Lumina Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 35-1813228 · since 1991luminafoundation.org·California, District of Columbia, France, Indiana, New York, South Carolina, United Kingdom, United …·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$30M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$3,000 to $350k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$12,500

Typical grant (median)

357 grants in the latest filing

Open to applications

A mix of rolling and fixed deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Lumina's stated geographic focus is Central Indiana, so an organisation working there is the clearest fit, and its listed themes (higher education, workforce training and postsecondary access) show where its grants have concentrated.
A modest request suits it: half of its grants to organisations were $20,000 or less, the median grant was $20,000, and about 8 in 10 grants fall between $3,000 and $350,000, though that band is typical rather than a ceiling.
Most of its grantmaking is proactive, as it solicits ideas from partners directly, so a short, specific approach is worth making, and its website announces any open RFPs or calls for work on particular topics, which are the route to apply through when they are open.
Repeat giving is substantial, with half of its grant dollars to organisations going to organisations it had funded earlier, so a new applicant should expect a competitive process that may depend on existing relationships.
The filing names no exclusions, so no kind of organisation is ruled out, but work outside its stated themes is likely to be a weaker fit.

Overview

Lumina Foundation is a US private foundation based in Indianapolis, IN.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

Lumina Foundation works to remove barriers to learning after high school and to expand access to degrees, certificates and other credentials. It works with education and business leaders, civil rights organisations, policymakers and others to build an equitable, accessible, responsive and accountable post-high-school education system. Its focus is broad, with particular attention to students from low-income families, urban and rural students, students of colour and those who are first in their families to pursue education or training after high school. Its grants support colleges and universities, education systems, research and policy groups, civil-rights and advocacy organisations, and workforce partners working on access, completion and the links between education and employment.

Themes

Higher education
Workforce training
Postsecondary access

Geographic Focus

Priority: Central Indiana. From its grants, not stated by the foundation: District of Columbia; New York; California; Indiana; South Carolina; United States; United Kingdom; France.

How to apply

Most grantmaking is proactive: Lumina solicits ideas directly from partners based on their capacities to leverage systemic change. It periodically holds open RFPs or calls for work on specific topics, announced on its website.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 50% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 1,029 grants to organisations were $20,000 or less.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

District of Columbia25%

New York11%

California10%

Indiana7%

South Carolina6%

Massachusetts5%

6 other states: 17%

Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 19%

The largest single recipient received 6% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 50% of grant dollars went to organisations Lumina Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
1% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (United Kingdom, France).
9% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

357 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $12,500

How much do they typically give?

Share of 357 grants in tax year 2024 by size

Under $1k<1%

$1k–$2.5k2%

$2.5k–$5k9%

$5k–$10k22%

$10k–$25k25%

$25k–$50k7%

$50k–$100k8%

$100k–$250k17%

$250k–$500k6%

$500k–$1M3%

$1M and over<1%

Median $12,500 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Blackbaud Giving Fund · To support Lumina's 2023-2024 Gift Programs through the Blackbaud Giving Fund.
$2,508,5112024 tax year
Georgetown University · To strengthen the alignment of postsecondary education and workforce via research and technical assistance.
$900,0002024 tax year
Trustees of the California State University · To automate admissions to the CSU system through California's official K-12 college & career readiness platform
$750,0002024 tax year
Northern Arizona University Foundation · To expand Northern Arizona University's universal admissions program to nine Arizona community college districts
$750,0002024 tax year
Illinois Board of Higher Education · To implement direct admissions statewide in Illinois for community college transfer students and high school seniors, using the Common App
$750,0002024 tax year
Third Way Foundation · To assess the true costs of developing and offering short-term workforce development programs at community colleges and evaluate the implications of these costs for school administrators.
$745,0002024 tax year
Complete College America · to support the continued implementation of the Historically Black Community College Network
$740,0002024 tax year
Competency-Based Education Network · To pilot competency-based math course redesign models to foster more equitable pathways to success at community colleges
$700,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Carman Twillie Ambar — Board Member
Timothy Robinson — VP General Counsel & Chief of Staff
Michelle Cooper — VP, Public Policy & Executive Director
Jamie Merisotis — President / CEO
Hong Linh Nguyen — VP, Equity Culture, & Talent
Erin Archer — VP for Finance and Investment / CFO
Debra Humphreys — VP of Strategic Engagement
Courtney Brown — VP of Impact & Planning
Chauncy Lennon — VP for the Future of Learning and Work & Sr. Stratgeic Advisor
William Serrata — Board Member
Teresa Lubbers — Board Member (elected 4/10/24)
Pardis Mahdavi — Board Member (elected 4/10/24)
Matthew Goldberg — Board Member
Matthew Breitfelder — Board Member
Justin Christian — Board Member
Joseph Boateng — Board Member
David Wilson — Board Member
Christine Pambianchi — Board Member
Austan Goolsbee — Board Member
Alisa Miller — Board Chair

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$65,552,907	$33,921,229	$1,413,211,168	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$90,342,377	$55,173,681	$1,447,572,232	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$72,641,003	$30,030,680	$1,544,151,334	Filing for 2024 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.