Bierly Boasberg Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker West Newton, MA EIN: 04-6903459

The Bierly Boasberg Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation located in Newton, Massachusetts. Founded in 2000, it operates as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with no employees. The foundation is supported by Christopher Bierly and Margaret Boasberg.

Key facts about Bierly Boasberg Foundation

EIN: 04-6903459
Latest 990 filing: Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024): $547,676
Grants made (2024): 70
Average grant: $7,824
Median grant: $1,850
New grantees (estimate): 24% first-time grantees (17 of 70, 2024)
Total assets: $9,217,217
Primary geography: Virginia (39% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

Who Bierly Boasberg Foundation funds

By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Bierly Boasberg Foundation's 70 itemized 2024 grants were Virginia (39%), Massachusetts (27%) and New York (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (12 grants), Nantucket, MA (12 grants), Washington, DC (8 grants) and Newton, MA (6 grants). 100% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.

Is Bierly Boasberg Foundation open to new grantees?

24%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 17 of 70 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $9K. How we count

Medians: $500 first-time, $3K repeat.

71% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
Giving grew 44% from 2021 to 2024. Method
In 2024 it paid out 98% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method

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

Next steps with Bierly Boasberg Foundation

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Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$9.2M

+5.6% YoY

Annual Giving

$548K

+51.4% YoY

Grant Count

+16.7% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$8K

+29.8% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bierly Boasberg Foundation reported a distributable amount of $563K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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

Grantmaking

The foundation is an active grantmaker with a consistent grant distribution pattern:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation is based in Newton, Massachusetts and funds organizations nationally and internationally.

Grant Distribution by State

Virginia $213K (39%)

Massachusetts $150K (27%)

New York $43K (8%)

District of Columbia $43K (8%)

Georgia $30K (5%)

All other $69K (13%)

Share of all 70 itemized 2024 grant dollars.

States

California Connecticut District of Columbia Georgia Illinois Massachusetts Maryland Michigan North Carolina New York Pennsylvania Rhode Island Tennessee Texas Virginia Vermont Washington

Cities

BostonNantucketWashingtonNewtonNew YorkCharlottesvilleCambridgeAtlantaAustinBelmontBrightonFairfieldMemphisNeedhamNew HavenWalthamBurlingtonDedhamProvidenceStanford

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of December 2024:

Total assets: $9,217,217
Total revenues: $854,761
Total expenses: $630,887
Total grants, contributions: $379,087
Investment income and dividends: $197,569

As of December 2023:

Total assets: $10,000,000 (approximately)
Total distributions: $364,000
Total contributions: $427,000

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$9,217,217	$8,731,182	$8,431,435
Revenue	$854,761	$656,483	$987,702
Expenses	$630,887	$430,798	$446,558
Qualifying Distributions	$549,766	$364,381	$387,942
Net Investment Income	$399,824	$162,853	$312,114
Distributable Amount	$563,163	$458,117	$368,544

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

February 28, 2026 IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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

304 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include University of Virginia ($198,863), Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund ($30,114), Save the Children ($29,230).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA Charlottesville, VA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$198,863
DIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND Atlanta, GA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$30,114
SAVE THE CHILDREN Fairfield, CT	GENERAL SUPPORT	$29,230
DUKE UNIVERSITY Durham, NC	GENERAL SUPPORT	$25,288
PARTNERS IN HEALTH Boston, MA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$25,172
JOHN D SOLOMON FELLOWSHIP Brooklyn, NY	GENERAL SUPPORT	$20,300
THE VOTER PARTICIPATION CENTER Washington, DC	GENERAL SUPPORT	$17,584
THE BOSTON FOUNDATION Boston, MA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$15,243
ASPCA Waltham, MA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$10,000
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF BOSTON Boston, MA	GENERAL SUPPORT	$10,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The foundation is governed by two trustees:

Christopher Bierly (Trustee)
Margaret Boasberg (Trustee)

Compensation Overview

No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.

From 2024 IRS filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
Christopher Bierly	Trustee	1	—
Margaret Boasberg	Trustee	2	—

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for a grant from Bierly Boasberg Foundation?

The foundation is an active grantmaker with a consistent grant distribution pattern: **Grant Activity:** • Made 60-63 grants in recent fiscal years • Grant median: $2,500 • Grant maximum: $53,000 • Total distributions: $364,000-$427,000 annually **Recent Grantees (2024):** • University of Virginia ($198,863) • Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund ($30,114) • Save the Children Federation ($29,230) • Buckingham Browne & Nichols Upper School The foundation supports a diverse range of causes, including environ…

Where does Bierly Boasberg Foundation make grants?

The foundation is based in Newton, Massachusetts and funds organizations nationally and internationally.

What size grants does Bierly Boasberg Foundation award?

In 2024, Bierly Boasberg Foundation awarded 70 grants totaling $548K — an average of about $8K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Bierly Boasberg Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Bierly Boasberg Foundation reported a distributable amount of $563K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.