Brooks Family Foundation
Brooks Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its 2025 grants included support for a university school of public policy and organizations in Maine and New York working in education, the arts, food access, and community services.
Brooks Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Brooks Family Foundation gave $2.2M across 35 grants in 2025 (avg $64K), mostly in New York. 14% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,243,500
- +191.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 35
- -47.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $64,100
- +450.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $17,665,066
- -7.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 14% first-time grantees (5 of 35, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (92% 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 Brooks Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: Co Lwc 230 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02110
Phone: (617) 523-6531
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Brooks Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cornell University ($2.0M). Together the top 10 received $2.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
343 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 332 grants of 343 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 92% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York and 7% to recipients in Maine. The listed grants also included recipients in Colorado.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 35 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Brooks Family Foundation open to new grantees?
14%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 35 grantees (14%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $74K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 80% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 288% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 258% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $578K (2022) to $25.6M (2021). In 2025 it made 35 grants totaling $2.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cornell University Ithaca, NY | Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy | $2,000,000 |
| Southern Maine Community College Foundation South Portland, ME | General Support | $50,000 |
| Portland Stage Company Portland, ME | General Support | $32,500 |
| Mayo Street Arts Portland, ME | General Support | $22,000 |
| Good Shepherd Food Bank Auburn, ME | General Support | $20,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders USA New York, NY | General Support | $10,000 |
| Kennebec Valley Dental Coalition DBA Waterville Community Dental Center Oakland, ME | General Support | $10,000 |
| Sunrise Opportunities Machias, ME | $5,000 General Support; $5,000 Washington County Children's Program | $10,000 |
| Foodlink Inc Rochester, NY | General Support | $7,000 |
| Center for Transformative Action (FBO Ithaca City of Asylum) Ithaca, NY | General Support | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Brooks Family 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 | $17,665,066 | $1,240,691 | $2,392,814 | $2,243,500 | 35 | $2,287,228 | $1,171,648 | $885,045 |
| 2024 | $19,023,556 | $304,663 | $873,191 | $768,500 | 66 | $811,108 | $296,224 | $812,847 |
| 2023 | $17,463,576 | $346,350 | $3,800,569 | $3,581,000 | 75 | $3,624,639 | $310,663 | $934,876 |
| 2022 | $19,296,262 | $217,417 | $702,495 | $577,500 | 83 | $628,399 | $36,889 | $998,135 |
| 2021 | $21,443,315 | $26,552,695 | $25,761,198 | $25,620,500 | 84 | — | $396,902 | $1,018,512 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Brooks Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $885K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations with varied activities. For example, Southern Maine Community College Foundation says its purpose is to support educational activities at SMCC; Portland Stage Company says it invests in art, learning, and connecting diverse communities; and Good Shepherd Food Bank describes its mission as improving access to nutritious and culturally relevant food and working to eliminate hunger in Maine.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 35 grants totaling $2,243,500. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $2,000,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest grants included $2,000,000 to Cornell University for the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, $50,000 to Southern Maine Community College Foundation for general support, and $32,500 to Portland Stage Company for general support. Other grants included $22,000 to Mayo Street Arts and $20,000 to Good Shepherd Food Bank, both for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists James E Brooks and Cherie Wendelken as trustees.
Brooks Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Cherie Wendelken
Trustee
On filings since 2021
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James E Brooks
Trustee
On filings since 2021
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: W Andrew Mims (2021–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Wendy S Holding (2021–2022) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Brooks Family Foundation
How much does Brooks Family Foundation give each year?
Brooks Family Foundation gave $2.2M across 35 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $769K across 66 grants.
What is Brooks Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Brooks Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $64,100, across 35 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Brooks Family Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Brooks Family Foundation give grants?
Brooks Family Foundation gives mostly in New York: 92% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Maine (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Portland, ME (8 grants), Ithaca, NY (4 grants) and New York, NY (4 grants).
Does Brooks Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 97% of Brooks Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (34 of 35) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Brooks Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Brooks Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Cornell University ($2,000,000), Southern Maine Community College Foundation ($50,000) and Portland Stage Company ($32,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 93% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Brooks Family Foundation?
Brooks Family Foundation reported $17.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $885K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Brooks Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations with varied activities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Brooks Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Brooks Family Foundation's EIN?
Brooks Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3582018. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Brooks Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Brooks Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Brooks Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/brooks-family-foundation-morg_1bb7ff3ff2804b6a900434f8c2adcfc2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_043582018_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Brooks Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/brooks-family-foundation-morg_1bb7ff3ff2804b6a900434f8c2adcfc2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Brooks Family 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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