Points of Light Foundation
Points of Light Foundation is a public charity based in Atlanta, Georgia (EIN 65-0206641). Formed in 1990, it is an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit that grew from President George H.W. Bush’s 1989 call to recognize “a thousand points of light.” Its work centers on volunteering and civic engagement, including efforts to strengthen volunteer infrastructure and help people and organizations mobilize service.
Points of Light Foundation at a glance
In short: Points of Light Foundation gave $10.1M across 103 grants in 2025 (avg $98K), top state New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $10,075,000
- +0.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 103
- +3.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $97,816
- -2.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $90,000
- Total assets
- $16,534,889
- -17.7% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New York (7% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Points of Light Foundation
- Contact
Mailing address: 101 Marietta St Nw 3100, Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: (404) 979-2900
Website: https://pointsoflight.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Points of Light Foundation
Who Points of Light Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Feeding South Florida ($300K). Together the top 10 received $2.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
409 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 161 grants of 409 (39%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant list shows awards across multiple states. The largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state were New York and North Carolina at 7% each, Florida at 6%, Tennessee at 5%, and Virginia at 4%. The Family Volunteer Day Grants are described as having a United States geographic scope.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 103 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Points of Light Foundation gives
- 0% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+8%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $130K (2021) to $10.1M (2025). In 2025 it made 103 grants totaling $10.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Feeding South Florida Pembroke Park, FL | Community Improvement Project | $300,000 |
| City of Billings Montana (City of Billings Fire Department) Billings, MT | Community Improvement Project | $280,000 |
| New Life Center Goodyear, AZ | Community Improvement Project | $250,000 |
| Veterans Community Project (Veterans Village of Kansas City) Kansas City, MO | Community Improvement Project | $245,000 |
| Americas Vetdogs Smithtown, NY | Community Improvement Project | $225,000 |
| Children of Bellevue New York, NY | Community Improvement Project | $210,000 |
| Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Albuquerque, NM | Community Improvement Project | $200,000 |
| Kokua Hawaii Foundation Haleiwa, HI | Community Improvement Project | $200,000 |
| Vision House Renton, WA | Community Improvement Project | $200,000 |
| Volunteers of America Mid-States Louisville, KY | Community Improvement Project | $200,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Points of Light Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $16,534,889 | $25,965,060 | $30,047,317 | $10,075,000 | 103 | $719,837 |
| 2024 | $20,085,088 | $29,535,290 | $29,132,387 | $10,000,000 | 100 | $2,056,056 |
| 2023 | $22,415,578 | $27,065,745 | $27,946,517 | $10,000,000 | 100 | $677,973 |
| 2022 | $21,167,253 | $29,278,517 | $26,143,315 | $9,335,000 | 100 | $5,384,375 |
| 2021 | $22,274,538 | $18,927,753 | $15,211,986 | $130,000 | 6 | $595,727 |
| 2020 | $16,942,507 | $16,175,928 | $14,509,929 | $224,429 | 12 | $1,513,890 |
| 2019 | $14,714,916 | $18,917,374 | $17,789,623 | $1,705,133 | 54 | $182,388 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Points of Light states that its mission is to inspire, equip, and mobilize people to create positive change through volunteering and civic engagement. Its programs include corporate community-engagement partnerships, support for a global affiliate network, research and resources on volunteering, volunteer recognition, and digital listings of volunteer opportunities. Its website also describes the Service Enterprise program as strengthening nonprofit capacity through strategic volunteer engagement; the program is now operated by AL!VE.
The 2025 grant list shows support for organizations working in varied areas. For example, Feeding South Florida says its mission is to end hunger in South Florida; New Life Center says it works to help eliminate domestic and sexual violence; and America’s VetDogs says it trains and places assistance dogs for veterans and others. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not Points of Light’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Points of Light reported 103 grants totaling $10,075,000. Grant amounts ranged from $20,000 to $300,000, with a median of $90,000. The listed grants carried the purpose “community improvement project.”
Among the largest 2025 awards were $300,000 to Feeding South Florida, $280,000 to the City of Billings Fire Department, $250,000 to New Life Center, $245,000 to Veterans Community Project, and $225,000 to America’s VetDogs. Other notable grants included $210,000 to Children of Bellevue, $200,000 each to Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation, Vision House, and Volunteers of America Mid-States, $195,000 to Sojourner Project, and $190,000 to Youth Encouragement Services.
Points of Light’s Family Volunteer Day Grants offer $500 or $1,000 to schools and nonprofits in the United States for efforts that bring families together through service. The stated focus areas are family volunteering, community service projects, and youth engagement. Points of Light created Family Volunteer Day, and generationOn is its youth service division.
Make A Difference Day grants are described as a partnership involving Points of Light, with Newman's Own as primary grant sponsor and the Gannett Foundation providing an all-star grant. The description refers to the 24th annual event as of 2015; that cycle is past. It describes $10,000 awards for selected volunteer projects completed on the day.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Neil Bush as chair, Pam Norley as vice chair, and James Collins as director/treasurer. It also lists Jean Becker, Emad Bidawi, Nikki Clifton, Nick Costides, Vanessa Diamond, Alex Edgar, and Pam Everhart as directors. Alex Edgar’s listing notes a start date of December 11, 2024.
