The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust
The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in New York, New York. In 2024, it reported 13 grants totaling $127,410 to organizations in New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust gave $127K across 13 grants in 2024 (avg $10K), mostly in New York. 23% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $127,410
- +49.9% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 13
- -7.1% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $9,801
- +61.4% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $32,557
- +129.3% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (3 of 13, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (67% 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 Lee Thaw Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The trust states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: Hhr 1 Battery Park Plz 15Fl, New York, NY 10004
Phone: (212) 885-5275
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Metropolitan Opera Association ($53K). Together the top 10 received $112K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($12,500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
80 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 79 grants of 80 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 67% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 23% to Florida, 8% to Pennsylvania, and 2% to New Jersey.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 13 grantees (23%) 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 $12K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 54% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 52% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $84K (2021) to $127K (2024). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $127K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Opera Association New York, NY | General Purposes | $52,500 |
| The Bass Museum Miami Beach, FL | General Purposes | $13,410 |
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $12,500 |
| Perez Art Museum Miami Miami, FL | General Purposes | $11,000 |
| Chanticleer Foundation Wayne, PA | General Funding | $10,000 |
| New York City Center New York, NY | General Purposes | $10,000 |
| American Friends of Salburg -Easter Festival New York, NY | General Purposes | $5,000 |
| Arts 14C Jersey City, NJ | General Purposes | $2,500 |
| Lamplighter Foundation Albany, NY | General Purposes | $2,500 |
| Sand Lake Center for the Arts Averill Park, NY | General Purposes | $2,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $32,557 | $157,519 | $139,158 | $127,410 | 13 | $133,283 | $1,164 |
| 2023 | $14,196 | $90,672 | $88,484 | $85,000 | 14 | $86,742 | — |
| 2022 | $12,066 | $105,492 | $104,495 | $101,000 | 22 | $102,748 | $455 |
| 2021 | $11,069 | $95,513 | $87,591 | $84,000 | 18 | $85,795 | $42 |
| 2020 | $3,149 | $88,459 | $85,633 | $85,500 | 13 | — | $1 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $1K 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
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2024 grants included arts and cultural organizations, as well as a health care organization. New York City Center describes its mission as advancing dance and musical theater and making the arts accessible to broad audiences; Sand Lake Center for the Arts says it seeks to enrich community life through theater and creative arts. Island Health Project says its purpose is to support quality health care for Fishers Island residents. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the trust’s.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the trust gave $127,410 through 13 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $52,500, with a median of $5,000. Notable grants included $52,500 to Metropolitan Opera Association, $13,410 to The Bass Museum, $12,500 to Maysles Institute Inc, and $11,000 to Pérez Art Museum Miami. New York City Center received $10,000, and Chanticleer Foundation received $10,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Joseph C. Wemple and Richard J. Miller Jr. as co-trustees.
The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Joseph C. Wemple
Co-Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard J. Miller Jr.
Co-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 Lee Thaw Charitable Trust
How much does The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust give each year?
The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust gave $127K across 13 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $85K across 14 grants.
What is The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $9,801, across 13 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust that year got $3K on average.
Where does The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust give grants?
The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust gives mostly in New York: 67% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Florida (23%) and Pennsylvania (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (3 grants) and Miami, FL (3 grants).
Does The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust's largest 2024 grantees include Metropolitan Opera Association ($52,500), The Bass Museum ($13,410) and Perez Art Museum Miami ($11,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($12,500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust?
The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust reported $33K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $133K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2024 grants included arts and cultural organizations, as well as a health care organization. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust?
The trust 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 Thaw Charitable Trust's EIN?
The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-5558739. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Lee Thaw 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 Lee Thaw Charitable Trust funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-lee-thaw-charitable-trust-morg_34191db34ab74693b10424c1af3551fb
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_205558739_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Lee Thaw Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-lee-thaw-charitable-trust-morg_34191db34ab74693b10424c1af3551fb},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Lee Thaw 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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