The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation
The Richard and Clare Lesser Family is a private foundation based in Jupiter, Florida. It supports charitable organizations through grants; in filing year 2025, it reported 19 grants totaling $353,750.
The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation gave $354K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $19K), mostly in Massachusetts. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $353,750
- +139.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +26.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $18,618
- +89.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $641,884
- -32.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (4 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (57% 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 Richard and Clare Lesser Family 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 193 Island Drive, Jupiter, FL 33477
Phone: (617) 488-2700
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Admiral's Cove Foundation ($150K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $353K.
Grant Size Distribution
126 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 119 grants of 126 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 57% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts and 43% to recipients in Florida. New Jersey accounted for 0% of grant dollars.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 13 grantees (31%) 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 $563; repeat grants $39K. How we count
Medians: $500 first-time, $15K repeat.
- 23% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 41% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 275% of 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 $148K (2024) to $354K (2025). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $354K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Admiral's Cove Foundation Jupiter, FL | Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston, MA | Unrestricted | $80,000 |
| Admiral's Cove Foundation Jupiter, FL | Unrestricted | $50,000 |
| Martha's Vineyard Hospital Oak Bluffs, MA | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Northeastern University Boston, MA | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Northeastern University Boston, MA | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Martha's Vineyard Community Services Vineyard Haven, MA | Unrestricted | $15,000 |
| Northeastern University Boston, MA | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Northeastern University Boston, MA | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center Vineyard Haven, MA | Unrestricted | $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 | $641,884 | $53,685 | $358,263 | $353,750 | 19 | $353,750 | $50,642 | $128,656 |
| 2024 | $946,462 | $812,668 | $153,168 | $147,800 | 15 | $147,800 | $107,700 | $88,152 |
| 2023 | $286,962 | $72,640 | $274,495 | $271,900 | 26 | $271,900 | $69,702 | $76,379 |
| 2022 | $488,817 | $173,516 | $259,581 | $250,793 | 26 | $250,793 | $11,160 | $55,173 |
| 2021 | $616,133 | $368,433 | $210,636 | $206,865 | 40 | $206,865 | $364,697 | $45,220 |
| 2020 | $458,336 | $10,502 | $201,492 | $197,747 | 41 | — | $8,723 | $51,164 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $129K 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 included support for hospitals, a university, a community foundation, and a theater. The Admirals Cove Foundation describes itself as the community philanthropic foundation of the residents of the Club at Admirals Cove, focused on supporting local nonprofits and people in need in Palm Beach County. Maltz Jupiter Theatre describes its mission as entertaining, educating, and inspiring the community through performing arts, and says it also provides education to theater students through its conservatory.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 19 grants totaling $353,750. Grants ranged from $250 to $100,000, with a median grant of $5,000. Notable grants included $100,000 and $50,000 to the Admirals Cove Foundation; $80,000 to Brigham and Women’s Hospital; $25,000 to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital; and two grants of $25,000 each to Northeastern University. These grants were listed as unrestricted.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Richard G Lesser and Clare E Lesser as trustees, serving as needed.
The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Clare E. Lesser
Trustee - As Needed
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Richard G. Lesser
Trustee - As Needed
On filings since 2020
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 Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation
How much does The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation give each year?
The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation gave $354K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $148K across 15 grants.
What is The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $18,618, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation that year got $563 on average.
Where does The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation give grants?
The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 57% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Florida (43%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (9 grants), Jupiter, FL (3 grants), Oak Bluffs, MA (2 grants) and Vineyard Haven, MA (2 grants).
Does The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (19 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Admiral's Cove Foundation ($150,000 across 2 grants), Brigham and Women's Hospital ($80,000) and Northeastern University ($73,500 across 6 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 86% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation?
The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation reported $642K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $354K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $129K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for hospitals, a university, a community foundation, and a theater. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation's EIN?
The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6961280. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Richard and Clare Lesser Family 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 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-richard-and-clare-lesser-family-foundation-morg_e3e0542eb15e45a1a926996ff5f10b28
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_046961280_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-richard-and-clare-lesser-family-foundation-morg_e3e0542eb15e45a1a926996ff5f10b28},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-23. 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 Richard and Clare Lesser Family 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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