New York · Nonprofit
LEAD THE WAY FUND INC
LEAD THE WAY FUND INC (New York) receives grants from 59 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,170,227 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($416,162). 32 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 59% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2025
- $1.6M
- Funders on record
- 59
- Grants received
- $2.2M
- Net assets
- $17M
What Lead the Way Fund Inc does
Mission
Army ranger lead the way fund is an active duty, casualty assistance, recovery, transition and veterans organization that provides financial support to u.s. Army rangers and the families of those who have died, have been disabled or who are currently serving in harm's way around the world.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Recovery, resiliency, education, and transition program: when our wounded, ill or injured rangers return from combat, the severity of their injuries is often to the degree that their disabilities prevent them and their families from being able to fully support themselves. The care provided by the government is often limited and insufficient to support their needs. Ltwf provides ongoing support, from the moment of injury, through the short and long-term recovery, rehabilitation, and transition process. Starting with an immediate financial grant of $5,000 for rangers that are wounded in action or during training, and to the families of rangers who have been killed in action. If a spouse or additional family members need to be at the bedside of their loved one, we ensure that the travel costs, accommodations (including extended stay), child care, and expenses are covered so there is no added financial or emotional stress. If the ranger suffers a setback during his recovery process that requires additional hospitalization and therapies, ltwf will provide additional grants to the family so there is no financial shortfall. With the ongoing challenge of service members developing…
$311,664 spentof which $163,180 as grants36% of program spendingRanger and family health and wellness programs: with consecutive deployments since the start of the global war on terrorism, the preservation of this extremely pressured force is a necessity. When a ranger is deployed, so is his family. The long separations can be challenging and strenuous on the family unit. Family readiness groups (frgs), consisting of family members and other volunteers associated with a particular unit, act as first responders that serve to enhance the well-being, morale, and esprit de corp of the unit. Through our ranger and family health and wellness program, we provide the frgs in the regiment with grants to pay for these all-important family morale-boosting activities. Ltwf understands the strain and stress the families of this elite force endure; conservation of the family unit is paramount for the morale and focus of our rangers. When the ultimate sacrifice happens, ltwf will provide funds to get frg "first responders" to the side of the ranger wife and family during the arduous burial process. Army ranger lead the way fund supports moral function grants for all-important pre- and post-deployment morale-boosting activities. During the holiday season,…
$434,587 spentof which $357,934 as grants50% of program spendingGold star program: when a ranger has paid the ultimate sacrifice, whether, in combat or training, army ranger lead the way fund believes there is a moral obligation to support the dependents of these heroes. Through this program we can honor and memorialize deceased rangers and their gold star families. To educate and bring public awareness of the needs of gold star families and the programs available to all army rangers through the lead the way fund organization.
$94,714 spentof which $54,110 as grants11% of program spendingOther program services
$22,477 spent3% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $863,442.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2020 to 2021, from $13M to $15M (+23%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2021 3%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
62% of LEAD THE WAY FUND INC’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (81% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 3 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
James P Regan
Chairman & CEO
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 16 funders to 19 funders, grant income fell $289k → $214k.
15 of 59 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 59% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of LEAD THE WAY FUND INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 59 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
LEAD THE WAY FUND INC has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 19% of grant income, and it takes 4 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 4 funders to its left
85% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund LEAD THE WAY FUND INC.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 49% · 2018 40% · 2019 37% · 2020 32% · 2021 43% · 2022 25% · 2023 31% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
35% of LEAD THE WAY FUND INC's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 54% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
59% of LEAD THE WAY FUND INC's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Of the $900k that is directly attributable, 74% of it comes from funders outside New York, across 13 states.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $1.3M arriving through sponsors registered in 12 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
LEAD THE WAY FUND INC runs a healthier operating margin than half of the 7,349 human services nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 7,349 human services nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2025
Organizations like LEAD THE WAY FUND INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In New York
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
63% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
76%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 3 states
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for LEAD THE WAY FUND INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds LEAD THE WAY FUND INC?
- LEAD THE WAY FUND INC (New York) receives grants from 59 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,170,227 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($416,162). 32 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 59% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does LEAD THE WAY FUND INC have?
- IRS filings report 59 organizations giving $2,170,227 in grants to LEAD THE WAY FUND INC, 32 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of LEAD THE WAY FUND INC?
- FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND is the largest funder on record, with $416,162 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like LEAD THE WAY FUND INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in New York. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 59 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing