Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Burlington, VT EIN: 04-3359381

The Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Burlington, Vermont. Its 2025 filing lists grants to Vermont organizations supporting areas including housing, youth programs, education, and flood relief.

Key facts about Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation

In short: Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation gave $433K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $29K), mostly in Vermont. 20% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
04-3359381
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$433,000
Grants made (2025)
15
Average grant
$28,867
Median grant
$9,000
New grantees (estimate)
20% first-time grantees (3 of 15, 2025; small sample)
Total assets
$1,752,168
Primary geography
Vermont (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Full details ↓
Deadline
Letters of interest should be submitted between January 1 and March 1.

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$1.8M

+24.5% YoY

Annual Giving

$433K

-73.3% YoY

Grant Count

15

-6.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$29K

-71.5% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $71K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation open to new grantees?

20%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 3 of 15 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $78K; repeat grants $17K. How we count

Medians: $26K first-time, $8K repeat.

  • 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving fell 96% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 622% 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.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation’s filing does not state a mission. Its 2025 grants included operating support and program funding for organizations serving Vermont communities. For example, King Street Center describes its work as empowering youth through learning, play, and opportunity; Essex CHIPS says it supports and empowers youth to make healthy decisions and become community leaders. Vermont Works for Women describes its mission as advancing gender equity and supporting women and youth in their careers.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation made 15 grants totaling $433,000. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $200,000, with a median of $9,000. The largest awards included $200,000 to COTS for operating support; $50,000 to Community Sailing Center for operating support; $50,000 to Vermont Community Foundation for Vermont flood relief programs; and $30,000 to King Street Center for operating support. Other listed awards included $26,000 to Friends of Fletcher Free Library for its Summer Challenge Program and $18,000 to Neighbors in Action for operating support.

The Vermont Community Foundation describes its mission as building philanthropic resources for healthy and vital Vermont communities. The Boys and Girls Club of Burlington says it aims to help young people reach their potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

Review Cycle

Letters of interest should be submitted between January 1 and March 1. The 2026 submission period has passed.

How to Apply

The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Its filing directs applicants to the grant application procedure attached as Statement 11 and to the grant restrictions in Statement 12.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Vermont.

Grant Distribution by State

1state

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.

States

Cities

BurlingtonMiddleburyWinooskiWillistonSouth HeroEssex JunctionCabotShelburneWaterburyEssexEssex JCTVergennesColchesterRandolph

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$2.5M$5M$7.5M$10M10 grants2019 12 grants2020 14 grants2021 18 grants2022 14 grants2023 16 grants2024 15 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $31K (2019) to $9.8M (2022). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $433K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Cots: $200KCots$200KCommunity Sailing Center: $50KCommunity Sailing Center$50KVermont Community Foundation: $50KVermont Community Foundation$50KKing Street Center: $30KKing Street Center$30KFriends of Fletcher Free Library: $26KFriends of Fletcher FreeLibrary$26KNeighbors in Action: $18KNeighbors in Action$18KCommunity College of VT: $10KCommunity College of VT$10KEssex Chips: $9KEssex Chips$9KVermont Works for Women: $8KVermont Works for Women$8KRonald McDonald House: $8KRonald McDonald House$8K

The largest 2025 recipient was Cots ($200K). Together the top 10 received $408K.

Grant Size Distribution

77 grants across all recorded years

59<$50K3$50–100K2$100–250K$250–500K2$500K–1M11$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 59 grants of 77 (77%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Cots Burlington, VTOperating Support$200,000
Community Sailing Center Burlington, VTOperating Support$50,000
Vermont Community Foundation Middlebury, VTSupport Vermont Flood Relief Programs$50,000
King Street Center Burlington, VTOperating Support$30,000
Friends of Fletcher Free Library Burlington, VTSupport for Summer Challenge Program$26,000
Neighbors in Action Cabot, VTOperating Support$18,000
Community College of VT Winooski, VTLife Gap Grants for Students$10,000
Essex Chips Essex JCT, VTOperating Support$9,000
Vermont Works for Women Winooski, VTRosie's Girls Program$7,500
Ronald McDonald House Burlington, VTOperating Support$7,500

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants Grant count
2025 $1,752,168 $786,498 $441,224 $433,000 15
2024 $1,406,894 $1,281,868 $1,628,822 $1,621,000 16
2023 $1,753,848 $3,205,093 $3,812,818 $3,690,000 14
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$5M$10M$15M2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$1,752,168$1,406,894$1,753,848
Revenue$786,498$1,281,868$3,205,093
Expenses$441,224$1,628,822$3,812,818
Qualifying Distributions$439,424$1,626,886$3,698,441
Net Investment Income$251,868$686,411$793,418
Distributable Amount$70,690$70,036$121,230

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 23, 2020)
  2. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
  3. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Thomas J Gauntlett as president/chair, Mary Alice McKenzie as vice president, Patricia Motch as secretary, and David H Coates as treasurer. It also lists Melissa Gauntlett and Jeffrey Cole as directors.

Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation is led by Thomas J. Gauntlett, President & Chair on every filing since 2019; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Thomas J. Gauntlett

    President & Chair

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Melissa Gauntlett

    Director

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jeffrey Cole

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • David H. Coates

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Patricia Motch

    Secretary

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Mary Alice McKenzie

    Vice President

    Director → Vice President, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (1)
  • Former: Courtney Buffum (2019–2021) — Vice President

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.

Contact

Application contact: Craig S Matanle
Mailing address: PO Box 638, Burlington, VT 05402
Phone: (802) 863-3494

Frequently asked questions about Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation

How much does Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation give each year?

Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation gave $433K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.6M across 16 grants.

What is Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation's typical grant size?

Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $9,000, and its average grant was $28,867, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation that year got $78K on average.

Where does Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation give grants?

Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation gives mostly in Vermont: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Burlington, VT (7 grants) and Winooski, VT (2 grants).

Does Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 60% of Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (9 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation's largest grantees?

Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Cots ($200,000), Community Sailing Center ($50,000) and Vermont Community Foundation ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 69% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation?

Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation reported $1.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $439K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $71K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation fund?

The foundation’s filing does not state a mission. Its 2025 grants included operating support and program funding for organizations serving Vermont communities. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation?

The foundation states that it 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 Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation's EIN?

Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3359381. 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.

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