The Lester and Phyllis Epstein Foundation concentrates its giving on a single local environmental and historic-preservation organization, providing unrestricted general support. All recorded grants went to Kingston Land Trust, indicating a focused interest in land conservation and historic site stewardship in the Kingston/Hudson Valley area. The foundation appears to prioritize sustained support for place-based preservation work rather than broad, diversified philanthropy.
Highly concentrated: repeat, multi-grant support to one local grantee (Kingston Land Trust), suggesting long-term, relationship-based funding rather than many small or geographically dispersed grants.
The Lester and Phyllis Epstein Foundation Inc has made one local environmental and historic-preservation organization the center of its recent giving: Kingston Land Trust Inc received $40,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for general support. That repeated pattern is the clearest signal in the grant record, showing a funder that backs sustained stewardship work rather than a broad spread of one-off awards. Across the rest of the portfolio, the foundation also supports organizations tied to environmental conservation, historic preservation, public health, performing arts, and fine and decorative arts. Its grants include support for Hudson River Watershed Alliance in Kingston, Friends of Historic Kingston, Scenic Hudson in Poughkeepsie, and Greenwich Village Preservation in New York. The foundation also gave to Asian Counseling and Referral Services in Seattle, Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, Living Traditions in Brooklyn, and the YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County for the Y Farm project. These awards show a mix of place-based preservation, cultural work, and community-oriented program support, with Kingston remaining a recurring anchor in the giving record.
Environmental conservation and historic preservation are the foundation’s clearest themes. In 2025, it gave $10,000 to Hudson River Watershed Alliance in Kingston for general support in environmental conservation, and it paired that with $5,000 to Scenic Hudson in Poughkeepsie for general support in environmental conservation. Historic preservation appears in several awards as well. Friends of Historic Kingston received $5,000 in 2024 for general support, while Greenwich Village Preservation received $5,000 in 2024 and again in 2025 for general support. The foundation also funds community and cultural projects outside preservation. It gave $10,000 to Maya Gold Foundation in New Paltz for general support in community character, $7,500 to Living Traditions in Brooklyn for Monas and Brooklyn Folk Festival projects, and $5,000 to YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County for the Y Farm project in public health.
Typical awards are small: the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile are all clustered at $4,000 to $5,000, which indicates a tight grant-size band. The record also shows some larger repeated general-support grants at $10,000 and $40,000. Recipients appear across multiple years, including Kingston Land Trust Inc, Hudson River Watershed Alliance, and Greenwich Village Preservation, which suggests recurring support rather than isolated gifts. The foundation appears to operate as a grantmaking foundation focused on organizations rather than individuals, and the recorded awards are mostly unrestricted or general support with some project-restricted grants.
$166K
$3.2M
$98K
$167K
Most grants fall between $4K and $5K, with a median of $4K.
25th Percentile
$4K
Median
$4K
75th Percentile
$5K
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Notable grantees: Kingston Land Trust Inc
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly U.S.-based, with 81 recorded grants to U.S. recipients. New York is the top state by grant count, accounting for 47% of grants. Within New York, Kingston appears repeatedly through Kingston Land Trust Inc, Hudson River Watershed Alliance, Friends of Historic Kingston, and YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County. Other New York recipients include Poughkeepsie, Brooklyn, New Paltz, Ossining, and New York City. Outside New York, Seattle appears through Asian Counseling and Referral Services and Wing Luke Museum.
The grant record centers on environmental conservation and historic preservation, especially around Kingston and the Hudson Valley. It also includes community character, public health, performing arts, and fine and decorative arts grants, showing a mix of place-based preservation and broader community and cultural support.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Kingston Land Trust Inc in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Hudson River Watershed Alliance in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and Greenwich Village Preservation in 2024 and 2025. That pattern points to sustained support.
The grant-size distribution is tightly grouped: p25 is $4,000, median is $4,000, and p75 is $5,000. The record also includes larger grants of $10,000 and $40,000, but most awards cluster close to the median.
