The Les and NSS Foundation
The Les and NSS Foundation is a private foundation focused on Education, based in Scottsdale, AZ. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $39K in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 4 grants totaling $3K.
The Les and NSS Foundation at a glance
In short: The Les and NSS Foundation gave $3K across 4 grants in 2025 (avg $625), mostly in Arizona. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,500
- -28.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 4
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $625
- -28.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $500
- Total assets
- $39,219
- -10.4% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Arizona (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who The Les and NSS Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 4 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center ($1K). Together the top 4 received $3K.
Grant Size Distribution
14 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 12 grants of 14 (86%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 4 itemized grants.
Cities
How The Les and NSS Foundation gives
- Giving fell 98% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 219% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $3K (2025) to $108K (2022). In 2025 it made 4 grants totaling $3K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center Scottsdale, AZ | To Provide Funding for Animals | $1,000 |
| Arizona Humane Society Phoenix, AZ | To Provide Funding for Animals | $500 |
| Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary Scottsdale, AZ | To Provide Funding for Animals | $500 |
| Wild at Heart Cave Creek, AZ | To Provide Funding for Animals | $500 |
Ready to take the next step with The Les and NSS Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $39,219 | — | $4,529 | $2,500 | 4 | $4,529 | $2,070 |
| 2024 | $43,748 | — | $5,800 | $3,500 | 4 | $5,800 | $2,343 |
| 2023 | $49,548 | $100,000 | $102,412 | $100,000 | 1 | $102,412 | $3,289 |
| 2022 | $51,960 | $5 | $111,570 | $107,500 | 3 | $111,570 | $7,056 |
| 2021 | $163,525 | $100,000 | $11,475 | $7,500 | 2 | $11,475 | $3,971 |
| 2020 | $75,000 | $75,000 | — | — | — | — | $154 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Les and NSS Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
The Les and NSS Foundation is led by Louis Edward Santacruz, President, Treasurer & Secretary on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Louis Edward Santacruz
President, Treasurer & Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Sander Santacruz
Vice President & Director
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 Les and NSS Foundation
How much does The Les and NSS Foundation give each year?
The Les and NSS Foundation gave $3K across 4 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $4K across 4 grants.
What is The Les and NSS Foundation's typical grant size?
The Les and NSS Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $500, and its average grant was $625, across 4 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Les and NSS Foundation give grants?
The Les and NSS Foundation gives mostly in Arizona: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Scottsdale, AZ (2 grants).
Does The Les and NSS Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 4 grants with a stated purpose on The Les and NSS Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Provide Funding for Animals" (4 grants).
How large is The Les and NSS Foundation?
The Les and NSS Foundation reported $39K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $5K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What is The Les and NSS Foundation?
The Les and NSS Foundation is a private foundation focused on Education, based in Scottsdale, AZ. It holds $39K in total assets as of 2025.
What is The Les and NSS Foundation's EIN?
The Les and NSS Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-2935563. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Les and NSS Foundation funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Les and NSS Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders with grantees in common
The Ron & Linda Jones Family Foundation
Scottsdale, AZ
Assets
$51K
Grants
4
Total Given
$75K
Robert H McKee and Mary Ellen McKee Charitable Family Foundation
Phoenix, AZ
The foundation’s reported grants supported a range of charitable organizations, primarily in Arizona, with nearly all 2024 funding going to Arizona recipients. Its 12 grants in 2024 totaled $187,818, ranging from $250 to $75,000, though the foundation reported in its 2023 final return that it was dissolving. It stated that it funded only preselected organizations and did not accept unsolicited requests.
Assets
—
Grants
12
Total Given
$188K
Stewart Foundation
Beverly Hills, CA
The Stewart Foundation supports a range of charitable activities, with most of its 2024 grant funding going to California organizations and smaller shares to recipients in several other states. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $100,000, with a median of $25,000. It gives only to preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Assets
$3.9M
Grants
13
Total Given
$370K
Robert Helmand Foundation
Scottsdale, AZ
The Robert Helmand Foundation supports charitable organizations working in areas including basic needs, health and hospice care, disability services, education, and wildlife conservation, with most of its giving going to Arizona. In 2024, grants ranged from $500 to $6,575, with a median of $2,000. It gives only to preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Assets
$1.3M
Grants
15
Total Given
$38K
Christian V and Lisa D Young
Scottsdale, AZ
The foundation supports organizations working in conservation, wildlife protection, humanitarian response, and community services, with 2024 grants ranging from $500 to $60,543 and a median of $11,000. It is based in Scottsdale, Arizona, and its 2024 grants went mostly to organizations in Washington, D.C., California, Virginia, Arizona, and Utah. It does not accept unsolicited requests and gives only to preselected charitable organizations.
Assets
$7.3M
Grants
37
Total Given
$590K
Aetna Foundation Inc
Hartford, CT
Aetna Foundation supported health and wellness, access to health care, and related community needs; its 2021 grants ranged from $5,000 to $1 million, with a median of $40,000, and went to organizations across multiple states, especially in D.C. and Connecticut. Its 2021 filing was marked final, so it appears to have ended or be winding down grantmaking; that filing said there were no restrictions on who could apply and pointed applicants to its website for application materials.
Assets
—
Grants
65
Total Given
$7.2M
More similar funders
More Funders in Arizona
The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from The Les and NSS 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.
The Les and NSS Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?