Foundations that fund organizations in Amherst, Massachusetts
Worked out from where the grants went, not where the foundations sit.
Funding landscape for Amherst nonprofits
566 private foundations gave $36M to Amherst organizations in their latest filings; 26 of the 100 that say either way accept applications.
712 grants in total, with a typical foundation's median grant to Amherst around $99K. 14 of these funders are based in Massachusetts; the rest give here from elsewhere.
- Foundations giving here
- 566
- Accept applications
- 26
- of 100 that state a policy
- Dollars to Amherst
- $36M
- latest filings
- Grants
- 712
- Typical median grant
- $99K
- Based in MA
- 14%
- of funders listed
Funders, by dollars given to Amherst organizations
| Foundation | Based in | Grants here | Dollars here | Median | Accepts applications | Typical purposes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation | Naples, FL | 1 | $3.5M | $3.5M | Preselected only | General operations |
| The Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation Inc | Brooklyn, NY | 1 | $3.2M | $3.2M | Preselected only | General funding |
| Vital Projects Fund Inc C/O McDermott Will & Schulte Llp | New York, NY | 1 | $2.8M | $2.8M | Preselected only | General support |
| Foundation to Promote Open Society | New York, NY | 3 | $1.7M | $300K | Preselected only | To support reframe, a project of the grantee, to train and…; To support the rights, faith, and democracy collaborative i…; To support puentes, a fiscally-sponsored project, to foster… |
| Alfred P Sloan Foundation | New York, NY | 2 | $1.6M | $791K | Yes | To improve the availability, accessibility, and accuracy of…; To diversify pathways from undergraduate to graduate educat… |
| The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York, NY | 2 | $1.5M | $725K | Yes | To support the study of less commonly taught languages: $1,…; To support the slavery north initiative |
| Freedom Together Foundation | New York, NY | 4 | $1.4M | $375K | Preselected only | Protecting our democracy in the united states and supportin…; Rise together fund (rtf) 2024 civic engagement and crisis r…; Solidarity collaborative |
| The Kaplen Brothers Fund Inc | Montclair, NJ | 2 | $1.0M | $509K | Preselected only | For general operating support; For a gala table to be used by the book center staff |
| Manning Family Foundation | Charlottesville, VA | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Yes | General |
| Amherst College Foundation Trust Xxxxx9007 | Chicago, IL | 1 | $944K | $944K | Preselected only | General |
| Screaming Comet Foundation C/O William E Ford | Miami Beach, FL | 1 | $786K | $786K | Preselected only | General support |
| The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation | Menlo Park, CA | 3 | $580K | $180K | Yes | For the transparency and accountability initiative; For support of the transparency and accountability initiati…; For the rights, faith & democracy collaborative initiative |
| Arc of Justice | Miami, FL | 2 | $550K | $275K | Preselected only | General support |
| The Klungness Family Foundation Inc | Wilmington, DE | 2 | $531K | $266K | Preselected only | General & Unrestricted |
| Flock Inc | Boston, MA | 2 | $530K | $265K | Preselected only | General operations; Program/project support |
| John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | In support of the initiative for digital public infrastruct… |
| Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust | New York, NY | 1 | $500K | $500K | Yes | Piper fund |
| Ventus Charitable Foundation | Palm Beach Gardens, FL | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Tikkun Olam Foundation Inc C/O Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors | New York, NY | 2 | $440K | $220K | Preselected only | To support rights, faith, & democracy collaborative; To support third wave fund |
| The Irving Harris Foundation | Chicago, IL | 5 | $410K | $40K | Preselected only | General operating support; Membership for 2024; Raising child care fund |
| O'Neill Family Charitable Trust | New York, NY | 1 | $350K | $350K | Preselected only | General support |
| Wallace Global Fund II | Washington, DC | 2 | $300K | $150K | Preselected only | Support for advancing and protecting human rights; Support for work to protect and defend democratic systems |
| Chia Family Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 1 | $300K | $300K | Preselected only | For further grant purpose |
| Open Society Institute | New York, NY | 1 | $280K | $280K | Yes | To support research on progressive reforms of the internati… |
| The Reis Foundation Inc | Ellicott City, MD | 1 | $280K | $280K | Preselected only | Project Support |
| The Leona and Ralph W Kern Foundation | New York, NY | 2 | $260K | $130K | Preselected only | General purpose; Generl purpose |
| Pjc Foundation C/O Sterling Foundation Management LLC | Reston, VA | 1 | $260K | $260K | Preselected only | Scholarships and clubs |
| The Sprocket Foundation | New Hope, PA | 1 | $235K | $235K | Preselected only | Unrestricted charitable grant |
