The Lef Foundation
The LEF Foundation is a private family foundation with offices in New England and California. Established in 1986, it operates as a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Calistoga, California, with a staff of two employees.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$7.2M
-0.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$585K
+17.0% YoY
Grant Count
56
+9.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$10K
+6.6% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Lef Foundation reported a distributable amount of $484K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
The LEF Foundation's primary mission centers on supporting independent documentary filmmakers and advancing the field of moving image arts. The foundation is deeply rooted in arts funding and emphasizes:
- Individual creative voices: Supporting artists in developing their unique artistic perspective and creating work that is provocative, heartfelt, and challenging in both style and substance
- Artistic risk-taking: Funding nascent vision and creative experimentation in form and content, including playfulness and provocation in filmmaking
- Creative growth and capacity-building: Nurturing the evolution of individual artists and recognizing the ripple effects within the broader creative community
- Diversity in all forms: Considering how supported projects reflect the diversity of the filmmaker community
Grantmaking
The Moving Image Fund, launched in 2001, provides funding for New England-based independent documentary filmmakers across all phases of production—from early development through completion. The fund also supports career development programming for filmmakers in the region.
Review Cycle
have included awards such as 13 grants totaling $52,500 and 14 grants totaling $270,000 in support of feature-length documentary works
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
- New England: Primary funding region for the Moving Image Fund, supporting independent documentary filmmakers based in the region
- California: LEF maintains an office in California with separate grantmaking operations
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Fiscal Year 2024 (ending June 30):
- Revenue: $533,348
- Expenses: $833,551
- Total Assets: $7.24 million
- Total Liabilities: $31,500
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $7,194,118 | $7,237,697 | $7,561,197 |
| Revenue | $831,985 | $533,348 | $296,843 |
| Expenses | $927,282 | $833,553 | $936,751 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $791,481 | $717,522 | $749,655 |
| Net Investment Income | $692,702 | $440,586 | $188,892 |
| Distributable Amount | $483,611 | $483,206 | $463,839 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from The Lef Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2025 grants, the largest include Uniondocs ($75,000), Filmmakers Collaborative Inc ($50,000), Center for Independent Documentary Inc ($45,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| COLOR CONGRESS OAKLAND, CA | FUNDS IN SUPPORT OF COLOR CONGRESS'S WORK TO STRENGTHEN BIPOC-LED MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS (1 OF 2) | $25,000 |
| COVE PTO THE COVE SCHOOL CORTE MADERA, CA | PROGRAM SUPPORT OF ART DISPLAYS FOR THE COVE SCHOOL | $2,000 |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS NEW YORK, NY | GENERAL SUPPORT OF DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS WORK IN PALESTINE | $4,000 |
| FLAHERTYINTERNATIONAL FILM SEMINARS BROOKLYN, NY | IN SUPPORT OF 2 FELLOWSHIPS AT THE 2024 FLAHERTY SEMINAR, AND GENERAL OPERATING/STAFFING EXPENSES. | $10,000 |
| INDEPENDENT FILM SOCIETY OF BOSTON CAMBRIDGE, MA | A STRATEGIC GRANT IN SUPPORT OF THE 2024 INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL BOSTON | $2,500 |
| MASSACHUSETTS PRODUCTION COALITION INC CAMBRIDGE, MA | GENERAL SUPPORT OF FILM PRODUCTION | $6,000 |
| MILTON GUILLEN CAMBRIDGE, MA | FUNDS IN SUPPORT OF MILTON GUILLEN'S PROJECT, MY SKIN AND I. | $25,000 |
| POINTS NORTH INSTITUTE CAMDEN, ME | A GRANT IN SUPPORT OF THE LEF/CIFF FELLOWSHIP | $40,000 |
| PROGRESS UNITY FUND SAN FRANCISCO, CA | PROGRAM SUPPORT OF THE PROGRESS UNITY FUND'S ORGANIZING ACTIVITIES | $3,000 |
| SARA ARCHAMBAULT CAMBRIDGE, MA | PROGRAM SUPPORT OF SARA ARCHAMBAULT'S PROJECT, "THE RIVER". | $25,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAUREN FINNERAN | DIRECTOR | 0.25 | — |
| SARAH TREESON | DIRECTOR | 0.25 | — |
| BYRON KUTH | VICE PRESIDENT/TREASURER | 0.25 | — |
| LYDA KUTH | PRESIDENT | 10 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation maintains active communication with stakeholders through regular newsletters covering LEF New England news and grant announcements. Recent grant cycles have continued to support feature-length documentary works by New England-based filmmakers, with announcements issued for Summer/Fall 2024 grantees.
The LEF Foundation has awarded 13 Moving Image Fund grants ...Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does The Lef Foundation fund?
The LEF Foundation's primary mission centers on supporting independent documentary filmmakers and advancing the field of moving image arts. The foundation is deeply rooted in arts funding and emphasizes: • **Individual creative voices**: Supporting artists in developing their unique artistic perspective and creating work that is provocative, heartfelt, and challenging in both style and substance • **Artistic risk-taking**: Funding nascent vision and creative experimentation in form and content,…
How do I apply for a grant from The Lef Foundation?
The Moving Image Fund, launched in 2001, provides funding for New England-based independent documentary filmmakers across all phases of production—from early development through completion. The fund also supports career development programming for filmmakers in the region. **Grant Activity:** • Since inception, the Moving Image Fund has awarded over 500 grants totaling more than $5.5 million to New England-based independent filmmakers • Recent grant cycles have included awards such as 13 grants…
Where does The Lef Foundation make grants?
• **New England**: Primary funding region for the Moving Image Fund, supporting independent documentary filmmakers based in the region • **California**: LEF maintains an office in California with separate grantmaking operations
What size grants does The Lef Foundation award?
In 2025, The Lef Foundation awarded 56 grants totaling $585K — an average of about $10K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is The Lef Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, The Lef Foundation reported a distributable amount of $484K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is The Lef Foundation's EIN?
The Lef Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 68-0070194. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Lef Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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