New York is the top state by grant count, with 47% of grants going to recipients in the state. Cities that appear repeatedly include Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Brooklyn, New York City, New Paltz, and Ossining.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals, and the grant record is directed to organizations such as Kingston Land Trust Inc, Asian Counseling and Referral Services, Living Traditions, and Scenic Hudson.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston Land Trust Inc | Kingston, NY | $40,000 | 2025 | General Support Environmental & Historic Preservation |
| Asian Counseling and Referral Services | Seattle, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | General Support Public Health |
| Wing Luke Museum | Seattle, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | General Support Fine and Decorative Arts |
| Maya Gold Foundation | New Paltz, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | General Support Community Character |
| Hudson River Watershed Alliance | Kingston, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | General Support Environmental Conservation |
| Living Traditions | Brooklyn, NY | $7,500 | 2025 | Restricted to Monas and Brooklyn Folk Festival Projects Performing Arts |
| Greenwich Village Preservation | New York, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | General Support Historic Preservation |
| YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County | Kingston, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | Restricted to the Y Farm Project Public Health |
| Riverkeeper | Ossining, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | General Support Environmental Conservation |
| Land Trust Alliance | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 2025 | General support Environmental conservation |
| Threadhead Cultural Foundation | New Orleans, LA | $5,000 | 2025 | Restricted to Sarah Quintana Project Performing Arts |
| Friends of Historic Kingston | Kingston, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | General Support Historic Preservation |
| Scenic Hudson | Poughkeepsie, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | General Support Environmental Condervatiom |
| Oregon Shakespeare Festival | Ashland, OR | $4,000 | 2025 | General Support Performing Arts |
| Seattle Art Museum | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2025 | General Support Fine and Decorative Arts |
| Seattle Theatre Group | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2025 | General Support Performing Arts |
| Seattle Repertory Theatre | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2025 | General Support Performing Arts |
| Jack Straw Foundation | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2025 | General Support Performimg Arts |
| A Contemporary Theatre | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2025 | General Support Performing Arts |
| Spectrum Dance Theatre | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2025 | General Support Performing Arts |
| Bikeworks Seattle | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2025 | General Support Public Health |
| Rondout Esopus Land Conservancy | Accord, NY | $3,000 | 2025 | Restricted to Speak to the Earth Program Environmental Conservation |
| Amy Yee Tennis Foundation | Seattle, WA | $2,500 | 2025 | General Support Performing Arts |
| Woodstock Land Conservancy | Woodstock, NY | $2,500 | 2025 | General Support Environmental Conservation |
| Intiman Theatre | Seattle, WA | $2,500 | 2025 | General Support Performimg Arts |
| Wallkill Valley Land Trust | New Paltz, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | General Support Environmental Conservation |
| Kingston Land Trust Inc | Kingston, NY | $40,000 | 2024 | General Support Environmental Historic |
| Asian Counseling and Referral Services | Seattle, WA | $10,000 | 2024 | General Support Public Health |
| Maya Gold Foundation | New Paltz, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | General Support Community Character |
| Wing Luke Museum | Seattle, WA | $10,000 | 2024 | Genereal Support Fine and Decorative Arts |
| Hudson River Watershed Alliance | Kingston, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | General Support Environmental Conservation |
| Living Traditions Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $6,000 | 2024 | Performing Arts restricted to Monas Project |
| Reher Center for Immigrant Culture | Kingston, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | General Support Historic Preservation |
| Threadhead Cultural Foundation | New Orleans, LA | $5,000 | 2024 | Performing Arts restricted tp the Sarah Quintana Project |
| Riverkeeper | Ossining, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | General Support Environmental Conservation |
| YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County | Kingston, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | Restricted to Y Farm Project Public Health |
| Land Trust Alliance | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 2024 | General Support Environmental Conservation |
| Scenic Hudson | Poughkeepsie, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | General Support Environmental Conservation |
| Greenwich Village Preservation | New York, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | General Support Historic Preservation |
| Friends of Historic Kingston | Kingston, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | General Support Historic Preservation |
| Seattle Art Museum | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2024 | General Support Fine and Decorative Arts |
| Bike Works Seattle | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2024 | GeneralSupport Public Health |
| Seattle Repertory Theatre | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2024 | General Support Performing Arts |
| Jack Straw Foundatio | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2024 | General Supprt Performing Arts |
| A Contemporary Theatre | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2024 | General Support Performing Arts |
| Seattle Theatre Group | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2024 | Genereal Supprt Performing Arts |
| Oregon Shakespeare Festival | Ashland, OR | $4,000 | 2024 | General Support Performing Arts |
| Spectrum Dance Theatre | Seattle, WA | $4,000 | 2024 | General Support Performing Arts |
| Rondout Esopus Land Conservancy | Accord, NY | $3,000 | 2024 | Restricted to Speak to the Earth Project Environmental Conservation |
| Amy Yee Tennis Foundation | Seattle, WA | $2,500 | 2024 | General Support Public Health |
Maya Gold Foundation
$10,000General Support Community Character
Hudson River Watershed Alliance
$10,000General Support Environmental Conservation
Living Traditions
Restricted to Monas and Brooklyn Folk Festival Projects Performing Arts
Greenwich Village Preservation
$5,000General Support Historic Preservation
Restricted to the Y Farm Project Public Health
Threadhead Cultural Foundation
$5,000Restricted to Sarah Quintana Project Performing Arts
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
$4,000General Support Performing Arts
Jack Straw Foundation
$4,000General Support Performimg Arts
Spectrum Dance Theatre
$4,000General Support Performing Arts
Bikeworks Seattle
$4,000General Support Public Health
Rondout Esopus Land Conservancy
$3,000Restricted to Speak to the Earth Program Environmental Conservation
Amy Yee Tennis Foundation
$2,500General Support Performing Arts
Woodstock Land Conservancy
$2,500General Support Environmental Conservation
Intiman Theatre
$2,500General Support Performimg Arts
Wallkill Valley Land Trust
$1,000General Support Environmental Conservation
Asian Counseling and Referral Services
$10,000General Support Public Health
Maya Gold Foundation
$10,000General Support Community Character
Hudson River Watershed Alliance
$10,000General Support Environmental Conservation
Living Traditions Inc
$6,000Performing Arts restricted to Monas Project
Reher Center for Immigrant Culture
$5,000General Support Historic Preservation
Threadhead Cultural Foundation
$5,000Performing Arts restricted tp the Sarah Quintana Project
Greenwich Village Preservation
$5,000General Support Historic Preservation
Jack Straw Foundatio
$4,000General Supprt Performing Arts
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
$4,000General Support Performing Arts
Spectrum Dance Theatre
$4,000General Support Performing Arts
Rondout Esopus Land Conservancy
$3,000Restricted to Speak to the Earth Project Environmental Conservation
Amy Yee Tennis Foundation
$2,500General Support Public Health