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The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$354k
Granted FY2025still arriving
19
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0195% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Philanthropy$442kHealth$312kEducation$273kHuman Services$232kReligion$46kCivil Rights$26kInternational$25kArts & Culture$18kOther$0
02FY2025 · 19 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k10 grants · $14k
  • $10k–50k6 grants · $110k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $230k
$5,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$642k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ADMIRAL'S COVE FOUNDATION$100,000
BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL$80,000
ADMIRAL'S COVE FOUNDATION$50,000
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY$25,000
MARTHA'S VINEYARD HOSPITAL$25,000
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY$25,000
MARTHA'S VINEYARD COMMUNITY SERVICES$15,000
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY$10,000
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY$10,000
MARTHA'S VINEYARD HEBREW CENTER$5,000
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY$2,500
BARNERT TEMPLE$1,500
PAN-MASS CHALLENGE$1,000
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY$1,000
MALTZ JUPITER THEATRE$1,000
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.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY20–25, $214k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 70% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%MELMARK: $3k → 6%JEWISH FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES: $680 → 10%MARTHA'S VINEYARD COMMUNITY SERVICES: $15k → 8%MARTHA'S VINEYARD COMMUNITY SERVICES: $15k → 8%MARTHA'S VINEYARD COMMUNITY SERVICES: $15k → 8%MARTHA'S VINEYARD COMMUNITY SERVICES: $15k → 8%MORSE LIFE FOUNDATION: $50k → 11%MORSE LIFE FOUNDATION: $50k → 11%MORSE LIFE FOUNDATION: $50k → 11%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

NY
MA
PA
NJ
CT
CA
VA
DC
LA
FL
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.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

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

86%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.2M · 25 repeat orgs$190k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +46% since the first grant, against +16% for those funded once.

25 repeat relationships: 10 still active in FY2025, 15 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

25
44

Total granted

$1.2M
$188k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+46%
+16%

Still filing today

60%
52%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $2k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
HealthPhilanthropyEducationHuman ServicesHousing & ShelterRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • AC
    ADMIRALS COVE FOUNDATION INC
    6× · 2020–2025 · $306k · revenue +110%
  • NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
    6× · 2020–2025 · $240k · revenue +63%
  • MV
    MARTHA'S VINEYARD COMMUNITY SERVICES INC
    4× · 2020–2025 · $60k · revenue +46%

Funded once

  • AL
    ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUEgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $25k · revenue +28%
  • FF
    Foundation for Neurologic Diseases Inc
    one grant, 2024 · $25k · revenue 0%
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc
    one grant, 2023 · $25k · revenue +16%
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
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Committed to exceptional healthcare quality for all and actively engaged with our community, einstein drives scientific discovery and educates compassionate leaders in health and science.

Education
2
The Lieber Institute Inc

The mission of the institute is to translate basic genetic and molecular mechanisms of schizophrenia and related developmental brain disorders into clinical advances that change the lives of affected individuals. it is catalyzing a new…

Health
3
Long Island Jewish Medical Center

Long island jewish medical center is part of the northwell health ("northwell"), which strives to improve the health of the communities it serves and is committed to providing the highest quality clinical care; educating the current and…

Health
4
New York Genome Center Inc

Operate a state-of-the-art, world-class genomic research center that creates and uses advanced genomics to understand the genetic basis of disease. for more information, see schedule o.

Health
5
Miami Jewish Health Systems Inc

Miami jewish health systems, inc. was incorporated to provide shelter for the elderly and develop social & health programs relating to their care. in addition, research & educational programs are conducted for the elderly to enhance their…

Human Services
6
Chelsea Jewish Lifecare Inc

The organization's mission is to manage a continuum of senior care business lines that consistently provide high-quality compassionate care while focusing on the development of innovative programs and services that enable individuals to…

Health
7
Neurology Associates of Stony Brook University Faculty Practice Corp

Provide clinical instruction to and supervision of medical school students, interns and residents and, incident thereto, rendering professional services.

Health
8
Metropolitan Jewish Health System Inc

Mjhs health system is a charitable not-for-profit established to support the activities of affiliated organizations. mjhs is built on the core values of compassion, dignity and respect, first established by the four brooklyn ladies in…

Health
9
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research

The feinstein institute for medical research ("the institute") is the research branch of northwell health ("northwell"). through its affiliation with northwell, the institute's mission is to bridge the gap between biomedical research and…

Health
10
The Trustees of Princeton University

Research, education and general - princeton university is a private not-for-profit, non-sectarian institution of higher learning with approximately 5,700 undergraduate and 3,300 graduate students. 2,500 students graduated in the 2024-2025…

Education
11
Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary

THE MASSACHUSETTS EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY ("THE INFIRMARY") IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT TEACHING HOSPITAL CONDUCTING PATIENT CARE AND RESEARCH. THE INFIRMARY IS A TEACHING HOSPITAL OF HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL AND AN INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR RESEARCH.…

Health
12
Jgs Lifecare Corporation

Non-profit organization dedicated to improving the physical, spiritual and emotional health of individuals and families.

