The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation
The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation is a private foundation based in Washington, DC. In 2025, it reported 13 grants totaling $527,500, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Texas.
The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation at a glance
In short: The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation gave $528K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $41K), mostly in Texas. 38% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $527,500
- +65.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- -13.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $40,577
- +91.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $146,617
- +51.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 38% first-time grantees (5 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (97% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s 2024 filing states that applications are accepted at any time. Written applications should include the requested amount, purpose of the grant, and general information about the organization. The filing lists no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: Kevin J Lilly
Mailing address: 2929 Allen Pkwy Suite 3000, Houston, TX 77019
Phone: (713) 238-2050
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Lifehouse ($330K). Together the top 10 received $526K.
Grant Size Distribution
72 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 63 grants of 72 (88%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 97% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 2% to Colorado, 1% to Virginia, and less than 1% to North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation open to new grantees?
38%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 13 grantees (38%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $64K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 31% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 147% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 $95K (2021) to $528K (2025). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $528K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lifehouse Houston, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $330,000 |
| The Story Church Houston HN, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $100,000 |
| Strake Jesuit Houston, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $50,000 |
| Junior League of Houston Houston, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $10,000 |
| Mainstreet Ministries Houston, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $10,000 |
| Texas Wranglers Austin, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $9,000 |
| Cornerstone Christian Center Basalt, CO | To Fund Charitable Activities | $5,000 |
| Creede Repertory Theatre Creede, CO | To Fund Charitable Activities | $5,000 |
| Partnership for Resource Development Chesapeake, VA | To Fund Charitable Activities | $5,000 |
| Trexo Houston, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $1,500 |
Ready to take the next step with The Kevin and Lesley Lilly 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $146,617 | $534,294 | $527,523 | $527,500 | 13 | $527,500 | $4,108 | $10,216 |
| 2024 | $96,866 | $326,615 | $318,000 | $318,000 | 15 | $318,000 | $1,615 | $5,698 |
| 2023 | $88,253 | $178,745 | $398,467 | $398,467 | 15 | $398,467 | $3,745 | $8,795 |
| 2022 | $307,982 | $100,538 | $213,250 | $213,250 | 14 | $213,250 | $538 | $17,441 |
| 2021 | $420,694 | $175,032 | $94,800 | $94,800 | 15 | — | $32 | $18,534 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation reported a distributable amount of $10K 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 the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. Texas Wranglers describes its mission as giving students opportunities to form lifelong friendships and become student leaders through community involvement. Creede Repertory Theatre describes itself as an artistic home for its rural community and beyond, with repertory seasons, educational programs, and new works. These are the grantees’ own descriptions.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 13 grants totaling $527,500. The smallest listed grant was $500, the largest was $330,000, and the median was $5,000. Notable grants included $330,000 to Lifehouse, $100,000 to The Story Church Houston, $50,000 to Strake Jesuit, and $10,000 each to Junior League of Houston and Mainstreet Ministries. Each was designated “to fund charitable activities.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kevin J Lilly as director, president, and treasurer, and Lelsey K Lilly as director, vice president, and secretary.
The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation is led by Kevin J. Lilly, Director, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2021; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kevin J. Lilly
Director, President & Treasurer
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lelsey K. Lilly
Director, V. President & Secretary
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: John Lilly (2021–2024) — Director
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 The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation
How much does The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation give each year?
The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation gave $528K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $318K across 15 grants.
What is The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation's typical grant size?
The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $40,577, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation give grants?
The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (7 grants).
Does The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Fund Charitable Activities" (13 grants).
Who are The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation's largest grantees?
The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Lifehouse ($330,000), The Story Church Houston ($100,000) and Strake Jesuit ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 91% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation?
The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation reported $147K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $528K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $10K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. Texas Wranglers describes its mission as giving students opportunities to form lifelong friendships and become student leaders through community involvement. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation?
The foundation’s 2024 filing states that applications are accepted at any time. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation's EIN?
The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1518662. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
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 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
Live grants for the work The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 25, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-kevin-and-lesley-lilly-foundation-morg_795e9651d305497e942f8b2ede7de086
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311518662_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Kevin and Lesley Lilly Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-kevin-and-lesley-lilly-foundation-morg_795e9651d305497e942f8b2ede7de086},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-25. 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 Kevin and Lesley Lilly 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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