Lillys Gift Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The filing records the foundation as accepting requests by invitation only and not unsolicited ones, so an organisation without an invitation or an introduction should not send a cold request.
- The same record also lists a written letter explaining need as the route, so confirm which applies before writing.
- No focus is stated, and grants have gone to varied charitable work, from agricultural fairs and therapeutic riding to hospice care, animal rescue, reading programmes and safe-water projects, so judge fit against your own work rather than a field.
- About 8 in 10 grants in the filings fall between $5,000 and $30,000, half are $15,000 or less, and the largest was $345,000, so a request in that range is realistic, though the band is not a ceiling.
- The grants shown are mainly in California, Oregon and South Carolina, but that describes past grants, not a stated area, and 67% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had funded in an earlier filing, which suggests existing relationships matter.
Overview
Lillys Gift Foundation is a US private foundation based in Yreka, CA.
What they fund
Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
Across the filings, grants went to varied charitable organisations rather than a single stated field. Recorded recipients include agricultural fairs and youth livestock activity; therapeutic riding programmes; community health and hospice services; emergency food assistance; animal rescue and wildlife protection; and reading programmes. Other recorded purposes include safe-water, sanitation and hygiene work, conservation, and trauma-focused services for children. This giving spans local services and work beyond the United States, including safe-water projects in developing nations. The pack does not state a general set of funding priorities, eligibility rules or geographic criteria; these examples describe grants made, not an announced programme.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in California, Oregon and South Carolina.
How to apply
Potential recipients are to submit a written letter explaining need.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 67% 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 173 grants to organisations were $15,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 4%
- The largest single recipient received 21% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 67% of grant dollars went to organisations Lillys Gift Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- <1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 72 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $15,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair Friends · To support the charitable mission of the organization$345,0002024 tax year
- 10th District Junior Livestock Committee · To support the charitable mission of the organization$345,0002024 tax year
- Water Missions International · To support the charitable mission of the organization$100,0002024 tax year
- Purr-Angels · To support the charitable mission of the organization$95,0002024 tax year
- Mount Shasta Race Association · To support the charitable mission of the organization$50,0002024 tax year
- Wickenberg Elks Club · To support the charitable mission of the organization$50,0002024 tax year
- Weed High School Athletics Hall Of Fame · To support the charitable mission of the organization$50,0002024 tax year
- Timothys House Orphanage Rev Rex Dawson · To support the charitable mission of the organization$50,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Lois Ericson — CEO
- Marilyn Ericson — Secretary
- Steven L Ericson — Vice President
- Constance Sherwood — CFO
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $1,457,846 | $1,330,000 | $22,184,230 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $1,718,128 | $1,540,000 | $26,474,352 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $2,260,727 | $2,080,500 | $29,961,012 | 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.
Sources
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At a glance
Applying to Lillys Gift Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (530) 398-4373
- Yreka, CA
Applying to Lillys Gift Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (530) 398-4373
- Yreka, CA