The Lodestar Foundation
The Lodestar Foundation is a private foundation based in Phoenix, Arizona. It supports work intended to increase philanthropy and its impact, including efforts that encourage public service or volunteerism and long-term collaboration among nonprofits.
The Lodestar Foundation at a glance
In short: The Lodestar Foundation gave $1.8M across 80 grants in 2025 (avg $22K), top state New York. 56% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,782,606
- +30.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 80
- +53.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $22,283
- -15.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $14,900
- Total assets
- $131,116
- -74.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 56% first-time grantees (23 of 41, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (32% 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 Lodestar Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Its website says it does not have an open request-for-proposals process.
- Contact
Mailing address: 4455 East Camelback Road C250, Phoenix, AZ 85018
Phone: (602) 956-2699
Website: https://lodestarfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Lodestar Foundation
Who The Lodestar Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Seachange Capital Partners Inc ($502K across 34 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
266 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 237 grants of 266 (89%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in New York (32%), Arizona (29%), Maryland (9%), Washington, DC (7%), and Washington state (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 80 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Lodestar Foundation open to new grantees?
56%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 23 of 41 grantees (56%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $28K; repeat grants $63K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 29% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 90% from 2022 to 2025. 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 (2020–2025). 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 $823K (2021) to $1.8M (2025). In 2025 it made 80 grants totaling $1.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix Scottsdale, AZ | General & Unrestricted | $250,000 |
| Keep Our Republic Charitable Fund Natl Harbor, MD | Consulting Project | $160,000 |
| Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | Philanthropy Workshop | $75,000 |
| Arizona State University Foundation for a New Amer Tempe, AZ | McCain Institute's Partnership with the Athens Democracy Forum | $50,000 |
| Civic Ventures San Francisco, CA | The Future of Together | $50,000 |
| Social Venture Partners International Seattle, WA | Challenge fund | $50,000 |
| Social Venture Partners International Seattle, WA | Challenge fund | $50,000 |
| Valley of the Sun United Way Phoenix, AZ | for general operations; Central Arizona Shelter Services, Banner Health Foundation and Alzheimer's Foundation for research and related activities, Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project | $50,000 |
| Independent Sector Washington, DC | Initiative for Strategic Volunteer Engagement - Integration and Operation Expenses - ISVE to Independent Sector | $38,000 |
| Barrow Neurological Foundation Phoenix, AZ | in support of the Pituitary Surgery Research Consortium | $36,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Lodestar Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Amounts are as reported for each filing year.
The 2025 filing states that distributions from sources other than current income totaled $1,782,606 and represented at least 25% of the foundation’s net assets of $530,142 at the beginning of that taxable year.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $131,116 | $1,638,164 | $2,017,346 | $1,782,606 | 80 | $2,003,367 | $1,018,402 | — |
| 2024 | $510,298 | $1,722,402 | $1,614,389 | $1,362,528 | 52 | $1,597,628 | $820,641 | $8,837 |
| 2023 | $402,285 | $2,109,752 | $1,889,083 | $1,570,590 | 45 | $1,877,611 | $1,350,722 | $5,921 |
| 2022 | $181,616 | $663,994 | $1,131,979 | $940,166 | 40 | $1,120,194 | $463,823 | $8,515 |
| 2021 | $649,601 | $1,357,003 | $898,975 | $822,809 | 49 | $893,749 | $624,280 | $16,301 |
| 2020 | $191,573 | $953,532 | $1,025,008 | $886,378 | 40 | — | $288,410 | $5,389 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is to maximize the leverage of philanthropic dollars, time, and effort. It pursues this by supporting organizations, programs, and projects that primarily encourage philanthropy, public service, or volunteerism, and by encouraging and supporting long-term collaborations among nonprofits working in the same or complementary areas.
Its website says grants are focused on work that furthers this mission, with special projects supported from time to time. It emphasizes systemic change and may use challenge or matching grant requirements. The foundation also conducts field-building activities to build knowledge and educate others about encouraging philanthropy and fostering collaboration.
2025 grantees illustrate the range of organizations supported. Keep Our Republic describes its work as promoting trust in elections, the rule of law, and constitutional checks and balances. Social Venture Partners International says it engages philanthropists in systemic community change through grantmaking, pro bono consulting, and donor education. Valley of the Sun United Way says it mobilizes community, corporate, and nonprofit partners around health, housing and homelessness, education, and workforce development in Maricopa County. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 80 grants totaling $1,782,606. Individual grants ranged from $1,000 to $250,000, with a median of $14,900. Among the largest were $250,000 to Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix for general and unrestricted purposes; $160,000 to Keep Our Republic Charitable Fund for a consulting project; $75,000 to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania for a philanthropy workshop; and $50,000 to Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University for the McCain Institute’s partnership with the Athens Democracy Forum.
Other 2025 grants included $50,000 to Social Venture Partners International for a challenge fund, $50,000 to Valley of the Sun United Way for general operations and specified community and research activities, and $38,000 to Independent Sector for its Initiative for Strategic Volunteer Engagement. The foundation’s website says grantees must report periodically for at least two years after funding about the grant’s impact.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists I Jerome Hirsch as director and secretary, and Lois Savage as president.
The Lodestar Foundation is led by Lois Savage, President on every filing since 2020; 1 of 2 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lois Savage
President
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$73K (2022) → $110K (2025)
I Jerome Hirsch
Director & Secretary
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $110K, to Lois Savage (Pres).
Frequently asked questions about The Lodestar Foundation
How much does The Lodestar Foundation give each year?
The Lodestar Foundation gave $1.8M across 80 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.4M across 52 grants.
What is The Lodestar Foundation's typical grant size?
The Lodestar Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $14,900, and its average grant was $22,283, across 80 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Lodestar Foundation that year got $28K on average.
Where does The Lodestar Foundation give grants?
The Lodestar Foundation's top state is New York, with 32% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Arizona (29%) and Maryland (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (37 grants), Phoenix, AZ (10 grants), Washington, DC (5 grants) and Tempe, AZ (5 grants).
Does The Lodestar Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 23% of The Lodestar Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (18 of 80) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "ADMINISTRATIVE FUNd" (4 grants).
Who are The Lodestar Foundation's largest grantees?
The Lodestar Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Seachange Capital Partners Inc ($501,806 across 34 grants), Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix ($250,000) and Keep Our Republic Charitable Fund ($160,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 51% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Lodestar Foundation?
The Lodestar Foundation reported $131K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $1.6M.
What does The Lodestar Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is to maximize the leverage of philanthropic dollars, time, and effort. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Lodestar Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Lodestar Foundation's EIN?
The Lodestar Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-4480084. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Lodestar 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Lodestar Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Lodestar Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-lodestar-foundation-morg_4bb51708c9ae448db1463f41aa9625b5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_204480084_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Lodestar Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-lodestar-foundation-morg_4bb51708c9ae448db1463f41aa9625b5},
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 Lodestar 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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