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County Inc; the most unlike its peers is Human Health Project. 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

45 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. 45 of the 77 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)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
45/45
Grantees still filing
34/45
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM INCORPORATED: $143,839 · OtherMASS GENERAL BRIGHAM INCORPORATEDMASS GENERAL BRIGHAM INCORPORATED: $75,000 · OtherMASS GENERAL BRIGHAM INCORPORATEDHerizon Inc: $41,000 · OtherHerizon IncIndividual grant recipient: $30,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientTEMPLE JUDEA: $26,550 · OtherTEMPLE JUDEA+40 more: $129,279 · Other+40 moreADMIRALS COVE FOUNDATION INC: $305,500 · PhilanthropyADMIRALS COVE FOUNDATION INCJEWISH FEDERATION OF PALM BEACH COUNTY INC: $55,000 · PhilanthropyJEWISH FEDERATION OF PALM BEACH …Hebrew Senior Life Inc: $20,000 · Philanthropy+7 more: $34,007 · Philanthropy+7 moreNORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY: $239,600 · EducationNORTHEASTERN UNIVER…+6 more: $11,400 · EducationMORSELIFE FOUNDATION INC: $150,000 · Human ServicesMORSELIFE FOUNDA…MARTHA'S VINEYARD COMMUNITY SERVICES INC: $60,000 · Human ServicesMARTHA'S VINEYAR…+2 more: $3,680 · Human ServicesFoundation for Neurologic Diseases Inc: $25,000 · HealthDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $25,000 · Health+6 more: $4,250 · HealthANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: $25,000 · Civil RightsFRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: $24,500 · International+1 more: $250 · International
Other$445,668Philanthropy$414,507Education$251,000Human Services$213,680Health$54,250Civil Rights$25,000International$24,750

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetADMIRALS COVE FOUNDATION INC: $305,500 over 6y, 3.5% of budgetNORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY: $239,600 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetMORSELIFE FOUNDATION INC: $150,000 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetMARTHA'S VINEYARD COMMUNITY SERVICES INC: $60,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetJEWISH FEDERATION OF PALM BEACH COUNTY INC: $55,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetHerizon Inc: $41,000 over 4y, 5.7% of budgetANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFoundation for Neurologic Diseases Inc: $25,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: $24,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetHebrew Senior Life Inc: $20,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetJupiter Medical Center Foundation Inc: $10,332 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSHALOM LEARNING INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetTHE ARNOLD GOLD FOUNDATION: $7,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetEVA'S VILLAGE INC: $5,200 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF MVYRADIO INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTIKVA CORP: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetYMCA of Martha's Vineyard Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGREATER MIAMI JEWISH FEDERATION INC: $3,875 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPAN-MASSACHUSETTS CHALLENGE INC: $3,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMELMARK INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFARM NECK FOUNDATION INC: $3,000 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetHOLE IN THE WALL GANG FUND INC: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTrustees of Tufts College: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNORTH BERGEN RENAISSANCE CORP: $2,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetMassachusetts Institute of Technology: $1,800 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetJEWISH COMMUNITY FEDERATION OF SAN FRANCISCO THE PENINSULA MARIN & SONOMA: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNAMI National: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CRAIG SCHOOL: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFeeding America: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMIAMI BEACH JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMALTZ JUPITER THEATRE INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHuman Health Project: $1,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetGRIFFIN CARES FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetPRECIOUS PROJECT INC: $800 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetJEWISH FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES: $680 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE LORD'S PLACE INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Diabetes Association: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMITTEE FOR ACCURACY IN MIDDLE EAST REPORTING IN AMERICA INC: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC INC: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPALM BEACH COUNTY POLICE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION INC: $40 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.

  • Who funds ADMIRALS COVE FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds MORSELIFE FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds MARTHA'S VINEYARD COMMUNITY SERVICES INC ↗
  • Who funds JEWISH FEDERATION OF PALM BEACH COUNTY INC ↗
  • Who funds Herizon Inc ↗
  • Who funds ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE ↗
  • Who funds Foundation for Neurologic Diseases Inc ↗
  • Who funds Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc ↗
  • Who funds FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES ↗
  • Who funds Hebrew Senior Life Inc ↗
  • Who funds Jupiter Medical Center Foundation Inc ↗
  • Who funds SHALOM LEARNING INC ↗
  • Who funds THE ARNOLD GOLD FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds EVA'S VILLAGE INC ↗
  • Who funds FRIENDS OF MVYRADIO INC ↗
  • Who funds TIKVA CORP ↗
  • Who funds YMCA of Martha's Vineyard Inc ↗
  • Who funds GREATER MIAMI JEWISH FEDERATION INC ↗
  • Who funds PAN-MASSACHUSETTS CHALLENGE INC ↗
  • Who funds MELMARK INC ↗
  • Who funds FARM NECK FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds HOLE IN THE WALL GANG FUND INC ↗

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.

Jewish Communal FundGreater Washington Co…The Gitlitz Family Fo…Gs Donor Advised Phil…Combined Jewish Phila…The Ayco Charitable F…Community Foundation …Morgan Stanley Global…National Philanthropi…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…
Jewish Communal FundNY14.9× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Jewish Communal Fund · Greater Washington Community Foundation · The Gitlitz Family Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc · Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston Inc · The Ayco Charitable Foundation · Community Foundation of New Jersey · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc

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 Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Richard and Clare Lesser Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 170%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →median 6%
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology: 35% of income from government
  • Eva's Village Inc: 19% of income from government
  • Trustees of Tufts College: 13% of income from government
  • The Lord's Place Inc: 12% of income from government
  • Northeastern University: 7% of income from government
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: 7% of income from government
  • Planned Parenthood of South Florida and the Treasure Coast Inc: 6% of income from government
  • Martha's Vineyard Community Services Inc: 3% of income from government
  • New England Conservatory of Music: 1% of income from government
  • Berklee College of Music Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Friends of Mvyradio Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Hebrew Senior Life Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Inc: 0% of income from government
  • Shriners Hospitals for Children: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
17get 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 · 0–40%
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.

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 77 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Richard and Clare Lesser Family’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