Elisha V Ashton Trust UW

Private foundation · Grantmaker Boston, MA EIN: 04-6016303

Elisha V Ashton Trust UW is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, all of them in Massachusetts.

Elisha V Ashton Trust UW at a glance

In short: Elisha V Ashton Trust UW gave $997K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $62K), mostly in Massachusetts. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$997,242
-7.9% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
16
-5.9% vs 2024
Average grant
$62,328
-2.1% vs 2024
Median grant
$46,985
Total assets
$20,692,293
+3.8% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
0% first-time grantees (0 of 16, 2025; small sample)
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 November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to Elisha V Ashton Trust UW

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The trust does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.

Contact

Mailing address: Choate Hall Stewart Llp Two Int, Boston, MA 02110
Phone: (617) 248-4760

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Elisha V Ashton Trust UW funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

The Home for Little Wanderers: $235KThe Home for Little Wanderers$235KBoston Children's Hospital: $94KBoston Children's Hospital$94KBoston Pilot's Relief Society: $58KBoston Pilot's Relief Society$58KBoston Fatherless & Widows Society: $47KBoston Fatherless & WidowsSociety$47KBoston Seaman's Friend Society Inc: $47KBoston Seaman's Friend SocietyInc$47KDimock Community Health Center: $47KDimock Community Health Center$47KGoddard House: $47KGoddard House$47KManagers of Boston Port & Seamen's Aid Society: $47KManagers of Boston Port &Seamen's Aid Society$47KMassachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary: $47KMassachusetts Eye & EarInfirmary$47KMassachusetts Medical Benevolent Society: $47KMassachusetts MedicalBenevolent Society$47K

The largest 2025 recipient was The Home for Little Wanderers ($235K). Together the top 10 received $715K.

Grant Size Distribution

84 grants across all recorded years

75<$50K5$50–100K4$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 75 grants of 84 (89%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

All grant dollars listed for 2024 went to recipients in Massachusetts.

Grant Distribution by State

1state

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.

Cities

BostonBrooklineChelseaEast BostonRoslindaleRoxburySalemWalthamSouth DartmouthSomerville

Is Elisha V Ashton Trust UW open to new grantees?

0%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 0 of 16 grantees (0%) 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. How we count

  • 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 386% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 101% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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

$0$500K$1M$1.5M17 grants2020 17 grants2021 17 grants2022 17 grants2023 17 grants2024 16 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $205K (2022) to $1.1M (2024). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $997K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
The Home for Little Wanderers Boston, MAGeneral$234,922
Boston Children's Hospital Boston, MAGeneral$93,969
Boston Pilot's Relief Society East Boston, MAGeneral$57,554
Boston Fatherless & Widows Society Boston, MAGeneral$46,985
Boston Seaman's Friend Society Inc Chelsea, MAGeneral$46,985
Dimock Community Health Center Roxbury, MAGeneral$46,985
Goddard House Brookline, MAGeneral$46,985
Managers of Boston Port & Seamen's Aid Society Salem, MAGeneral$46,985
Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary Somerville, MAGeneral$46,984
Massachusetts Medical Benevolent Society Waltham, MAGeneral$46,984
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$20,692,293$974,961$1,198,713$997,24216$1,031,780$838,830$1,021,087
2024$19,927,359$1,854,116$1,274,384$1,082,84017$1,117,069$1,718,123$943,020
2023$17,129,189$621,210$837,898$688,73617$718,804$502,116$866,304
2022$16,998,418$719,714$374,299$205,01817$294,227$654,642$905,554
2021$20,312,365$1,656,694$1,181,529$1,002,03417—$1,532,624$944,885
2020$17,071,505$642,697$755,493$580,60217—$525,011$824,317

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Elisha V Ashton Trust UW reported a distributable amount of $1.0M 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 2024 grants included support for organizations working in children’s and family services, health care, support for members of the medical profession and their families, services for older or low-income people, and maritime ministry. These descriptions reflect the grantees’ stated missions, not a stated mission of the trust. For example, The Home for Little Wanderers says its mission is to help vulnerable children and their families build permanent, positive change. Dimock Community Health Center describes programs in health and community care, behavioral health, youth and family development, and housing for people with developmental disabilities.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the trust made 17 grants totaling $1,082,840. Grant amounts ranged from $49,220 to $246,100, with a median grant of $49,220. The largest award was $246,100 to The Home for Little Wanderers. Other listed grants included $98,440 to Boston Children’s Hospital and $49,220 each to Boston Fatherless & Widows Society, Boston Pilot’s Relief Society, Boston Seaman’s Friend Society, Dimock Community Health Center, Goddard House, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Massachusetts Medical Benevolent Society, and Rogerson Communities. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 16 grants totaling $997,242.

The trust’s 2023 filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Richard K Nichols and Kristin T Abati as trustees.

Elisha V Ashton Trust UW's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; 1 of 2 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Richard K Nichols

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    $39K (2020) → $32K (2025)

  • Kristin T Abati

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

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.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Richard K Nichols — Trustee: $32KRichard K NicholsTrustee$32K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $32K, to Richard K Nichols (Trustee).

Frequently asked questions about Elisha V Ashton Trust UW

How much does Elisha V Ashton Trust UW give each year?

Elisha V Ashton Trust UW gave $997K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.1M across 17 grants.

What is Elisha V Ashton Trust UW's typical grant size?

Elisha V Ashton Trust UW's median grant in 2025 was $46,985, and its average grant was $62,328, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does Elisha V Ashton Trust UW give grants?

Elisha V Ashton Trust UW gives mostly in Massachusetts: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (8 grants).

Does Elisha V Ashton Trust UW give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of Elisha V Ashton Trust UW's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Elisha V Ashton Trust UW's largest grantees?

Elisha V Ashton Trust UW's largest 2025 grantees include The Home for Little Wanderers ($234,922), Boston Children's Hospital ($93,969) and Boston Pilot's Relief Society ($57,554), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Elisha V Ashton Trust UW?

Elisha V Ashton Trust UW reported $20.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.0M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Elisha V Ashton Trust UW fund?

No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations working in children’s and family services, health care, support for members of the medical profession and their families, services for older or low-income people, and maritime ministry. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Elisha V Ashton Trust UW?

The trust does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Elisha V Ashton Trust UW's EIN?

Elisha V Ashton Trust UW's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6016303. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does Elisha V Ashton Trust UW accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(2)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 10, 2026)
  2. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Elisha V Ashton Trust UW funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 9, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/elisha-v-ashton-trust-uw-morg_b24b26b965c4466d931f13fff514bb45

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_046016303_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Elisha V Ashton Trust UW funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/elisha-v-ashton-trust-uw-morg_b24b26b965c4466d931f13fff514bb45},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-11-09. 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 Elisha V Ashton Trust UW'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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