Bonnell Cove Foundation
Bonnell Cove Foundation is a private foundation based in Groton, Connecticut, that supports not-for-profit organizations in North America working on safety at sea and the marine environment. Organized in 1989 by the Cruising Club of America, it is funded by the sale of donated waterfront land on Block Island and additional contributions from Club members. The foundation has no paid staff.
Bonnell Cove Foundation at a glance
In short: Bonnell Cove Foundation gave $126K across 30 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), top state Maine. 63% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $126,474
- +18.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 30
- +50.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,216
- -21.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,410
- Total assets
- $1,710,237
- +7.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 63% first-time grantees (19 of 30, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Maine (26% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Bonnell Cove Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s website encourages eligible organizations to apply, and its filing says giving is not restricted to preselected organizations. Applicants should submit the foundation’s Grant Summary Form, with an organizational description, financial summary, request description, project funding sources, evaluation plan, and expected results. The website also requests organizational history and mission, services and people served where relevant, and information about the board and top staff.
- Review Cycle
- The 2025 filing lists February 1 and October 1 each year. A separate grant-program description lists February 1 and September 1 deadlines for March and October reviews; the September 1, 2026 deadline has passed.
- Deadline
- The 2025 filing lists February 1 and October 1 each year.
- Next open deadline
- February 1, 2027 (Bonnell Cove Foundation Grant)
- Contact
Application contact: W Frank Bohlen
Mailing address: 1 Scott Lane, Mystic, CT 06355
Phone: (860) 608-5295
Website: https://www.bonnellcove.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 Bonnell Cove Foundation
Who Bonnell Cove Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Savannah Science Museum ($6K). Together the top 10 received $52K.
Grant Size Distribution
96 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 96 grants of 96 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation describes its eligible support as serving not-for-profit organizations in North America. In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Maine (26%), Massachusetts (24%), Washington (12%), Connecticut (10%), and Georgia (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 30 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Bonnell Cove Foundation open to new grantees?
63%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 19 of 30 grantees (63%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 20% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 42% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 164% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $66K (2021) to $126K (2025). In 2025 it made 30 grants totaling $126K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Savannah Science Museum Savannah, GA | Environmental & Safety at Sea | $6,000 |
| Cobscook Institute Prescott TWP, ME | Equipment Training | $5,607 |
| Hurricane Island Foundation Rockland, ME | Environmental | $5,550 |
| Bellingham Bay Community Boating CT Bellingham, WA | Environmental & Safety at Sea | $5,000 |
| Billion Oyster Project Inc New York, NY | Environmental Project | $5,000 |
| Cape Cod Maritime Museum Hyannis, MA | Safety at Sea | $5,000 |
| Oikonos Ecosysterm Knowledge Kailua, HI | Environmental & Safety at Sea | $5,000 |
| Sawhorse Revolution Seattle, WA | Environmental & Safety at Sea | $5,000 |
| Washington Yacht Club Seattle, WA | Environmental & Safety at Sea | $5,000 |
| Chicago Yacht Club Foundation Chicago, IL | Environmental & Safety at Sea | $4,875 |
Ready to take the next step with Bonnell Cove Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,710,237 | $155,889 | $137,313 | $126,474 | 30 | $132,199 | $40,177 | $80,816 |
| 2024 | $1,594,483 | $89,108 | $116,805 | $107,036 | 20 | $112,595 | $39,228 | $74,421 |
| 2023 | $1,449,832 | $102,658 | $105,732 | $96,919 | 19 | $102,582 | $56,746 | $67,411 |
| 2022 | $1,319,698 | $91,561 | $97,218 | $89,269 | 15 | $93,941 | $44,630 | $70,106 |
| 2021 | $1,552,429 | $91,460 | $73,496 | $66,214 | 12 | $69,204 | $43,606 | $70,999 |
| 2020 | $1,355,367 | $56,797 | $77,281 | $70,109 | 16 | — | $22,346 | $64,167 |
| 2019 | $1,263,045 | $53,239 | $85,509 | $80,046 | 18 | — | $26,489 | $58,317 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bonnell Cove Foundation reported a distributable amount of $81K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation supports projects related to safety at sea and the environment of the sea. Its website describes safety interests such as personal safety equipment, operational and training protocols, and crew awareness. Environmental interests include research on marine conditions and impacts, conservation of coastal and estuarine land, greener boating technologies, and education in marine stewardship.
