Grant and Funding Programs Offered by John Lester Foundation

The John Lester Foundation is a non-profit charitable foundation created in memory of John C. Lester Jr. Its mission is to safeguard the dignity and well-being of children living with facial deformities by promoting excellence in reconstructive care. Rather than operating as a medical provider itself, the foundation channels donated funds into partner hospitals, research initiatives and direct support so that children can access life-changing reconstructive surgery regardless of their family’s financial situation.

A core partnership highlighted on the site is with Children’s Hospital Colorado, where the foundation has invested to strengthen the reconstructive surgery program. This support enables the hospital team to treat more children in need, expand specialized services, and address complex cases involving birth defects, trauma or cancer-related deformities.

The foundation focuses on two highly specialized areas of medicine that receive limited philanthropic attention: complex microvascular operations and ear reconstruction, including treatment of microtia. These interventions often require long, technically demanding surgeries by surgeons with rare expertise. Foundation resources help ensure that such care is available to affected children and delivered at a high standard.

Within these realms of care, funding is directed toward several objectives: providing financial assistance to local families so their children can receive appropriate surgery and follow-up; supporting key clinical research to improve reconstructive techniques and outcomes; and increasing awareness of available treatment options among both patients and health professionals.

Locally, the John Lester Foundation strengthens capacity at Children’s Hospital Colorado and offers financial support so that cost is not a barrier to reconstructive care. Internationally, it backs outreach efforts in countries such as Guatemala, where reconstructive services for children are scarce. The foundation helps expand the number of surgical missions providing microtia repair, raises awareness of treatment options, and supports skills transfer by involving local physicians in high-volume outreach trips.

Beneficiaries of the foundation’s funding include children with facial deformities and their families, hospital-based reconstructive surgery programs, and clinical teams developing new approaches to microvascular reconstruction and ear reconstruction. By combining program investment, research support and direct financial assistance, the John Lester Foundation acts as a focused philanthropic funder within the broader ecosystem of pediatric reconstructive care.