Inavale Foundation Inc
Inavale Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations including an opera company, a college, a healing community, and organizations working in areas such as social justice, humanitarian response, health care, and history.
Inavale Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Inavale Foundation Inc gave $4.0M across 14 grants in 2024 (avg $284K), mostly in New York. 29% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $3,971,050
- +172.6% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 14
- -26.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $283,646
- +270.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $7,300
- Total assets
- $870,233
- -31.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 29% first-time grantees (4 of 14, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (50% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Inavale 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: Co Klr 99 Summer Street 520, Boston, MA 02110
Phone: (617) 236-8098
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Inavale Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Metropolitan Opera ($2.0M). Together the top 10 received $4.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
108 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 82 grants of 108 (76%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 filing reports grant dollars by recipient state as follows: New York, 50%; Minnesota, 30%; North Carolina, 13%; Massachusetts, 6%; and Indiana, 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Inavale Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
29%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 14 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $166K; repeat grants $331K. How we count
Medians: $83K first-time, $7K repeat.
- 50% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−11%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.5M (2023) to $4.4M (2021). In 2024 it made 14 grants totaling $4.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Opera New York, NY | General Purpose | $2,000,000 |
| Carleton College Northfield, MN | General Purpose | $1,200,000 |
| Cooperriis Healing Community Asheville, NC | General Purpose | $500,000 |
| Resist Somerville, MA | General Purpose | $160,000 |
| Grub St Inc Boston, MA | General Purpose | $60,000 |
| Trinity Lutheran Church Worcester, MA | General Purpose | $20,000 |
| Old Cambridge Baptist Church Cambridge, MA | General Purpose | $9,600 |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| International Rescue Committee Albert Lea, MN | General Purpose | $5,000 |
| Mara Elephant Project Carmel, IN | General Purpose | $5,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $870,233 | $3,585,186 | $3,986,870 | $3,971,050 | 14 | $3,972,069 | $3,917,373 | $80,852 |
| 2023 | $1,271,917 | $1,150,917 | $1,496,035 | $1,456,500 | 19 | $1,459,610 | $1,136,961 | $198,431 |
| 2022 | $1,617,035 | $1,838,793 | $2,926,105 | $2,825,760 | 28 | $2,830,070 | $2,234,199 | $268,837 |
| 2021 | $2,704,347 | $2,361,497 | $4,480,774 | $4,445,800 | 21 | $4,450,260 | $2,741,352 | $423,178 |
| 2020 | $4,823,624 | $395,255 | $1,791,030 | $1,737,500 | 26 | — | $341,695 | $483,650 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Inavale Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $81K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Carleton College describes itself as a liberal arts college focused on academic rigor and undergraduate teaching, while RESIST says it supports people’s movements for justice and liberation through resource redistribution and storytelling. The International Rescue Committee describes its work as responding to humanitarian crises and helping people affected by conflict and disaster; Boston Medical Center says it provides accessible health services to people in need, regardless of status or ability to pay. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work, not statements of the foundation’s mission.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 14 grants totaling $3,971,050. Grant amounts ranged from $450 to $2,000,000, with a median of $7,300. The largest awards included $2,000,000 to Metropolitan Opera, $1,200,000 to Carleton College, $500,000 to Cooperriis Healing Community, and $160,000 to RESIST. Other reported grants included $60,000 to Grub St Inc and $20,000 to Trinity Lutheran Church.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists William N Buffett as president and director, and Susan Kennedy as treasurer and director.
Inavale Foundation Inc is led by William N. Buffett, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
William N. Buffett
President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Kennedy
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Inavale Foundation Inc
How much does Inavale Foundation Inc give each year?
Inavale Foundation Inc gave $4.0M across 14 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.5M across 19 grants.
What is Inavale Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Inavale Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $7,300, and its average grant was $283,646, across 14 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Inavale Foundation Inc that year got $166K on average.
Where does Inavale Foundation Inc give grants?
Inavale Foundation Inc gives mostly in New York: 50% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Minnesota (30%) and North Carolina (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (3 grants).
Does Inavale Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Inavale Foundation Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Inavale Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Inavale Foundation Inc's largest 2024 grantees include Metropolitan Opera ($2,000,000), Carleton College ($1,200,000) and Cooperriis Healing Community ($500,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 93% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Inavale Foundation Inc?
Inavale Foundation Inc reported $870K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $81K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Inavale Foundation Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Inavale 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 Inavale Foundation Inc's EIN?
Inavale Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3409789. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Inavale Foundation Inc 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Inavale Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/inavale-foundation-inc-morg_d739be7eacf2483ba3b7be2aff8ec72a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_043409789_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Inavale Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/inavale-foundation-inc-morg_d739be7eacf2483ba3b7be2aff8ec72a},
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 Inavale Foundation Inc'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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