Rowland Foundation Inc
Boston, MA · EIN 04-6046756. Reported 189 grants totalling $10.4M to 83 recipients across tax years 2020-2024. 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. Rowland Foundation Inc 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 $50,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $30,000 and $75,000; the smallest was $6,000 and the largest $225,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Familyaid Boston | Boston, MA | $605,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Familyaid Boston Inc | Boston, MA | $400,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center | Jamaica Plain, MA | $350,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Northeastern University | Boston, MA | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center | Boston, MA | $275,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Rosie's Place | Boston, MA | $257,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Institute of Contemporary Art | Boston, MA | $225,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Political Asylum Immigration Representation Project Inc | Boston, MA | $225,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Smart From the Start | Roxbury, MA | $225,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Uaspire | Boston, MA | $225,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | Boston, MA | $210,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Rosie's Place Inc | Boston, MA | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| CASA Myrna Vazquez | Boston, MA | $195,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Boston Arts Academy Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | $175,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Roxbury Community College Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | $169,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Berklee College of Music Inc | Boston, MA | $160,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| College Bound Dorchester | Dorcherster, MA | $160,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras | Boston, MA | $153,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| A Safe Place Inc | Nantucket, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Boston Ballet | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Boston Childrens Chorus | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Duet Inc | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Literations | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| More Than Words | Waltham, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| North Bennet Street School | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Roxbury Community College | Roxbury Crossing, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Berklee College of Music Inc | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo CASA Myrna Vazquez Inc | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Institute of Contemporary Art | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Inc | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Literations | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Uaspire Inc | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Horizons for Homeless Children | Roxbury, MA | $140,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| New England Center for the Arts & Technology | Boston, MA | $140,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston | Boston, MA | $130,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Bethel Institute for Social Justice | Jamaica Plain, MA | $110,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Next Step Fund Inc | Cambridge, MA | $110,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Y2Y Network | Cambridge, MA | $110,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Museum of Fine Arts | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Rowland Institute at Harvard | Cambridge, MA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo a Safe Place Inc | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Boston Arts Academy | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Boston Ballet Inc | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Boston Children's Chorus Inc | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Duet Inc | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo More Than Words Inc | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo North Bennet Street School | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Rogerson Communities | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Smart From the Start Inc | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo the Sportsmen's Tennis & Enrichment Center Inc | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Up Together | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Appalachian Mountain Club | Boston, MA | $90,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Cradles to Crayons | Newtonville, MA | $90,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Boston Music Project | Boston, MA | $87,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation | Boston, MA | $80,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras Inc | Boston, MA | $80,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Horizons for Homeless Children Inc | Boston, MA | $80,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Next Step Fund Inc | Boston, MA | $80,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Generations Inc | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston Inc | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo College Bound Dorchester Inc | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Uncornered | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Artists for Humanity | Boston, MA | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Boston Music Project | Boston, MA | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Artists for Humanity Inc | Boston, MA | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Cradles to Crayons Inc | Boston, MA | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership | Boston, MA | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo New England Culinary Arts Training | Boston, MA | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Family Independence Initiative | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Boston Plan for Excellence | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Saheli Inc | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - the Triennial | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo the Base | Boston, MA | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Harlem Lacrosse Boston | New York, NY | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| The Base | Roxbury, MA | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Bethel Institute for Social Justice | Boston, MA | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly | Boston, MA | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Y2Y Network | Boston, MA | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Impactassets Inc | Bethesda, MD | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Josiah Quincy Orchestra Program | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston | Boston, MA | $18,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston Inc | Boston, MA | $12,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Sportsmen's Tennis & Enrichment Center | Dorchester, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
72 of 83 (87%) 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 93%, 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 87 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 36 | $1,779,000 | $50,000 |
| 2021 | 37 | $2,204,000 | $50,000 |
| 2022 | 39 | $2,145,000 | $50,000 |
| 2023 | 36 | $1,973,000 | $50,000 |
| 2024 | 41 | $2,325,000 | $50,000 |
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
99% 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.
Get funders for your state and cause by email
We email you funders that gave to organizations in your state and cause, up to five at a time each week and never the same one twice, from their own IRS filings. Free. The weekly email has not started yet.
Unsubscribe in one click from any email. We never sell or share your address. To match on your organization and typical grant size too, keep a private profile.
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 $50,000. 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 Rowland Foundation Inc's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2020-2024). 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: 255 State Street, Boston, MA, 02109. 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 04-6046756 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email [email protected] and we will correct it.