Starry Night Charitable Foundation
Starry Night Charitable Foundation is a private foundation, based in Milwaukee, WI. IRS filing data is available from 2023 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $11.9M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 4 grants totaling $8.9M. Net investment income was $133K.
Starry Night Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Starry Night Charitable Foundation gave $8.9M across 4 grants in 2025 (avg $2.2M), mostly in Wisconsin. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $8,937,119
- -11.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 4
- +33.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,234,280
- -33.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,974,060
- Total assets
- $11,884,892
- +11.6% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (56% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who Starry Night Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 2 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Wisconsin Foundation ($5.0M across 2 grants). Together the top 2 received $8.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
9 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $1–5M range: 5 grants of 9 (56%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 4 itemized grants.
Cities
How Starry Night Charitable Foundation gives
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 2023 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $2.3M (2023) to $10.1M (2024). In 2025 it made 4 grants totaling $8.9M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin Foundation Madison, WI | Charitable, Scientific, and Educational Purposes | $4,000,000 |
| Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA | Charitable, Scientific, and Educational Purposes | $2,000,000 |
| Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA | Charitable, Scientific, and Educational Purposes | $1,948,119 |
| University of Wisconsin Foundation Madison, WI | Charitable, Scientific, and Educational Purposes | $989,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $11,884,892 | $10,648,852 | $9,012,514 | $8,937,119 | 4 | $9,004,721 | $132,565 | $455,251 |
| 2024 | $10,645,411 | $12,749,458 | $10,150,696 | $10,081,658 | 3 | $10,143,940 | $242,315 | $657,914 |
| 2023 | $7,675,361 | $10,000,000 | $2,331,746 | $2,299,978 | 2 | $2,324,639 | — | $176,492 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Starry Night Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $455K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Starry Night Charitable Foundation is led by Lili Rong, President, Secretary & Director on every filing since 2023; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lili Rong
President, Secretary & Director
On filings since 2023
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Torunn Meighan
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2023–2025. "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 Starry Night Charitable Foundation
How much does Starry Night Charitable Foundation give each year?
Starry Night Charitable Foundation gave $8.9M across 4 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $10.1M across 3 grants.
What is Starry Night Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Starry Night Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,974,060, and its average grant was $2,234,280, across 4 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Starry Night Charitable Foundation give grants?
Starry Night Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Wisconsin: 56% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Massachusetts (44%). The most frequent recipient cities were Madison, WI (2 grants) and Boston, MA (2 grants).
Does Starry Night Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 4 grants with a stated purpose on Starry Night Charitable Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable, Scientific, and Educational Purposes" (4 grants).
How large is Starry Night Charitable Foundation?
Starry Night Charitable Foundation reported $11.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $9.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $455K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What is Starry Night Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Starry Night Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 93-1924982. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2023–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.
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 5, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2023–2024
Live grants for the work Starry Night Charitable Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Starry Night Charitable Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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