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Algar Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Boston, MA EIN: 82-3859833 Website

ALGAR FOUNDATION is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. In its 2024 filing, it reported 42 grants totaling $857,750 to charitable organizations, including organizations working in arts education, violence prevention, and political reform.

Key facts about Algar Foundation

In short: Algar Foundation gave $858K across 42 grants in 2024 (avg $20K), mostly in Maine. 18% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
82-3859833
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$857,750
Grants made (2024)
42
Average grant
$20,423
Median grant
$5,000
New grantees (estimate)
18% first-time grantees (7 of 39, 2024)
Total assets
$12,158,866
Primary geography
Maine (63% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$12.2M

-2.5% YoY

Annual Giving

$858K

+84.9% YoY

Grant Count

42

-6.7% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$20K

+98.1% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Algar Foundation reported a distributable amount of $719K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is Algar Foundation open to new grantees?

18%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 7 of 39 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $14K; repeat grants $24K. How we count

Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.

  • 79% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving grew 22% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 123% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. Maine College of Art and Design describes its mission as providing education in fine arts; GunsDown Inc. says it focuses on reducing the number of guns in circulation to minimize gun violence; and Issue One describes itself as a crosspartisan political reform organization. Other recipients include UTEC, whose mission is to help young adults trade violence and poverty for social and economic success, and Make a Change World, which works to protect oceans and waterways from pollution.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation awarded 42 grants totaling $857,750. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $400,000, with a median of $5,000. Notable grants included $400,000 to Maine College of Art and Design for a “2024 MECA pledge payment,” $52,750 to Breakwater Learning, $50,000 each to Global Impact FBO Fund for a Safer Future and GunsDown Inc., and $40,000 to UTEC. The listed purposes for the latter grants were unrestricted.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Maine (63%), the District of Columbia (10%), Massachusetts (9%), Virginia (6%), and Florida (5%).

Grant Distribution by State

11states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 42 itemized grants.

Cities

PortlandBostonWashingtonNew YorkDelray BeachBoynton BeachLowellBrooklineColchesterFalmouthArlingtonBoca RatonBrunswickHuntingtonLos AngelesSan ClementeWestonAlexandriaClaremontConcord

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$250K$500K$750K$1M36 grants2020 38 grants2021 33 grants2022 45 grants2023 42 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $464K (2023) to $870K (2020). In 2024 it made 42 grants totaling $858K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Maine College of Art and Design: $425K across 2 grantsMaine College of Art andDesign$425K · 2 grantsBreakwater Learning: $53KBreakwater Learning$53KGlobal Impact FBO Fund for a Safer Future: $50KGlobal Impact FBO Fund for aSafer Future$50KGunsdown Inc: $50KGunsdown Inc$50KUtec: $40KUtec$40KIssue One: $30KIssue One$30KMake a Change World Inc: $16KMake a Change World Inc$16KCaridad Center: $15K across 2 grantsCaridad Center$15K · 2 grantsBrookline Arts Center: $10KBrookline Arts Center$10KChildren's Museum and Theatre of Maine: $10KChildren's Museum and Theatreof Maine$10K

The largest 2024 recipient was Maine College of Art and Design ($425K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $699K.

Grant Size Distribution

194 grants across all recorded years

182<$50K8$50–100K$100–250K4$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 182 grants of 194 (94%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Maine College of Art and Design Portland, ME2024 Meca Pledge Payment$400,000
Breakwater Learning Portland, MEUnrestricted$52,750
Global Impact FBO Fund for a Safer Future Alexandria, VAUnrestricted$50,000
Gunsdown Inc Washington, DCUnrestricted$50,000
Utec Lowell, MAUnrestricted$40,000
Issue One Washington, DCUnrestricted$30,000
Maine College of Art and Design Portland, MEUnrestricted$25,000
Make a Change World Inc New York, NYUnrestricted$16,000
Brookline Arts Center Brookline, MAUnrestricted$10,000
Caridad Center Boynton Beach, FLUnrestricted$10,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2024 $12,158,866 $641,831 $955,116 $857,750
2023 $12,468,000 $474,651 $565,191 $463,900
2022 $12,549,289 $767,737 $775,907 $662,000
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$500K$1M$1.5M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$12,158,866$12,468,000$12,549,289
Revenue$641,831$474,651$767,737
Expenses$955,116$565,191$775,907
Qualifying Distributions$887,218$487,712$684,741
Net Investment Income$578,933$409,172$690,010
Distributable Amount$718,794$680,300$703,902

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Diane Garthwaite as president, A Alexander Ridley as treasurer, and Colin Brennan and Darcy Brennan Poor as trustees.

Algar Foundation is led by Diane Garthwaite, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Diane Garthwaite

    President

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Colin Brennan

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Darcy Brennan Poor

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • A. Alexander Ridley

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Mailing address: 2 Liberty Square, Boston, MA 02109
Phone: (617) 426-7080
Website: https://indeed.com

Frequently asked questions about Algar Foundation

How much does Algar Foundation give each year?

Algar Foundation gave $858K across 42 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $464K across 45 grants.

What is Algar Foundation's typical grant size?

Algar Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $20,423, across 42 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Algar Foundation that year got $14K on average.

Where does Algar Foundation give grants?

Algar Foundation gives mostly in Maine: 63% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (10%) and Massachusetts (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Portland, ME (11 grants), Boston, MA (4 grants), Washington, DC (3 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).

Does Algar Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 76% of Algar Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (32 of 42) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Algar Foundation's largest grantees?

Algar Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Maine College of Art and Design ($425,000 across 2 grants), Breakwater Learning ($52,750) and Global Impact FBO Fund for a Safer Future ($50,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 62% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is Algar Foundation?

Algar Foundation reported $12.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $887K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $719K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Algar Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Algar Foundation?

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Algar Foundation's EIN?

Algar Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-3859833. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does Algar Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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