East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc
East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc is a private foundation based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1989, it provides scholarships to East Cambridge residents pursuing education beyond high school, including college, graduate study, and technical or vocational programs.
East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc at a glance
In short: East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc gave $45K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Massachusetts. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $45,200
- +0.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +87.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,013
- -46.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $387,590
- +3.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (100% 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 East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc
- How to Apply
-
Submit the signed application and required materials by mail. Applications are also available at the O’Connell Branch Library, Kennedy-Longfellow School, the Office of City Councilor Tim Toomey, and East End House. The funder’s website gives differing deadline descriptions: one page states April 15 each year, while the application page says the deadline is the tax filing deadline of each year. The 2025 filing lists no deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc
Mailing address: PO Box 410026, Cambridge, MA 02141
Phone: (617) 759-3345
Website: HTTPS://WWW.THEECSF.ORG/
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
43 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 43 grants of 43 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The funder states that applicants must be residents of East Cambridge. All 2025 grant dollars went to individual recipients in Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc gives
- Giving grew 34% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 259% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2022 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $28K (2023) to $45K (2025). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $45K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 15 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $45,200 |
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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 | $387,590 | $63,519 | $51,248 | $45,200 | 15 | $51,248 | $22,340 | $19,822 |
| 2024 | $376,068 | $59,574 | $46,846 | $45,000 | 8 | $46,671 | $25,441 | $18,294 |
| 2023 | $356,664 | $56,416 | $28,980 | $28,400 | 6 | $28,843 | $12,616 | $17,957 |
| 2022 | $365,405 | $53,825 | $35,202 | $33,760 | 14 | $35,202 | $9,892 | $27,640 |
| 2021 | $346,782 | $47,681 | $17,619 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020 | $316,720 | $4,752 | $19,066 | — | — | — | — | — |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc reported a distributable amount of $20K 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
The funder’s mission is to make education accessible regardless of economic circumstance, viewing education as a catalyst for change for individuals, families, and the community. It awards scholarships to East Cambridge residents attending or planning to attend two- or four-year colleges, graduate school, or technical and vocational programs.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the funder reported 15 scholarships totaling $45,200. Individual awards ranged from $1,150 to $6,350, with a median award of $2,000. The largest reported scholarship was $6,350 for a student attending Northeastern University. Other reported awards included $4,900 for a student attending The New School and $4,900 for a student attending Lehigh University. All 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts.
Scholarships are paid directly to the institution the applicant has been accepted to, and applicants may reapply each year. The funder’s website says applicants submit a completed, signed application, a recent official transcript, and a copy of a current IRS Form 1040. The filing states that applicants must be East Cambridge residents, be high school graduates, and be attending or admitted to an accredited educational institution beyond high school. The website says applications are reviewed and ranked by a board-member Scholarship Review Committee, which assesses residency history, academic achievement, community engagement or extracurricular activities, and financial need. Committee members do not see applicants’ names during review.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mary Grassi as president, Paul Murray as treasurer, and Jeanne Spera as secretary. Trustees listed are Amy Butcher, Audrey Cunningham, Alfred Disidoro, Alfred Fantini, Dayna Pollick, Jada Simmons, and Timothy Toomey Jr. The funder’s website describes its board as elected volunteers who are East Cambridge residents.
East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc is led by Mary Grassi, President since 2025 (on filings since 2020); none of the 11 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mary Grassi
President
Vice President → President, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Audrey Cunningham
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dayna Pollick
Trustee
Trustee → President, 2023
President → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Travers Jr.
Trustee
Member → Trustee, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Timothy Toomey Jr.
Trustee
Member → Trustee, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jada Simmons
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Amy Butcher
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alfred Disidoro
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alfred Fantini
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeanne Spera
Secretary
Member → Trustee, 2022
Trustee → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paul Murray
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (12)
- Former: Frank Muolo (2020–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Lois Sullivan (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Mirta Miranda (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Fred Fantini (2024) — Trustee
- Former: Jean Spera (2024) — Trustee
- Former: Ann Spera (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Maria Williams (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Nicole Egidio (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Robert Travers Sr. (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Barbara Rubel (2022–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Fran Harr (2020–2021) — Member
- Former: Sandra McSheffrey (2020–2021) — Member
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 East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc
How much does East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc give each year?
East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc gave $45K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $45K across 8 grants.
What is East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc's typical grant size?
East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $3,013, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc give grants?
East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc gives mostly in Massachusetts: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there.
Does East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 15 grants with a stated purpose on East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship for Student to Attend Northeastern University." (3 grants).
How large is East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc?
East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc reported $388K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $51K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $20K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc fund?
The funder’s mission is to make education accessible regardless of economic circumstance, viewing education as a catalyst for change for individuals, families, and the community. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc?
Submit the signed application and required materials by mail. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc's EIN?
East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-1587843. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-EZ for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 19, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-EZ for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 21, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 1, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/east-cambridge-scholarship-fund-inc-morg_3bcb9181612c4527a82e4341eb0bdf32
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_471587843_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/east-cambridge-scholarship-fund-inc-morg_3bcb9181612c4527a82e4341eb0bdf32},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. 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 East Cambridge Scholarship Fund Inc'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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