Allison Family Charitable Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Belmont, MA EIN: 20-3848260

The ALLISON FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION is a Form 990-PF private foundation based in Belmont, Massachusetts. In 2024, it reported 11 grants totaling $72,000 to charitable organizations, including organizations in Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, and Colorado.

Key facts about Allison Family Charitable Foundation

In short: Allison Family Charitable Foundation gave $72K across 11 grants in 2024 (avg $7K), mostly in Massachusetts. 18% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
20-3848260
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$72,000
Grants made (2024)
11
Average grant
$6,545
Median grant
$1,000
New grantees (estimate)
18% first-time grantees (2 of 11, 2024)
Total assets
$2,819,504
Primary geography
Massachusetts (94% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. 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

$2.8M

+0.5% YoY

Annual Giving

$72K

-57.7% YoY

Grant Count

11

-45.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$7K

-23.0% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Allison Family Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $137K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is Allison Family Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?

18%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 2 of 11 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $750; repeat grants $8K. How we count

Medians: $750 first-time, $1K repeat.

  • 73% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−12%). Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 53% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 grantees included organizations with varied missions. The Council on Foreign Relations describes itself as an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher serving, among others, its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, and educators. Belmont Day School describes its mission as “to inspire and challenge.”

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation gave 11 grants totaling $72,000. Grants ranged from $500 to $37,000, with a median grant of $1,000. The largest grants were $37,000 to New England Wildlife Center, $23,500 to MA Fiscal Alliance Fund, and $5,000 to Handel & Hayden Society. Each was listed for general purposes. Other listed recipients included the Marshall Fund, Council on Foreign Relations, Davidson College, Trilateral Commission, New Skete Monasteries, Aspen Animal Shelter, Belmont Day School, and Casey to the Rescue.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, 94% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts, 3% to New York, 1% to North Carolina, and 1% to Colorado.

Grant Distribution by State

11states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.

Cities

BostonCambridgeBelmontClevelandAspenDavidsonS WeymouthWashingtonChicagoNew YorkWalthamCantonAtlantaBerkleyColumbusHillsdaleHuntingtonMorristownOvidSacramento

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$100K$200K$300K20 grants2020 14 grants2021 18 grants2022 20 grants2023 11 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $72K (2024) to $213K (2020). In 2024 it made 11 grants totaling $72K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

New England Wildlife Ctr: $37KNew England Wildlife Ctr$37KMa Fiscal Alliance Fund: $24KMa Fiscal Alliance Fund$24KHandel & Hayden Society: $5KHandel & Hayden Society$5KMarshall Fund: $1KMarshall Fund$1KCouncil on Foreign Relations: $1KCouncil on Foreign Relations$1KDavidson College: $1KDavidson College$1KTrilateral Commission: $1KTrilateral Commission$1KNew Skete Monasteries: $1KNew Skete Monasteries$1KAspen Animal Shelter: $500Aspen Animal Shelter$500Belmont Day School: $500Belmont Day School$500

The largest 2024 recipient was New England Wildlife Ctr ($37K). Together the top 10 received $72K.

Grant Size Distribution

83 grants across all recorded years

79<$50K3$50–100K1$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 79 grants of 83 (95%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
New England Wildlife Ctr S Weymouth, MAGeneral$37,000
Ma Fiscal Alliance Fund Boston, MAGeneral$23,500
Handel & Hayden Society Boston, MAGeneral$5,000
Marshall Fund Cambridge, MAGeneral$1,000
Council on Foreign Relations New York, NYGeneral$1,000
Davidson College Davidson, NCGeneral$1,000
Trilateral Commission Cambridge, MAGeneral$1,000
New Skete Monasteries Cambridge, NYGeneral$1,000
Aspen Animal Shelter Aspen, COGeneral$500
Belmont Day School Belmont, MAGeneral$500

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants Grant count
2024 $2,819,504 $86,394 $73,600 $72,000 11
2023 $2,806,710 $85,458 $170,975 $170,025 20
2022 $2,892,227 $3,505 $126,935 $126,000 18
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$500K$1M$1.5M$2M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$2,819,504$2,806,710$2,892,227
Revenue$86,394$85,458$3,505
Expenses$73,600$170,975$126,935
Qualifying Distributions$72,000$170,500$126,468
Net Investment Income$86,394$55,315$3,038
Distributable Amount$136,652$138,400$144,717

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 Graham Allison Jr and Elisabeth Allison as co-trustees.

Allison Family Charitable Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Elisabeth Allison

    Co-Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Graham Allison Jr.

    Co-Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    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: 69 Pinehurst Road, Belmont, MA 02478
Phone: (617) 489-3327

Frequently asked questions about Allison Family Charitable Foundation

How much does Allison Family Charitable Foundation give each year?

Allison Family Charitable Foundation gave $72K across 11 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $170K across 20 grants.

What is Allison Family Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?

Allison Family Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $1,000, and its average grant was $6,545, across 11 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Allison Family Charitable Foundation that year got $750 on average.

Where does Allison Family Charitable Foundation give grants?

Allison Family Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (2 grants) and Cambridge, MA (2 grants).

Does Allison Family Charitable Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of Allison Family Charitable Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Allison Family Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?

Allison Family Charitable Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include New England Wildlife Ctr ($37,000), Ma Fiscal Alliance Fund ($23,500) and Handel & Hayden Society ($5,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 91% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is Allison Family Charitable Foundation?

Allison Family Charitable Foundation reported $2.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $72K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $137K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.

What does Allison Family Charitable Foundation fund?

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

How do I apply for a grant from Allison Family Charitable Foundation?

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

What is Allison Family Charitable Foundation's EIN?

Allison Family Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3848260. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does Allison Family Charitable 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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