Sauer Lewis Foundation
Sauer Lewis Foundation is a private foundation based in Richmond, Virginia. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in Virginia and Florida, including education, environmental stewardship, social services, and religious organizations.
Sauer Lewis Foundation at a glance
In short: Sauer Lewis Foundation gave $384K across 14 grants in 2024 (avg $27K), mostly in Virginia. 7% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $383,605
- -19.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 14
- -17.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $27,400
- -1.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $8,222,102
- +4.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 7% first-time grantees (1 of 14, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (54% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Sauer Lewis 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: 204 S Erlwood Court, Richmond, VA 23229
Phone: (804) 553-1900
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sauer Lewis Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Flagler College ($175K). Together the top 10 received $364K.
Grant Size Distribution
82 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 67 grants of 82 (82%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 filing shows that 54% of grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia and 46% to recipients in Florida. Listed recipients included organizations in Richmond, Virginia, and Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Sauer Lewis Foundation open to new grantees?
7%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 1 of 14 grantees (7%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $50K; repeat grants $26K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 93% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−9%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 96% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $384K (2024) to $476K (2022). In 2024 it made 14 grants totaling $384K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Flagler College St Augustine, FL | Annual Giving | $175,000 |
| Flagler Home Richmond, VA | Annual Giving | $50,000 |
| James River Association Richmond, VA | Annual Giving | $50,000 |
| Grace & Holy Trinity Church Richmond, VA | Religious | $25,000 |
| Caritas Richmond, VA | Annual Giving | $20,000 |
| Foodbank Richmond, VA | Annual Giving | $13,605 |
| Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School Richmond, VA | Annual Giving | $10,000 |
| McShin Foundation Richmond, VA | Annual Giving | $10,000 |
| Boaz & Ruth Inc Richmond, VA | Annual Giving | $5,000 |
| World Pediatric Project Richmond, VA | Annual Giving | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Sauer Lewis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $8,222,102 | $817,125 | $432,954 | $383,605 | 14 | $389,974 | $774,145 | $407,131 |
| 2023 | $7,837,931 | $163,705 | $505,166 | $474,606 | 17 | $474,606 | $130,174 | $415,981 |
| 2022 | $8,409,392 | $600,391 | $516,737 | $476,474 | 16 | $476,544 | $559,967 | $422,230 |
| 2021 | $8,325,738 | $1,150,471 | $464,945 | $423,736 | 13 | $429,051 | $1,111,216 | $481,789 |
| 2020 | $7,640,212 | $267,231 | $452,760 | $420,395 | 22 | — | $237,341 | $428,716 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sauer Lewis Foundation reported a distributable amount of $407K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. Flagler College describes its mission as providing an exceptional education and preparing students to be responsible citizens and visionary leaders. James River Association says it works to conserve and steward the James River’s natural resources. CARITAS describes its work as creating a safe space to heal and time to rebuild. Other 2024 recipients included organizations serving children and adults with autism, supporting underemployed adults, and providing food assistance.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation gave $383,605 through 14 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $175,000, with a median of $10,000. Its largest grants included $175,000 to Flagler College, $50,000 each to Flagler Home and James River Association, $25,000 to Grace & Holy Trinity Church, and $20,000 to CARITAS.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Janet Lewis Sauer as president/director and Bradford B Sauer as secretary/director.
Sauer Lewis Foundation is led by Janet Lewis Sauer, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Janet Lewis Sauer
President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bradford B. Sauer
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Sauer Lewis Foundation
How much does Sauer Lewis Foundation give each year?
Sauer Lewis Foundation gave $384K across 14 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $475K across 17 grants.
What is Sauer Lewis Foundation's typical grant size?
Sauer Lewis Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $27,400, across 14 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sauer Lewis Foundation that year got $50K on average.
Where does Sauer Lewis Foundation give grants?
Sauer Lewis Foundation gives mostly in Virginia: 54% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Florida (46%). The most frequent recipient cities were Richmond, VA (13 grants).
Does Sauer Lewis Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on Sauer Lewis Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Annual Giving" (13 grants).
Who are Sauer Lewis Foundation's largest grantees?
Sauer Lewis Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Flagler College ($175,000), Flagler Home ($50,000) and James River Association ($50,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 72% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Sauer Lewis Foundation?
Sauer Lewis Foundation reported $8.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $390K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $407K (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 Sauer Lewis Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. Flagler College describes its mission as providing an exceptional education and preparing students to be responsible citizens and visionary leaders. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sauer Lewis 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 Sauer Lewis Foundation's EIN?
Sauer Lewis Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-0059321. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Sauer Lewis 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Sauer Lewis Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sauer-lewis-foundation-morg_a68cb15232294cff8923863cc446e0ba
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_200059321_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Sauer Lewis Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sauer-lewis-foundation-morg_a68cb15232294cff8923863cc446e0ba},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Sauer Lewis 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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