The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust
The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Reno, Nevada. In 2024, it gave $1,348,173 through 21 grants to charitable organizations, including recipients in Mississippi, California, Tennessee, and Nevada.
The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust gave $1.3M across 21 grants in 2024 (avg $64K), mostly in Mississippi. 38% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,348,173
- -51.9% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 21
- +31.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $64,199
- -63.4% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $26,615
- Total assets
- $49,446,314
- +37.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 38% first-time grantees (8 of 21, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Mississippi (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 The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The trust makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 18124 Wedge Parkway 514, Reno, NV 89511
Phone: (262) 790-4960
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Marty Stuarts Congress of Country Music ($700K). Together the top 10 received $1.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
91 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 68 grants of 91 (75%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 54% of grant dollars went to recipients in Mississippi, 19% to California, 15% to Tennessee, and 12% to Nevada.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
38%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 8 of 21 grantees (38%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $52K; repeat grants $72K. How we count
Medians: $29K first-time, $9K repeat.
- 29% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−10%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 55% 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 $735K (2020) to $2.8M (2023). In 2024 it made 21 grants totaling $1.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Marty Stuarts Congress of Country Music Philadelphia, MS | Carry Out Charitable Purpose of Foundation | $700,000 |
| Nashville STEAM Preservation Society Inc Nashville, TN | Carry Out Charitable Purpose of Foundation | $200,000 |
| Links for Life Bakersfield, CA | Carry Out Charitable Purpose of Foundation | $75,000 |
| Assistance League of Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA | Carry Out Charitable Purpose of Foundation | $65,000 |
| Nevada Museum of Art Reno, NV | Carry Out Charitable Purpose of Foundation | $50,000 |
| Domestic Violence Resource Center Reno, NV | Carry Out Charitable Purpose of Foundation | $45,000 |
| Illuminations Center for Dyslexia Meridian, MS | Carry Out Charitable Purpose of Foundation | $34,000 |
| Adakc Bakersfield, CA | Carry Out Charitable Purpose of Foundation | $30,000 |
| David J Drakulich Art Foundation Reno, NV | Carry Out Charitable Purpose of Foundation | $27,700 |
| Note-Able Musical Therapy Reno, NV | Carry Out Charitable Purpose of Foundation | $27,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust?
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 | $49,446,314 | $20,090,683 | $1,886,917 | $1,348,173 | 21 | $1,348,173 | $6,604,284 | $2,465,597 |
| 2023 | $35,959,716 | $16,711,085 | $3,113,317 | $2,803,452 | 16 | $2,803,452 | $3,391,224 | $1,488,931 |
| 2022 | $24,347,311 | $7,868,389 | $998,276 | $761,950 | 21 | $761,950 | $290,774 | $1,157,933 |
| 2021 | $19,100,844 | $4,555,295 | $1,759,733 | $1,498,400 | 19 | $1,514,608 | $1,316,445 | $1,162,148 |
| 2020 | $15,613,288 | $6,277,258 | $980,509 | $735,000 | 14 | — | $3,088,795 | $741,114 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $2.5M 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
The available information does not state a mission for the trust. Its 2024 grants included support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, Nashville Steam Preservation Society says its mission is to preserve and operate historical railroad equipment for education, tourism, and goodwill. Links for Life says it supports people and families affected by breast cancer and promotes breast-health awareness and education. Assistance League of Bakersfield says it provides new school clothing to children in need.
Other 2024 recipients describe work in the arts and culture, domestic-violence services, reading instruction for students with reading difficulties, and legal services for low-income and elderly people.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the trust made 21 grants totaling $1,348,173. Grant amounts ranged from $25 to $700,000, with a median of $26,615. Its largest grants included $700,000 to Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and $200,000 to Nashville Steam Preservation Society in Nashville, Tennessee. Other notable awards were $75,000 to Links for Life and $65,000 to Assistance League of Bakersfield, both in Bakersfield, California; $50,000 to the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno; and $45,000 to the Domestic Violence Resource Center in Reno.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Cynthia Gail Lake is listed as trustee.
The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust is led by Cynthia Gail Lake, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Cynthia Gail Lake
Trustee
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 The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust
How much does The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust give each year?
The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust gave $1.3M across 21 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.8M across 16 grants.
What is The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust's median grant in 2024 was $26,615, and its average grant was $64,199, across 21 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust that year got $52K on average.
Where does The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust give grants?
The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust gives mostly in Mississippi: 54% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (19%) and Tennessee (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Bakersfield, CA (9 grants) and Reno, NV (7 grants).
Who are The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust's largest 2024 grantees include Marty Stuarts Congress of Country Music ($700,000), Nashville STEAM Preservation Society Inc ($200,000) and Links for Life ($75,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 72% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust?
The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust reported $49.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.5M (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 The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the trust. Its 2024 grants included support for a range of charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust?
The trust 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 The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust's EIN?
The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 54-6807824. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust 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
Live grants for the work The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust funds
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Browse active grant opportunities in The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-cynthia-lake-charitable-trust-morg_70c516df566d4dfb99f416a14023d49c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_546807824_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-cynthia-lake-charitable-trust-morg_70c516df566d4dfb99f416a14023d49c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 The Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust'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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