BESS Family Foundation

WILMINGTON, DE EIN: 27-0284495 Website

The BESS Family Foundation is a private family foundation established in 2008 and based in Wilmington, Delaware. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to philanthropic grantmaking.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$2.0M

+36.1% YoY

Annual Giving

$1.3M

+0.0% YoY

Grant Count

+44.4% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$26K

-30.8% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, BESS Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $68K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

The BESS Family Foundation provides grants to organizations that offer evidence-based mindfulness and meditation programs designed to help people address contemporary challenges. The foundation specifically focuses on work at the intersection of mindfulness and meditation with the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Grantmaking

The foundation makes grants to a range of organizations. Recent grant recipients have included:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation's grantmaking extends across multiple states, with primary activity in California, Massachusetts, and New York.

Grant Distribution by State

California $1.1M (25%)

Massachusetts $947K (21%)

Wisconsin $525K (12%)

New York $365K (8%)

Virginia $310K (7%)

Rhode Island $268K (6%)

Colorado $236K (5%)

New Mexico $160K (4%)

+9 more states

States

California Colorado Connecticut Massachusetts Maryland Minnesota North Carolina New Hampshire New Mexico New York Ohio Oregon Rhode Island Utah Virginia Washington Wisconsin

Cities

AttleboroBarreBelmontBerkeleyBeverlyBlack MountainBlack MtnBostonBoulderBrooklynCambridgeCamdenCharlottesvilleCincinnatiCold SpringsConcordCovinaDavisDeerfieldDurango

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of 2023:

Total Assets: $1,443,400
Total Revenue: $433,080
Total Expenses: $1,443,785
Total Liabilities: $0

As of 2024:

Total Assets: $1,964,625
Total Giving: $1,348,832

The foundation has been tax-exempt since July 2009 (EIN: 27-0284495).

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$1,964,625	$1,443,400	$2,454,105
Revenue	$2,055,524	$433,080	$73,848
Expenses	$1,534,299	$1,443,785	$1,282,072
Qualifying Distributions	$1,514,057	$1,441,849	$1,241,230
Net Investment Income	$1,496,560	$44,150	$32,632
Distributable Amount	$68,005	$92,328	$150,065

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

147 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Inquiring Systems Inc ($100,000), University of Wisconsin ($100,000), Garrison Institute ($50,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
BARRE CENTER FOR BUDDHIST STUDIES INC BARRE, MA	a series of three ecodharma retreats to be held at BCBS	$33,333
BARRE CENTER FOR BUDDHIST STUDIES INC BARRE, MA	September, 2024 ecodharma retreat	$22,000
BARRE CENTER FOR BUDDHIST STUDIES INC BARRE, MA	General & Unrestricted	$35,000
BELOVED COMMUNITY CIRCLES BELMONT, MA	General & Unrestricted	$40,000
BIG SPRINGS GARDEN RETREAT CENTER INC SIERRA CITY, CA	a series of three ecodharma retreats	$33,333
BOUNDLESS IN MOTION BOULDER, CO	Indigenous Women's Retreat at Rocky Mountain Ecodharma retreat center	$15,000
BRAIDED WISDOM INC SAN FRANCISCO, CA	General & Unrestricted	$10,000
BROWN UNIVERSITY PROVIDENCE, RI	travel expenses associated with the 2024 Indigenous mindfulness coalition retreat led by Dr Jeffrey Proulx	$25,000
CAMBRIDGE INSIGHT MEDITATION CENTER INC CAMBRIDGE, MA	General & Unrestricted	$25,000
DHARMA GATES INC BROOKLYN, NY	an eight-week online series "How to Love In A Damaged World"	$15,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Lalita Badinehal - Executive Director (2022)
Jodi Castallo - Program Coordinator (2023)

The foundation employs approximately 4 staff members.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
Benjamin Chigier	Trustee	1	—
Shelly D Chigier	Trustee	16	—

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does BESS Family Foundation fund?

How do I apply for a grant from BESS Family Foundation?

The foundation makes grants to a range of organizations. Recent grant recipients have included: • Inquiring Systems ($125,000) • Natural Dharma Fellowship ($125,000) • Mind and Life Institute ($100,000) • University of Wisconsin Foundation In 2023, the foundation made 27 grants totaling approximately $1,048,749 in additional giving beyond the three major grants listed above. Typical grant awards range from $129,000 to $150,000. Based on 2024 filings, the foundation reported total giving of $1,3…

Where does BESS Family Foundation make grants?

The foundation's grantmaking extends across multiple states, with primary activity in California, Massachusetts, and New York.

What size grants does BESS Family Foundation award?

In 2024, BESS Family Foundation awarded 52 grants totaling $1.3M — an average of about $26K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is BESS Family Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, BESS Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $68K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.