Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust
Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. It makes grants to charitable organizations selected in advance and does not accept unsolicited funding requests.
Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust gave $250K across 31 grants in 2024 (avg $8K), mostly in Massachusetts. 0% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $250,000
- -12.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 31
- -3.1% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $8,065
- -9.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $2,972,429
- +3.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 31, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (54% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The trust makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: Hemenway Barnes Llp PO Box 961209, Boston, MA 02196-1209
Phone: (617) 227-7940
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was American Friends Service Committe ($10K). Together the top 10 received $100K.
Grant Size Distribution
157 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 157 grants of 157 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, Massachusetts organizations received 54% of grant dollars, followed by North Carolina at 15%, New York at 14%, California at 10%, and New Hampshire at 4%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 31 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 0 of 31 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. How we count
- 100% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−5%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 94% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $245K (2020) to $285K (2023). In 2024 it made 31 grants totaling $250K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American Friends Service Committe San Francisco, CA | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Cohasset Library Trust Inc Cohasset, MA | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Destination Cleveland County Inc Shelby, NC | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Food Bank of Western Massachusetts Hatfield, MA | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| George & Ida Wood Blanton Endowment Shelby, NC | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Global Fund for Women San Francisco, CA | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Greater Boston Food Bank Boston, MA | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Haymarket Peoples Fund Jamaica Plain, MA | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Historic Harrisville Inc Harrisville, NH | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| International College New York, NY | General Purpose | $10,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,972,429 | $405,297 | $305,857 | $250,000 | 31 | $250,035 | $352,475 | $264,763 |
| 2023 | $2,870,749 | $237,328 | $332,612 | $285,000 | 32 | $285,035 | $189,751 | $248,689 |
| 2022 | $2,953,000 | $218,976 | $318,346 | $265,000 | 32 | $265,035 | $172,023 | $257,071 |
| 2021 | $3,046,143 | $471,896 | $319,553 | $264,000 | 31 | $264,035 | $420,878 | $280,943 |
| 2020 | $2,900,485 | $421,715 | $298,847 | $245,000 | 31 | — | $376,140 | $246,973 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $265K for 2024 — 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 trust is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, Oxfam-America describes its work as fighting inequality to end poverty and injustice, while the Greater Boston Food Bank describes distributing food through member agencies and direct distribution sites. Haymarket People’s Fund says it supports grassroots organizations addressing the root causes of injustice, and Global Fund for Women says it funds gender justice movements.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the trust gave $250,000 through 31 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $10,000, with a median of $10,000. Recipients reported to have received $10,000 that year include Oxfam-America, St Francis House, Haymarket People’s Fund, Historic Harrisville, Peace Development Fund, Greater Boston Food Bank, and Global Fund for Women.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Michael J Puzo, Helen T Chapell, and Millicent S Thayer as trustees.
Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust's 2024 filing lists 3 officers; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Michael J. Puzo
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2.5 hrs/week
$24K (2020) → $29K (2024)
Helen T. Chapell
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Millicent S. Thayer
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $29K, to Michael J Puzo (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust
How much does Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust give each year?
Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust gave $250K across 31 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $285K across 32 grants.
What is Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $8,065, across 31 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust give grants?
Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust gives mostly in Massachusetts: 54% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were North Carolina (15%) and New York (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (6 grants), Shelby, NC (3 grants), Cohasset, MA (3 grants) and San Francisco, CA (2 grants).
Does Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (31 of 31) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust's largest 2024 grantees include American Friends Service Committe ($10,000), Cohasset Library Trust Inc ($10,000) and Destination Cleveland County Inc ($10,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 12% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust?
Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust reported $3.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $250K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $265K (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 Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for a range of charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust?
The trust makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust's EIN?
Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6676539. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust 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 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/caroline-blanton-thayer-charitable-trust-morg_106656e8f5864ee08be34120676c7340
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_046676539_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/caroline-blanton-thayer-charitable-trust-morg_106656e8f5864ee08be34120676c7340},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Caroline Blanton Thayer Charitable Trust'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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