William & Lynda Steere Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Westport, CT EIN: 65-6286705

The William & Lynda Steere Foundation is a private foundation based in Westport, Connecticut. In 2025, it reported grants to organizations including cultural institutions, a health foundation, a university-related foundation, and community organizations.

Key facts about William & Lynda Steere Foundation

In short: William & Lynda Steere Foundation gave $961K across 22 grants in 2025 (avg $44K), top state New York. 18% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
65-6286705
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$960,530
Grants made (2025)
22
Average grant
$43,660
Median grant
$10,000
New grantees (estimate)
18% first-time grantees (4 of 22, 2025; small sample)
Total assets
$8,628,582
Primary geography
New York (43% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$8.6M

-6.4% YoY

Annual Giving

$961K

-38.2% YoY

Grant Count

22

-26.7% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$44K

-15.8% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, William & Lynda Steere Foundation reported a distributable amount of $657K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is William & Lynda Steere Foundation open to new grantees?

18%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 4 of 22 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $51K. How we count

Medians: $10K first-time, $15K repeat.

  • 77% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving fell 31% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 146% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied purposes. The New York Botanical Garden describes its mission as improving public understanding of the natural world, horticulture, and relationships between plants and people, while expanding knowledge of plants and their uses. The Williams Syndrome Association says it advances the interests of people with Williams syndrome through programming, resources, research, partnerships, and community support. The Latino Action Foundation says it collects data on issues of concern to Latinos and collaborates with local groups to engage and educate Latinos about relevant public policies.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 22 grants totaling $960,530. Grant amounts ranged from $3,000 to $250,000, with a median of $10,000. Its largest reported grants included $250,000 to the New York Botanical Garden, $150,000 to the Metropolitan Museum, and $100,000 each to the Naples Philharmonic, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, Lee Health Foundation, and Hoover Institution. The listed purposes for these grants were “budget.”

How to Apply

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, reported grant dollars went to recipients in New York (43%), Florida (30%), California (21%), New Jersey (3%), and Virginia (1%).

Grant Distribution by State

16states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkFort MyersAspenMiamiRyeBronxLa Canada FlintridgeNaplesStanfordPekinBlairstownBonita SpringsCarbondaleFalls ChurchN Fort MyersNashvilleCoral GablesSnowmass VillageTuscaloosaBasalt

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$1M$2M$3M33 grants2019 38 grants2020 26 grants2021 26 grants2022 24 grants2023 30 grants2024 22 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $961K (2025) to $2.0M (2020). In 2025 it made 22 grants totaling $961K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

New York Botanical Garden: $250KNew York Botanical Garden$250KMetropolitan Museum: $150KMetropolitan Museum$150KNaples Philharmonic: $100KNaples Philharmonic$100KFlintridge Sacred Heart Academy: $100KFlintridge Sacred HeartAcademy$100KLee Health Foundation: $100KLee Health Foundation$100KHoover Institution: $100KHoover Institution$100KHabitat For Humanity: $15KHabitat For Humanity$15KSpecial Equestrian: $15KSpecial Equestrian$15KRockin Christmas Fund: $15KRockin Christmas Fund$15KLatino Action Foundation: $15KLatino Action Foundation$15K

The largest 2025 recipient was New York Botanical Garden ($250K). Together the top 10 received $860K.

Grant Size Distribution

128 grants across all recorded years

93<$50K$50–100K28$100–250K3$250–500K4$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 93 grants of 128 (73%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
New York Botanical Garden Bronx, NYbudget$250,000
Metropolitan Museum New York, NYbudget$150,000
Naples Philharmonic Naples, FLbudget$100,000
Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy La Canada Flintridge, CAbudget$100,000
Lee Health Foundation Fort Myers, FLbudget$100,000
Hoover Institution Stanford, CAbudget$100,000
Habitat For Humanity N Fort Myers, FLbudget$15,000
Special Equestrian Fort Myers, FLbudget$15,000
Rockin Christmas Fund Fort Myers, FLbudget$15,000
Latino Action Foundation Freehold, NJbudget$15,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grant sum Grant count
2025 $8,628,582 $491,796 $1,006,542 $960,530 22
2024 $9,217,951 $1,774,285 $1,628,630 $1,554,970 30
2023 $8,969,115 $1,154,113 $1,772,900 $1,570,400 24
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$2M$4M$6M2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$8,628,582$9,217,951$8,969,115
Revenue$491,796$1,774,285$1,154,113
Expenses$1,006,542$1,628,630$1,772,900
Qualifying Distributions$960,530$1,554,970$1,570,400
Net Investment Income$376,366$1,498,070$361,099
Distributable Amount$656,792$603,625$565,761

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 28, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 25, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 20, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 14, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 24, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 26, 2025)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 21, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Elwood B Davis, William C Steere, and Lynda Steere as trustees.

William & Lynda Steere Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Elwood B Davis

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Lynda Steere

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • William C Steere

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

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.

Contact

Mailing address: PO Box 2630, Westport, CT 06880
Phone: (203) 226-8997

Frequently asked questions about William & Lynda Steere Foundation

How much does William & Lynda Steere Foundation give each year?

William & Lynda Steere Foundation gave $961K across 22 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.6M across 30 grants.

What is William & Lynda Steere Foundation's typical grant size?

William & Lynda Steere Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $43,660, across 22 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from William & Lynda Steere Foundation that year got $10K on average.

Where does William & Lynda Steere Foundation give grants?

William & Lynda Steere Foundation's top state is New York, with 43% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Florida (30%) and California (21%). The most frequent recipient cities were Fort Myers, FL (4 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Miami, FL (3 grants).

Does William & Lynda Steere Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 22 grants with a stated purpose on William & Lynda Steere Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Budget" (22 grants).

Who are William & Lynda Steere Foundation's largest grantees?

William & Lynda Steere Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include New York Botanical Garden ($250,000), Metropolitan Museum ($150,000) and Naples Philharmonic ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is William & Lynda Steere Foundation?

William & Lynda Steere Foundation reported $8.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $961K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $657K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does William & Lynda Steere Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from William & Lynda Steere Foundation?

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is William & Lynda Steere Foundation's EIN?

William & Lynda Steere Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 65-6286705. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does William & Lynda Steere 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.

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