Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust
The Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Massachusetts.
Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust gave $56K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Massachusetts. 19% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $56,000
- +5.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +6.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,500
- -0.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $1,151,669
- -1.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (3 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (80% 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 Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The trust does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. Its filing lists a written application with information about the charity and contact information; Philip Holt is listed as the contact. The filing lists no award restrictions.
- Contact
Application contact: Philip Holt
Mailing address: 10 Cranberry Circle, Plymouth, MA 02360
Phone: (508) 747-0038
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Wildlands Trust ($10K). Together the top 10 received $47K.
Grant Size Distribution
78 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 78 grants of 78 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 80% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts. The remaining reported shares went to New York (7%), Washington, DC (5%), Virginia (4%), and Maryland (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 16 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 40% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 100% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 $35K (2020) to $56K (2025). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $56K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wildlands Trust Plymouth, MA | conservation | $10,000 |
| Dana Farber Cance Research Institute Boston, MA | Promotes research | $7,000 |
| WGBH Boston, MA | Promote Public TV | $5,000 |
| St Vincent de Paul's Kingston, MA | humanitarian aid | $5,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | promote international health care | $4,000 |
| Rosie's Place Boston, MA | humanitarian aid | $4,000 |
| Pine Street Inn Boston, MA | humanitarian aid | $4,000 |
| Plympton Teachers Assoc Plympton, MA | promote education | $3,000 |
| Alzheimer's Association Newton, MA | provides humanitarian aid and research | $3,000 |
| Plymouth Public Library Plymouth, MA | further literacy/promote education | $2,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust?
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 | $1,151,669 | $12,717 | $81,863 | $56,000 | 16 | $56,000 | — | $56,133 |
| 2024 | $1,164,726 | $74,486 | $82,645 | $53,000 | 15 | $53,000 | $44,876 | $52,893 |
| 2023 | $962,374 | $43,715 | $78,040 | $52,075 | 16 | $52,075 | $17,750 | $47,053 |
| 2022 | $919,996 | $8,507 | $65,997 | $40,000 | 15 | $40,000 | — | $47,769 |
| 2021 | $1,134,458 | $38,470 | $55,112 | $44,000 | 16 | $44,000 | $27,358 | $51,466 |
| 2020 | $978,617 | $150,215 | $55,886 | $35,000 | 15 | — | $129,329 | $43,418 |
| 2019 | $971,825 | $162,073 | $62,282 | $41,500 | 16 | — | $141,291 | $41,530 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $56K 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 trust is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for conservation, research, public television, humanitarian aid, education, literacy, and health education.
Among the grantees, Wildlands Trust says it works to conserve and permanently protect native habitats, farmland, and other ecologically or scenically valuable lands in southeastern Massachusetts. Pine Street Inn says its mission is to end homelessness through services including outreach, emergency assistance, supportive housing, and job training. The Appalachian Mountain Club says it promotes the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the Appalachian region’s mountains, forests, waters, and trails.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the trust made 16 grants totaling $56,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $10,000, with a median grant of $3,000.
The largest reported grants included $10,000 to Wildlands Trust for conservation; $7,000 to Dana Farber Cance Research Institute to promote research; $5,000 each to WGBH to promote public television and St Vincent de Paul's for humanitarian aid; and $4,000 each to Doctors Without Borders, Rosie's Place, and Pine Street Inn. The Appalachian Mountain Club received $1,000 in 2025.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Philip Holt and Kathleen Holt as trustees.
Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; all 2 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Philip Holt
Trustee
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
$10K (2019) → $13K (2025)
Kathleen Holt
Trustee
On filings since 2024
3 hrs/week
$13K (2024) → $13K (2025)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $13K, to Philip Holt (Trustee). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust
How much does Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust give each year?
Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust gave $56K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $53K across 15 grants.
What is Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $3,500, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust that year got $3K on average.
Where does Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust give grants?
Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust gives mostly in Massachusetts: 80% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (7%) and District of Columbia (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (5 grants), Plymouth, MA (3 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Humanitarian Aid" (4 grants).
Who are Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Wildlands Trust ($10,000), Dana Farber Cance Research Institute ($7,000) and WGBH ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust?
Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust reported $1.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $56K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $56K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for conservation, research, public television, humanitarian aid, education, literacy, and health education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust?
The trust does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust's EIN?
Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7052778. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 13, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 4, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/eleanor-cray-cottle-charitable-trust-morg_55a5e6f95846441d947554136b95668b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237052778_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/eleanor-cray-cottle-charitable-trust-morg_55a5e6f95846441d947554136b95668b},
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 Eleanor Cray Cottle Charitable Trust'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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