Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation
The Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation is a family-led private foundation based in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It supports charitable causes, with stated focus areas that include environmental protection, human rights and services, the arts, and education.
Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation gave $570K across 32 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), mostly in Massachusetts. 22% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $570,000
- +35.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 32
- +14.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $17,813
- +18.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $5,943,187
- +8.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 22% first-time grantees (7 of 32, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (91% 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 Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests outside the Theatre Grants Program. For theatre proposals, the website lists a March 31 submission deadline and says funding decisions will be made by April 30; those dates have passed for 2026.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 297 197 Longview Terrace, Williamstown, MA 01267
Phone: (413) 884-4415
Website: https://fairbanksfamilyfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Susan B Anthony Museum ($150K). Together the top 10 received $485K.
Grant Size Distribution
136 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 122 grants of 136 (90%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing reports that 91% of grant dollars went to Massachusetts recipients, 4% to New York, 3% to Vermont, 2% to New Hampshire, and 1% to Connecticut.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 32 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
22%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 32 grantees (22%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $55K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 78% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 123% 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
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $422K (2024) to $875K (2020). In 2025 it made 32 grants totaling $570K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Susan B Anthony Museum Adams, MA | Operating Assistance | $150,000 |
| McLa Foundation North Adams, MA | Operating Assistance | $105,000 |
| Clark Art Institute Williamstown, MA | Operating Assistance | $100,000 |
| Pine Cobble School Williamstown, MA | Operations & Endowment | $50,000 |
| Images Cinema Williamstown, MA | Operating Assistance | $30,000 |
| Dartmouth College Hanover, NH | Operating Assistance | $10,000 |
| Williamstown Community Chest Williamstown, MA | Operating Assistance | $10,000 |
| Miss Halls School Pittsfield, MA | Operating Assistance | $10,000 |
| Darrow School New Lebanon, NY | Operating Assistance | $10,000 |
| Remedy Hall Williamstown, MA | Operating Assistance | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation?
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 | $5,943,187 | $1,145,360 | $704,508 | $570,000 | 32 | $598,419 | $1,054,487 | $485,415 |
| 2024 | $5,502,335 | $827,069 | $545,193 | $422,000 | 28 | $449,620 | $734,732 | $448,797 |
| 2023 | $5,220,459 | $282,739 | $755,248 | $642,300 | 26 | $666,724 | $194,215 | — |
| 2022 | $5,692,968 | $598,888 | $637,117 | $527,600 | 26 | $549,626 | $511,397 | $458,582 |
| 2021 | $5,731,197 | $671,892 | $875,940 | $735,500 | 24 | $760,505 | $556,456 | $481,830 |
| 2020 | $5,935,245 | $1,560,191 | $1,015,029 | $875,190 | 23 | — | $1,445,282 | $429,918 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $485K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation identifies environmental protection, human rights and services, the arts, and education as its main areas of focus. Its website describes environmental protection as addressing climate change and supporting biodiversity and a sustainable future.
Its 2025 grantees include organizations with a range of missions. Pine Cobble School says it provides nursery-through-grade-8 private education. Williamstown Community Chest says it mobilizes resources for local human-service agencies and makes grants for emergency needs. Miss Hall’s School describes its mission as supporting girls’ learning, character, and contribution to the common good. Barrington Stage Company says it produces theatre, develops new plays and musicals, and seeks to bring new audiences—especially young people—into the theatre.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 32 grants totaling $570,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $150,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest grants included $150,000 to Susan B. Anthony Museum, $105,000 to MCLA Foundation, and $100,000 to Clark Art Institute; each was listed for operating assistance. Pine Cobble School received $50,000 for operations and endowment, and Images Cinema received $30,000 for operating assistance.
The foundation’s website says it does not accept unsolicited requests, except through its Theatre Grants Program, which welcomes proposals from nonprofit theatre companies. The program awards $10,000 per year to one or more recipients and gives special consideration to companies committed to bringing live theatre to underserved populations. The stated proposal materials include company and project information, a detailed budget, organizational capacity and financial information, evaluation plans, partnerships, sustainability plans, and a timeline.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Susan Briggs and James Briggs as trustees.
Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; 1 of 2 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
James Briggs
Trustee
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
$30K (2021) → $39K (2025)
Susan Briggs
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$35K (2020) → $0 (2025)
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
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $39K, to James Briggs (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation
How much does Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation give each year?
Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation gave $570K across 32 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $422K across 28 grants.
What is Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $17,813, across 32 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation that year got $55K on average.
Where does Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation give grants?
Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Williamstown, MA (9 grants), North Adams, MA (3 grants), Pittsfield, MA (3 grants) and Adams, MA (2 grants).
Does Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 94% of Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (30 of 32) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Susan B Anthony Museum ($150,000), McLa Foundation ($105,000) and Clark Art Institute ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 62% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation?
Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation reported $5.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $598K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $485K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation fund?
The foundation identifies environmental protection, human rights and services, the arts, and education as its main areas of focus. Its website describes environmental protection as addressing climate change and supporting biodiversity and a sustainable future. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests outside the Theatre Grants Program. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1848892. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Fairbanks Family Charitable 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 21, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/fairbanks-family-charitable-foundation-morg_256f293745144697949acee74cb6468c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_261848892_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/fairbanks-family-charitable-foundation-morg_256f293745144697949acee74cb6468c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Fairbanks Family Charitable 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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