| Krupp Family Foundation | Boston, MA | 1 | $223K | $223K | Preselected only | To assist the recipient in carrying out its charitable purp… |
| The Ted and Laurie Beneski Foundation | Colleyville, TX | 1 | $200K | $200K | Preselected only | For the earth sciences building, natural history museum, an… |
| Trott Family Philanthropies Inc | Chicago, IL | 1 | $200K | $200K | Preselected only | Stars College Network Program |
| Richard & Karen Lefrak Charitable Foundation Inc | Wilmington, DE | 1 | $200K | $200K | Preselected only | Religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational |
| C J Heilig Foundation Inc C/O Dr William Lecates | Cooperstown, NY | 1 | $200K | $200K | Preselected only | General purposes |
| Georgia Health Initiative Inc | Atlanta, GA | 1 | $196K | $196K | Yes | To develop an economic model on the impact of medicaid expa… |
| Lotta Agricultural Fund #0711001 Nutter McClennen & Fish Llp | Boston, MA | 1 | $175K | $175K | Yes | General |
| Caroline & Sigmund Schott Fund | Cambridge, MA | 1 | $170K | $170K | Preselected only | Full-service public foundation committed to a more just, eq… |
| Surdna Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 2 | $160K | $80K | Yes | General support |
| General Service Foundation | San Ramon, CA | 2 | $160K | $80K | Preselected only | General support; 2025 narrative power summit |
| The Nathan Cummings Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 1 | $150K | $150K | Yes | Reframe |
| Robert L Epstein Family Foundation | Boston, MA | 3 | $150K | $50K | Preselected only | To support undergraduate students in good academic standing…; To empower students through the vitality of jewish life to…; To support the chancellor's inauguration |
| Novo Foundation | Hurley, NY | 1 | $150K | $150K | Preselected only | General support |
| Dorot Foundation | Providence, RI | 1 | $150K | $150K | Preselected only | For rights, faith and democracy, and piper fund |
| The Brodsky Family Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $150K | $150K | Preselected only | To further donee's exempt purpose |
| Grousbeck Family Foundation II Dated May 18 2011 | Redwood City, CA | 1 | $150K | $150K | Yes | General |
| The Seaver Foundation | Palm Beach, FL | 2 | $140K | $70K | Preselected only | General purposes; Operations - education |
| The Spencer Foundation | Chicago, IL | 2 | $125K | $63K | Yes | Production and use of educational data; Parent-child co-construction of time units |
| The Lorber Foundation | Amherst, MA | 10 | $124K | $10K | Preselected only | General fund to support mission; General fund to support mission Great Jewish Book summer pr… |
| The Chuck and Monica McQuaid Family Foundation | Downers Grove, IL | 1 | $110K | $110K | Preselected only | Endowed and current scholarships |
| Ralph & Helen Kelley Fdn | Dallas, TX | 1 | $102K | $102K | Yes | Scholarships |
| Hunter-Jenkins Foundation | Charlotte, NC | 1 | $100K | $100K | Preselected only | Education |
| The David and Lucile Packard Foundation | Los Altos, CA | 1 | $100K | $100K | Yes | Environment and Science |
| Compton Foundation Inc | San Francisco, CA | 1 | $100K | $100K | Preselected only | money in politics |
| Fanz Foundation | Lilburn, GA | 1 | $100K | $100K | Preselected only | Scholarships - grad & undergrad |
| Etta Creative Foundation | Sunderland, MA | 1 | $100K | $100K | Preselected only | These funds are restricted and must be expended for charita… |
| McGrath Family Foundation Inc | Longboat Key, FL | 1 | $100K | $100K | Preselected only | General use |
| The Ginkgo Fund | New York, NY | 1 | $100K | $100K | Preselected only | To be used within exempt function |
| The Heising-Simons Foundation | Los Altos, CA | 1 | $99K | $99K | Preselected only | For the cold molecule nuclear time-reversal experiment (cen… |
| David & Barbara B Hirschhorn Foundation Inc | Baltimore, MD | 2 | $92K | $46K | Yes | general support; support for the 'Tsukunft-The Future' endowment campaign |
| Aceso Foundation Inc | Bloomington, IN | 1 | $85K | $85K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund Trust | Boston, MA | 1 | $80K | $80K | Yes | Capital |
| The Driker Family Foundation | Detroit, MI | 1 | $78K | $78K | Preselected only | general operations |
| Park Foundation Inc | Ithaca, NY | 1 | $75K | $75K | Yes | General operating support |
| Tortuga Charitable Foundation | Princeton, NJ | 1 | $75K | $75K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Willow Redistribution Foundation | Covina, CA | 1 | $75K | $75K | Preselected only | Financial futures fund |
| Colombe Peace Foundation | Boston, MA | 1 | $75K | $75K | Preselected only | General purposes |
| Russell Sage Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $75K | $75K | Yes | Understanding the voices of an increasingly diverse elector… |
| Rapaport Family Charitable Trust C/O Barrison | Massapequa Park, NY | 1 | $70K | $70K | Preselected only | General fund |
| Living Springs Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | 3 | $70K | $25K | Yes | General support; Operating expenses |
| Felicia M Delorenzo Scholarship Foundation Inc #0741869 | Boston, MA | 2 | $67K | $34K | Preselected only | Scholarships |
