Richard & Karen Lefrak Charitable Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- This foundation makes grants only to organisations it has preselected, and its filing says it does not accept unsolicited requests, so a small charity should not send a cold application.
- If your work sits in performing arts, colleges and schools, museums, medical research, Jewish community organisations or conservation, it resembles the kinds of organisations the foundation has funded, though its stated purpose is broad.
- Most of its grants are modest: about 8 in 10 fall between $5,000 and $250,000, and half of its grants to organisations were $25,000 or less, so a request near that scale is the realistic one, although its largest grant was $3,000,000 and that band is not a ceiling.
- Repeat giving is strong, with 59% of its grant dollars to organisations going to groups it had also funded in the earlier filing, so existing relationships appear to count for a great deal.
- No geographic focus is stated, and the filings show grants mainly in New York and Massachusetts, but that is not a rule about who may apply.
Overview
Richard & Karen Lefrak Charitable Foundation is a US private foundation based in Wilmington, DE.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2023, TY2022) and web pages about the foundation (en.wikipedia.org), with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation's stated mission includes support for charitable organisations. Its grants have gone to performing arts bodies, colleges and schools, museums, medical research and treatment institutions, Jewish community organisations, and conservation organisations. The records also include support for a symphony orchestra, a natural history museum, universities, cancer centres and a park conservancy. The return groups all grants under a broad religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational purpose, without describing narrower programmes or priorities. The filing says contributions are made only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in New York and Massachusetts.
How to apply
Contributions are limited to preselected charitable organisations; unsolicited requests are not accepted.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2023 filing, 59% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022 and TY2023 filings, half of its 41 grants to organisations were $25,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2023.
Grant dollars by state
- The largest single recipient received 58% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2023, 59% of grant dollars went to organisations Richard & Karen Lefrak Charitable Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 6% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 24 grants in tax year 2023 by size
Median $42,500 (tax year 2023)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- New York Philharmonic · Religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational$2,050,0002023 tax year
- New York Presbyterian Fund · Religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational$1,000,0002023 tax year
- UJA-Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York · Religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational$500,0002023 tax year
- Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research · Religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational$250,0002023 tax year
- Barnard College · Religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational$200,0002023 tax year
- Foundation to Combat Antisemitism · Religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational$200,0002023 tax year
- Amherst College · Religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational$200,0002023 tax year
- American Museum of Natural History · Religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational$150,0002023 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Joshua Grant — Director
- Jay Mchugh — Director & Vice President
- Brian Mclean — Director & Executive Vice President
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
2 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $3,746,543 | $3,635,000 | $10,926,068 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $5,117,433 | $5,007,480 | $8,318,192 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to Richard & Karen Lefrak Charitable Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Wilmington, DE
Applying to Richard & Karen Lefrak Charitable Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Wilmington, DE