Foundations that fund organizations in Dorchester, Massachusetts
Worked out from where the grants went, not where the foundations sit.
Funding landscape for Dorchester nonprofits
371 private foundations gave $32M to Dorchester organizations in their latest filings; 33 of the 100 that say either way accept applications.
761 grants in total, with a typical foundation's median grant to Dorchester around $51K. 64 of these funders are based in Massachusetts; the rest give here from elsewhere.
- Foundations giving here
- 371
- Accept applications
- 33
- of 100 that state a policy
- Dollars to Dorchester
- $32M
- latest filings
- Grants
- 761
- Typical median grant
- $51K
- Based in MA
- 64%
- of funders listed
Funders, by dollars given to Dorchester organizations
| Foundation | Based in | Grants here | Dollars here | Median | Accepts applications | Typical purposes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lilly Endowment Inc | Indianapolis, IN | 3 | $5.1M | $50K | Yes | Christian faith&life storytellg init; Employee matching gift(s) |
| Liberty Mutual Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | 35 | $2.9M | $50K | Yes | Operating support; Creative youth development program; Social-emotional learning and support during the school yea… |
| Champions of Love Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | 13 | $2.4M | $20K | Preselected only | General; General - head of the school fund; General - principal fund |
| Barr Foundation | Boston, MA | 15 | $2.0M | $100K | Preselected only | For core support for aarw's boston asian american film fest…; To provide support for its asian pacific islander's civic a…; For unrestricted support to recognize the participation of… |
| Fidelity Foundation | Boston, MA | 23 | $1.3M | $2,000 | Yes | Fidelity matching gifts to education; Campaign / fundraising plan; Renovation |
| The Klarman Family Foundation | Boston, MA | 6 | $1.2M | $163K | Yes | Capital project support; Support for music education programming; Unrestricted operating support |
| Cummings Foundation Grants Inc (fka Oneworld Boston Inc) | Woburn, MA | 18 | $1.1M | $47K | Yes | Human Services; Education; Healthcare |
| The Robert and Cynthia Marr Charitable Foundation | Boston, MA | 2 | $813K | $407K | Yes | Charitable |
| The Lynch Foundation | Boston, MA | 4 | $423K | $75K | Yes | Capital campaign; Early childhood program; General operating support |
| Linde Family Foundation C/O Eric Riak - Cibc Private Wealth Mgmt | Boston, MA | 4 | $410K | $103K | Yes | Operating support; General operations/rebuilding boston city singers' membersh…; General operations/increasing opportunities for music educa… |
| The Hyams Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | 9 | $403K | $40K | Yes | General support; Support for the BMIP Design Team; Dorchester Not for Sale Project |
| Amelia Peabody Foundation C/O Joseph Kelly | Topsfield, MA | 3 | $350K | $125K | Yes | General; Classroom Renovation & Expansion Project; MUA's Adult Basic Education, English for Speakers of Other… |
| Cedar Tree Foundation | Boston, MA | 3 | $330K | $100K | Preselected only | General support; Project support for environmental science teachers |
| The Flatley Foundation | Braintree, MA | 3 | $325K | $100K | Preselected only | Unrestricted; Scholarship support |
| Atrius Health Equity Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | 2 | $272K | $136K | Preselected only | To support youth as health care change agents program.; To support family nurse practitioner residency programs at… |
| Annie E Casey Foundation Inc | Baltimore, MD | 1 | $270K | $270K | Preselected only | Support Project Management for the Thriving Families, Safer… |
| Yawkey Foundation II | Westwood, MA | 6 | $260K | $25K | Yes | Baseball & softball programs for recreation & skills develo…; Wraparound basic needs (food, housing) for underserved indi…; Education & enrichment opportunities for underserved youth |
| Pdb Foundation | Cambridge, MA | 1 | $250K | $250K | Preselected only | Family assistance programs |
| The Ajana Foundation | Boston, MA | 2 | $250K | $125K | Preselected only | In support of organizational planning and capacity building; In support of healthy affordable grocery stores |
| C D Spangler Foundation Inc | Charlotte, NC | 1 | $250K | $250K | Preselected only | To assist in educational opportunities |
| Eastern Bank Foundation | Wakefield, MA | 32 | $244K | $4,355 | Yes | Exempt purpose |
| The Don Rodman Family Foundation | Foxboro, MA | 2 | $240K | $120K | Preselected only | Programs for at-risk children; Programs for at |
| The Jaket Foundation | Boston, MA | 1 | $235K | $235K | Preselected only | Annual commitment and 2024 class sponsorship |
| Dorchester Foundation Inc | Newton Upper Falls, MA | 2 | $218K | $109K | Preselected only | Stain glass window rehabilitation; General assistance |
| Gates Foundation | Seattle, WA | 1 | $210K | $210K | Yes | Empower women and girls; global health and development publ… |
| The Cabot Family Charitable Trust | Boston, MA | 6 | $203K | $33K | Preselected only | Exempt purpose |
