The Lake Wentworth Foundation, incorporated in 1996, is made up of friends and neighbors of Lake Wentworth and Crescent Lake in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, as well as others who want to encourage the protection and preservation of these lakes and the Smith River that connects them. The LWF was founded to provide a means by which friends of the lakes could help protect this unique watershed and receive a tax benefit for doing so. The Internal Revenue Service has granted the LWF tax exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, making contributions deductible on the donor’s federal tax return.

The Lake Wentworth Foundation and the Lake Wentworth Association

While the LWA and LWF are separate organizations, both groups seek to foster the preservation and protection of the lakes and watershed. Each organization has a distinct and important mission.

The Foundation uses its tax-deductible donations to pick up the cost of numerous environmental activities, such as funding the University of New Hampshire's Lakes Lay Monitoring Program and engaging in milfoil control. The Board of Trustees of the LWF also has also committed itself to acquiring and preserving environmentally sensitive parcels of land around the lakes. Presently the Foundation owns and manages 10 parcels of land totaling over 175 acres.

At the same time, its tax-exempt status prevents the Foundation from undertaking the kind of advocacy that the LWA has traditionally taken on — and which is still very much needed. This includes helping ensure stable lake levels, guarding against unwise development efforts, and supporting enforcement of existing zoning and the Shoreline Protection Act.

Briefly, each organization supports distinct and important features of life around the lakes, and the lakeshore community is urged to support both.