Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship
Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its reported grantmaking supports scholarships for individual recipients, with the 2025 filing describing eligible applicants as graduates of high schools in Rush County, Indiana, seeking college or other post-high-school education.
Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship at a glance
In short: Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship gave $44K across 22 grants in 2026 (avg $2K), mostly in Indiana. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2026)
- $44,194
- +1.1% vs 2025
- Grants made (2026)
- 22
- -4.3% vs 2025
- Average grant
- $2,009
- +5.7% vs 2025
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $702,493
- +1.7% vs 2025
- Primary geography
- Indiana (91% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship
- How to Apply
-
The 2025 filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It directs applicants to contact JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. and lists an online grants form. Awards are restricted to graduates of high schools in Rush County, Indiana, for college or other post-high-school education.
- Review Cycle
- The 2025 filing lists a deadline of April 1 or 60 days before the start of the school term. It does not specify a year for that deadline.
- Deadline
- The 2025 filing lists a deadline of April 1 or 60 days before the start of the school term.
- Contact
Application contact: Jp Morgan Chase Bank N A
Mailing address: 10 S Dearborn Il1-0111, Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: (800) 496-2583
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
139 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 139 grants of 139 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In filing year 2026, 91% of grant dollars went to recipients in Indiana and 9% to recipients in Ohio. The 2025 filing restricts awards to graduates of high schools in Rush County, Indiana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
Cities
How Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2023 to 2026 (+2%). Method
- In 2026 it paid out 97% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $38K (2020) to $46K (2024). In 2026 it made 22 grants totaling $44K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 22 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $44,194 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $702,493 | $76,158 | $64,393 | $44,194 | 22 | $52,447 | $65,155 | $53,952 |
| 2025 | $690,728 | $61,501 | $62,532 | $43,700 | 23 | $51,444 | $51,155 | $53,487 |
| 2024 | $688,783 | $46,321 | $63,625 | $46,100 | 30 | $53,006 | $34,366 | $49,144 |
| 2023 | $703,216 | $25,946 | $62,059 | $43,400 | 34 | $50,345 | $15,353 | $53,095 |
| 2022 | $731,732 | $65,950 | $58,179 | $39,350 | 30 | $47,176 | $54,716 | $51,115 |
| 2021 | $723,964 | $39,090 | $55,568 | $38,550 | 27 | — | $28,864 | $45,040 |
| 2020 | $738,494 | $62,244 | $54,205 | $38,150 | 26 | — | $51,805 | $43,423 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship reported a distributable amount of $54K for 2026 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement is provided. The reported grants are for scholarships to individuals.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2026, the foundation gave 22 grants totaling $44,194. Grants ranged from $1,694 to $2,250, with a median of $2,000. The largest grants were two scholarships of $2,250 each to individual recipients in Indiana; another scholarship of $2,000 went to an individual recipient in Ohio.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2026 filing lists Dr. John E. Williams and Michelle Walls as committee members.
Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship's 2026 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2026 report compensation.
Officers on the 2026 filing
John E. Williams
Committee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michelle Walls
Committee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: JP Morgan Chase Bank N A (2020–2022) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2026. "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 Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship
How much does Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship give each year?
Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship gave $44K across 22 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $44K across 23 grants.
What is Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship's typical grant size?
Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship's median grant in 2026 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,009, across 22 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship give grants?
Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship gives mostly in Indiana: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Ohio (9%).
Does Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship give general operating support?
Not in 2026: none of the 22 grants with a stated purpose on Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship's 2026 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (22 grants).
How large is Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship?
Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship reported $702K in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $52K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $54K (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 Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship fund?
No mission statement is provided. The reported grants are for scholarships to individuals. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship?
The 2025 filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship's EIN?
Ora T & Dessie H Lower Memorial Scholarship's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7311043. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2026.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS June 5, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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