The James Lee Sorenson Family Foundation concentrates large, place-based gifts in Salt Lake City, primarily supporting The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and major capital projects at the University of Utah. Its funding favors institutional, infrastructure-style investments (religious and higher-education capital) rather than many small awards. The foundation appears to prioritize high-impact, local institutions with which it makes repeat, multi-hundred-thousand-dollar commitments.
A repeated pattern defines the James Lee Sorenson Family Foundation: very large, place-based grants to Salt Lake City institutions, especially The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS and the University of Utah. The foundation’s recent giving includes seven-figure support for the church, alongside repeated commitments for the University of Utah’s Epicenter building capital campaign. Those gifts point to a funder that leans toward institutional and infrastructure projects rather than a broad spread of small awards. The foundation also makes selective grants beyond those core relationships. Recent examples include support for Utah Sports Commission Foundation for promotion of amateur sports and the Olympics, New Venture Fund for economic innovation work, and Stand With Ukraine for a housing project. The grant list shows a mix of general support, capital campaign funding, humanitarian assistance, and targeted program support. Typical awards are substantial, with many recent gifts clustering at levels that are meaningful for building projects, operating support, and specialized initiatives. The foundation also makes program-related investments and funds individuals, which places it in a narrower category than many grantmakers focused only on institutional grants.
Housing and shelter appear in several recent grants. The foundation gave $100,000 to Stand With Ukraine for a Ukraine housing project, $1,000 to UNICEF USA for the Israeli assistance fund and services for children, and $500 to The Shelter Box for emergency shelter for disaster recoveries. That mix points to direct support for displaced people and emergency response. Education support shows up through both school and program grants. The foundation awarded $3,000 to Junior Achievement of Utah for financial literacy educational programs and $500 to Educate Girls for equitable access to quality education. In health-related giving, it gave $1,000 to Huntsman Cancer Institute University of Utah for cancer research and $500 to Amanaki Fo'ou for diabetes education and prevention. Animal rescue is also present, with $500 to Best Friends Animal Society for rescue and foster services for animals.
Typical grants fall in the middle six figures, with a p25 of $51,500, a median of $100,000, and a p75 of $175,000. The pattern is not limited to one-off awards: The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS and the University of Utah both appear across multiple years, with repeat support for the Epicenter building capital campaign. The foundation’s structure includes program-related investments, and it also funds individuals. Recent grants show a mix of general support, capital campaign gifts, and targeted program funding rather than a single application style.
$2.6M
$60.6M
$4.2M
$3M
Most grants fall between $52K and $175K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$52K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$175K
Top 3 recipient countries by grant volume for James Lee Sorenson Family Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 346 | $23.7M | 98.9% |
| 2 | India |
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Highly concentrated giving: very few grants, each large in size; repeat, multi-year support to a small set of flagship local institutions (religious organization and state university capital projects).
Notable grantees: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, University of Utah (Epicenter capital campaign)
Grantmaking is concentrated in Utah, where 71% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state and where the foundation gives most often. Salt Lake City dominates the recipient map, with additional awards in Draper, Midvale, and Holladay. Outside Utah, recipients include Washington, DC; New York, NY; Memphis, TN; Pasadena, CA; Chicago, IL; and Albert Lea, MN. The country distribution is overwhelmingly U.S.-based, with one grant in India.
Recent grants show a strong emphasis on institutional and infrastructure support. The largest awards include general support for The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS and repeated capital campaign gifts for the University of Utah’s Epicenter building. It also funds targeted areas such as humanitarian relief, education, sports promotion, and health-related work.
The grant-size distribution centers on larger awards: p25 is $51,500, median grant size is $100,000, and p75 is $175,000. Recent giving also includes multi-hundred-thousand-dollar commitments, especially for church support and university capital work.
Yes. Utah is the top state by grant count, and 71% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Salt Lake City is the main recipient city, with additional Utah grants in Draper, Midvale, and Holladay.
