Eliot Charitable Trust
Eliot Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Denver, Colorado. It made 12 grants totaling $204,105 in 2025, supporting organizations including Denver Botanic Gardens, Colorado Gives Days, Denver Mountain Parks, and National Western Stock Show.
Eliot Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: Eliot Charitable Trust gave $204K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in Colorado. 58% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $204,105
- +361.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +100.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $17,009
- +130.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,376
- Total assets
- $839,905
- -15.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 58% first-time grantees (7 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Colorado (95% 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 Eliot 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 4335 E 17Th Ave Pkwy, Denver, CO 80220
Phone: (303) 918-9340
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Eliot Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Denver Botanic Gardens ($136K). Together the top 10 received $202K.
Grant Size Distribution
44 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 42 grants of 44 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in Colorado, 3% to Maryland, 1% to Texas, and 1% to Tennessee.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Eliot Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
58%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 12 grantees (58%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $36K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 33% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 692% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 171% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2018–2025). 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 2018 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $26K (2022) to $204K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $204K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Botanic Gardens Denver, CO | General Public Support | $135,500 |
| Colorado Gives Days Arvada, CO | General Public Support | $28,597 |
| Denver Mountain Parks Denver, CO | General Public Support | $7,500 |
| National Western Stock Show Denver, CO | General Public Support | $7,500 |
| American Cancer Society Hagerstown, MD | General Public Support | $5,275 |
| Children's Hospital Denver, CO | General Public Support | $5,152 |
| Humane Colorado Denver, CO | General Public Support | $3,600 |
| Hope Haven Rwanda Sedalia, CO | General Public Support | $3,311 |
| Austin Pets Alive Austin, TX | General Public Support | $2,625 |
| Escuela De Guadalupe Denver, CO | General Public Support | $2,500 |
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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 | $839,905 | $60,859 | $215,921 | $204,105 | 12 | $209,404 | $54,342 | $122,141 |
| 2024 | $994,967 | $59,517 | $52,998 | $44,267 | 6 | $47,017 | $53,536 | $111,232 |
| 2023 | $988,448 | $53,153 | $75,187 | $47,371 | 7 | $61,078 | $39,044 | $97,538 |
| 2022 | $1,010,482 | $5,810 | $39,534 | $25,775 | 10 | $30,495 | $26,851 | $101,894 |
| 2021 | $1,044,206 | $61,969 | $99,641 | $97,142 | 9 | $97,916 | $60,665 | $105,946 |
| 2020 | $1,081,878 | $36,748 | $116,803 | $106,202 | 12 | — | $30,765 | $96,967 |
| 2019 | $1,161,933 | $42,655 | $137,527 | $127,824 | 24 | — | $38,844 | $89,180 |
| 2018 | $1,257,266 | $51,249 | $78,424 | $68,500 | 10 | — | $46,056 | $56,253 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Eliot Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $122K 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 went to organizations working in areas that include botanic gardens, animal welfare, health, education, and support for people released from immigration detention. For example, Denver Botanic Gardens describes its mission as connecting people with plants, especially plants from the Rocky Mountain region and similar regions around the world. Austin Pets Alive says it works to eliminate the killing of companion animals through resources, education, and community programs. Casa de Paz says it provides temporary safe space for people released from the immigration detention center in Aurora, Colorado, to connect with loved ones and continue to their final destination.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the trust gave 12 grants totaling $204,105. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $135,500, with a median of $4,376. Its largest grants included $135,500 to Denver Botanic Gardens, $28,597 to Colorado Gives Days, and $7,500 each to Denver Mountain Parks and National Western Stock Show. All listed grants were designated for general public support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Melissa K Eliot is listed as trustee on the 2025 filing.
Eliot Charitable Trust is led by Melissa K. Eliot, Trustee on every filing since 2018 — the only officer listed, and compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Melissa K. Eliot
Trustee
On filings since 2018
2 hrs/week
$9K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2018–2025. "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 $9K, to Melissa K Eliot (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Eliot Charitable Trust
How much does Eliot Charitable Trust give each year?
Eliot Charitable Trust gave $204K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $44K across 6 grants.
What is Eliot Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
Eliot Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $4,376, and its average grant was $17,009, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Eliot Charitable Trust that year got $4K on average.
Where does Eliot Charitable Trust give grants?
Eliot Charitable Trust gives mostly in Colorado: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Denver, CO (6 grants).
Does Eliot Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Eliot Charitable Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (12 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Eliot Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
Eliot Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Denver Botanic Gardens ($135,500), Colorado Gives Days ($28,597) and Denver Mountain Parks ($7,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 84% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Eliot Charitable Trust?
Eliot Charitable Trust reported $840K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $209K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $122K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Eliot Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas that include botanic gardens, animal welfare, health, education, and support for people released from immigration detention. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Eliot 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 Eliot Charitable Trust's EIN?
Eliot Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-7030107. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2018–2025.
Does Eliot 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
(9)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2018 (received by the IRS December 6, 2019)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 13, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 22, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 7, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 5, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 24, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 9, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2018–2025
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Eliot Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/eliot-charitable-trust-morg_cda8f50ad0c343b3a7d19139b288cb62
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_827030107_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Eliot Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/eliot-charitable-trust-morg_cda8f50ad0c343b3a7d19139b288cb62},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Eliot 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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