William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc

Public charity · Grantmaker Whippany, NJ EIN: 22-6063176

The organization is a supporting organization which makes grants to carry out the purposes of the jewish community foundation of greater metrowest nj, inc.

William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc gave $7.8M across 4 grants in 2025 (avg $1.9M), mostly in New Jersey. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.

Annual giving (2025)
$7,752,289
+2239.2% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
4
+0.0% vs 2024
Average grant
$1,938,072
+2239.2% vs 2024
Median grant
$154,172
Primary geography
New Jersey (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.

How to apply to William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc

Next open deadline
November 24, 2026 (Mack Ness Fund Stanley Stone Special Grant)

Who William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 4 recipients in 2025

Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Metrowest N: $7.4MJewish Community Foundation ofGreater Metrowest N$7.4MJewish Federation of Greater Metrowest NJ: $285KJewish Federation of GreaterMetrowest NJ$285KTemple Beth Shalom: $23KTemple Beth Shalom$23KJewish Federation of South Palm Beach County: $20KJewish Federation of SouthPalm Beach County$20K

The largest 2025 recipient was Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Metrowest N ($7.4M). Together the top 4 received $7.8M.

Grant Size Distribution

18 grants across all recorded years

12<$50K$50–100K$100–250K5$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M1$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 12 grants of 18 (67%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

2states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 4 itemized grants.

Cities

WhippanyLivingstonBoca RatonElizabethFlorham Park

How William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc gives

  • Giving grew 2530% from 2022 to 2025. Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$2M$4M$6M$8M3 grants2019 5 grants2020 3 grants2021 3 grants2022 4 grants2023 4 grants2024 4 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $285K (2019) to $7.8M (2025). In 2025 it made 4 grants totaling $7.8M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Metrowest N Whippany, NJGeneral support$7,424,356
Jewish Federation of Greater Metrowest NJ Whippany, NJGeneral Support$285,300
Temple Beth Shalom Livingston, NJGeneral Support$23,044
Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County Boca Raton, FLGeneral Support$19,589
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsNet Investment Income
2025—$452,623$7,761,556$7,752,2894$37,469
2024$7,170,011$377,614$366,406$331,4044$377,614
2023$6,897,811$192,990$398,018$363,6954$192,990
2022$6,689,777$554,932$330,433$294,7293$554,932
2021$7,092,825$516,480$326,321$291,5463$516,480
2020$5,785,774$179,662$376,510$345,4495$179,662
2019$6,297,708$292,895$318,465$285,3413$292,895

About William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc

Based on IRS filings

William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc is a public charity, based in Whippany, NJ. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. In 2025, it awarded 4 grants totaling $7.8M. Net investment income was $37K.

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc is led by Max L. Kleinman, President since 2024 (on filings since 2019); 1 of 6 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Max L. Kleinman

    President

    Trustee → President, 2024

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Howard J. Rabner

    Secretary & Trustee

    Ass't Secretary & Trustee → Secretary & Trustee, 2021

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    $281K (2025)

  • Jeffrey J. Greenbaum

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Martin Barber

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Maxine Murnick

    Trustee

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Shawn Laing

    CFO

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (4)
  • Former: Ellen Goldner (2019–2024) — Trustee
  • Former: Alan Bloom (2019–2023) — Trustee
  • Former: Gloria G. Lester (2019–2023) — President & Trustee
  • Former: Neil B Goldstein (2019–2021) — Trustee

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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

Howard J Rabner — SECRETARY/Trustee: $281KHoward J RabnerSECRETARY/Trustee$281K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $281K, to Howard J Rabner (SECRETARY/Trustee).

Frequently asked questions about William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc

How much does William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc give each year?

William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc gave $7.8M across 4 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $331K across 4 grants.

What is William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $154,172, and its average grant was $1,938,072, across 4 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.

Where does William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc give grants?

William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc gives mostly in New Jersey: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Whippany, NJ (2 grants).

Does William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (4 of 4) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.

What is William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc's EIN?

William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-6063176. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

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

Data update history

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 17, 2026)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 5, 2020)
  4. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
  5. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 10, 2022)
  6. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
  7. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 17, 2024)

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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open

Figures come from William & Betty Lester Foundation Inc'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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