Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation
The Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Haydenville, Massachusetts. It supports small, well-run organizations providing basic services to people or animals in need, with stated interests in human needs, animal welfare, and other local needs.
Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation gave $253K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $16K), mostly in Massachusetts. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $252,500
- -49.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- -15.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,781
- -39.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $2,155,203
- -4.4% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (50% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation
- Invitation Only
-
The website requires electronic copies of the latest available Form 990, the IRS letter granting exempt status, an annual financial statement, and other relevant application documents. Its human-needs category is by invitation only, with prior funded organizations eligible to apply. The 2024 filing says applicants should request a formal grant application from the foundation or download it from the website, and lists restrictions to Northeast 501(c)(3) organizations. The website says applications should be submitted during the relevant period and not mailed or submitted outside it.
- Review Cycle
- The website lists human-needs applications for February 1–April 31, animal-welfare applications for September 1–October 31, and other-organization applications for June 1–August 31. These 2026 application periods are past as of October 2, 2026. The website says animal-welfare applicants are notified by December 31 and other-organization applicants by October 31.
- Deadline
- The website lists human-needs applications for February 1–April 31, animal-welfare applications for September…
- Contact
Application contact: The Howard E Stark Charitable Found
Mailing address: 67 Adams Rd, Haydenville, MA 01039
Phone: (413) 387-6300
Website: https://howardstarkfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation
Who Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Reaching Out Community Services ($25K). Together the top 10 received $215K.
Grant Size Distribution
88 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 80 grants of 88 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website says it typically funds organizations providing program services in the Northeast and identifies local Massachusetts organizations as a particular focus. Its 2024 filing restricts awards to Northeast 501(c)(3) organizations. In filing year 2025, 50% of grant dollars went to Massachusetts recipients and 42% to New York recipients; the remaining shares went to Tennessee (4%), New Hampshire (2%), and Pennsylvania (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
How Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation gives
- 69% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 52% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 137% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $250K (2023) to $523K (2022). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $253K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Reaching Out Community Services Brooklyn, NY | Program Services | $25,000 |
| Neighbors Together Brooklyn, NY | Program Services | $25,000 |
| The Northampton Survival Center Northampton, MA | Program Services | $25,000 |
| Ace Programs for the Homeless Long Island City, NY | Program Services | $25,000 |
| Circle of Hope Needham, MA | Program Services | $25,000 |
| Amherst Survival Center North Amherst, MA | Programs Services | $25,000 |
| Bread and Roses Lawrence, MA | Program Services | $20,000 |
| Mission of Deeds Reading, MA | Program Services | $15,000 |
| Xavier Mission New York, NY | Program Services | $15,000 |
| Mommas Inc Wantagh, NY | Program Services | $15,000 |
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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 | $2,155,203 | $227,100 | $330,081 | $252,500 | 16 | $288,295 | $185,314 | $210,756 |
| 2024 | $2,254,259 | $190,857 | $589,941 | $494,708 | 19 | $548,510 | $149,426 | $215,632 |
| 2023 | $2,651,259 | $339,629 | $359,902 | $250,000 | 1 | $319,151 | $298,878 | $218,351 |
| 2022 | $2,660,640 | $243,623 | $669,252 | $522,742 | 18 | $619,366 | $193,737 | $257,263 |
| 2021 | $3,085,876 | $139,031 | $411,774 | $344,951 | 34 | — | $93,485 | $252,743 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $211K 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’s mission is to support small tax-exempt organizations with limited resources that are well run, passionate about their work, and provide basic services to people in need. Its website describes a focus on small, local human-needs organizations and also identifies animal welfare and other local needs as funding areas.
Human-needs organizations it identifies include food pantries, community kitchens, homeless transition programs, survival centers, and young mother programs. It also lists general operating funds, in-kind donations, and match grant opportunities. Animal-welfare examples include humane societies and shelters, foster-based rescues, wildlife rehabilitation, and animal medical emergency services. The website says organizations it typically funds offer program services in the Northeast, have less than $1 million in assets, and have limited government funding and fundraising activities.
Grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of services among recipients. Reaching Out Community Services says its work includes emergency food pantry operations for people in need; Circle of Hope says it provides clothing and hygiene essentials to people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity; and Mission of Deeds says it gives donated home goods and furniture to people in need. Friends of MACC describes its work as supporting lifesaving initiatives and preventing pet homelessness in Davidson County.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $252,500 through 16 grants. Awards ranged from $2,500 to $25,000, with a median grant of $15,000. The 2025 filing lists program services as the purpose for the grants.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $25,000 each to Reaching Out Community Services, Neighbors Together, the Northampton Survival Center, ACE Programs for the Homeless, Circle of Hope, and Amherst Survival Center. Other listed grants included $20,000 to Bread and Roses and $15,000 each to Mission of Deeds, Xavier Mission, Mommas Inc, and Open Pantry Community Services.
The website describes human-needs grants of up to $15,000 and says prior funded organizations may apply; that category is by invitation only. It lists animal-welfare grants of up to $5,000 and grants for other organizations of up to $2,500. The 2025 awards listed above include amounts exceeding those stated category limits.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jennifer A Franz as “Executive Direc” and Michael T Pagano as trustee.
Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation is led by Jennifer A. Franz, Executive Director on every filing since 2021; all 2 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jennifer A. Franz
Executive Director
On filings since 2021
4 hrs/week
$73K (2022) → $9K (2025)
Michael T. Pagano
Trustee
On filings since 2021
4 hrs/week
$8K (2021) → $8K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 $9K, to Jennifer a Franz (Executive Direc). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation
How much does Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation give each year?
Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation gave $253K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $495K across 19 grants.
What is Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $15,781, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation give grants?
Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 50% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (42%). The most frequent recipient cities were Brooklyn, NY (2 grants).
Does Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Services" (15 grants).
Who are Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Reaching Out Community Services ($25,000), Neighbors Together ($25,000) and The Northampton Survival Center ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 30% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation?
Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation reported $2.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $288K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $211K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is to support small tax-exempt organizations with limited resources that are well run, passionate about their work, and provide basic services to people in need. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation?
The website requires electronic copies of the latest available Form 990, the IRS letter granting exempt status, an annual financial statement, and other relevant application documents. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-0270223. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/howard-e-stark-charitable-foundation-morg_2361abd1160548cea07f6a6e06711c59
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_260270223_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Howard E Stark Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/howard-e-stark-charitable-foundation-morg_2361abd1160548cea07f6a6e06711c59},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Howard E Stark 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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