Charles P Ferro Foundation
The Charles P Ferro Foundation is a private foundation based in Burlington, Vermont. It reported making 28 grants totaling $192,000 in 2025.
Charles P Ferro Foundation at a glance
In short: Charles P Ferro Foundation gave $192K across 28 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Connecticut. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $192,000
- +4.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 28
- +2700.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,857
- -96.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $4,502,526
- +2.2% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (68% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Charles P Ferro Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2025 filing says to submit a letter of request stating the organization’s goals and objectives and the specific purpose of the grant sought. The filing lists no restrictions on awards and says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Contact
Application contact: Bonnie Ferro
Mailing address: 88 Sunset Cliff, Burlington, VT 05408
Phone: (802) 660-2765
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Charles P Ferro Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Hole in the Wall Gang Fund Inc ($104K). Together the top 10 received $154K.
Grant Size Distribution
123 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 115 grants of 123 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars went primarily to recipients in Connecticut (68%), followed by New York (10%), Vermont (8%), North Carolina (3%), and Illinois (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 28 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Charles P Ferro Foundation gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 95% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $174K (2023) to $222K (2021). In 2025 it made 28 grants totaling $192K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hole in the Wall Gang Fund Inc New Haven, CT | General Support | $104,000 |
| Kids Helping Kids Stamford, CT | General Support | $10,000 |
| Push to Walk Oakland, NY | General Support | $6,000 |
| Westpoint School of Music Chicago, IL | General Support | $5,000 |
| Prospector Theater Ridgefield, CT | General Support | $5,000 |
| Shelburne Farms Shelburne, VT | General Support | $5,000 |
| Friends of Appalachia Trumbull, CT | General Support | $5,000 |
| Founders Hall Ridgefield, CT | General Support | $5,000 |
| Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center Burlington, VT | General Support | $5,000 |
| Grow NYC (Council on the Environment Inc) New York, NY | General Support | $4,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $4,502,526 | $440,843 | $247,154 | $192,000 | 28 | $273,058 | $377,600 | $287,811 |
| 2024 | $4,406,337 | $506,719 | $215,802 | $183,000 | 1 | $257,574 | $452,014 | $272,457 |
| 2023 | $5,185,780 | $213,705 | $1,249,885 | $174,000 | 27 | $240,956 | $146,970 | $243,259 |
| 2022 | $4,722,511 | $41,079 | $282,466 | $209,500 | 34 | $272,535 | $42,734 | $257,844 |
| 2021 | $6,155,095 | $700,208 | $257,799 | $221,500 | 33 | $277,561 | $636,970 | $288,110 |
| 2020 | $5,710,794 | $227,119 | $206,929 | $197,500 | 33 | — | $172,820 | $254,148 |
| 2019 | $5,396,549 | $189,109 | $181,168 | $212,000 | 32 | — | $133,650 | $254,448 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Charles P Ferro Foundation reported a distributable amount of $288K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, the Hole in the Wall Gang Fund says it provides camp experiences and year-round support for children, adolescents, and young adults with serious illnesses and their families. Kids Helping Kids says it develops children’s leadership and social responsibility through youth-led service projects. Shelburne Farms describes its mission as inspiring and cultivating learning for a sustainable future. Other 2025 grantees include Room at the Inn, which says it provides housing and programs for homeless pregnant women and single mothers, and Age Well, which says it supports its community in embracing aging with confidence.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 28 grants totaling $192,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $104,000, with a median grant of $3,000. The largest listed awards were $104,000 to the Hole in the Wall Gang Fund, $10,000 to Kids Helping Kids, and $6,000 to Push to Walk. Other listed awards included $5,000 each to Westpoint School of Music, Prospector Theater, Shelburne Farms, Friends of Appalachia, Founders Hall, and Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Bonnie Ferro and Marianne Ferro as co-executive directors. Trustees are Vera Dosky, Edward Friedhoff, Jennifer Ferro Lessieu, Marc Ferro, and Maren Ferro Tripoltsiotis. Michael Hund, Mollie Ferro Hart, and Will Hart are listed as non-voting members.
Charles P Ferro Foundation is led by Bonnie Ferro, Co-Executive Director on every filing since 2019; all 11 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bonnie Ferro
Co-Executive Director
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
$26K (2019) → $26K (2025)
Marianne Ferro
Co-Executive Director
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
$26K (2019) → $26K (2025)
Edward Friedhoff
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$750 (2019) → $1K (2025)
Jennifer Ferro Lessieu
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$750 (2019) → $1K (2025)
Marc Ferro
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$750 (2019) → $1K (2025)
Maren Ferro Tripolitsiotis
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$1K (2021) → $1K (2025)
Vera Dosky
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1.5 hrs/week
$6K (2019) → $6K (2025)
Christopher Hund
Non Voting Member
Non-Voting Member → Non Voting Member, 2024
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$1K (2020) → $1K (2025)
Michael Hund
Non-Voting Member
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$750 (2019) → $1K (2025)
Mollie Ferro Hart
Non-Voting Member
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$750 (2019) → $1K (2025)
Will Hart
Non-Voting Member
On filings since 2019
0.1 hrs/week
$750 (2019) → $1K (2025)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $26K, to Bonnie Ferro (Co-Executive Director). 11 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Charles P Ferro Foundation
How much does Charles P Ferro Foundation give each year?
Charles P Ferro Foundation gave $192K across 28 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $183K across 1 grant.
What is Charles P Ferro Foundation's typical grant size?
Charles P Ferro Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $6,857, across 28 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Charles P Ferro Foundation give grants?
Charles P Ferro Foundation gives mostly in Connecticut: 68% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (10%) and Vermont (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (5 grants), Ridgefield, CT (2 grants), Trumbull, CT (2 grants) and Burlington, VT (2 grants).
Does Charles P Ferro Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Charles P Ferro Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (28 of 28) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Charles P Ferro Foundation's largest grantees?
Charles P Ferro Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Hole in the Wall Gang Fund Inc ($104,000), Kids Helping Kids ($10,000) and Push to Walk ($6,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Charles P Ferro Foundation?
Charles P Ferro Foundation reported $4.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $273K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $288K (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 Charles P Ferro Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, the Hole in the Wall Gang Fund says it provides camp experiences and year-round support for children, adolescents, and young adults with serious illnesses and their families. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Charles P Ferro Foundation?
The 2025 filing says to submit a letter of request stating the organization’s goals and objectives and the specific purpose of the grant sought. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Charles P Ferro Foundation's EIN?
Charles P Ferro Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-3253710. 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 March 17, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 10, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Charles P Ferro Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/charles-p-ferro-foundation-morg_4f04fec649d244b79b7c060ce56fe1d0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_223253710_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Charles P Ferro Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/charles-p-ferro-foundation-morg_4f04fec649d244b79b7c060ce56fe1d0},
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 Charles P Ferro 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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