The Lenke Foundation
The Lenke Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, New York. It made 13 grants totaling $590,000 in 2025, supporting organizations including universities, a church, health-related organizations, and food assistance organizations.
The Lenke Foundation at a glance
In short: The Lenke Foundation gave $590K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $45K), top state Nebraska. 54% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $590,000
- +53.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- -13.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $45,385
- +76.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $484,381
- +3.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 54% first-time grantees (7 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Nebraska (36% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Lenke Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 15 West 61St Street 30A, New York, NY 10023
Phone: (212) 453-2500
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Lenke Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Creighton University ($210K). Together the top 10 received $585K.
Grant Size Distribution
88 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 70 grants of 88 (80%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Nebraska (36%), New York (22%), Illinois (13%), California (11%), and Indiana (8%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Lenke Foundation open to new grantees?
54%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 13 grantees (54%) 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 $30K; repeat grants $63K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $38K repeat.
- 23% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). 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 (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 $385K (2024) to $892K (2021). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $590K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Creighton University Omaha, NE | Unrestricted Use in Exempt Purpose | $210,000 |
| St Paul the Apostle Church New York, NY | Unrestricted Use in Exempt Purpose | $100,000 |
| Northwestern University Evanston, IL | Unrestricted Use in Exempt Purpose | $75,000 |
| Setting Scoliosis Straight San Diego, CA | Unrestricted Use in Exempt Purpose | $60,000 |
| University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN | Unrestricted Use in Exempt Purpose | $50,000 |
| Food Bank for New York City New York, NY | Unrestricted Use in Exempt Purpose | $25,000 |
| Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO | Unrestricted Use in Exempt Purpose | $25,000 |
| University of Minnesota Foundation Minneapolis, MN | Unrestricted Use in Exempt Purpose | $25,000 |
| National Spine Health Foundation Reston, VA | Unrestricted Use in Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| Solve Mecfs Initiative (Solve) Glendale, CA | Unrestricted Use in Exempt Purpose | $5,000 |
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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 | $484,381 | $1,471,347 | $593,880 | $590,000 | 13 | $590,000 | $410,212 | $33,933 |
| 2024 | $466,744 | $392,051 | $391,693 | $385,000 | 15 | $385,000 | $130,716 | $41,075 |
| 2023 | $596,336 | $156,990 | $637,010 | $637,000 | 19 | $637,000 | $111,814 | $64,600 |
| 2022 | $1,077,633 | $664,531 | $662,415 | $652,000 | 16 | $652,000 | $134,619 | $69,376 |
| 2021 | $1,267,537 | $1,317,523 | $902,606 | $892,000 | 25 | $892,000 | $421,312 | $75,874 |
| 2020 | $1,198,667 | $1,215,757 | $809,738 | $809,500 | 24 | — | $390,827 | $51,316 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Lenke Foundation reported a distributable amount of $34K 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 went to a range of charitable organizations. Creighton University describes itself as a Catholic and Jesuit university; Northwestern University says it is committed to teaching, research, and student growth. Food Bank For New York City describes its mission as empowering New Yorkers to achieve food security, while Sun River Health Foundation says it supports activities to improve the health and lives of elderly and lower-income people in its service area.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported 13 grants totaling $590,000 in 2025. Grants ranged from $500 to $210,000, with a median grant of $25,000. It reported 15 grants totaling $385,000 in 2024 and 19 grants totaling $637,000 in 2023.
The largest 2025 grants included $210,000 to Creighton University, $100,000 to St. Paul the Apostle Church, $75,000 to Northwestern University, $60,000 to Setting Scoliosis Straight, and $50,000 to the University of Notre Dame. Other listed grants included $25,000 each to Food Bank For New York City, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Minnesota Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lawrence G. Lenke and Elizabeth A. Lenke as trustees.
The Lenke Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Elizabeth A. Lenke
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lawrence G. Lenke
Trustee
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 Lenke Foundation
How much does The Lenke Foundation give each year?
The Lenke Foundation gave $590K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $385K across 15 grants.
What is The Lenke Foundation's typical grant size?
The Lenke Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $45,385, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Lenke Foundation that year got $30K on average.
Where does The Lenke Foundation give grants?
The Lenke Foundation's top state is Nebraska, with 36% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (22%) and Illinois (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (3 grants).
Does The Lenke Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Lenke Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Lenke Foundation's largest grantees?
The Lenke Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Creighton University ($210,000), St Paul the Apostle Church ($100,000) and Northwestern University ($75,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 65% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Lenke Foundation?
The Lenke Foundation reported $484K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $590K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $34K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Lenke Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to a range of charitable organizations. Creighton University describes itself as a Catholic and Jesuit university; Northwestern University says it is committed to teaching, research, and student growth. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Lenke Foundation?
The foundation 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 Lenke Foundation's EIN?
The Lenke Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3309702. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Lenke Foundation 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.
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 November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 25, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 9, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Lenke Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Lenke Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-lenke-foundation-morg_6b5124a8fff34a9ea051323bbf9d901b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203309702_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Lenke Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-lenke-foundation-morg_6b5124a8fff34a9ea051323bbf9d901b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Lenke 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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