| Quincy and Estine Lee Char Fnd Fb992 | San Antonio, TX | 4 | $200K | $50K | Yes | Unrestricted grant; Unrestricted great |
| Theodore and Doris Lee Family Foundation | Las Vegas, NV | 1 | $200K | $200K | Preselected only | General support |
| Jpmorgan Chase Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $200K | $200K | Preselected only | In support of creating economic mobility and career pathways |
| Hunt Alternatives | Washington, DC | 1 | $200K | $200K | Preselected only | General Support |
| Josephine and Louise Crane Foundation C/O Cameron K Mackey | Falmouth, MA | 4 | $175K | $50K | Preselected only | Unrestricted |
| Herman and Frieda L Miller Foundation C/O Gma Foundations | Boston, MA | 3 | $175K | $60K | Preselected only | Aarw general operating support; General operating support; Homebuyers union |
| Marr Charitable Foundation | South Boston, MA | 3 | $174K | $1,000 | Yes | Religious, scientific, or educational, etc. |
| The Stephen and Sandy Rosenthal Family Foundation | New Orleans, LA | 1 | $160K | $160K | Preselected only | For general operating support |
| Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies Inc | Willington, CT | 1 | $158K | $158K | Preselected only | General support |
| The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation Inc | Foxboro, MA | 10 | $156K | $3,750 | Yes | Human services; Youth Services; Education |
| William E Schrafft and Bertha E Schrafft Charitable Trust | Boston, MA | 8 | $151K | $23K | Yes | Operating; After School Out of School Sports; Closing the Achievement Gap |
| The Kresge Foundation | Troy, MI | 1 | $150K | $150K | Yes | Project support grant for the fairmont indigo cdc collabora… |
| The Eileen Patricia Sullivan Roche Foundation | Boston, MA | 1 | $150K | $150K | Preselected only | General use |
| The Vine's Branch Foundation C/O Nathan S Abramson | Cambridge, MA | 1 | $150K | $150K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Wagner Foundation | Cambridge, MA | 3 | $135K | $25K | Preselected only | General operating support |
| Highland Street Connection and Subsidiaries | Newton, MA | 9 | $134K | $10K | Preselected only | For community.; For youth programming.; For the environment. |
| Janey Fund Charitable Trust | Boston, MA | 3 | $130K | $20K | Preselected only | Unrestricted |
| The Once Here Foundation | Cambridge, MA | 1 | $125K | $125K | Preselected only | General Support |
| William Randolph Hearst Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $125K | $125K | Yes | To support general operations |
| Webster Bank Charitable Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 3 | $120K | $10K | Yes | Webster/Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester Finance Lab; the Dorchester Bay Neighborhood Loan Fund Micro-enterprise…; Homeownership University |
| George H & Jane a Mifflin Memorial Fund | Boston, MA | 5 | $110K | $15K | Yes | Investing in literacy through high quality materials; El sistema; The language access fellowship |
| The Schooner Foundation C/O Schooner Capital LLC | Boston, MA | 2 | $102K | $51K | Preselected only | Superemos Foundation; General Support |
| Kingsbury Road Charitable Foundation | Mansfield, MA | 2 | $101K | $51K | Preselected only | General charitable purposes |
| Cambridge Savings Charitable Foundation Inc | Cambridge, MA | 7 | $101K | $15K | Preselected only | Exempt purpose |
| Richard & Susan Smith Family Foundation | Newton, MA | 2 | $100K | $50K | Yes | Education; Youth development |
| Rosalyn and Richard Slifka Charitable Trust | Waltham, MA | 2 | $100K | $50K | Preselected only | To provide exemplary care to our communities at every oppor…; To make a compelling difference in the lives of adults with… |
| The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation | Boston, MA | 1 | $100K | $100K | Preselected only | Education |
| Shippy Foundation C/O the Clark Estates Inc | New York, NY | 2 | $100K | $50K | Preselected only | General support |
| Anne T and Robert M Bass Foundation | Fort Worth, TX | 1 | $100K | $100K | Preselected only | General |
| Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation | Princeton, NJ | 1 | $100K | $100K | Preselected only | To help further charitable purposes of organization. |
| The Royer Family Charitable Foundation | Lancaster, PA | 1 | $100K | $100K | Preselected only | Support for immigrant train. & educ. |
| Capital One Foundation Inc | McLean, VA | 1 | $100K | $100K | Preselected only | Small business |
| Krupp Family Foundation | Boston, MA | 5 | $91K | $25K | Preselected only | To assist the recipient in carrying out its charitable purp… |
| Jampart Charitable Trust | Boston, MA | 2 | $90K | $45K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Theresa & Edward O'Toole Foundation | Pittsburgh, PA | 1 | $90K | $90K | Preselected only | General operating |
| The California Endowment | Los Angeles, CA | 1 | $90K | $90K | Preselected only | Advancing health and racial equity in california through le… |
