Charter Oak Foundation
Charter Oak Foundation is a private foundation based in West Simsbury, Connecticut. It makes grants to nonprofit organizations serving children and teens affected by mental health challenges and the consequences of historical marginalization, injustices, and inequities.
Charter Oak Foundation at a glance
In short: Charter Oak Foundation gave $101K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), top state Illinois. 53% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $101,000
- +34.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- +6.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,941
- +26.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,354,618
- -5.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 53% first-time grantees (9 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (20% 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 Charter Oak Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The website says applications are paused as of September 2025, so its application instructions should not be treated as current. The website’s instructions call for a written application with the organization’s name, age, mission and website (if applicable); a one- to two-page statement of the amount requested and intended use; board members’ names and titles; and a contact person. The foundation’s 2024 filing additionally lists a clear copy of the IRS 501(c)(3) determination and the most recent budget among application materials. The website says to submit the completed application as a single merged PDF to a board contact person.
- Review Cycle
- The website lists March 1 and September 1 as 2026 proposal deadlines. Both dates have passed.
- Deadline
- The website lists March 1 and September 1 as 2026 proposal deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Board Of Directors
Mailing address: 48 Fox Den Road, West Simsbury, CT 06092
Phone: (860) 212-2900
Email: cynthia@charteroakfoundation.com
Website: https://www.charteroakfoundation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Charter Oak Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was SG United Foundation ($10K). Together the top 10 received $70K.
Grant Size Distribution
77 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 77 grants of 77 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to organizations in multiple states. The largest reported recipient-state shares were Illinois (20%), Minnesota (15%), Connecticut (14%), Maine (10%), and Wisconsin (10%). The 2025 grants also included recipients in Washington, New York, and Oregon.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Charter Oak Foundation open to new grantees?
53%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 17 grantees (53%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 41% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 179% 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 $72K (2021) to $102K (2022). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $101K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| SG United Foundation York, ME | General Support | $10,000 |
| Youth Outlook Naperville, IL | General Support | $10,000 |
| Kitchen Garden Project Inc Garden-Raised Bounty Olympia, WA | General Support | $10,000 |
| Queerspace Collective Minneapolis, MN | General Support | $10,000 |
| Compass for Kids Inc Springfield, IL | General Support | $5,000 |
| Family Matters Inc Chicago, IL | General Support | $5,000 |
| Trinity Academy of Hartford Hartford, CT | General Support | $5,000 |
| Vera Court Neighborhood Center Madison, WI | Community Support | $5,000 |
| Your Move MKE Milwaukee, WI | General Support | $5,000 |
| Erins Angels of CNY Inc Phoenix, NY | General Support | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Charter Oak 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 | $1,354,618 | $109,531 | $144,568 | $101,000 | 17 | $123,007 | $91,035 | $68,585 |
| 2024 | $1,431,367 | $60,192 | $119,003 | $75,000 | 16 | $100,556 | $40,384 | $66,154 |
| 2023 | $1,359,435 | $-48,262 | $106,535 | $72,500 | 12 | $88,049 | $11,094 | $69,340 |
| 2022 | $1,632,899 | $159,461 | $137,688 | $102,000 | 19 | $115,326 | $137,484 | $82,725 |
| 2021 | $1,719,682 | $18,383 | $102,665 | $72,000 | 13 | — | $6,781 | $79,924 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Charter Oak Foundation reported a distributable amount of $69K 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 says it continues the legacy of Mary D. Gould, founder and president of Charter Oak Hospital, a residential mental-health facility for adolescent girls in crisis. Its stated mission is to support children and teens most impacted by mental health challenges and the consequences of historical marginalization, injustices, and inequities. It describes its grants as fairly modest and says it prefers small, relatively new foundations that have not secured major funding from other sources. Recipients must demonstrate 501(c)(3) status.
The foundation’s website asks applicants to serve young people in exceptionally challenging circumstances and to provide counseling, role modeling, mentoring, educational enrichment, or similar programs. Examples of 2025 grantees’ stated missions include Queerspace Collective, which says it provides a safe and empowering space for LGBTQ+ youth, and SG United Foundation, which says it empowers girls through sport and physical activity alongside mental-health and well-being activities. Youth Outlook says it serves LGBTQ+ youth and their families, friends, and communities; Compass for Kids says it provides academic and social-emotional support to children and families underserved in its community.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $101,000. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $10,000, with a median of $5,000. The foundation’s website says most of its grants are $5,000.
Among the 2025 grants, Queerspace Collective and Youth Outlook each received $10,000. SG United Foundation also received $10,000. Compass for Kids, Family Matters, Vera Court Neighborhood Center, and Your Move MKE each received $5,000. The listed purposes were generally “general support”; Vera Court Neighborhood Center’s grant was listed as “community support.”
The foundation’s 2024 filing says organizations should be between two and fifteen years old and provide counseling, role modeling, mentoring, or similar programs. It also says an organization awarded funding during a 12-month period cannot submit more than one request in that period, and that organizations are capped at $25,000 in lifetime funding or five funded applications.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Cynthia G Marsh as president, Elizabeth Lane as vice president, Andrew Marsh as treasurer, Allison Marsh Abbott as secretary, and Luisa K Gerasimo, Megan Jackson, Elizabeth Marsh, and Marlon Goulbourne as directors.
Charter Oak Foundation is led by Cynthia G. Marsh, President on every filing since 2021; all 8 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Cynthia G. Marsh
President
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$2K (2021) → $2K (2025)
Luisa K. Gerasimo
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$2K (2021) → $2K (2025)
Megan Jackson
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$2K (2021) → $2K (2025)
Elizabeth Marsh
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
$2K (2022) → $2K (2025)
Marlon Goulbourne
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
$2K (2023) → $2K (2025)
Allison Marsh Abbott
Secretary
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$2K (2021) → $2K (2025)
Andrew Marsh
Treasurer
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$2K (2021) → $2K (2025)
Elizabeth Lane
Vice President
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$2K (2021) → $2K (2025)
Former officers (1)
- Former: Eli Marsh (2021) — Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $2K, to Cynthia G Marsh (President). 8 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Charter Oak Foundation
How much does Charter Oak Foundation give each year?
Charter Oak Foundation gave $101K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $75K across 16 grants.
What is Charter Oak Foundation's typical grant size?
Charter Oak Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $5,941, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Charter Oak Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does Charter Oak Foundation give grants?
Charter Oak Foundation's top state is Illinois, with 20% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Minnesota (15%) and Connecticut (14%).
Does Charter Oak Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 94% of Charter Oak Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Charter Oak Foundation's largest grantees?
Charter Oak Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include SG United Foundation ($10,000), Youth Outlook ($10,000) and Kitchen Garden Project Inc Garden-Raised Bounty ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 30% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Charter Oak Foundation?
Charter Oak Foundation reported $1.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $123K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $69K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Charter Oak Foundation fund?
The foundation says it continues the legacy of Mary D. Gould, founder and president of Charter Oak Hospital, a residential mental-health facility for adolescent girls in crisis. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Charter Oak Foundation?
The website says applications are paused as of September 2025, so its application instructions should not be treated as current. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Charter Oak Foundation's EIN?
Charter Oak Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-2264158. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
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
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Charter Oak Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/charter-oak-foundation-morg_c4f98226c7744bc7b30ecd9abd0288fc
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_952264158_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Charter Oak Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/charter-oak-foundation-morg_c4f98226c7744bc7b30ecd9abd0288fc},
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 Charter Oak 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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