Howland Family Foundation
Howland Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Norwood, Massachusetts. It makes grants to charitable organizations, with 2025 giving including support for Massachusetts organizations and recipients in other states.
Howland Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Howland Family Foundation gave $53K across 52 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), mostly in Massachusetts. 4% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $53,450
- +15.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 52
- +2.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,028
- +13.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $585,525
- +7.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 4% first-time grantees (2 of 52, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (80% 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 Howland Family 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: 129 Morgan Drive 102, Norwood, MA 02062
Phone: (781) 440-0444
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Howland Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Umass Amherst ($10K). Together the top 10 received $20K.
Grant Size Distribution
254 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 254 grants of 254 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 80% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts. Other reported recipient-state shares were Vermont (4%), the U.S. Virgin Islands (3%), Iowa (2%), and New York (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 52 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Howland Family Foundation open to new grantees?
4%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 52 grantees (4%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $750; repeat grants $1K. How we count
Medians: $750 first-time, $1K repeat.
- 96% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 25% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 118% 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 $38K (2020) to $53K (2025). In 2025 it made 52 grants totaling $53K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Umass Amherst Amherst, MA | Charity | $10,000 |
| Boston Childrens Hospital Fund Boston, MA | Charity | $1,500 |
| Mass Easter Seal Soc Boston, MA | Charity | $1,500 |
| ALS Assoc of Massachusetts Dedham, MA | Charity | $1,200 |
| American Red Cross Boone, IA | Charity | $1,000 |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA | Charity | $1,000 |
| Bob Woodruff Foundation New York, NY | Charity | $1,000 |
| Boys & Girls Club of America Boston, MA | Charity | $1,000 |
| Christmas Charitable Trust Winthrop, MA | Charity | $1,000 |
| Dana Farber- Jimmy Fund Boston, MA | Charity | $1,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Howland Family 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 | $585,525 | $107,291 | $66,088 | $53,450 | 52 | $53,450 | $98,002 | $45,151 |
| 2024 | $544,322 | $74,832 | $51,165 | $46,175 | 51 | $46,175 | $70,257 | $43,859 |
| 2023 | $520,654 | $20,235 | $55,540 | $46,175 | 51 | $46,175 | $25,320 | $41,094 |
| 2022 | $555,959 | $31,470 | $56,675 | $42,875 | 48 | $42,875 | $21,316 | $43,230 |
| 2021 | $581,164 | $33,209 | $60,608 | $46,775 | 52 | — | $20,952 | $42,037 |
| 2020 | $608,563 | $56,443 | $46,278 | $37,500 | 50 | — | $48,747 | $36,379 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Howland Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $45K 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 grants show support for organizations working in areas including higher education, health care, disability services, youth services, and charitable aid. For example, the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation describes its work as accelerating research, empowering its community, and transforming care for people with pulmonary fibrosis. Pine Street Inn says its mission is to end homelessness, and the Greater Boston Food Bank describes distributing food through member agencies and direct distribution sites.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 52 grants totaling $53,450. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $10,000, with a median of $1,000. Its largest listed grant was $10,000 to UMass Amherst. Other notable grants included $1,500 each to Boston Children’s Hospital Fund and Mass Easter Seal Society, and $1,200 to ALS Association of Massachusetts.
In 2024, the foundation gave $1,000 to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, $1,000 to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, $1,000 to Smile Train, $850 to Pine Street Inn, $750 to American Lab Rescue, $700 to Greater Boston Food Bank, and $575 to Gifft Hill School.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Jay Howland is listed as a trustee.
Howland Family Foundation is led by Jay Howland, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jay Howland
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about Howland Family Foundation
How much does Howland Family Foundation give each year?
Howland Family Foundation gave $53K across 52 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $46K across 51 grants.
What is Howland Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Howland Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,028, across 52 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Howland Family Foundation that year got $750 on average.
Where does Howland Family Foundation give grants?
Howland Family Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 80% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (15 grants), Westwood, MA (6 grants), Medfield, MA (4 grants) and Amherst, MA (2 grants).
Does Howland Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 52 grants with a stated purpose on Howland Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charity" (52 grants).
Who are Howland Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Howland Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Umass Amherst ($10,000), Boston Childrens Hospital Fund ($1,500) and Mass Easter Seal Soc ($1,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Howland Family Foundation?
Howland Family Foundation reported $586K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $53K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $45K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Howland Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for organizations working in areas including higher education, health care, disability services, youth services, and charitable aid. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Howland Family 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 Howland Family Foundation's EIN?
Howland Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3215296. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Howland Family 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 20, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Howland Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/howland-family-foundation-morg_04569d55b7ec4d6fa8265aed44897737
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_043215296_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Howland Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/howland-family-foundation-morg_04569d55b7ec4d6fa8265aed44897737},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Howland Family 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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