Foundation M

Private foundation · Grantmaker Andover, MA EIN: 04-3559359

Foundation M is a private foundation based in Andover, Massachusetts. It gives grants to charitable organizations; its 2025 grants included organizations working in conservation, reproductive health, animal welfare, media, and human services.

Foundation M at a glance

In short: Foundation M gave $922K across 93 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Massachusetts. 15% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$922,000
+9.6% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
93
+0.0% vs 2024
Average grant
$9,914
+9.6% vs 2024
Median grant
$9,000
Total assets
$16,045,649
+22.0% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
15% first-time grantees (14 of 93, 2025)
Primary geography
Massachusetts (67% 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 Foundation M

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: P O Box 3219, Andover, MA 01810-0804
Phone: (978) 475-9028

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

Who Foundation M funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Appalachian Mountain Club: $50KAppalachian Mountain Club$50KUnion of Concerned Scientists: $40KUnion of Concerned Scientists$40KAudubon Vermont: $35KAudubon Vermont$35KSolihten Institute: $25KSolihten Institute$25KACLU: $20KACLU$20KNAACP: $20KNAACP$20KPlanned Parenthood Federation of America: $20KPlanned Parenthood Federationof America$20KNational Public Radio: $18KNational Public Radio$18KWGBH: $18KWGBH$18KDoctors Without Borders: $15KDoctors Without Borders$15K

The largest 2025 recipient was Appalachian Mountain Club ($50K). Together the top 10 received $261K.

Grant Size Distribution

421 grants across all recorded years

415<$50K4$50–100K2$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 415 grants of 421 (99%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, Massachusetts organizations received 67% of grant dollars, followed by New York at 13%, the District of Columbia at 5%, Vermont at 4%, and Colorado at 3%.

Grant Distribution by State

21states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 93 itemized grants.

Cities

BostonLawrenceCambridgeNew YorkWashingtonLowellLincolnNorth AndoverLynnAndoverGloucesterWorcesterDanversSalemBrocktonBrooklineDenverHuntingtonMerrimackQuincy

Is Foundation M open to new grantees?

15%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 14 of 93 grantees (15%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $10K. How we count

Medians: $5K first-time, $9K repeat.

  • 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+6%). 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

$0$250K$500K$750K$1M54 grants2019 56 grants2020 71 grants2021 73 grants2022 91 grants2023 93 grants2024 93 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $714K (2021) to $922K (2025). In 2025 it made 93 grants totaling $922K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Appalachian Mountain Club Boston, MABarnard Tract Project$50,000
Union of Concerned Scientists Cambridge, MAClean Vehicles Program$40,000
Audubon Vermont Huntington, VTWorking Lands Conservation Initiative$35,000
Solihten Institute Denver, COGeneral Purpose$25,000
ACLU New York, NYGeneral Purpose$20,000
NAACP Brockton, MALegal Defense Fund & General Purpose$20,000
Planned Parenthood Federation of America New York, NYAbortion ACcess$20,000
National Public Radio New York, NYGeneral Purpose$18,000
WGBH Boston, MAGeneral Purpose$18,000
Doctors Without Borders New York, NYTurkey/Syria$15,000
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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$16,045,649$3,939,134$1,046,671$922,00093$926,000$967,480$1,012,311
2024$13,153,186$1,062,505$967,876$841,50093$843,500$963,969$904,314
2023$13,072,939$2,364,745$1,014,124$911,15091$915,150$1,253,905$843,141
2022$11,722,318$876,841$1,016,578$868,50073$870,500$771,649$936,839
2021$11,862,055$1,455,939$844,520$713,70071—$1,355,343$847,813
2020$11,250,636$1,186,527$883,802$775,50056—$1,092,427$741,821
2019$10,947,911$525,331$839,686$726,50054—$426,193$757,648

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Foundation M 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 Foundation M is provided. Its grantees’ work spans several areas. The Appalachian Mountain Club describes its mission as protecting and helping people enjoy and understand the Appalachian region’s mountains, forests, waters, and trails. Planned Parenthood Federation of America says it works to provide reproductive and complementary health care and advocate for public policies. Equine Advocates says it rescues, protects, and prevents abuse of equines, while Women’s Lunch Place supports women experiencing hunger, homelessness, and poverty.

Grantmaking

In 2025, Foundation M made 93 grants totaling $922,000. Grants ranged from $3,000 to $50,000, with a median of $9,000. Among the largest were $50,000 to the Appalachian Mountain Club for the Barnard Tract Project, $40,000 to the Union of Concerned Scientists for its Clean Vehicles Program, and $35,000 to Audubon Vermont for its Working Lands Conservation Initiative. Other grants included $20,000 to the ACLU for general purposes and $20,000 to Planned Parenthood Federation of America for “Abortion ACcess.”

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Casper Martin and Linda Woolford as trustees.

Foundation M's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; 1 of 2 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Linda Woolford

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    8 hrs/week

    $12K (2019) → $8K (2025)

  • Casper Martin

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    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.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Linda Woolford — Trustee: $8KLinda WoolfordTrustee$8K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $8K, to Linda Woolford (Trustee).

Frequently asked questions about Foundation M

How much does Foundation M give each year?

Foundation M gave $922K across 93 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $842K across 93 grants.

What is Foundation M's typical grant size?

Foundation M's median grant in 2025 was $9,000, and its average grant was $9,914, across 93 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Foundation M that year got $7K on average.

Where does Foundation M give grants?

Foundation M gives mostly in Massachusetts: 67% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (20 grants), Lawrence, MA (7 grants), Washington, DC (6 grants) and New York, NY (5 grants).

Does Foundation M give general operating support?

Yes: 68% of Foundation M's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (63 of 93) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Food Pantry" (8 grants).

Who are Foundation M's largest grantees?

Foundation M's largest 2025 grantees include Appalachian Mountain Club ($50,000), Union of Concerned Scientists ($40,000) and Audubon Vermont ($35,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 14% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Foundation M?

Foundation M reported $16.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $926K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.0M (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 Foundation M fund?

No mission statement for Foundation M is provided. Its grantees’ work spans several areas. The Appalachian Mountain Club describes its mission as protecting and helping people enjoy and understand the Appalachian region’s mountains, forests, waters, and trails. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Foundation M?

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 Foundation M's EIN?

Foundation M's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3559359. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does Foundation M 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

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
  2. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
  3. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 31, 2020)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 25, 2021)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Foundation M funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/foundation-m-morg_d3a8047b4dbb43209429afcb37822ebe

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_043559359_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Foundation M funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/foundation-m-morg_d3a8047b4dbb43209429afcb37822ebe},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Foundation M'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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