Alchemist Foundation Inc
Based in Waterbury, Vermont, Alchemist Foundation Inc is a private foundation created by Alchemist Brewery co-founders John and Jen Kimmich. It supports educational and economic opportunity for local youth, including scholarships, training programs, connections between young people and employers, and grants to organizations working to expand youth opportunity.
Alchemist Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Alchemist Foundation Inc gave $122K across 101 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), mostly in Vermont. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $121,651
- -5.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 101
- -12.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,204
- +7.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $45,333
- -30.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Vermont (98% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Alchemist Foundation Inc
- Invitation Only
-
Organizations are invited to email the foundation with information about their work and how their mission may align. The foundation makes grants throughout the year, but full proposals are by invitation only. Scholarship applicants must use the application form and instructions posted by the foundation; the filing states that applications include a form, transcript, financial information, and three references. Scholarships are limited to students from designated schools and CTE centers, and need-based awards require documentation of financial need.
- Review Cycle
- Organizational grants are rolling. The filing states that scholarship applications are due the second Friday in May. The website lists May 8, 2026 for the Opportunity Fund Scholarship and May 21, 2026 for the Ready AF Award; both deadlines have passed.
- Deadline
- Organizational grants are rolling.
- Contact
Application contact: Liz Schlegel Executive Director
Mailing address: 35 Crossroad, Waterbury, VT 05676
Phone: (802) 279-4695
Email: liz@alchemistbeer.com
Website: https://alchemistopportunityfund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Alchemist Foundation Inc
Who Alchemist Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was United Way NW ($11K). Together the top 10 received $30K.
Organizations only. It also paid 73 individual scholarships ($77,875), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
479 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 479 grants of 479 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation describes its place-based focus as the area from Warren to Eden along Route 100, extending from the Mad River Valley through Lamoille County. It also describes its target area as including schools from an individual recipient in the Mad River Valley to an individual recipient in Hyde Park, as well as parts of Orleans and Washington counties. Its listed schools include two individual recipients, Stowe High, Peoples Academy, and an individual recipient; its listed CTE centers include Green Mountain Technical & Career Center and Central Vermont Career Center.
In 2025, 98% of grant dollars went to recipients in Vermont and 2% to recipients in Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 101 itemized grants.
Cities
How Alchemist Foundation Inc gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−11%). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $97K (2020) to $137K (2022). In 2025 it made 101 grants totaling $122K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| United Way NW S Burlington, VT | General Purpose | $10,500 |
| Makersphere Waterbury, VT | Education Initiatives | $6,500 |
| 32 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $49,625 |
| Up for Learning Waterbury, VT | Education Initiatives | $3,000 |
| Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA | Education Initiatives | $2,500 |
| Education Justice Coalition of VT St Albans, VT | Education Initiatives | $1,853 |
| Community College of VT Winooski, VT | Education Initiatives | $1,500 |
| VT Ctr for Independent Living Vcil Montpelier, VT | General Purpose | $1,500 |
| Harwood Union High School Moretown, VT | Education Initiatives | $1,000 |
| Girls on the Run Williston, VT | General Support | $1,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Alchemist Foundation Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $45,333 | $235,487 | $255,086 | $121,651 | 101 | $121,651 | — |
| 2024 | $65,024 | $316,916 | $268,528 | $128,710 | 115 | $128,710 | $31 |
| 2023 | $86,053 | $203,640 | $205,496 | $115,781 | 97 | $115,781 | $28 |
| 2022 | $66,813 | $203,777 | $254,620 | $136,725 | 91 | $136,725 | $27 |
| 2021 | $98,596 | $254,059 | $253,816 | $124,414 | 75 | $124,414 | $9 |
| 2020 | $69,000 | $267,867 | $206,575 | $96,750 | 59 | — | $13 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to support educational and economic opportunity and community engagement for youth. Its focus includes direct scholarships, support for training programs, and building connections between young people and employers. It also makes unrestricted grants to organizations working to expand equity and opportunity for youth, including support for school programs, nonprofit equity training, and projects intended to make Vermont more inclusive and welcoming.
Among its 2025 grantees, Education Justice Coalition of VT describes its mission as promoting justice for students in Vermont’s education system through organizing and community power, and developing and promoting ethnic studies, disability studies, Native American studies, and LGBTQIA+ curriculum and pedagogy. The Current Inc. describes itself as a member-supported community arts and education nonprofit whose mission is to enhance the human experience through the visual arts.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 101 grants totaling $121,651. Grants ranged from $250 to $10,500, with a median of $1,000. Its website describes organizational grants as generally $3,000 or less and unrestricted; a separate page describes them as generally $2,000 or less.
Among the largest reported 2025 grants were $10,500 to United Way NW for general purposes, $6,500 to Makersphere for education initiatives, and $3,000 to Up for Learning for education initiatives. The foundation also reported $1,853 to Education Justice Coalition of VT for education initiatives and $1,000 to The Current Inc.
The foundation offers scholarships to eligible students attending designated schools in its service area. Its Opportunity Fund Scholarship supports students continuing to college, technical training, or certificate programs and is primarily need-based. The website describes awards of up to $6,000, with up to $1,500 per year, renewable each semester subject to GPA and other requirements. The Ready AF Award is a one-time $500 award for eligible graduates planning not to enter a formal post-secondary program immediately after high school. These student awards are separate from grants to outside organizations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jennifer Kimmich as chair, Shapleigh Smith as vice chair, Thomas Stevens as secretary, Ashli Roberts as treasurer, and Cynthia Donlon, Lynn Vera, and John Kimmich as directors. Elizabeth Schlegel is listed as executive director.
Alchemist Foundation Inc is led by Elizabeth Schlegel, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 8 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Elizabeth Schlegel
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$80K (2020) → $90K (2025)
Jennifer Kimmich
Chair
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cynthia Donlon
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Kimmich
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lynn Vera
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shapleigh Smith
Vice Chair
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Stevens
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ashli Roberts
Treasurer
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Lara Lonon (2020–2021) — Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $90K, to Elizabeth Schlegel (Executive Dir.).
Frequently asked questions about Alchemist Foundation Inc
How much does Alchemist Foundation Inc give each year?
Alchemist Foundation Inc gave $122K across 101 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $129K across 115 grants.
What is Alchemist Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Alchemist Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,204, across 101 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Alchemist Foundation Inc give grants?
Alchemist Foundation Inc gives mostly in Vermont: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Waterbury, VT (6 grants), Burlington, VT (4 grants), Stowe, VT (3 grants) and Montpelier, VT (3 grants).
Does Alchemist Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Occasionally: 5% of Alchemist Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (5 of 101) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (74 grants), "Education Initiatives" (15 grants) and "Sponsorship" (6 grants).
Who are Alchemist Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Alchemist Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include United Way NW ($10,500), Makersphere ($6,500) and Up for Learning ($3,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 73 individual scholarships ($77,875), which are not listed by name. Together they received 16% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Alchemist Foundation Inc?
Alchemist Foundation Inc reported $45K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $235K.
What does Alchemist Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to support educational and economic opportunity and community engagement for youth. Its focus includes direct scholarships, support for training programs, and building connections between young people and employers. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Alchemist Foundation Inc?
Organizations are invited to email the foundation with information about their work and how their mission may align. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Alchemist Foundation Inc's EIN?
Alchemist Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-4970648. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 17, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Alchemist Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Alchemist Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/alchemist-foundation-inc-morg_10bbd233a6474fc384d79d8c7cfd7d75
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_814970648_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Alchemist Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/alchemist-foundation-inc-morg_10bbd233a6474fc384d79d8c7cfd7d75},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Alchemist Foundation Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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