Bierly Boasberg Foundation
West Newton, MA · EIN 04-6903459. Reported 300 grants totalling $3,204,848 to 106 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Bierly Boasberg Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $2,500. Half of everything it gave fell between $500 and $7,500; the smallest was $30 and the largest $1,105,924. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nantucket Performing Arts Center | Nantucket, MA | $1,105,924 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA | $426,946 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Buckingham Browne & Nichols Upper School | Cambridge, MA | $150,893 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| White Heron Theatre Company | Nantucket, MA | $137,716 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund | Atlanta, GA | $135,439 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Save the Children | Fairfield, CT | $121,083 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Partners in Health | Boston, MA | $105,694 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Duke University | Durham, NC | $78,333 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Boston | Boston, MA | $50,434 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Camp Holiday Trails | Charlottesville, VA | $50,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Bain Capital Children's Charity | Boston, MA | $45,211 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Doctors Without Borders | New York, NY | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mass General Hospital | Boston, MA | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| National Philanthropic Trust | Jenkintown, PA | $39,984 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Brigham & Women's Hospital | Boston, MA | $39,891 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Greater Boston Food Bank | Boston, MA | $35,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Endeavor Global | New York, NY | $34,896 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| John D Solomon Fellowship | Brooklyn, NY | $33,300 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Dana Farber Cancer Institute | Boston, MA | $30,250 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| ASPCA | Waltham, MA | $27,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Boston Children's Hospital | Boston, MA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Community Foundation for Nantucket | Nantucket, MA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Cradles to Crayons | Brighton, MA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Nantucket Safe Harbor for Animals | Nantucket, MA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Nantucket Cottage Hospital | Nantucket, MA | $21,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The New Teacher Project | New York, NY | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| USA for Unhcr | Washington, DC | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Voter Participation Center | Washington, DC | $17,584 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Theatre Workshop of Nantucket | Nantucket, MA | $17,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Brown University | Providence, RI | $15,250 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation | Boston, MA | $15,243 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Sconset Trust | Siasconset, MA | $14,724 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Nantucket Conservation Foundation | Nantucket, MA | $12,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Newton-Wellesley Charity Fund | Newton, MA | $12,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Chadtough Defeat Dipg Foundation | Saline, MI | $12,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Centre County Sports Hall of Fame | Lemont, PA | $11,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Jimmy Fund Walk for Cancer | Boston, MA | $10,900 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| American University | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The American Independent Foundation | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Un Foundation | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of Virginia Fund for the Arts | Charlottesville, VA | $10,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Nantucket Dreamland Foundation | Nantucket, MA | $7,500 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Wbur | Boston, MA | $6,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The Humane Society | Washington, DC | $6,300 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Thrive Funds | Newton, MA | $6,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| American Repertory Theatre | Cambridge, MA | $5,075 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| St Judes Research Hospital | Memphis, TN | $5,050 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Beyond Batten Disease Foundation | Austin, TX | $5,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Cultural Landscape Foundation | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Mclean Hospital | Belmont, MA | $5,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Michael Mosier Defeat Dipg Foundation | Bethesda, MD | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Robert F Kennedy Human Rights | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The New Teacher Project (tntp) | New York, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Comfort Zone Camp | Richmond, VA | $4,800 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Pan Mass Challenge | Needham, MA | $4,658 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Horizons Greater Boston | Dedham, MA | $3,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Project Bread - Walk for Hunger | Boston, MA | $3,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Stanford Gsb | Stanford, CA | $3,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Summits Education | Boston, MA | $3,500 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Yale Alumni Fund | New Haven, CT | $3,050 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation | Boston, MA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Courageous Parents Network | Newton, MA | $2,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Family Access of Newton | Newton, MA | $2,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Greater Washington Community Foundation | Washington, DC | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| UCLA Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Humane Society | Washington, District of Colum | $2,300 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| On the Isle | Nantucket, MA | $2,200 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Fairwinds | Nantucket, MA | $2,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Housing Nantucket | Nantucket, MA | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Inky Santa's Toy Drive | Nantucket, MA | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Nantucket Historical Association | Nantucket, MA | $1,845 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Cambridge Reproductive Health Consultants | Cambridge, MA | $1,500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| The Kelly S Brush Foundation | Burlington, VT | $1,050 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Beacon Academy | Evanston, IL | $1,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Newton Food Pantry | Newton, MA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Youth Villages | Memphis, TN | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Polish Center for International Aid | Warsaw | $985 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Ellis Early Learning | Boston, MA | $936 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| God's Word for Africa | Chicago, IL | $832 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Carroll Center for the Blind | Newton, MA | $800 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Nantucket Antheneum | Nantucket, MA | $750 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Nathional Cathedral School | Washington, DC | $750 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| National Cathedral School | Washington, DC | $509 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Best Friends Animal Society | Kanab, UT | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket (mman) | Nantucket, MA | $500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Nashoba Learning Group | Bedford, MA | $500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Norfolk SPCA | Norfolk, VA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Pasadena Humane | Pasadena, CA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Pine Street Inn | Boston, MA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Project Broadway | New York, NY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Tenacity | Boston, MA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| National Brain Tumor Society | Newton, MA | $350 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Nantucket Atheneum | Nantucket, MA | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Nantucket City Lights | Newton, MA | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Bridgespan Group - Day of Service | Boston, MA | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Squashbusters | Roxbury Crossing, MA | $203 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Foundation Fighting Blindness | Columbia, MD | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Jdrf | Wellesley, MA | $200 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| LIVE4EVAN | Hopkinton, MA | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Dreamfar High School Marathon | Newton, MA | $150 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Methuen Baseball | Methuen, MA | $150 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Nantucket Police Charitable Association | Nantucket, MA | $150 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Wikipedia Wikimedia Foundation | Washington, DC | $130 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Wikimedia Foundation | Washington, DC | $30 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
73 of 106 (69%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 83%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is unusually consistent. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 166 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51 | $381,645 | $2,500 |
| 2022 | 61 | $387,380 | $2,500 |
| 2023 | 60 | $361,744 | $2,500 |
| 2024 | 70 | $547,676 | $1,850 |
| 2025 | 58 | $1,526,403 | $1,100 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
64% of its giving went to organizations in Massachusetts. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $2,500. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Massachusetts.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Bierly Boasberg Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: Po Box 650202, West Newton, MA, 02465. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 04-6903459 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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