The Monica Lester Charitable Trust
The Monica Lester Charitable Trust is a private foundation focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in Los Angeles, CA. IRS filing data is available from 2021 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $9.9M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 16 grants totaling $600K. Net investment income was $34K.
Key facts about The Monica Lester Charitable Trust
In short: The Monica Lester Charitable Trust gave $600K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $38K), mostly in California. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 81-1000768
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $600,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- Average grant
- $37,500
- Median grant
- $10,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (5 of 16, 2025)
- Total assets
- $9,944,501
- Primary geography
- California (86% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Quick answers about The Monica Lester Charitable Trust
How much does The Monica Lester Charitable Trust give each year?
The Monica Lester Charitable Trust gave $600K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $400K across 11 grants.
What is The Monica Lester Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
The Monica Lester Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $37,500, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Monica Lester Charitable Trust that year got $12K on average.
Where does The Monica Lester Charitable Trust give grants?
The Monica Lester Charitable Trust gives mostly in California: 86% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (5 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Brooklyn, NY (2 grants).
Does The Monica Lester Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on The Monica Lester Charitable Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Providing Community Services" (5 grants) and "Providing Community Service" (4 grants).
Who are The Monica Lester Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
The Monica Lester Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Cedars-Sinai Medical Center ($150,000), Loyola Marymount University ($125,000) and City of Hope ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
Is The Monica Lester Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 16 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $49K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 69% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 33% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 118% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with The Monica Lester Charitable Trust
- How to evaluate The Monica Lester Charitable Trust as a funder
Our grant prospecting guide: read the 990-PF, check fit, and decide whether to apply.
- Draft an LOI to The Monica Lester Charitable Trust with AI
AI grant writing that drafts from your organization’s own materials, in your voice.
- Track this opportunity in a free grant tracker
A free Google Sheets or Excel template for deadlines, award terms, and reports due.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$9.9M
-2.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$600K
+50.0% YoY
Grant Count
16
+45.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$38K
+3.1% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Monica Lester Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $543K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
About The Monica Lester Charitable Trust
Based on IRS filings
The Monica Lester Charitable Trust is a private foundation focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in Los Angeles, CA. IRS filing data is available from 2021 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $9.9M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 16 grants totaling $600K. Net investment income was $34K.
Focus Areas
Ready to take the next step with The Monica Lester Charitable Trust?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 16 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $9,944,501 | $10,145,456 | $10,137,385 |
| Revenue | $921,909 | $875,995 | $503,261 |
| Expenses | $1,123,196 | $867,924 | $819,621 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $640,100 | $412,600 | $610,100 |
| Net Investment Income | $34,099 | — | $78,311 |
| Distributable Amount | $542,992 | $555,777 | $643,569 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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
51 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER Los Angeles, CA | SUPPORTING MEDICAL RESEARCH | $150,000 |
| LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY Los Angeles, CA | SUPPORTING HIGHER EDUCATION | $125,000 |
| CITY OF HOPE Duarte, CA | FUNDING CANCER RESEARCH | $100,000 |
| CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL Los Angeles, CA | SUPPORTING MEDICAL RESEARCH | $60,000 |
| PROSTATE CANCER FOUNDATION Santa Monica, CA | FUNDING CANCER RESEARCH | $50,000 |
| TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION Staten Island, NY | PROVIDING COMMUNITY SERVICES | $20,000 |
| CHABAD'S TERROR VICTIMS PROJECT Brooklyn, NY | PROVIDING COMMUNITY SERVICE | $10,000 |
| FRIENDS OF UNITED HATZALAH New York, NY | PROVIDING COMMUNITY SERVICE | $10,000 |
| INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIANS AND JEWS Chicago, IL | PROVIDING COMMUNITY SERVICE | $10,000 |
| JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Los Angeles, CA | SUPPORTING HIGHER EDUCATION | $10,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
The Monica Lester Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; 2 of 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Frank Lee
Trustee
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
$50K (2021) → $50K (2025)
Joel Levine
Trustee
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
$50K (2021) → $50K (2025)
Paul Lester
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Monica Lester Charitable Trust?
The Monica Lester Charitable Trust is a private foundation focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in Los Angeles, CA. It holds $9.9M in total assets as of 2025.
How large is The Monica Lester Charitable Trust?
As of 2025, The Monica Lester Charitable Trust holds $9.9M in total assets with $922K in annual revenue. It awarded 16 grants totaling $600K in 2025.
How much is The Monica Lester Charitable Trust required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, The Monica Lester Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $543K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is The Monica Lester Charitable Trust's EIN?
The Monica Lester Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-1000768. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Monica Lester Charitable Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
The Elias Genevieve and Georgianna Atol
Los Angeles, CA
Assets
$14.0M
Grants
23
Total Given
$1.1M
Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation Inc
Princeton, NJ
Assets
$83.3M
Grants
144
Total Given
$67.7M
Shell USA Company Foundation
Houston, TX
Assets
$52.3M
Grants
4,650
Total Given
$16.0M
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Mountain View, CA
Assets
$12.3B
Grants
3,576
Total Given
$3.2B
California Community Foundation
Los Angeles, CA
Assets
$2.3B
Grants
2,174
Total Given
$326.6M
Tides Foundation
San Francisco, CA
Assets
$534.5M
Grants
2,110
Total Given
$382.1M
The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
Menlo Park, CA
Assets
$14.2B
Grants
2,001
Total Given
$625.0M
Marin Community Foundation
Novato, CA
Assets
$1.3B
Grants
1,573
Total Given
$186.1M
Sempra Foundation
San Diego, CA
Assets
$11.5M
Grants
1,501
Total Given
$1.8M
Conrad N Hilton Foundation
Westlake Village, CA
Assets
$7.4B
Grants
1,339
Total Given
$287.7M
Chamberlin Education Foundation
Richmond, CA
Assets
$80.6M
Grants
1,302
Total Given
$3.0M
Jpmorgan Chase Foundation
New York, NY
Assets
$1.2B
Grants
10,334
Total Given
$202.5M
More Funders in California
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.