Louis Calder Foundation
The Louis Calder Foundation is a private foundation established in 1951 by Louis Calder (1879-1963), a businessman who spent 66 years at Perkins-Goodwin Co., a pulp and paper marketing and management firm where he served as president and chairman from 1922 until his death. The foundation was funded through gifts during Calder's lifetime and received a residuary bequest in his will. It operates as a trust under New York State law and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$194.2M
+13.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$6.9M
-12.4% YoY
Grant Count
35
-18.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$197K
+7.6% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Louis Calder Foundation reported a distributable amount of $9.3M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
Vision: The foundation envisions a nation where every child has the opportunity to obtain an excellent education, enabling them to walk a path to economic independence and success of their own choosing.
Mission: The foundation invests in organizations that seek to provide high-quality learning opportunities for children in under-resourced communities.
Primary Focus Areas: Education, with emphasis on charter and parochial schools, and human services.
Core Beliefs:
- Excellent education is the most effective lever for creating economic independence and success
- Powerful learning opportunities exist both inside and outside schools
- The foundation makes efficient investments with broad impact while valuing individual child outcomes
- High-quality learning opportunities have core tenets that can take diverse forms based on community needs and values
- The foundation is willing to take significant risk when proportionate impact is possible
Educational Tenets: The foundation emphasizes rigorous, coherent, culturally relevant, high-quality curriculum; student engagement and achievement; and diverse, welcoming community perspectives in learning opportunities.
Grantmaking
Grant Range
s:** Typical awards range from $1,000 to $1,000,000.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation's grant-making focuses primarily on New York, Colorado, and Tennessee.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of Fiscal Year Ending October 2024:
- Total Assets: $194,177,460
- Total Revenue: $12,952,023
- Total Expenses: $10,652,996
- Net Income: $2,299,027
- Total Liabilities: $0
Revenue Composition (2024):
- Investment income and dividends: 30.6%
- Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets: 65.8%
- Contributions: 2.8%
- Other: 0.8%
Tax-Exempt Status: 501(c)(3) organization; tax-exempt since January 1953
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $194,177,460 | $171,380,883 | $170,366,757 |
| Revenue | $12,952,023 | $11,695,845 | $15,916,968 |
| Expenses | $10,652,996 | $10,920,251 | $11,524,032 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $8,659,599 | $9,199,580 | $9,413,261 |
| Net Investment Income | $5,234,202 | $8,334,512 | $12,930,769 |
| Distributable Amount | $9,301,226 | $8,702,340 | $9,210,658 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
221 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Charter Fund Inc ($1,000,000), Array Education Inc ($750,000), Instruction Partners ($500,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| ACHIEVEMENT FIRST INC NEW HAVEN, CT | SCIENCE OF READING | $350,000 |
| ALLEGIANCE STEAM ACADEMY INC CHINO, CA | GROWTH OF CHARTER SCHOOLS | $100,000 |
| ARRAY EDUCATION INC NEW YORK, NY | FISCAL SPONSOR FOR THE LITERACY GROUP, SCIENCE OF READING | $750,000 |
| AVANCE INC SAN ANTONIO, TX | TWO-GENERATION FAMILY LEARNING | $100,000 |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA JACKSONVILLE, FL | TRUSTEE DISCRETIONARY SUPPORT FOR HIGH QUALITY LEARNING OPPORTUNITY | $100,000 |
| BUILDING RESPONSIBLE INTELLIGENT CREATIVE KIDS NEWARK, NJ | GROWTH OF CHARTER SCHOOLS | $200,000 |
| CAMBIAR EDUCATION LOS ANGELES, CA | FISCAL SPONSOR FOR MAGPIE LITERACY, SCIENCE OF READING | $400,000 |
| CHALKBEAT INC NEW YORK, NY | RESEARCH | $1,000 |
| CHARTER FUND INC DENVER, CO | GROWTH OF CHARTER SCHOOLS | $1,000,000 |
| CLARKSDALE COLLEGIATE CLARKSDALE, MS | GROWTH OF CHARTER SCHOOLS | $150,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Alex Calder: Executive Director
The foundation employs 4 staff members.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| M ALEXANDER CALDER | TRUSTEE/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $421,557 |
| PETER D CALDER | TRUSTEE | 15 | $211,390 |
| FRANK E SHANLEY | TRUSTEE | 15 | $211,390 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
Recent grant announcements include funding for literacy and academic achievement initiatives, including support for KIPP Jacksonville to strengthen literacy programs and academic achievement.
KIPP Jacksonville awarded over $500K to strengthen literacy and ...Frequently Asked Questions
What does Louis Calder Foundation fund?
**Vision:** The foundation envisions a nation where every child has the opportunity to obtain an excellent education, enabling them to walk a path to economic independence and success of their own choosing. **Mission:** The foundation invests in organizations that seek to provide high-quality learning opportunities for children in under-resourced communities. **Primary Focus Areas:** Education, with emphasis on charter and parochial schools, and human services. **Core Beliefs:** • Excellent edu…
How do I apply for a grant from Louis Calder Foundation?
**Grant Sizes:** Typical awards range from $1,000 to $1,000,000. **Recent Grant Activity (2023):** • Charter School Growth Fund: $1,000,000 (Growth of Charter Schools) • Achievement First: $500,000 (Science of Reading) • KIPP NYC: $450,000 (Science of Reading) **Total Giving:** $6,877,700 (fiscal year 2024); $7,153,785 in grants made (2023)
Where does Louis Calder Foundation make grants?
The foundation's grant-making focuses primarily on New York, Colorado, and Tennessee.
What size grants does Louis Calder Foundation award?
In 2024, Louis Calder Foundation awarded 35 grants totaling $6.9M — an average of about $197K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is Louis Calder Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Louis Calder Foundation reported a distributable amount of $9.3M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Louis Calder Foundation's EIN?
Louis Calder Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-6015562. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Louis Calder Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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