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The Lester Fund Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

The Lester Fund Inc

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$5k
Granted FY2022
1
Grants FY2022
1
States reached
$5k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2022.

Employment$147kInternational$120kEducation$53kFood & Nutrition$51kHuman Services$50kCivil Rights$30kHealth$25kPublic Benefit$20kOther$0
02FY2022 · 1 grant

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$5,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
NYC EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING COALITION$5,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

US giving: 85% of grant dollars ($445k). The need read here covers only this US portion; the 15% that went abroad ($76k) is mapped below.

show:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–22) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 86% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%AFRICAN PRISON PROJECT: $10k → 10%TUFTS UNIVERSITY: $550 → 8%PARTNERS IN HEALTH: $10k → 16%MCALESTER COLLEGE DEVOLOPMENT: $2k → 14%SHINING HOPE FOR COMMUNITIES: $25k → 17%AKILAH FOUNDATION: $25k → 14%AMERICAN LEAGUE FOR EDUCATION: $390 → 21%EDUCATE: $25k → 12%KAKENYA'S DREAM: $30k → 7%THE GREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK INC: $500 → 16%NONTRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT FOR WOMEN: $250 → 17%AKILAH FOUNDATION: $25k → 14%EDUCATE: $25k → 12%KAKENYA'S DREAM: $25k → 7%ASSOCIATES OF THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY INC: $500 → 16%SHINING HOPE FOR COMMUNITIES: $25k → 17%TOSTAN: $10k → 14%LAST MILE HEALTH: $25k → 16%DIGITAL DIVIDE DATA: $25k → 17%KAKENYA'S DREAM: $20k → 14%DIGITAL DIVIDE DATA: $25k → 17%AMALGAMATED DONOR ADVISE FUND: $15k → 14%SHARED INTEREST: $350 → 17%AMERICA VOTESNEW VENTURE DEMOCRACY FUND: $20k → 14%PEN AMERICA: $500 → 17%WORKING AMERICA: $15k → 14%NYC EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING COALITION: $5k → 17%GBOWE PEACE FOUNDATION: $5k → 17%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

MN
MI
NY
MA
CO
VA
DE
DC
GA

Beyond the US: 15% of all-years giving ($76k)

1 country, by the recipient’s country on the filing.

grant dollars sentlessmore
Nigeria$76k · 3 grants
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving. International giving is mapped by the recipient’s country from the same 990 filings; comparable need data isn’t available at that grain.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

73%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$381k · 7 repeat orgs$140k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +115% since the first grant, against +67% for those funded once.

7 repeat relationships: 0 still active in FY2022, 7 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2022 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

7
17

Total granted

$381k
$135k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+115%
+67%

Still filing today

71%
59%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2022, 0% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22
EducationInternationalHealthArts & CultureEmploymentHuman ServicesOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • KC
    KAKENYA CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE
    2× · 2020–2021 · $55k · revenue +300%
  • SH
    SHINING HOPE FOR COMMUNITIES INC
    2× · 2017–2019 · $50k · revenue +231%
  • TA
    THE AFRICAN SOUP INC
    2× · 2018–2019 · $50k · revenue +115%

Funded once

  • LM
    LAST MILE HEALTHgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $25k · revenue +85%
  • AV
    AMERICA VOTESNEW VENTURE DEMOCRACY FUND
    one grant, 2017 · $20k
  • KD
    KAKENYA'S DREAM
    one grant, 2017 · $20k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Ja Africa

The mission of ja africa is to inspire and prepare young people in africa to succeed in a global economy.

Education
2
Partners in Food Solutions

Improve the food value chain in developing countries by mobilizing corporate volunteers to share knowledge and expertise with small and growing food processors.

International
3
Pathfinder International

Pathfinder expands access to sexual and reproductive health services, opening the door to opportunities for women and all individuals to thrive-economically, educationally, and civically. driven by our country-led leadership and local…

International
4
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
5
International Development Enterprises

See schedule o for a more detailed description of ide's mission statement and achievements.

International
6
Trustafrica

Promote peace, democracy and economic prosperity in Africa.

International
7
Actionaid Usa

Actionaid is an international network building a just, equitable, and sustainable world in solidarity with communities on the frontlines of poverty and injustice. actionaid usa is the u.s. branch of actionaid international, which works in…

Social Science
8
Devworks International

Devworks international is dedicated to a society where all people enjoy the freedom to pursue their own sustainable development. we contribute to this by strengthening the capacity of local organizations.

