Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family
Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family is a private foundation based in Hartford, Connecticut. Its 2025 filing reports 55 grants totaling $557,756, supporting organizations including a school, arts and cultural institutions, a hospital, and community and charitable organizations.
Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family at a glance
In short: Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family gave $558K across 55 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Connecticut. 20% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $557,756
- +46.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 55
- -9.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,141
- +62.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $1,598,475
- -18.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (9 of 45, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (97% 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 Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family
- How to Apply
-
The 2024 filing states that the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It lists John P. Redding as the contact, says there is no specific form, and reports no restrictions on awards.
- Review Cycle
- None, according to the 2024 filing.
- Deadline
- None, according to the 2024 filing.
- Contact
Application contact: John P Redding
Mailing address: 225 Asylum St Fl 29, Hartford, CT 06103-1534
Phone: (860) 549-1674
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Renbrook School ($305K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $511K.
Grant Size Distribution
291 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 284 grants of 291 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 97% of grant dollars went to recipients in Connecticut. The filing reports 1% each for New York and Massachusetts, and 0% each for Washington, DC, and New Jersey.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 55 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 45 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $500 first-time, $1K repeat.
- 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 132% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 651% 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 $240K (2022) to $558K (2025). In 2025 it made 55 grants totaling $558K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Renbrook School West Hartford, CT | Take Flight: the Campaign for Renbrook | $300,000 |
| Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art Hartford, CT | Support of Premier Membership | $50,000 |
| Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford West Hartford, CT | Holocaust Dignity Fund | $25,000 |
| Theater Works Hartford Hartford, CT | Your Name Means Dream Sponsorship | $25,000 |
| Hartford Hospital Hartford, CT | 33RD Annual Black & Red Sponsorship | $17,500 |
| Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts Hartford, CT | The Bushnell's Annual Fund | $15,000 |
| Connecticut Science Center Hartford, CT | Annual Gift | $15,000 |
| New Britain Museum of American Art New Britain, CT | Unrestricted Purpose | $12,000 |
| Farmington Chabad Farmington, CT | Unrestricted Purpose | $10,000 |
| United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut Hartford, CT | Unrestricted 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,598,475 | $218,587 | $601,478 | $557,756 | 55 | $568,320 | $168,295 | $87,252 |
| 2024 | $1,970,802 | $1,051,561 | $415,419 | $381,084 | 61 | $396,439 | $671,591 | $89,854 |
| 2023 | $1,332,594 | $383,640 | $368,854 | $367,458 | 64 | $370,876 | $95,957 | $102,544 |
| 2022 | $1,323,547 | $282,341 | $284,260 | $240,238 | 57 | $261,854 | $74,838 | $128,094 |
| 2021 | $1,324,580 | $348,740 | $346,471 | $308,316 | 54 | — | $77,573 | $133,501 |
| 2020 | $1,321,396 | $301,191 | $299,825 | $271,364 | 57 | — | $82,426 | $128,404 |
| 2019 | $1,320,254 | $314,504 | $314,183 | $305,143 | 67 | — | $88,638 | $134,248 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family reported a distributable amount of $87K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations in education, arts and culture, health, and community and charitable work. Renbrook School describes its mission as educating and inspiring students to develop character, knowledge, and creativity. The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art says it advances knowledge and inspires people to experience and appreciate art and culture. Hartford Hospital describes its mission as improving the health and healing of the people and communities it serves.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 55 grants totaling $557,756. Awards ranged from $50 to $300,000, with a median grant of $1,000. The largest listed grant was $300,000 to Renbrook School for “Take Flight: The Campaign for Renbrook.” Other notable grants included $50,000 to the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art for premier membership, $25,000 to the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford for the Holocaust Dignity Fund, and $25,000 to TheaterWorks Hartford for “Your Name Means Dream” sponsorship. Hartford Hospital received $17,500 for its 33rd Annual Black & Red sponsorship and $8,333 for a Stars Dancing for Parkinson’s event sponsorship.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Cheryl A. Chase as president and director, John P. Redding as secretary and director, and Dara Chase Dyer as director.
Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family is led by Cheryl A. Chase, President & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Cheryl A. Chase
President & Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dara Chase Dyer
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John P. Redding
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family
How much does Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family give each year?
Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family gave $558K across 55 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $381K across 61 grants.
What is Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family's typical grant size?
Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $10,141, across 55 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family that year got $5K on average.
Where does Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family give grants?
Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family gives mostly in Connecticut: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Hartford, CT (19 grants), West Hartford, CT (11 grants), New York, NY (4 grants) and New Britain, CT (2 grants).
Does Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family give general operating support?
Yes: 55% of Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (30 of 55) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family's largest grantees?
Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family's largest 2025 grantees include Renbrook School ($305,000 across 2 grants), Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art ($65,250 across 4 grants) and Hartford Hospital ($25,833 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 71% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family?
Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $568K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $87K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations in education, arts and culture, health, and community and charitable work. Renbrook School describes its mission as educating and inspiring students to develop character, knowledge, and creativity. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family?
The 2024 filing states that the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family's EIN?
Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-1562154. 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 October 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 August 17, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 17, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cheryl-chase-and-stuart-bear-family-morg_5f2d8ddd1f114bab9045bd84f49c8f74
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_061562154_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Cheryl Chase \& Stuart Bear Family funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cheryl-chase-and-stuart-bear-family-morg_5f2d8ddd1f114bab9045bd84f49c8f74},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family'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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