Recent grants include housing and shelter, refugee assistance, education equity, medical research and prevention, amateur athletics, animal rescue, and fundraising or capital campaign support. Examples include support for a Ukraine housing project, financial literacy education, cancer research, and an event sponsorship for a sports award program.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 3 |
| $740K |
0.9% |
| 3 | Mauritius | 1 | $125K | 0.3% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS | Salt Lake City, UT | $1,592,540 | 2025 | General support |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $250,000 | 2025 | Epicenter buildling capital campaign |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $250,000 | 2025 | Epicenter buildling capital campaign |
| Utah Sports Commission Foundation | Salt Lake City, UT | $200,000 | 2025 | Promotion of amateur sports/Olympics |
| The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS | Salt Lake City, UT | $150,000 | 2025 | General support |
| New Venture Fund | Washington, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | Economic innovation research |
| Religious Family History Corp | Draper, UT | $15,000 | 2025 | Genealogy research |
| Choice Humanitarian | Draper, UT | $5,000 | 2025 | Charitable event fundraising |
| Junior Achievement of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $3,000 | 2025 | Financial literacy educational programs |
| Choice Humanitarian | Draper, UT | $2,500 | 2025 | Fundraising Event Sponsorship |
| International Rescue Committee | Albert Lea, MN | $1,000 | 2025 | Services for refugees |
| UNICEF USA | New York, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | Israeli assistance fund, services for children |
| Huntsman Cancer Institute University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $1,000 | 2025 | Cancer research |
| Utah Food Bank | South Salt Lake, UT | $500 | 2025 | General support |
| Amanaki Fo'ou | Holladay, UT | $500 | 2025 | Diabetes education and prevention |
| Primary Children's Hospital | Salt Lake City, UT | $500 | 2025 | Medical care |
| Hillcrest High School | Midvale, UT | $500 | 2025 | Student athletic events |
| 826 Valencia | San Francisco, CA | $500 | 2025 | Education assistance for underserved populations |
| Russian Childrens Welfare Society | New York, NY | $500 | 2025 | Educational and other services for at-risk children |
| Margie's Haven House | Heber Springs, AR | $500 | 2025 | Shelter and essential services for domestic abuse victims |
| Habitat for Humanity | Salt Lake City, UT | $500 | 2025 | General support for housing needs |
| Educate Girls | Forest Hills, NY | $500 | 2025 | Equitable access to quality education |
| Water Org Inc | Chicago, IL | $500 | 2025 | Providing clean water and sanitation to needy communities |
| Friends of the Coalition | Provo, UT | $500 | 2025 | Alleviation of hunger and poverty for unhoused populations |
| Best Friends Animal Society | Salt Lake City, UT | $500 | 2025 | Rescue and foster services for animals |
| The Christmas Box International | Salt Lake City, UT | $500 | 2025 | Services for abused and neglected children |
| St Jude Research Hospital | Memphis, TN | $500 | 2025 | Medical research |
| The Skatepark Project | Vista, CA | $500 | 2025 | Helping underserved communities create safe and inclusive public spaces |
| Amnesty International | New York, NY | $500 | 2025 | Support for human rights issues |
| The Shelter Box | Pasadena, CA | $500 | 2025 | Emergency shelter for disaster recoveries |
| Danielle Byron Henry Migraine Foundation | Salt Lake City, UT | $500 | 2025 | Research and support for migraine prgrams |
| The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS | Salt Lake City, UT | $1,150,000 | 2024 | General support |
| Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund | Cincinnati, OH | $150,000 | 2024 | General charitable giving |
| New Venture Fund | Washington, DC | $100,000 | 2024 | Economic innovation |
| Saffron Kitchen | Riverton, UT | $25,000 | 2024 | Providing refugees with culinary job skills training |
| Salt Contemporary Dance | St George, UT | $25,000 | 2024 | Support for art programming |
| Women's Retreat House | Pleasant View, UT | $10,000 | 2024 | Housing assistance for recovering alcoholics |
| Junior Achievement of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $3,500 | 2024 | Financial literacy educational programs |
| LDS Philanthropies | Provo, UT | $1,000 | 2024 | Missonary fund |
| St Jude Research Hospital | Memphis, TN | $1,000 | 2024 | Medical research |
| Best Friends Animal Society | Salt Lake City, UT | $1,000 | 2024 | General support |
| The Pad Project | Los Angeles, CA | $500 | 2024 | Increasing access to women's hygene products |
| Ocean Cleanup North Pacific Foundation | Pasadena, CA | $500 | 2024 | Ocean Cleanup |
| The Christmas Box International | Salt Lake City, UT | $500 | 2024 | Services for abused and neglected children |
| Feeding America | Washington, DC | $500 | 2024 | Food security and nutrition programs |
| Share Our Strength | Baltimore, MD | $500 | 2024 | Ending hunger and poverty |
| 4-CT | Westport, CT | $500 | 2024 | Basic needs cash assistance program |
| Cabins for Cancer | St Charles, ID | $500 | 2024 | Housing and emotional support for cancer patients |
| Primary Children's Hospital | Salt Lake City, UT | $500 | 2024 | Medical care |
| Make-A-Wish America | Murray, UT | $500 | 2024 | Make-a-wish program |
The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS
$1,592,540General support
University of Utah
$250,000Epicenter buildling capital campaign
University of Utah
$250,000Epicenter buildling capital campaign
The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS
$150,000General support
Economic innovation research
Religious Family History Corp
$15,000Genealogy research
Choice Humanitarian
$5,000Charitable event fundraising
Junior Achievement of Utah
$3,000Financial literacy educational programs
International Rescue Committee
$1,000Services for refugees
UNICEF USA
$1,000Israeli assistance fund, services for children
Huntsman Cancer Institute University of Utah
$1,000Cancer research
Amanaki Fo'ou
$500Diabetes education and prevention
Primary Children's Hospital
$500Medical care
Hillcrest High School
$500Student athletic events
Russian Childrens Welfare Society
$500Educational and other services for at-risk children
Margie's Haven House
$500Shelter and essential services for domestic abuse victims
Habitat for Humanity
$500General support for housing needs
Water Org Inc
$500Providing clean water and sanitation to needy communities
St Jude Research Hospital
$500Medical research
Helping underserved communities create safe and inclusive public spaces
The Shelter Box
$500Emergency shelter for disaster recoveries
Danielle Byron Henry Migraine Foundation
$500Research and support for migraine prgrams
The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS
$1,150,000General support
Saffron Kitchen
$25,000Providing refugees with culinary job skills training
Salt Contemporary Dance
$25,000Support for art programming
Women's Retreat House
$10,000Housing assistance for recovering alcoholics
LDS Philanthropies
$1,000Missonary fund
St Jude Research Hospital
$1,000Medical research
Cabins for Cancer
$500Housing and emotional support for cancer patients
Primary Children's Hospital
$500Medical care
Make-A-Wish America
$500Make-a-wish program