Surest Inc
Surest Inc is a private foundation based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing reports 16 grants totaling $27,200 to charitable organizations.
Surest Inc at a glance
In short: Surest Inc gave $27K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), top state California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $27,200
- +47.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +6.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,700
- +37.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $879,074
- +18.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (33% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Surest Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 97 Banks St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: (617) 733-4979
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Surest Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Give Well ($7K). Together the top 10 received $21K.
Grant Size Distribution
41 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 41 grants of 41 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in California (33%), Washington, DC (23%), Massachusetts (18%), New York (15%), and Texas (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
How Surest Inc gives
- 88% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 78% 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 (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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $300 (2021) to $27K (2025). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $27K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Give Well Oakland, CA | Charitable Purposes | $7,000 |
| Global Giving Washington, DC | Charitable Purposes | $5,200 |
| The Fistula Foundation San Jose, CA | Charitable Purposes | $2,000 |
| Pratham USA Houston, TX | Charitable Purposes | $1,000 |
| Smile Train New York, NY | Charitable Purposes | $1,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | Charitable Purposes | $1,000 |
| Atree USA Belmont, MA | Charitable Purposes | $1,000 |
| Phillips Brooks House Association Cambridge, MA | Charitable Purposes | $1,000 |
| Unhcr Washington, DC | Charitable Purposes | $1,000 |
| Partners in Health Boston, MA | Charitable Purposes | $1,000 |
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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 | $879,074 | $127,594 | $28,289 | $27,200 | 16 | $27,200 | $25,441 | $34,752 |
| 2024 | $743,365 | $123,760 | $19,864 | $18,500 | 15 | $18,500 | $22,646 | $26,843 |
| 2023 | $496,613 | $112,315 | $17,148 | $16,310 | 9 | $16,310 | $11,756 | $18,189 |
| 2022 | $278,024 | $101,934 | $19 | — | — | — | $1,219 | $10,643 |
| 2021 | $238,918 | $102,642 | $300 | $300 | 1 | $300 | $662 | $5,657 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Surest Inc reported a distributable amount of $35K 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 Surest Inc is provided. Its 2025 grantees include organizations working on issues such as obstetric fistula treatment, cleft care, social justice, food access, and homelessness. For example, the Fistula Foundation describes its mission as ending suffering caused by obstetric fistula by helping women receive treatment and increasing the number of trained surgeons. HomeStart describes its mission as ending homelessness in Greater Boston through housing assistance and strategies addressing systemic barriers to housing placement.
Grantmaking
In 2025, Surest Inc gave $27,200 through 16 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $7,000, with a median grant of $1,000. Notable grants included $7,000 to GiveWell, $5,200 to Global Giving, and $2,000 to the Fistula Foundation. Other 2025 grants included $1,000 each to Phillips Brooks House Association, Smile Train, Feeding America, and HomeStart.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lakshminarayan Mahadevan as President; Amala K Mahadevan as Treasurer; and Kausalya Mahadevan and Aditya Mahadevan as Secretaries.
Surest Inc is led by Lakshminarayan Mahadevan, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lakshminarayan Mahadevan
President
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Aditya Mahadevan
Secretary
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amala K. Mahadevan
Treasurer
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kausalya Mahadevan
Secretary
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Surest Inc
How much does Surest Inc give each year?
Surest Inc gave $27K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $19K across 15 grants.
What is Surest Inc's typical grant size?
Surest Inc's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,700, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Surest Inc give grants?
Surest Inc's top state is California, with 33% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (23%) and Massachusetts (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (4 grants), Boston, MA (3 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Who are Surest Inc's largest grantees?
Surest Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Give Well ($7,000), Global Giving ($5,200) and The Fistula Foundation ($2,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Surest Inc?
Surest Inc reported $879K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $27K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $35K (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 Surest Inc fund?
No mission statement for Surest Inc is provided. Its 2025 grantees include organizations working on issues such as obstetric fistula treatment, cleft care, social justice, food access, and homelessness. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Surest Inc?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Surest Inc's EIN?
Surest Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-4284216. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Surest Inc 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 June 1, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from Surest Inc'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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