The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund

Private foundation · Grantmaker McLean, VA EIN: 52-0794388

The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund is a private foundation based in McLean, Virginia. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations working in areas including arts and culture, historic preservation, environmental conservation, health, and civic affairs.

Key facts about The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund

In short: The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund gave $453K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $24K), top state Florida. 16% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
52-0794388
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$452,500
Grants made (2025)
19
Average grant
$23,816
Median grant
$15,000
New grantees (estimate)
16% first-time grantees (3 of 19, 2025)
Total assets
$7,371,844
Primary geography
Florida (48% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The fund states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$7.4M

-3.2% YoY

Annual Giving

$453K

-59.6% YoY

Grant Count

19

-44.1% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$24K

-27.6% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund reported a distributable amount of $1.4M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund open to new grantees?

16%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 3 of 19 grantees (16%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $23K; repeat grants $24K. How we count

Medians: $15K first-time, $13K repeat.

  • 68% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving fell 27% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 44% 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 (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The filing information does not state a mission for the fund. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations and projects connected with the arts, historic properties, environmental conservation, health, and civic affairs. For example, Green Horizon Land Trust describes its mission as conserving environmentally sensitive lands, while Historic Colony House says it works to preserve and protect historic buildings in Lake Wales, Florida. Falls Church Arts describes its work as supporting community-based art and arts education. These are grantees’ missions, not stated priorities of the fund.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the fund reported 19 grants totaling $452,500. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $150,000, with a median grant of $15,000. The largest listed award was $150,000 to the Society of the Four Arts for capital campaign support. Other notable grants included $50,000 to Alibi Preservation Foundation for operating expenses and $50,000 to Wadsworth Sulgrave Historic Preservation Foundation for repairs and restoration of a house and grounds. Green Horizon Land Trust received $35,000 for marketing and additional signage for its properties; the National Gallery of Art and Wild Entrust International each received $25,000.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2025 filing reports that the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Florida (48%) and the District of Columbia (30%), followed by Virginia, Maryland, and Washington state (6% each). The listed grants also include recipients in Massachusetts.

Grant Distribution by State

13states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.

Cities

WashingtonPalm BeachBostonLandoverMcLeanCambridgeSalemFairfaxLake WalesCharlottesvilleArlingtonBethesdaErieSammamishBerkeleyFalls ChurchAtlantaCrozetSanta BarbaraChevy Chase

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$2M$4M$6M$8M53 grants2019 48 grants2020 28 grants2021 38 grants2022 48 grants2023 34 grants2024 19 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $453K (2025) to $6.1M (2021). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $453K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Society of the Four Arts: $150KSociety of the Four Arts$150KAlibi Preservation Foundation: $50KAlibi Preservation Foundation$50KWadsworth Sulgrave Historic Preservation Foundation: $50KWadsworth Sulgrave HistoricPreservation Foundation$50KGreen Horizon Land Trust: $35KGreen Horizon Land Trust$35KNational Gallery of Art: $25KNational Gallery of Art$25KWild Entrust International: $25KWild Entrust International$25KFederal City Council: $17KFederal City Council$17KPeabody Essex Museum: $15KPeabody Essex Museum$15KSt Albans School: $15KSt Albans School$15KWinter Haven Hospital Foundation: $15KWinter Haven HospitalFoundation$15K

The largest 2025 recipient was Society of the Four Arts ($150K). Together the top 10 received $397K.

Grant Size Distribution

167 grants across all recorded years

145<$50K11$50–100K7$100–250K$250–500K2$500K–1M2$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 145 grants of 167 (87%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Society of the Four Arts Palm Beach, FLCapital Campaign Support$150,000
Alibi Preservation Foundation Washington, DCOperating Expenses$50,000
Wadsworth Sulgrave Historic Preservation Foundation Washington, DCRepair/ Restoration House & Grounds$50,000
Green Horizon Land Trust Lake Wales, FLMarketing & Additional Signage for GHLT Properties$35,000
National Gallery of Art Landover, MDDirector's Circle$25,000
Wild Entrust International Bainbridge Island, WAC4C Support Botswana$25,000
Federal City Council Washington, DCGeneral Operating Expenses$16,500
Peabody Essex Museum Salem, MAMarine Hall Reinstallation Project$15,000
St Albans School Washington, DCAnnual Giving$15,000
Winter Haven Hospital Foundation Winter Haven, FLPsychiatry$15,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2025 $7,371,844 $424,824 $670,224 $452,500 (19 grants)
2024 $7,617,244 $467,666 $1,328,677 $1,119,000 (34 grants)
2023 $8,478,255 $885,233 $1,974,414 $1,745,300 (48 grants)
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$2M$4M$6M$8M2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$7,371,844$7,617,244$8,478,255
Revenue$424,824$467,666$885,233
Expenses$670,224$1,328,677$1,974,414
Qualifying Distributions$612,524$1,271,523$1,891,983
Net Investment Income$454,352$516,364$837,646
Distributable Amount$1,381,691$1,232,002$1,147,768

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 15, 2020)
  2. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 26, 2026)
  3. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Lee M. Folger as president; Juliet C. Folger as treasurer and vice president; Cecily C. Colburn as secretary and vice president; and Leiter C. Colburn, Olivia M. Colburn, and Rory W. Colburn as vice presidents.

The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund is led by Lee M. Folger, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Lee M. Folger

    President

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Cecily C. Colburn

    Secretary & Vice President

    Vice President → Secretary & Vice President, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Juliet C. Folger

    Treasurer & Vice President

    Treasurer, Secretary & V. President → Treasurer, Secretary & V. P, 2020

    Treasurer, Secretary & V. P → Treasurer & Vice President, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Leiter C. Colburn

    Vice President

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Olivia M. Colburn

    Vice President

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Rory W. Colburn

    Vice President

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (1)
  • Former: Kathrine D. Folger (2019) — Lee M. Folger & Representative · Filing note: Deceased 9297

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Mailing address: 1320 Old Chain Bridge Rd, Mclean, VA 22101
Phone: (703) 847-1350

Frequently asked questions about The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund

How much does The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund give each year?

The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund gave $453K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.1M across 34 grants.

What is The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund's typical grant size?

The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $23,816, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund that year got $23K on average.

Where does The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund give grants?

The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund's top state is Florida, with 48% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (30%) and Virginia (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (6 grants), Palm Beach, FL (2 grants) and Lake Wales, FL (2 grants).

Does The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund give general operating support?

Yes: 26% of The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (5 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund's largest grantees?

The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Society of the Four Arts ($150,000), Alibi Preservation Foundation ($50,000) and Wadsworth Sulgrave Historic Preservation Foundation ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 55% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund?

The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund reported $7.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $613K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.4M (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 Lee and Juliet Folger Fund fund?

The filing information does not state a mission for the fund. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations and projects connected with the arts, historic properties, environmental conservation, health, and civic affairs. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund?

The fund 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 The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund's EIN?

The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-0794388. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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