Nordlys Foundation
Nordlys Foundation is a private foundation based in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its 2025 filing reports 21 grants totaling $739,547, including support for organizations in New York, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont.
Nordlys Foundation at a glance
In short: Nordlys Foundation gave $740K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $35K), mostly in New York. 29% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $739,547
- -63.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- -16.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $35,217
- -56.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $6,353,390
- -2.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 29% first-time grantees (6 of 21, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (81% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Nordlys 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 for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 110 Spring Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Phone: (518) 587-6433
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Nordlys Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Adirondack Council ($250K). Together the top 10 received $625K.
Grant Size Distribution
98 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 84 grants of 98 (86%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars were reported as 81% to New York, 17% to Minnesota, and 1% each to Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Nordlys Foundation open to new grantees?
29%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 21 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $23K; repeat grants $40K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 62% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 167% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 184% of 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $228K (2020) to $2.0M (2024). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $740K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Adirondack Council Elizabethtown, NY | Program Support | $250,000 |
| University of Minnesota Foundation Minneapolis, MN | Program Support | $100,000 |
| Pitney Meadows Community Saratoga Springs, NY | Program Support | $80,000 |
| South Colonie CSD Albany, NY | Program Support | $44,547 |
| Saratoga Plan Saratoga Springs, NY | Program Support | $35,000 |
| American Swedish Institute Minneapolis, MN | Kaffestugan Project | $25,000 |
| Saratoga Senior Center Saratoga Springs, NY | Program Support | $25,000 |
| The National Heritage Trust Albany, NY | Program Support | $25,000 |
| Agricultural Stewardship Assn Greenwich, NY | Program Support | $20,000 |
| Caffe Lena Saratoga Springs, NY | Program Support | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Nordlys 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 | $6,353,390 | $630,450 | $775,286 | $739,547 | 21 | $739,797 | $613,838 | $402,790 |
| 2024 | $6,498,226 | $7,461,532 | $2,057,983 | $2,039,500 | 25 | $2,039,750 | $1,091,946 | $347,598 |
| 2023 | $1,094,677 | $349,783 | $251,452 | $237,000 | 14 | $237,000 | $322,797 | $119,811 |
| 2022 | $996,346 | $364,206 | $287,194 | $277,380 | 18 | $277,380 | $356,656 | $112,022 |
| 2021 | $902,084 | $188,487 | $268,093 | $256,000 | 20 | $256,000 | $176,394 | $117,786 |
| 2020 | $981,690 | $198,590 | $237,147 | $228,250 | 18 | — | $189,693 | $97,688 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Nordlys Foundation reported a distributable amount of $403K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations whose own missions describe work in land and farm protection, arts and cultural programming, education, and community support. For example, Saratoga Plan says it stewards and protects farms, forests, and waters in the Saratoga region and southern Adirondack foothills. Agricultural Stewardship Association describes its work as protecting working farms and forests and supporting agriculture and forestry in its region. Caffè Lena describes its activities as presenting performances and visual art and offering public participation and education in those areas.
Other 2025 grantees describe their work as supporting the University of Minnesota (University of Minnesota Foundation), preserving Saratoga Springs’ architectural and cultural heritage (Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation), removing menstruation-related barriers for girls worldwide (The MoonCatcher Project), and building community life through accessible arts programming (Berkshire Pulse).
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 21 grants totaling $739,547. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $250,000, with a median of $20,000. The largest awards included $250,000 to Adirondack Council, $100,000 to University of Minnesota Foundation, $80,000 to Pitney Meadows Community, and $44,547 to South Colonie CSD. Other reported grants included $35,000 to Saratoga Plan and $25,000 each to American Swedish Institute, Saratoga Senior Center, and The National Heritage Trust.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Barbara Glaser as president, Kimara Gustafson as director, Susan Bokan as treasurer, and Kenneth Glaser as director.
Nordlys Foundation is led by Barbara Glaser, President since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Barbara Glaser
President
Director → President, 2024
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kimara Gustafson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kenneth Glaser
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Bokan
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2024
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 Nordlys Foundation
How much does Nordlys Foundation give each year?
Nordlys Foundation gave $740K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.0M across 25 grants.
What is Nordlys Foundation's typical grant size?
Nordlys Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $35,217, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Nordlys Foundation that year got $23K on average.
Where does Nordlys Foundation give grants?
Nordlys Foundation gives mostly in New York: 81% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Minnesota (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were Saratoga Springs, NY (7 grants), Minneapolis, MN (2 grants), Albany, NY (2 grants) and Raquette Lake, NY (2 grants).
Does Nordlys Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 21 grants with a stated purpose on Nordlys Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (20 grants).
Who are Nordlys Foundation's largest grantees?
Nordlys Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Adirondack Council ($250,000), University of Minnesota Foundation ($100,000) and Pitney Meadows Community ($80,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 58% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Nordlys Foundation?
Nordlys Foundation reported $6.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $740K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $403K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Nordlys Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations whose own missions describe work in land and farm protection, arts and cultural programming, education, and community support. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Nordlys Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Nordlys Foundation's EIN?
Nordlys Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 14-6205088. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Nordlys 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
Live grants for the work Nordlys Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Nordlys Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Nordlys Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/nordlys-foundation-morg_0d8146573c9b4303a6dc364f5d2ffdde
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_146205088_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Nordlys Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/nordlys-foundation-morg_0d8146573c9b4303a6dc364f5d2ffdde},
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 Nordlys 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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