| Td Charitable Foundation | Portland, ME | 6 | $90K | $13K | Yes | Creating pathways for diverse and equitable food entreprene…; Community financial education initiative; Therapy & wellness for minority fathers & families |
| Bushrod H Campbell & Adah F Hall Charity Fund | Boston, MA | 11 | $89K | $8,000 | Preselected only | General operating support; Education program; Food pantry |
| Boger Family Foundation Inc C/O Nutter McClennen & Fish Llp | Boston, MA | 3 | $85K | $25K | Preselected only | Exempt purposes |
| Boston Baptist Social Union | Medford, MA | 3 | $83K | $35K | Yes | General support |
| One8 Foundation | Boston, MA | 2 | $75K | $38K | Preselected only | Education; Community |
| Hasbro Foundation Inc | Pawtucket, RI | 1 | $75K | $75K | Yes | Program support |
| Je & Zb Butler Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 1 | $75K | $75K | Preselected only | Project b.i.n.d. |
| The 1434 Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | 1 | $75K | $75K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| The Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation | Allston, MA | 8 | $75K | $7,500 | Preselected only | General |
| Wellsprings Family Foundation | Santa Fe, NM | 1 | $75K | $75K | Preselected only | Support for epiphany school |
| The Josetta Fund | Boston, MA | 1 | $75K | $75K | Preselected only | Assist with nurturing communities |
| Wk Kellogg Foundation | Battle Creek, MI | 1 | $75K | $75K | Yes | Early Care and Education |
| W Clement & Jessie V Stone Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $70K | $70K | Yes | General Operating Support |
| Imago Dei Fund C/O Berkshire Partners | Boston, MA | 2 | $70K | $35K | Preselected only | General use |
| The Durant Family Foundation #0745364 C/O Nutter McClennen & Fish Llp | Boston, MA | 1 | $70K | $70K | Preselected only | General fund |
| The Gordon and Marjorie Osborne Foundation #0756244 | Boston, MA | 3 | $65K | $20K | Preselected only | General; Academic signing |
| Richard K Lubin Family Foundation C/O Castle Rock Advisors | Boston, MA | 2 | $65K | $33K | Preselected only | To provide support for the needs of the organization. |
| New Balance Foundation | Boston, MA | 1 | $65K | $65K | Preselected only | General support |
| Riley Mabel Louise Tr Uwill | Pittsburgh, PA | 3 | $60K | $5,000 | Yes | General operating |
| James C Melvin Trust UW Brenda S Diana Et Al Trustees | Boston, MA | 1 | $60K | $60K | Preselected only | Scholarship/aid |
| McClelland Educational Private Foundatio | Southborough, MA | 13 | $60K | $5,000 | Yes | To provide access to higher education |
| The Devonshire Foundation | Boston, MA | 4 | $57K | $13K | Preselected only | Matching grant; General operating grant |
| Tikkun Olam Foundation Inc C/O Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors | New York, NY | 1 | $55K | $55K | Preselected only | To support general operations |
| George B Henderson Foundation Jh5090 | Boston, MA | 2 | $55K | $28K | Yes | General support; Charitable |
| Wells Fargo Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | 1 | $55K | $55K | Preselected only | STASH: First-Gen Home |
| Massachusetts Charitable Fire Society | Boston, MA | 3 | $55K | $21K | Yes | General purpose |
| Snave Foundation | Winchester, MA | 1 | $52K | $52K | Preselected only | General purpose |
| Jang Family Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | General & Unrestricted |
| Growald Climate Fund Inc | Brookline, MA | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Project support |
| Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund Trust | Boston, MA | 1 | $50K | $50K | Yes | Capital |
| Robert Galvin Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Public charity |
| Jensam Foundation Inc | Washington, DC | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Cash contribution |
| Common Stream Inc #0745935 C/O Nutter McClennen & Fish Llp | Boston, MA | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | General fund |
| The Nordblom Family Foundation | Burlington, MA | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Community-based family support networks |
| National Grid Foundation | Hicksville, NY | 2 | $50K | $25K | Yes | Boston uncornered; Preparing urban students for success in higher education pu… |
| Inherent Foundation C/O Inherent Group | New York, NY | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | General support |
| Blanchard Arthur F Tr Uagree | Pittsburgh, PA | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | General operating |
| McKenzie Family Charitable Trust | Putney, VT | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Program support |
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 Dorchester, Massachusetts?
Lilly Endowment Inc, Liberty Mutual Foundation Inc, Champions of Love Foundation Inc, Barr Foundation, Fidelity Foundation and 95 others reported grants to Dorchester 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 Dorchester. Community foundations and corporate giving programs file different forms and are not included yet.