H a Vance Foundation Inc
H A Vance Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its 2025 grants supported programs and organizations connected to public education, college and career planning, and teacher development, primarily in Connecticut.
H a Vance Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: H a Vance Foundation Inc gave $480K across 9 grants in 2025 (avg $53K), mostly in Connecticut. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $480,000
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 9
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $53,333
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $9,558,211
- +8.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (90% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to H a Vance Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 65 Lasalle Road, West Hartford, CT 06107
Phone: (860) 761-1041
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who H a Vance Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 8 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Readyct ($100K). Together the top 8 received $480K.
Grant Size Distribution
49 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 30 grants of 49 (61%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in Connecticut and 10% to recipients in Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 9 itemized grants.
Cities
How H a Vance Foundation Inc gives
- Giving grew 26% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 88% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $375K (2019) to $480K (2025). In 2025 it made 9 grants totaling $480K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Readyct Hartford, CT | Support of public service pathway at bulkeley high school | $100,000 |
| Connecticut Rise Network New Haven, CT | Expansion of Post-Secondary Planning at Hartford High Schools | $75,000 |
| Hartford Promise Hartford, CT | Support Reaching Back Program | $70,000 |
| Achievement First New Haven, CT | Operating Expenses of Achievement First Hartford High School | $65,000 |
| Third Sector New England Boston, MA | Operating Expenses of School + State Finance Project | $50,000 |
| Hartford Youth Scholars Hartford, CT | Support of Beyond the Books Enrichment Program | $40,000 |
| Teach for America - Connecticut New Haven, CT | For Programs to Strengthen Hartford Teacher Pipeline | $35,000 |
| Educators for Excellence Bridgeport, CT | Operating Support of Hartford Teachers | $25,000 |
| Achievement First New Haven, CT | Support of ai pilot at achievement first hartford middle school | $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 | $9,558,211 | $1,442,325 | $672,893 | $480,000 | 9 | $586,071 | $1,389,383 | $667,862 |
| 2024 | $8,778,713 | $1,517,609 | $593,869 | $440,000 | 9 | $541,992 | $1,470,516 | $582,396 |
| 2023 | $7,864,380 | $573,879 | $578,554 | $440,000 | 8 | $536,485 | $531,810 | $513,337 |
| 2022 | $7,869,055 | $371,367 | $543,139 | $380,000 | 10 | $474,535 | $285,030 | $529,242 |
| 2021 | $8,040,827 | $1,029,290 | $561,384 | $420,000 | 13 | $513,310 | $981,010 | $570,502 |
| 2020 | $7,572,921 | $322,614 | $559,749 | $435,000 | 13 | — | $272,046 | $484,611 |
| 2019 | $7,810,056 | $499,673 | $499,302 | $375,000 | 11 | — | $450,350 | $474,120 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, H a Vance Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $668K 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 is provided. The 2025 grants show support for school-based programs, post-secondary planning, college success, teacher pipeline efforts, and related operating expenses.
Grantees describe their work in education in their own terms: READYCT says it advances academic excellence and career-connected learning for Connecticut public school students; Connecticut RISE Network says it works to help students graduate with plans and skills for college and career success; and Hartford Promise describes an integrated college success model for Hartford students. Achievement First describes itself as a charter school management organization operating a K–12 school network, while Hartford Youth Scholars says it aims to increase the number of Hartford students who attend and graduate from four-year colleges and universities.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 9 grants totaling $480,000. The grants ranged from $20,000 to $100,000, with a median of $50,000. It made 9 grants totaling $440,000 in 2024 and 8 grants totaling $440,000 in 2023.
The largest 2025 grants included $100,000 to READYCT for a public service pathway at Bulkeley High School; $75,000 to Connecticut RISE Network for post-secondary planning at Hartford high schools; $70,000 to Hartford Promise for its Reaching Back program; and $65,000 to Achievement First for operating expenses of Achievement First Hartford High School. Other grants included $50,000 to Third Sector New England for operating expenses of the School + State Finance Project; $40,000 to Hartford Youth Scholars for its Beyond the Books enrichment program; $35,000 to Teach for America – Connecticut to strengthen the Hartford teacher pipeline; $25,000 to Educators for Excellence for operating support of Hartford teachers; and $20,000 to Achievement First for an AI pilot at Achievement First Hartford Middle School.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing are H Alex Vance Jr, President; Coleman H Casey Esq, Secretary & Treasurer; Nancy C Rion, Director; Patricia D Vance, Director; Joseph Pace, Director; Carolyn A Paldino, Director; and Mary S Martin, Executive Director.
H a Vance Foundation Inc is led by Mary S. Martin, Executive Director on every filing since 2019; 1 of 7 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mary S. Martin
Executive Director
On filings since 2019
24 hrs/week
$54K (2019) → $68K (2025)
H. Alex Vance Jr.
President
On filings since 2019
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nancy C. Rion
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patricia D. Vance
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joseph Pace
Director
On filings since 2021
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carolyn A. Paldino
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Coleman H. Casey Esq.
Secretary & Treasurer
Secretary → Secretary & Treasurer, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: William C. Vance (2019–2022) — Vice President
- Former: Alison V. Scherer (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: David W. Parmelee (2019–2020) — Treasurer
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
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $68K, to Mary S Martin (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about H a Vance Foundation Inc
How much does H a Vance Foundation Inc give each year?
H a Vance Foundation Inc gave $480K across 9 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $440K across 9 grants.
What is H a Vance Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
H a Vance Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $53,333, across 9 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does H a Vance Foundation Inc give grants?
H a Vance Foundation Inc gives mostly in Connecticut: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Massachusetts (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were New Haven, CT (4 grants) and Hartford, CT (3 grants).
Does H a Vance Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 33% of H a Vance Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 9) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are H a Vance Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
H a Vance Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Readyct ($100,000), Achievement First ($85,000 across 2 grants) and Connecticut Rise Network ($75,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is H a Vance Foundation Inc?
H a Vance Foundation Inc reported $9.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $586K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $668K (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 H a Vance Foundation Inc fund?
No mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants show support for school-based programs, post-secondary planning, college success, teacher pipeline efforts, and related operating expenses. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from H a Vance Foundation Inc?
The foundation 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 H a Vance Foundation Inc's EIN?
H a Vance Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-1355463. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does H a Vance Foundation Inc accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 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
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 18, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS September 9, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
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