Points of Light Foundation is led by Jennifer Sirangelo, President & CEO since 2024 (on filings since 2023); 7 of 28 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jennifer Sirangelo
President & CEO
President → President & CEO, 2024
On filings since 2023
55 hrs/week
$181K (2024) → $638K (2025)
Neil Bush
Chair
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brenda Robinson
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Eric Tanenblatt
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gregg Petersmeyer
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Heidi Magyar
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Collins
Director & Treasurer
Treasurer → Director, 2020
Director → Director & Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jean Becker
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Hoffman
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michelle Gavin
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nick Costides
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Suzanne Spero
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Emad Bidawi
Director
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
George Kalogridis
Director
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marie Unanue
Director
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nikki Clifton
Director
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Pam Everhart
Director
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Vanessa Diamond
Director
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Hunter
Director
On filings since 2024
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alex Edgar
Director
New on the 2025 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kelly Goodejohn
Director
New on the 2025 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Diane Quest
Secretary & COO
Chief External Affairs Officer → Intermediate President & Secretary -, 2023
Intermediate President & Secretary - → Secretary & COO, 2024
On filings since 2019
55 hrs/week
$173K (2019) → $364K (2025)
Cherie Greene
Senior Vice President Finance
On filings since 2020
55 hrs/week
$184K (2020) → $193K (2025)
Elizabeth Pann
Senior Vice President External Affairs
On filings since 2022
55 hrs/week
$159K (2022) → $182K (2025)
Joselyn Cassidy
Chief Hr Officer
On filings since 2023
55 hrs/week
$169K (2023) → $214K (2025)
William Bart Snell
Cfao
Chief Finance & Administrator Officer → Cfao, 2025
On filings since 2024
55 hrs/week
$5K (2024) → $232K (2025)
Mary Katherine O'Hare
Senior Vice President Development to Chief Development Officer
New on the 2025 filing
55 hrs/week
$233K (2025)
Pam Norley
Vice Chair
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (45)
- Former: Rose McManus Coleman (2019–2025) — Senior Vice President Strategic Engagement · Filing note: Thru
- Former: Paul Hollahan (2022–2025) — Chief Development Officer · Filing note: Thru 13124
- Former: Katie Stearns (2024–2025) — Chief Program & Impact Officer · Filing note: Thru 22525
- Former: Richard Bell (2025) — Senior Vice President Corporate Partnerships · Filing note: Thru 91324
- Former: Valencia Bembry (2025) — Chief Development Officer · Filing note: Thru 71224
- Former: David Williams (2019–2024) — Vice Chair
- Former: Robert Herrera (2020–2024) — Former Treasurer & Cfao
- Former: Justin Tuck (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Michael Nutter (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Shannon Garcia (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Josh Romney (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Elizabeth Schwan-Rosenwald (2024) — Chief Program & Network Officer
- Former: Diane Melley (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Jennifer Lawson (2019–2023) — Chief Civic Innovation Officer - Former
- Former: Marty Rodgers (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Meghan Moloney (2019–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Natalye Paquin (2019–2023) — President
- Former: Toby Chalberg (2019–2023) — Senior Vice President Business Development & Digital - Former
- Former: Toni Irving (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Christine Schoppe (2022–2023) — Chief of Staff
- Former: Jennifer Nash (2023) — Senior Vice President Corporate Solutions
- Former: Micheal Nutter (2023) — Director
- Former: Ceasar Mitchell (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Jenne Myers (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Kerry H. Sullivan (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Marcia Bullard (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Martin Rodgers (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Pamela Norley (2021–2022) — Vice Chair
- Former: Brandon Beacher (2019–2021) — Vice President Digital Engineering
- Former: Susan Molinari (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Charissa Townsend (2021) — Vice President Youth Programs & Recognition
- Former: Sue Toomey (2021) — Director
- Former: Bernie Milano (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: David Baga (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Gared Jones (2019–2020) — Chief Networks Officer
- Former: Gary Bagley (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: John Kelly (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Raul Perea-Henze (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Amb Boyden Gray (2020) — Director
- Former: Allison Doerfler (2019) — Senior Vice President & Capacity Building
- Former: Ayesha Khanna (2019) — President Civic Incubator
- Former: C. Boyden Gray (2019) — Director
- Former: Jeff Haidet (2019) — Director
- Former: Lorraine Kelly (2019) — CFO & Secretary
- Former: Wendy Rhein (2019) — Chief Strategy & Engagement Officer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $638K, to Jennifer Sirangelo (President/CEO). 12 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Points of Light Foundation
How much does Points of Light Foundation give each year?
Points of Light Foundation gave $10.1M across 103 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $10.0M across 100 grants.
What is Points of Light Foundation's typical grant size?
Points of Light Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $90,000, and its average grant was $97,816, across 103 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Points of Light Foundation give grants?
Points of Light Foundation's top state is New York, with 7% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were North Carolina (7%) and Florida (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Kansas City, MO (2 grants), Billings, MT (2 grants), Nashville, TN (2 grants) and Charlotte, NC (2 grants).
Does Points of Light Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 103 grants with a stated purpose on Points of Light Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Community Improvement Project" (100 grants) and "GHWBA Grant Award" (3 grants).
Who are Points of Light Foundation's largest grantees?
Points of Light Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Feeding South Florida ($300,000), City of Billings Montana (City of Billings Fire Department) ($280,000) and New Life Center ($250,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 8% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Points of Light Foundation?
Points of Light Foundation reported $16.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $26.0M.
What does Points of Light Foundation fund?
Points of Light states that its mission is to inspire, equip, and mobilize people to create positive change through volunteering and civic engagement. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Points of Light Foundation?
Points of Light Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check pointsoflight.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Points of Light Foundation's EIN?
Points of Light Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 65-0206641. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 25, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 21, 2020)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 26, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Points of Light Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/points-of-light-foundation-morg_23a57a392a00403d936c4287a0181ba2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_650206641_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Points of Light Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/points-of-light-foundation-morg_23a57a392a00403d936c4287a0181ba2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Points of Light 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.
Points of Light Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?