| Amherst College Harry Elwin Harkness Class of | Pittsburgh, PA | 1 | $65K | $65K | Preselected only | General support |
| The George Gund Foundation | Cleveland, OH | 1 | $60K | $60K | Yes | People's justice project operating support. |
| Fthree Foundation | Carrollton, GA | 1 | $60K | $60K | Yes | General support for piper fund |
| John P Urban Scholarship Fund | Hingham, MA | 1 | $60K | $60K | Yes | Scholarship |
| The Orchard Foundation C/O Heidi Lehner Corient Private Wealth | Boston, MA | 2 | $59K | $29K | Preselected only | To fund charitable mission of charitable organization - ann…; To fund charitable mission of charitable organization. |
| Claneil Foundation Inc | Plymouth Meeting, PA | 2 | $56K | $28K | Yes | General operating |
| Xeric Foundation | Northampton, MA | 3 | $55K | $15K | Preselected only | General contribution |
| The Cowls Jones Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 3 | $53K | $25K | Preselected only | For their Building Fund; Ruth Owen Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund; Paul C. Jones Community Design Build Award |
| The Sudbury Foundation | Sudbury, MA | 3 | $52K | $5,000 | Yes | Scholarship |
| Charitable & Educational Trust Ua 7th of W/O Georges Lurcy Deceased | New York, NY | 2 | $51K | $26K | Preselected only | Charitable grant |
| Lapidus Family Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | General support |
| The Applebaum Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Special purpose |
| Natembea Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | General & Unrestricted |
| Cloud Mountain Foundation C/O Wffa Pllc | New York, NY | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Civic |
| Leo Model Foundation Inc | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Higher education--general support |
| Raikes Foundation | Seattle, WA | 2 | $50K | $25K | Preselected only | Impact driven philanthropy collaborative fund; Piper fund donor collaborative |
| Neal & Brooke Brown Foundation Inc | Morgantown, WV | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | School football program |
| John E Fetzer Institute Inc | Kalamazoo, MI | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | General operating support |
| Cs Fund | Petaluma, CA | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Financial futures fund |
| Michael & Jill Stansky Family Foundation | Cohoes, NY | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | General charitable purposes |
| Delman Mortenson Charitable Foundation | Alexandria, VA | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Charitable contribution |
| The Kim and David Wagman Foundation | Purchase, NY | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | General support |
| Chau Family Charitable Foundation | LA Habra Heights, CA | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Contribution to the university research, discovery, public… |
| Lester E Foster & Phyllis M Foster Foundation | Hampton, CT | 1 | $50K | $50K | Yes | General financial assistance |
| Wings for Things Foundation Inc | Sandy Hook, CT | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | To assist in inspiring a love of art and reading through pi… |
| The Deck Foundation | Bethesda, MD | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Erving & Joyce Wolf Foundation | Houston, TX | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Hampshire fund |
| The Ogunlesi Family Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | General support |
| Benjamin & Margaret Hall Foundation | Seattle, WA | 1 | $40K | $40K | Preselected only | Charitable grant |
| The Roddenberry Foundation | Sherman Oaks, CA | 1 | $40K | $40K | Yes | General support |
| The Wild Gifting Project | Middletown, CT | 1 | $40K | $40K | Preselected only | Supporting neighbor to neighbor connections, providing acce… |
Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV, latest electronic return per foundation (2026-10-28). "Accepts applications" reflects the foundation's own checkbox on Part XV line 2. Grants to individuals excluded.
Common questions
Which foundations give to nonprofits in Amherst, Massachusetts?
The Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation, The Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation Inc, Vital Projects Fund Inc C/O McDermott Will & Schulte Llp, Foundation to Promote Open Society, Alfred P Sloan Foundation and 95 others reported grants to Amherst organizations on their latest Form 990-PF.
How do I approach a foundation that doesn't accept applications?
A foundation that checks "contributes only to preselected organizations" on its 990-PF won't review a cold proposal. Look at who it funds, find a shared board member, grantee or advisor, and ask for an introduction. Foundations that accept applications usually list a contact and deadlines in Part XV; we show that text on each foundation's page.
Is this list complete?
No. It covers private foundations (Form 990-PF filers) whose latest electronic return lists at least one grant to an organization in Amherst. Community foundations and corporate giving programs file different forms and are not included yet.