The foundation supports a range of nonprofit organizations. Among its 2025 grantees, Savannah Science Museum described its mission as public education and service through science and natural-history programs; Billion Oyster Project said it works to restore oyster reefs to New York Harbor through public education; and Community Boating Center described its work as providing recreational boating instruction and access, with an emphasis on children and water safety. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation awarded 30 grants totaling $126,474. Grants ranged from $1,460 to $6,000, with a median of $4,410. Its largest reported 2025 grants included $6,000 to Savannah Science Museum for “Environmental & Safety at Sea,” $5,607 to Cobscook Institute for equipment training, and $5,550 to Hurricane Island Foundation for environmental work. Other notable awards were $5,000 each to Billion Oyster Project for an environmental project, Cape Cod Maritime Museum for safety at sea, and Sawhorse Revolution for environmental and safety-at-sea work.
The foundation favors well-defined, discrete projects and generally gives lower priority to requests for general operating support. It prefers funding projects in their entirety or substantially, rather than contributing a small portion of a large-budget undertaking. Applicants must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) and classified as “not a private foundation” under Section 509(a).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Joyce Lhamon and Joseph Harris as directors; Paul Rogers as treasurer; JW Robert Medland as president; W Frank Bohlen as secretary; and Peter Balasubramanian, Christopher Otorowski, Maureen Roddy, Christopher Tatum, and Magaret Brandon as board members.
Bonnell Cove Foundation is led by Jw Robert Medland, President since 2024 (on filings since 2019); none of the 12 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jw Robert Medland
President
Director → President, 2024
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joseph Harris
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joyce C. Lhamon
Director
President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paul K. Rogers III
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
W. Frank Bohlen
Secretary
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William Foss
Board Member
Director → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Peter Balasubramanian
Board Member
Director → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert Floyd III
Board Member
Director → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Otorowski
Board Member
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Tatum
Board Member
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Maureen Roddy
Board Member
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Magaret Brandon
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (7)
- Former: Charles Stillman (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Sheila McCurdy (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: W. Bradley Avery (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: B. Devereux Barker (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Bradley Avery (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: John Melchner (2019) — Director
- Former: Zia Ahari (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Bonnell Cove Foundation
How much does Bonnell Cove Foundation give each year?
Bonnell Cove Foundation gave $126K across 30 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $107K across 20 grants.
What is Bonnell Cove Foundation's typical grant size?
Bonnell Cove Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,410, and its average grant was $4,216, across 30 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Bonnell Cove Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Bonnell Cove Foundation give grants?
Bonnell Cove Foundation's top state is Maine, with 26% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (24%) and Washington (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Gloucester, MA (3 grants), Seattle, WA (2 grants) and Portland, ME (2 grants).
Does Bonnell Cove Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 30 grants with a stated purpose on Bonnell Cove Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Environmental & Safety at Sea" (21 grants) and "Safety at Sea" (4 grants).
Who are Bonnell Cove Foundation's largest grantees?
Bonnell Cove Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Savannah Science Museum ($6,000), Cobscook Institute ($5,607) and Hurricane Island Foundation ($5,550), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 14% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bonnell Cove Foundation?
Bonnell Cove Foundation reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $132K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $81K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Bonnell Cove Foundation fund?
The foundation supports projects related to safety at sea and the environment of the sea. Its website describes safety interests such as personal safety equipment, operational and training protocols, and crew awareness. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bonnell Cove Foundation?
The foundation’s website encourages eligible organizations to apply, and its filing says giving is not restricted to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Bonnell Cove Foundation's EIN?
Bonnell Cove Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3556721. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 7, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Bonnell Cove Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bonnell Cove Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bonnell-cove-foundation-morg_bc32dab49d8745ac84befc97d8f3b871
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133556721_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bonnell Cove Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bonnell-cove-foundation-morg_bc32dab49d8745ac84befc97d8f3b871},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Bonnell Cove Foundation'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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