Coleman Foundation
Conshohocken, PA · EIN 23-6214964. Reported 112 grants totalling $657,404 to 76 recipients across tax years 2021-2024. 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. Coleman 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 $2,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $1,000 and $6,000; the smallest was $500 and the largest $50,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Area Gleaners | Waltham, MA | $54,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Thompson Island Outward Bound | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Woods Hole Oceanographic | Woods Hole, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Boston Harbor Now | Boston, MA | $44,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Greater Boston Food Bank | Boston, MA | $36,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Calvary Presbyterian Church | Willow Grove, PA | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| 3RD Street Alliance | Easton, PA | $31,904 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Planned Parenthood Fed of America | Washington, DC | $29,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Hopewell Fund | Washington, DC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| World Central Kitchen | Washington, DC | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Humane Society International | Washington, DC | $17,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Ithaca, NY | $14,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Elevate Oakland | Oakland, CA | $14,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Xerces Society | Washington, DC | $14,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Temple University | Philadelphia, PA | $13,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| NAACP Legal Defense Fund | New York, NY | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Planned Parenthood Fed of America | New York, NY | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| North Philly Community Church | Philadelphia, PA | $12,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| San Francisco-Marin Food Bank | San Francisco, CA | $12,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Nationalities Service Center | Philadelphia, PA | $11,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Philadelphia Tennis Club | Philadelphia, PA | $11,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Food Moxie | Philadelphia, PA | $9,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Eddie's Ranch | Saugus, MA | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Doctors Without Borders | New York, NY | $7,750 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Restorative Justice Proj Maine | Belfast, ME | $7,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Motse Community & Wildlife | New York, NY | $6,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Tree House Books | Philadelphia, PA | $6,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Hias Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Wbur | Boston, MA | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Inaturalist | San Rafael, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Philabundance | Philadelphia, PA | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Wagner Free Institute of Science | Philadelphia, PA | $4,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Friends of Clark Park | Philadelphia, PA | $3,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Habitat for Humanity | Americus, GA | $3,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| San Francisco Botanical Garden | San Francisco, CA | $3,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Trustees of Reservations | Boston, MA | $3,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Williams Alumni Fund | Williamstown, MA | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Wright-Locke Farm | Winchester, MA | $3,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Doctors for America | Washington, DC | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Environmental Defense Fund | New York, NY | $2,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Innovation Network for Communities | Tamworth, NH | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Institute of Nonprofit News | Beverly Hills, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Bartram Garden | Philadelphia, PA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Brennan Center for Justice | New York, NY | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Choate Rosemary Hall | Wallingford, CT | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| First Congressional Church | Winchester, MA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Natural Resources Defense Council | New York, NY | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy | Boston, MA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Southwestern Law School | Los Angeles, CA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Prep for Prep | New York, NY | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Spirit of Truth Fellowship | Philadelphia, PA | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Saint John's Hospice | Philadelphia, PA | $1,250 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Catholic Charities | Alexandria, VA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Drug Policy Alliance | New York, NY | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| National Alliance on Mental | Baltimore, MD | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| New Sanctuary Movement | Philadelphia, PA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Partners in Health | Frederick, MD | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Planned Parenthood Federation of Am | Washington, DC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Project Meow | Philadelphia, PA | $1,000 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rare | Arlington, VA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Special Equestrians Inc | Warrington, PA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Spirit & Truth Fellowship Church | Philadelphia, PA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Jed Foundation | New York, NY | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Maine Heritage Orchard | Unity, ME | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Tower Hill Botanic Garden | Boylston, MA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Turtle Rescue League | Southbrdige, MA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Waquoit Congregational Church | E Falmouth, MA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Winchester Farmers Market | Winchester, MA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Windward Fund | Washington, DC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Council of Social Concern | Woburn, MA | $750 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Pspca | Philadelphia, PA | $750 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cambridge Children Care Foundation | Cambridge, MA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chestnut Hill Community Assoc | Philadelphia, PA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| DC Diaper Bank | Washington, DC | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Global Importune | Philadelphia, PA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Phil Assoc of Former Gang Members | Philadelphia, PA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
26 of 76 (34%) received money in more than one year over the 4 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 35%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Boston Area Gleaners
HNR OF DR MARGARET COLEMAN - NAACP Legal Defense Fund
IN HONOR OF JOHN & AGNES COLEMAN - Philabundance
FEEDING THE NEEDY POPULATION - Bartram Garden
RIVER GARDEN 2025 STRAT PLAN - Project Meow
CARE FOR ABANDONED FELINES
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 61 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 | 35 | $88,000 | $1,500 |
| 2022 | 29 | $81,500 | $2,000 |
| 2023 | 15 | $205,000 | $3,000 |
| 2024 | 33 | $282,904 | $6,000 |
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
41% 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 $2,000. 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 Coleman Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). 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: C/O 161 Washington St Ste 801, Conshohocken, PA, 19428. 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 23-6214964 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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