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The Sterling Donor Advised Fund

Public charity · Grantmaker Reston, VA EIN: 27-0418124 Website

The Sterling Donor Advised Fund is a public charity based in Reston, Virginia. Its 2024 filing describes its mission as educating the general public and nonprofit organizations to encourage charitable giving that benefits nonprofit charitable organizations.

Key facts about The Sterling Donor Advised Fund

In short: The Sterling Donor Advised Fund gave $1.8M across 39 grants in 2024 (avg $46K), top state Utah. 62% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.

EIN
27-0418124
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$1,812,250
Grants made (2024)
39
Average grant
$46,468
Median grant
$20,000
New grantees (estimate)
62% first-time grantees (24 of 39, 2024)
Total assets
$55,872,345
Primary geography
Utah (33% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)

Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990 · View filing

Total Assets

$55.9M

+14.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$1.8M

+8.4% YoY

Grant Count

39

+21.9% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$46K

-11.0% YoY

Is The Sterling Donor Advised Fund open to new grantees?

62%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 24 of 39 grantees (62%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $30K; repeat grants $73K. How we count

Medians: $10K first-time, $25K repeat.

  • 28% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving fell 25% from 2021 to 2024. Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The fund’s stated mission is to educate the general public and nonprofit organizations to encourage charitable giving in forms beneficial to nonprofit charitable organizations.

Its 2024 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, Roots of Humanity Foundation describes its work as celebrating light, connecting people, and cultivating peace through art, story, and education. Young America’s Foundation describes itself as a youth outreach organization promoting individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values. Other recipients included organizations whose stated missions involve health, medical research, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history and culture, and opera training.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2024, the fund made 39 grants totaling $1,812,250. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $600,000, with a median of $20,000.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The fund is based in Reston, Virginia. Among its 2024 grant dollars, the largest recipient-state shares were Utah (33%), Virginia (14%), California (13%), Washington (12%), and New Jersey (9%).

Grant Distribution by State

21states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 39 itemized grants.

Cities

San FranciscoWashingtonBoothbay HarborRestonRenoArlingtonBathChehalisNew YorkPalo AltoAtlantaBaltimoreBronxCedarhurstDedhamIncline VillageJackson HeightsLaieLehiManhattan

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$1M$2M$3M14 grants2020 12 grants2021 16 grants2022 32 grants2023 39 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $364K (2022) to $2.4M (2021). In 2024 it made 39 grants totaling $1.8M.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Roots of Humanity Foundation: $600KRoots of Humanity Foundation$600KYoung America's Foundation: $170KYoung America's Foundation$170KChehalis Foundation: $100KChehalis Foundation$100KDiscover Children's Museum: $100KDiscover Children's Museum$100KSt John the Evangelist: $100KSt John the Evangelist$100KDiocese of Metuchen-Bishop's Annual Appeal Foundation: $70KDiocese of Metuchen-Bishop'sAnnual Appeal Foundation$70KJunior State of America: $55KJunior State of America$55KBest Buddies: $50KBest Buddies$50KCentral Fund of Israel: $50KCentral Fund of Israel$50KThe Stanford Jewish Center: $50KThe Stanford Jewish Center$50K

The largest 2024 recipient was Roots of Humanity Foundation ($600K). Together the top 10 received $1.3M.

Grant Size Distribution

113 grants across all recorded years

85<$50K11$50–100K9$100–250K3$250–500K2$500K–1M3$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 85 grants of 113 (75%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Roots of Humanity Foundation Lehi, UTKing & Diane Husein Sphere of Light$600,000
Young America's Foundation Reston, VAFor the meese family student sponsorship fund, to sponor student participation in young America's foundation ("yaf") conferences$170,000
Chehalis Foundation Chehalis, WAStudent Achievement Initiative (Sai)$100,000
Discover Children's Museum Chehalis, WAGeneral Support$100,000
St John the Evangelist Lambertville, NJAnnual Parish Donation$100,000
Diocese of Metuchen-Bishop's Annual Appeal Foundation Metuchen, NJGeneral Support$70,000
Junior State of America Oakland, CAGeneral Support$55,000
Best Buddies Miami, FLGeneral Support$50,000
Central Fund of Israel Cedarhurst, NYKeren Hayesod - United Israel Appeal$50,000
The Stanford Jewish Center Palo Alto, CATo support the building of the stanford jewish center$50,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2024 $55,872,345 $8,527,331 $2,545,923 $1,812,250
2023 $48,616,353 $7,586,212 $2,273,649 $1,671,483
2022 $42,134,907 $7,377,009 $748,587 $363,700

The 2024 filing reports 39 grants; the 2023 and 2022 filings report 32 and 16 grants, respectively.

Revenue
Expenses
Net Investment Income
$0$5M$10M$15M$20M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$55,872,345$48,616,353$42,134,907
Revenue$8,527,331$7,586,212$7,377,009
Expenses$2,545,923$2,273,649$748,587
Net Investment Income$2,634,651$2,144,957$560,607

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
  6. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists James Lintott as president, Roger Silk as secretary, and Paul Beckner as treasurer.

The Sterling Donor Advised Fund is led by James Lintott, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • James Lintott

    President

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Paul Beckner

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Roger Silk

    Secretary

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Mailing address: 12030 Sunrise Valley Drive 450, Reston, VA 20191
Phone: (703) 437-9720
Website: https://sterlingfoundations.com

Frequently asked questions about The Sterling Donor Advised Fund

How much does The Sterling Donor Advised Fund give each year?

The Sterling Donor Advised Fund gave $1.8M across 39 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $1.7M across 32 grants.

What is The Sterling Donor Advised Fund's typical grant size?

The Sterling Donor Advised Fund's median grant in 2024 was $20,000, and its average grant was $46,468, across 39 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Sterling Donor Advised Fund that year got $30K on average.

Where does The Sterling Donor Advised Fund give grants?

The Sterling Donor Advised Fund's top state is Utah, with 33% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Virginia (14%) and California (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (4 grants), Reston, VA (3 grants), Chehalis, WA (2 grants) and Reno, NV (2 grants).

Does The Sterling Donor Advised Fund give general operating support?

Yes: 56% of The Sterling Donor Advised Fund's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (22 of 39) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990.

Who are The Sterling Donor Advised Fund's largest grantees?

The Sterling Donor Advised Fund's largest 2024 grantees include Roots of Humanity Foundation ($600,000), Young America's Foundation ($170,000) and Chehalis Foundation ($100,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 48% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Sterling Donor Advised Fund?

The Sterling Donor Advised Fund reported $55.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $8.5M.

What does The Sterling Donor Advised Fund fund?

The fund’s stated mission is to educate the general public and nonprofit organizations to encourage charitable giving in forms beneficial to nonprofit charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Sterling Donor Advised Fund?

The Sterling Donor Advised Fund has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check sterlingfoundations.com for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.

What is The Sterling Donor Advised Fund's EIN?

The Sterling Donor Advised Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-0418124. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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