Elfers Foundation Inc
Elfers Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its 2025 grants supported schools, environmental and conservation organizations, a historical society, a church, a cancer research funder, and other charitable organizations.
Elfers Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Elfers Foundation Inc gave $640K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $34K), top state Connecticut. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $640,000
- -3.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +46.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $33,684
- -33.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $16,008,641
- +4.0% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (47% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Elfers Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: Co Brown Advisory 100 High Street, Boston, MA 02110
Phone: (617) 717-6370
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Elfers Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Hotchkiss School ($300K). Together the top 10 received $595K.
Grant Size Distribution
50 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 33 grants of 50 (66%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 47% of grant dollars went to recipients in Connecticut, 38% to Massachusetts, 6% to Maine, 4% to Ohio, and 2% to New Hampshire.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Elfers Foundation Inc gives
- 37% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−11%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 87% 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 (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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $570K (2023) to $722K (2022). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $640K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Hotchkiss School Lakeville, CT | General Purpose | $300,000 |
| The Fessenden School West Newton, MA | General Purpose | $190,000 |
| Brooks School North Andover, MA | General Purpose | $25,000 |
| Woodwell Climate Research Center Falmouth, ME | General Purpose | $20,000 |
| Boston Athenaeum Boston, MA | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| LISTEN Community Services Lebanon, NH | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Maine Island Trail Association Portland, ME | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Old Dartmouth Historical Society New Bedford, MA | New Bedford Whaling Museum | $10,000 |
| Prostate Cancer Foundation Santa Monica, CA | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| The Nature Conservancy Arlington, VA | The Nature Conservancy of Maine chapter | $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 | $16,008,641 | $1,143,917 | $779,297 | $640,000 | 19 | $658,423 | $839,817 | $755,786 |
| 2024 | $15,400,000 | $684,552 | $814,937 | $660,000 | 13 | $677,758 | $371,943 | $729,762 |
| 2023 | $13,943,691 | $398,407 | $792,392 | $570,000 | 8 | $579,625 | $227,147 | $678,547 |
| 2022 | $12,897,371 | $2,971,802 | $915,918 | $722,023 | 6 | $722,148 | $2,571,166 | $657,159 |
| 2021 | $13,559,520 | $942,158 | $807,294 | $633,000 | 4 | — | $589,932 | $705,617 |
| 2020 | $13,670,011 | $657,361 | $830,817 | $664,626 | 15 | — | $338,432 | $618,591 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Elfers Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $756K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grantees include schools and organizations working in education, climate science, conservation, history and culture, and cancer research. For example, The Hotchkiss School says it seeks to inspire students committed to bettering themselves and society, while Woodwell Climate Research Center says it conducts science for solutions at the intersection of climate, people, and nature. The Maine Island Trail Association describes its work as advancing thoughtful use and volunteer stewardship of Maine’s wild islands.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported grants totaling $640,000 across 19 grants in 2025, compared with $660,000 across 13 grants in 2024 and $570,000 across 8 grants in 2023. In 2025, grants ranged from $2,500 to $300,000, with a median grant of $10,000.
The largest 2025 grants included $300,000 to The Hotchkiss School, $190,000 to The Fessenden School, $25,000 to Brooks School, and $20,000 to Woodwell Climate Research Center. Other listed grants included $10,000 each to the Boston Athenaeum, LISTEN Community Services, Maine Island Trail Association, Old Dartmouth Historical Society, Prostate Cancer Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and Trinity Church; and $5,000 to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. The listed grant purposes were generally “General Purpose,” with the Old Dartmouth Historical Society grant designated for the New Bedford Whaling Museum and The Nature Conservancy grant designated for its Maine chapter.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Amelia R Elfers, William Alexander Haughton, and Eric Muther as directors; Deborah Elfers Haffenreffer as president and director; Jane Elfers Muther as treasurer, vice president, and director; and Henry Dormitzer as secretary, clerk, and director.
Elfers Foundation Inc is led by Deborah Elfers Haffenreffer, President & Director on the 2025 filing; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Deborah Elfers Haffenreffer
President & Director
New on the 2025 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jane Elfers Muther
Treasurer, Vice President & Director
Director → Treasurer, Vice President & Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Eric Muther
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Henry Dormitzer
Secretary, Clerk & Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
William Alexander Haughton
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Amelia R Elfers
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Deborah B Elfers (2020–2024) — President & Director
- Former: Katherine A Elfers (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: William A Lowell (2020–2021) — Secretary & Clerk
- Former: William R Elfers (2020) — President
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 Elfers Foundation Inc
How much does Elfers Foundation Inc give each year?
Elfers Foundation Inc gave $640K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $660K across 13 grants.
What is Elfers Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Elfers Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $33,684, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Elfers Foundation Inc give grants?
Elfers Foundation Inc's top state is Connecticut, with 47% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (38%) and Maine (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Portland, ME (3 grants), Newark, OH (3 grants), Boston, MA (2 grants) and Columbus, OH (2 grants).
Does Elfers Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 89% of Elfers Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (17 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Elfers Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Elfers Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include The Hotchkiss School ($300,000), The Fessenden School ($190,000) and Brooks School ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 80% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Elfers Foundation Inc?
Elfers Foundation Inc reported $16.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $658K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $756K (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 Elfers Foundation Inc fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grantees include schools and organizations working in education, climate science, conservation, history and culture, and cancer research. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Elfers Foundation Inc?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Elfers Foundation Inc's EIN?
Elfers Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7090080. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Elfers Foundation Inc accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 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 2020 (received by the IRS June 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 31, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 19, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 25, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 13, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 19, 2024)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Elfers Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/elfers-foundation-inc-morg_965be1031a17419cbe723af587906fa9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237090080_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Elfers Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/elfers-foundation-inc-morg_965be1031a17419cbe723af587906fa9},
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 Elfers Foundation 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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