Ethel Kennedy Foundation
The Ethel Kennedy Foundation is a private foundation based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2025, it reported 65 grants totaling $708,000 to charitable organizations, including educational institutions, community-service organizations, and nonprofits working on issues such as literacy, clean water, and animal welfare.
Ethel Kennedy Foundation at a glance
In short: Ethel Kennedy Foundation gave $708K across 65 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), top state Florida. 38% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $708,000
- +17.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 65
- +47.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,892
- -20.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,000
- Total assets
- $8,995,495
- -0.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 38% first-time grantees (22 of 58, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Florida (21% 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 Ethel Kennedy Foundation
- 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: 44 Alpine St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: (617) 686-4094
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ethel Kennedy Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Umass Foundation Inc ($100K across 5 grants). Together the top 10 received $393K.
Grant Size Distribution
249 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 236 grants of 249 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Florida and New York (21% each), followed by California (19%), Massachusetts (18%), and Washington, DC (12%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 65 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Ethel Kennedy Foundation open to new grantees?
38%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 22 of 58 grantees (38%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $14K; repeat grants $11K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 57% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 91% 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 $500K (2019) to $708K (2025). In 2025 it made 65 grants totaling $708K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Georgetown University Law Center Washington, DC | Charitable Contribution | $75,000 |
| The Learning Alliance Vero Beach, FL | Charitable Contribution | $50,000 |
| Orange County Highschool of the Arts Santa Ana, CA | Charitable Contribution | $30,000 |
| Salisbury School - John Morris Scholarship Salisbury, CT | Charitable Contribution | $30,000 |
| Umass Foundation Inc Newton, MA | Charitable Contribution | $25,000 |
| Umass Foundation Inc Newton, MA | Charitable Contribution | $25,000 |
| Umass Foundation Inc Newton, MA | Charitable Contribution | $25,000 |
| Habitat for Humanity Indian River Vero Beach, FL | Charitable Contribution | $21,000 |
| Camfed San Francisco, CA | Charitable Contribution | $20,000 |
| Columbia Business School New York, NY | Charitable Contribution | $20,000 |
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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 | $8,995,495 | $793,427 | $807,758 | $708,000 | 65 | $720,574 | $716,243 | $795,630 |
| 2024 | $9,009,826 | $608,215 | $690,645 | $601,000 | 44 | $613,141 | $537,657 | $720,406 |
| 2023 | $9,092,256 | $459,576 | $657,808 | $585,000 | 40 | $596,450 | $398,218 | $612,990 |
| 2022 | $9,290,488 | $325,718 | $758,271 | $656,911 | 52 | $677,197 | $256,714 | $604,392 |
| 2021 | $9,723,041 | $680,516 | $601,381 | $525,000 | 48 | $536,069 | $619,204 | $668,589 |
| 2020 | $9,643,906 | $313,910 | $570,050 | $512,500 | 59 | — | $268,584 | $530,839 |
| 2019 | $9,900,046 | $410,177 | $551,532 | $499,500 | 56 | — | $367,606 | $522,076 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ethel Kennedy Foundation reported a distributable amount of $796K 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 foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, The Learning Alliance describes its mission as improving student literacy by equipping educators to teach children to read. Project LIFT says it works with at-risk teens and their families through substance-use treatment, mental-health counseling, mentoring, and vocational skills training. Beagle Freedom Project describes its work as rescuing and educating the public about animals.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 65 grants totaling $708,000. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $75,000, with a median of $7,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $75,000 to Georgetown University Law Center, $50,000 to The Learning Alliance, $30,000 to Orange County High School of the Arts, and $30,000 to the John Morris Scholarship at Salisbury School. Other listed grants included $21,000 to Habitat for Humanity Indian River, $20,000 to CAMFED, $20,000 to Columbia Business School, and $20,000 to Planned Parenthood. The University of San Diego received $16,600, and John’s Island Community Service received $12,600.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Paul Marran as president, Elizabeth Marran as treasurer, and Lynn Marran as secretary.
Ethel Kennedy Foundation is led by Paul Marran, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Paul Marran
President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Marran
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Lynn Marran
Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about Ethel Kennedy Foundation
How much does Ethel Kennedy Foundation give each year?
Ethel Kennedy Foundation gave $708K across 65 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $601K across 44 grants.
What is Ethel Kennedy Foundation's typical grant size?
Ethel Kennedy Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $7,000, and its average grant was $10,892, across 65 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ethel Kennedy Foundation that year got $14K on average.
Where does Ethel Kennedy Foundation give grants?
Ethel Kennedy Foundation's top state is Florida, with 21% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (21%) and California (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were Vero Beach, FL (9 grants), New York, NY (8 grants), East Hampton, NY (7 grants) and Newton, MA (5 grants).
Who are Ethel Kennedy Foundation's largest grantees?
Ethel Kennedy Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Umass Foundation Inc ($100,000 across 5 grants), Georgetown University Law Center ($75,000) and The Learning Alliance ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ethel Kennedy Foundation?
Ethel Kennedy Foundation reported $9.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $721K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $796K (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 Ethel Kennedy Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, The Learning Alliance describes its mission as improving student literacy by equipping educators to teach children to read. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ethel Kennedy Foundation?
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 Ethel Kennedy Foundation's EIN?
Ethel Kennedy Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 11-2768682. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Ethel Kennedy Foundation 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 10, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 31, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 24, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 12, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 20, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ethel Kennedy Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ethel-kennedy-foundation-morg_0e4319e1490948578cb64bddf8eac187
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_112768682_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ethel Kennedy Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ethel-kennedy-foundation-morg_0e4319e1490948578cb64bddf8eac187},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Ethel Kennedy Foundation'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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