Comet Foundation
Comet Foundation is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. In its 2025 filing, it reported 32 grants totaling $3,205,388, supporting recipients including universities, community-service organizations, and health organizations.
Comet Foundation at a glance
In short: Comet Foundation gave $3.2M across 32 grants in 2025 (avg $100K), mostly in Massachusetts. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,205,388
- -4.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 32
- +166.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $100,168
- -64.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $24,839,150
- +54.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (54% 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 Comet Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s filing says applications should be submitted in writing and include any pertinent materials applicants would like the trustees to consider. Award restrictions are listed as not applicable.
- Review Cycle
- Not applicable.
- Deadline
- Not applicable.
- Contact
Application contact: Langley Steinert And Hilary Steiner
Mailing address: One Joy Street, Boston, MA 02108
Phone: (617) 720-5800
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Comet Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was President and Fellows of Harvard College ($525K). Together the top 10 received $2.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
47 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 27 grants of 47 (57%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts (54%), New Jersey (16%), Tennessee (16%), New Hampshire (9%), and North Carolina (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 32 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Comet Foundation gives
- 8% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 2464% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 347% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 2022 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $125K (2022) to $3.4M (2024). In 2025 it made 32 grants totaling $3.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| President and Fellows of Harvard College Cambridge, MA | Education | $525,000 |
| Trustees of Princeton University Princeton, NJ | Education | $525,000 |
| Trustees of Dartmouth College Hanover, NH | Education | $275,000 |
| Steppingstone Foundation Inc Boston, MA | Community Services | $250,000 |
| Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN | Education | $250,000 |
| Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN | Education | $250,000 |
| Nantucket Performing Arts Center Inc Nantucket, MA | Community Services | $250,000 |
| Nantucket Cottage Hospital Nantucket, MA | HEALTH | $200,000 |
| Environmental Defense Fund Boston, MA | Community Services | $200,000 |
| Emerson Health Care Foundation Inc Concord, MA | HEALTH | $120,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Comet 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 | $24,839,150 | $12,039,848 | $3,296,598 | $3,205,388 | 32 | $3,205,388 | $1,924,909 | $923,962 |
| 2024 | $16,095,900 | $7,102,750 | $3,472,420 | $3,366,312 | 12 | $3,366,312 | $508,061 | $792,204 |
| 2023 | $12,374,680 | $106,109 | $730,963 | $562,500 | 2 | $562,500 | $81,051 | $634,843 |
| 2022 | $12,999,534 | $6,747,788 | $324,228 | $125,000 | 1 | $125,000 | $6,739,743 | $528,301 |
| 2021 | $6,602,558 | $6,602,558 | — | — | — | — | $6,602,558 | $101,668 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Comet Foundation reported a distributable amount of $924K 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 included awards for education, community services, and health. Among its grantees, Steppingstone Foundation says it prepares students to access, navigate, and graduate from college; Harper’s Home says it provides free short-term housing for families whose children are receiving treatment at Duke Children’s Hospital; and Emerson Health Care Foundation says it provides philanthropic resources to support Emerson Health System and Emerson Hospital in improving community health.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 32 grants totaling $3,205,388. Grants ranged from $600 to $525,000, with a median grant of $25,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $525,000 each to President and Fellows of Harvard College and Trustees of Princeton University for education; $275,000 to Trustees of Dartmouth College for education; and $250,000 each to Steppingstone Foundation for community services, Vanderbilt University for education (two grants), and Nantucket Performing Arts Center for community services. Other notable awards included $200,000 to Nantucket Cottage Hospital for health and $200,000 to Environmental Defense Fund for community services.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Langley Steinert and Hilary Steinert as trustees.
Comet Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Hilary Steinert
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Langley Steinert
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Comet Foundation
How much does Comet Foundation give each year?
Comet Foundation gave $3.2M across 32 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $3.4M across 12 grants.
What is Comet Foundation's typical grant size?
Comet Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $100,168, across 32 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Comet Foundation give grants?
Comet Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 54% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New Jersey (16%) and Tennessee (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were Concord, MA (5 grants), Nashville, TN (3 grants), Nantucket, MA (3 grants) and Needham, MA (3 grants).
Does Comet Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 32 grants with a stated purpose on Comet Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education" (16 grants), "Health" (10 grants) and "Community Services" (6 grants).
Who are Comet Foundation's largest grantees?
Comet Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include President and Fellows of Harvard College ($525,000), Trustees of Princeton University ($525,000) and Vanderbilt University ($525,000 across 3 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 49% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Comet Foundation?
Comet Foundation reported $24.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $924K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Comet Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included awards for education, community services, and health. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Comet Foundation?
The foundation’s filing says applications should be submitted in writing and include any pertinent materials applicants would like the trustees to consider. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Comet Foundation's EIN?
Comet Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 86-1967040. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 2, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Comet Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Comet Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/comet-foundation-morg_4c3ac4ae59b3459eb7508dfbfb2ac076
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_861967040_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Comet Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/comet-foundation-morg_4c3ac4ae59b3459eb7508dfbfb2ac076},
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 Comet 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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