Human Services
9
Counterpart International Inc

For over 60 years, counterpart international has partnered with communities worldwide to turn local ideas into lasting solutions, connecting local vision with global opportunity. (continued on schedule o)we believe people closest to the…

International
10
Alight

Alight builds a meaningful life for and with the displaced. not simply addressing basic needs, but building a life filled with joy, dignity, connection, and purpose. we walk with them along their entire journey of displacement and deliver…

International
11
Nuru International

Nuru is a global collective that enables inclusive and sustainable prosperity by identifying communities at the stability tipping point, strengthening rural livelihoods and market systems, and fostering stabilizing connections that repair…

International
12
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation

The elizabeth glaser pediatric aids foundation (egpaf) is a proven leader in the fight against pediatric hiv/aids and has reached over 33 million pregnant women with services to prevent transmission of hiv to their babies. to date, egpaf…

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Shared Interest Inc; the most unlike its peers is Nontraditional Employment for Women. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

15 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 15 of the 25 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
15/15
Grantees still filing
13/15
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

WEST AFRICA VOCATIONAL EDUCATION: $76,250 · OtherWEST AFRICA VOCATIONAL EDUCATIONDigital Divide Data: $50,000 · OtherDigital Divide DataAKILAH FOUNDATION: $50,000 · OtherAKILAH FOUNDATIONAMERICA VOTESNEW VENTURE DEMOCRACY FUND: $20,000 · OtherAMERICA VOTESNEW VENTURE DEMOCRACY FUNDKAKENYA'S DREAM: $20,000 · OtherKAKENYA'S DREAMWORKING AMERICA: $15,000 · OtherWORKING AMERICAAMALGAMATED DONOR ADVISE FUND: $15,000 · OtherAMALGAMATED DONOR ADVISE FUNDAFRICAN PRISON PROJECT: $10,000 · Other+5 more: $12,890 · OtherKAKENYA CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE: $55,000 · EducationKAKENYA CENTER FOR EXCE…SHINING HOPE FOR COMMUNITIES INC: $50,000 · EducationSHINING HOPE FOR COMMUN…+2 more: $1,050 · EducationEducate: $50,000 · InternationalEducateTOSTAN INC: $10,000 · InternationalTOSTAN INC+1 more: $350 · InternationalTHE AFRICAN SOUP INC: $50,000 · Human ServicesTHE AFRICA…LAST MILE HEALTH: $25,000 · HealthPARTNERS IN HEALTH A NONPROFIT CORPORATION: $10,000 · HealthPEN AMERICAN CENTER INC: $500 · Arts & CultureNONTRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT FOR WOMEN: $250 · Employment
Other$269,140Education$106,050International$60,350Human Services$50,000Health$35,000Arts & Culture$500Employment$250

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetKAKENYA CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE: $55,000 over 2y, 1.8% of budgetSHINING HOPE FOR COMMUNITIES INC: $50,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetTHE AFRICAN SOUP INC: $50,000 over 2y, 9.2% of budgetEducate: $50,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetDigital Divide Data: $50,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetLAST MILE HEALTH: $25,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetWORKING AMERICA: $15,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTOSTAN INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetPARTNERS IN HEALTH A NONPROFIT CORPORATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTrustees of Tufts College: $550 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetASSOCIATES OF BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPEN AMERICAN CENTER INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSHARED INTEREST INC: $350 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNONTRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT FOR WOMEN: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Segal Family Foundati…ImpactassetsincNational Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…Morgan Stanley Global…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Donor Advised Charita…Amazonsmile Foundation
Segal Family Foundation IncNJ17.9× affinity6 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Segal Family Foundation Inc · Impactassetsinc · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Amazonsmile Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization The Lester Fund Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Lester Fund Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from government →median 13%
  • Greater Boston Food Bank Inc: 22% of income from government
  • Trustees of Tufts College: 13% of income from government
  • Partners in Health a Nonprofit Corporation: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–30%
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Lester Fund Inc?

Find your warmest path to The Lester Fund Inc through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 25 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2022, released 2022. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2024) is on record and reports no grant expense, so the figures above are from FY2022, the most recent year this funder made grants.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Lester’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home