Lumena Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Lumena suits US-based 501(c)(3) organisations that advance women's self-determination through health, education, economic empowerment, personal safety or legal rights, and its target constituents must also be in the US.
- Groups that seek to deny the rights of women, girls, or trans or intersex people, groups led by or dependent on political parties or religious institutions, for-profit businesses, and organisations based outside the US should not apply.
- Its typical grant band is $10,000 to $300,000, but the median is $35,000 and half its grants are $35,000 or less, so a request around $35,000 is a sensible starting point, with single-year Moon grants up to $50,000 and multi-year Sun grants from $25,000.
- Only invited organisations can apply, so introduce your work through the Inquiry Page and wait for the foundation to contact you before preparing a full request.
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but repeat giving is substantial, with 52% of grant dollars going to organisations it had funded in earlier filings, and the foundation meets grantees periodically rather than requiring written reports.
Overview
Lumena Foundation is a US private foundation based in Wilmington, DE.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2025, TY2024, TY2023) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
Lumena backs women-focused nonprofit organisations that advance a woman’s right to self-determination. It focuses on organisations supporting one or more of five dimensions of women’s well-being: health, education, economic empowerment, personal safety and legal rights. Eligible organisations are 501(c)(3) nonprofits headquartered in the United States whose target constituents are also there. Its grants use a trust-based, unrestricted approach: single-year Moon grants address immediate needs, while multi-year Sun grants support organisations through uncertainty, expansion or strategic hiring. Lumena aims to develop long-term relationships, learning through periodic conversations rather than written reports. It looks for work connected to its mission and a point of connection that can spark joy, vulnerability and learning.
Themes
- Self-determination
- Health
- Education
- Economic empowerment
- Personal safety
- Legal rights
Geographic Focus
US.
What They Don't Fund
- Groups that seek to deny the rights of women, girls, and trans or intersex people, based on who they are, the work they do, or their position in society
- Groups that are led by, or are structurally or economically dependent on, political parties or religious institutions
- For-profit businesses
- Organizations that are based outside the US
- Organizations whose target constituents are outside the US
How to apply
Introduce the organisation to Lumena through its Inquiry Page. If there is a mission fit, the foundation will contact the team; only invited organisations can apply for a grant.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2025 filing, 52% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2023 or TY2024 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2023, TY2024 and TY2025 filings, half of its 48 grants to organisations were $35,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- Applications are reviewed for focus on at least one of the five dimensions of women’s well-being and for a point of connection that sparks joy, vulnerability and learning.
- Lumena meets grantees periodically to learn about their challenges and points of pride and does not require written reports.
- The foundation seeks grantees who demonstrate passion, commitment and expertise.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2023–2025.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 10%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 2%
- The largest single recipient received 43% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2025, 52% of grant dollars went to organisations Lumena Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 10% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 28 grants in tax year 2025 by size
Median $50,000 (tax year 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- HomeWorks Trenton · General & Unrestricted$300,0002025 tax year
- Elevated Access · General & Unrestricted$300,0002025 tax year
- Order of Love · The Reckoning Project$226,8002025 tax year
- Neo Philanthropy · Abortion Access Front$100,0002025 tax year
- Choice Network · General & Unrestricted$100,0002025 tax year
- Care for All · General & Unrestricted$100,0002025 tax year
- Sister Song Inc · General & Unrestricted$75,0002025 tax year
- Loveland Foundation · General & Unrestricted$50,0002025 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Jonathan S March — Director, Treasurer
- Michelle B Gleeson — Director, Vice President
- Michaela C Finley — Director, Secretary
- Andrea Devereux — Director, President
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 tax year | $330,602 | $205,000 | $31,627,012 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $2,307,607 | $2,120,000 | $33,051,235 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
| 2025 tax year | $2,112,349 | $1,945,800 | $35,559,685 | Filing for 2025 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 Lumena Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Wilmington, DE
- lumenafoundation.org
Applying to Lumena Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Wilmington, DE
- lumenafoundation.org