The Lehman Foundation
The Lehman Foundation is a private foundation based in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Its 2025 grants supported charitable organizations working in areas including the arts, mental health, education, community services, conservation, and international relief.
The Lehman Foundation at a glance
In short: The Lehman Foundation gave $317K across 30 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), top state Idaho. 20% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $317,030
- +92.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 30
- +15.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,568
- +66.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $6,685,604
- +13.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (6 of 30, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Idaho (44% 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 Lehman Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1054 Creamery Road, Newtown, PA 18940
Phone: (703) 418-6095
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Lehman Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Sun Valley Music Festival ($85K). Together the top 10 received $250K.
Grant Size Distribution
134 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 130 grants of 134 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 44% of grant dollars went to recipients in Idaho, 36% to New York, 7% to California, 4% to Pennsylvania, and 3% to Missouri.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 30 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Lehman Foundation open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 30 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $13K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 80% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 33% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 88% 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 (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $136K (2020) to $317K (2025). In 2025 it made 30 grants totaling $317K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Valley Music Festival Ketchum, ID | Charitable Support | $85,000 |
| School of American Ballet New York, NY | Charitable Support | $60,000 |
| Higher Ground Sun Valley Ketchum, ID | Charitable Support | $20,000 |
| Wood River Land Trust Co New York, NY | Charitable Support | $20,000 |
| Fountain House Inc New York, NY | Charitable Support | $15,000 |
| American Himalayan Foundation San Francisco, CA | Charitable Support | $10,000 |
| Community Library Association Ketchun, ID | Charitable Support | $10,000 |
| Nepal Seeds San Francisco, CA | Charitable Support | $10,000 |
| The Mountain Fund St. Louis, MO | Charitable Support | $10,000 |
| Video Volunteers Sandia Park, NM | Charitable Support | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Lehman 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 | $6,685,604 | $1,162,580 | $358,195 | $317,030 | 30 | $320,971 | $773,122 | $364,031 |
| 2024 | $5,880,472 | $752,343 | $233,929 | $165,000 | 26 | $167,606 | $361,153 | $330,651 |
| 2023 | $5,366,438 | $1,219,475 | $331,469 | $243,924 | 26 | $246,357 | $1,266,238 | $164,616 |
| 2022 | $4,473,432 | $1,966,779 | $248,745 | $239,150 | 27 | $241,447 | $3,057,027 | $240,902 |
| 2021 | $2,755,398 | $148,715 | $185,827 | $180,000 | 25 | — | $200,684 | $242,302 |
| 2020 | $2,792,510 | $1,340,306 | $142,205 | $136,000 | 38 | — | $35,540 | $184,921 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Lehman Foundation reported a distributable amount of $364K 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 grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, the School of American Ballet says its mission is to train students for professional careers in classical ballet; Fountain House says it works to help people most impacted by serious mental illness lead connected and healthy lives; and Nepal Seeds says it provides grassroots support for village-initiated relief projects in Nepal, including education, medical, environmental, and scholarship programs.
Other 2025 grantees describe work in theater: Mint Theater Company says it produces “lost or neglected” plays and develops programs around them. Lee Pesky Learning Center says it works with families, schools, and communities to overcome obstacles to learning. Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve says it promotes knowledge and use of native plants and inspires conservation action. Fisherman’s Mark says it provides community programs and services promoting stability, health, and education.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 30 grants totaling $317,030. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $85,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest grants included $85,000 to Sun Valley Music Festival, $60,000 to School of American Ballet, $20,000 each to Higher Ground Sun Valley and Wood River Land Trust Co, and $15,000 to Fountain House.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John Lehman Jr as chairman/treasurer; Barbara Lehman as executive director; Alexandra Lehman as assistant executive director; Grace Lehman as secretary; John Lehman III as assistant treasurer; and Hilary Walton Lehman as chairman of the planning committee.
The Lehman Foundation is led by Barbara Lehman, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Barbara Lehman
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
HILARY Walton LEHMAN
Chairman Planning Committee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Lehman Jr.
Chairman & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alexandra Lehman
Assistant Executive Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Grace Lehman
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Lehman III
Assistant Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Lehman Foundation
How much does The Lehman Foundation give each year?
The Lehman Foundation gave $317K across 30 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $165K across 26 grants.
What is The Lehman Foundation's typical grant size?
The Lehman Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $10,568, across 30 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Lehman Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does The Lehman Foundation give grants?
The Lehman Foundation's top state is Idaho, with 44% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (36%) and California (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (8 grants), Ketchum, ID (5 grants), San Francisco, CA (3 grants) and Hailey, ID (2 grants).
Does The Lehman Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 20% of The Lehman Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (6 of 30) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Charitable Support" (23 grants).
Who are The Lehman Foundation's largest grantees?
The Lehman Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Sun Valley Music Festival ($85,000), School of American Ballet ($60,000) and Higher Ground Sun Valley ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Lehman Foundation?
The Lehman Foundation reported $6.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $321K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $364K (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 Lehman Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Lehman Foundation?
The foundation 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 Lehman Foundation's EIN?
The Lehman Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-8089328. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Lehman Foundation 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS December 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Lehman Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Lehman Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-lehman-foundation-morg_948e9ab8d8cd462d8375449691e9c354
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_208089328_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Lehman Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-lehman-foundation-morg_948e9ab8d8cd462d8375449691e9c354},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Lehman 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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