10,000
The Immigrant Learning Center Malden, MAFor Operating Support$6,113
Ithaca University Ithaca, NYFor Operating Support$5,000
The Giving Back Fund Boston, MAFor Operating Support$2,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants Grant count
2025 $3,105,966 $52,489 $512,970 $492,379 31
2024 $3,566,447 $348,086 $834,641 $811,816 27
2023 $4,053,002 $3,076,362 $955,813 $939,878 33
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$1M$2M$3M$4M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$3,105,966$3,566,447$4,053,002
Revenue$52,489$348,086$3,076,362
Expenses$512,970$834,641$955,813
Qualifying Distributions$492,379$811,816$939,878
Net Investment Income$31,898$43,893—
Distributable Amount$15,546$16,675$12,079

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 12, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 1, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists David Lissy and Suzanne Lissy as trustees.

Lissy Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • David Lissy

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Suzanne Lissy

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/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: 63 Birds Hill Avenue, Needham, MA 02492-4259
Phone: (617) 577-8020

Frequently asked questions about Lissy Family Foundation

How much does Lissy Family Foundation give each year?

Lissy Family Foundation gave $492K across 31 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $812K across 27 grants.

What is Lissy Family Foundation's typical grant size?

Lissy Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $515, and its average grant was $15,883, across 31 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Lissy Family Foundation that year got $2K on average.

Where does Lissy Family Foundation give grants?

Lissy Family Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 79% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was North Carolina (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (4 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Waltham, MA (2 grants) and Foxboro, MA (2 grants).

Does Lissy Family Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of Lissy Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (31 of 31) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Lissy Family Foundation's largest grantees?

Lissy Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Alzheimer's Association ($200,000), Combined Jewish Philanthropy ($135,000) and Wake Forest University ($95,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 87% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Lissy Family Foundation?

Lissy Family Foundation reported $3.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $492K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $16K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Lissy Family Foundation fund?

No foundation mission is stated. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Lissy Family 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 Lissy Family Foundation's EIN?

Lissy Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-5181325. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does Lissy 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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