John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation
The John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports grants to Massachusetts arts organizations and arts education programs, as well as scholarships for students in the arts.
John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation at a glance
In short: John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation gave $84K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Massachusetts. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $83,800
- +2.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,986
- +2.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,744,645
- +45.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (3 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (100% 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 John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2024 filing describes an application process for both arts grants and arts scholarships.
- Review Cycle
- The 2024 filing lists May 15. This is a past deadline as of September 29, 2026; no current deadline is provided.
- Deadline
- The 2024 filing lists May 15.
- Contact
Application contact: John K And Thirza F Davenport Found
Mailing address: 20 North Main Street, South Yarmouth, MA 02664
Phone: (508) 398-2293
Email: request@davenportfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cape Cod Theatre Co Harwich Jr Theatre ($20K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $83K.
Grant Size Distribution
56 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 56 grants of 56 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2025 grants went entirely to Massachusetts recipients. Its 2024 filing specifies Barnstable County-based nonprofits for arts grants and Barnstable County residents for arts scholarships.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 11 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 64% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 75% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 114% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 $43K (2021) to $84K (2025). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $84K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cotuit Center for the Arts Cotuit, MA | Kids Educational Programs | $10,000 |
| Cape Cod Repertory Theatre Company Inc Brewster, MA | Cape Rep Barn | $10,000 |
| Cape Cod Theatre Co Harwich Jr Theatre West Harwich, MA | Kids Educational Programs | $10,000 |
| Cape Cod Theatre Co Harwich Jr Theatre West Harwich, MA | Production Team Apprenticeship Program | $10,000 |
| Cape Symphony West Barnstable, MA | Link up: Orchestra Moves | $10,000 |
| Cape Cod Museum of Art Dennis, MA | Youth Art Programming | $5,000 |
| Eventide Arts Inc Dennis, MA | Upgrade of Lighting Inventory | $5,000 |
| Academy of Performing Arts Orleans, MA | Let There Be One More Room Project | $5,000 |
| Arts Foundation of Cape Cod Hyannis, MA | Arts Access & Creative Exchange | $5,000 |
| Cotuit Center for the Arts Cotuit, MA | Do It for Cotuit Project | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with John K and Thirza F Davenport 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 | $1,744,645 | $640,123 | $96,539 | $83,800 | 14 | $88,108 | $423,652 | $77,034 |
| 2024 | $1,201,061 | $204,123 | $89,289 | $82,000 | 14 | $84,052 | $99,292 | $72,017 |
| 2023 | $1,086,227 | $43,134 | $56,567 | $50,000 | 8 | $52,089 | $36,044 | $63,922 |
| 2022 | $1,099,660 | $528,486 | $54,658 | $48,000 | 9 | $49,848 | $21,328 | $55,692 |
| 2021 | $625,832 | $36,770 | $49,840 | $42,500 | 11 | — | $29,324 | $40,255 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation reported a distributable amount of $77K 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 reported grantmaking supports visual and performing arts organizations, youth arts programming, arts education, and scholarships. Examples include grants for children’s educational programs, youth art programming, an orchestra education program, theatre facilities and production training, and scholarships.
The grantees describe their own work in varied ways: Cotuit Center for the Arts says it encourages artistic development and exploration and fosters interaction between artists and the public; the Academy of Performing Arts describes itself as a theatrical venue for hands-on learning, creativity, and entertainment for the Cape Cod community. Lesley University describes its work as transformative education combining academics, research, artistic expression, and practical professional experience.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 14 grants totaling $83,800. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $10,000, with a median of $5,000. All reported grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts.
Notable 2025 grants included $10,000 each to Cotuit Center for the Arts for kids’ educational programs; Cape Cod Repertory Theatre Company for Cape Rep Barn; Cape Cod Theatre Company Harwich Junior Theatre for kids’ educational programs and a production team apprenticeship program; and Cape Symphony for Link Up: Orchestra Moves. The foundation also reported $5,000 to Cape Cod Museum of Art for youth art programming, $5,000 to Eventide Arts for a lighting inventory upgrade, and two Lesley University scholarships totaling $6,300.
The foundation’s 2024 filing describes arts grant applications as submitted online and arts scholarship applications as obtained online or from the Davenport Companies office. It states that scholarships are for students studying visual or performing arts who are Barnstable County residents in their last two years of undergraduate study or in graduate work. Arts grants are for Barnstable County-based nonprofit organizations committed to excellence in the visual and performing arts.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Northern Trust, DeWitt P Davenport, and Susan Davenport as trustees.
John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Northern Trust
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$5K (2021) → $6K (2025)
Dewitt P. Davenport
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Davenport
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 $6K, to Northern Trust (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation
How much does John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation give each year?
John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation gave $84K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $82K across 14 grants.
What is John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation's typical grant size?
John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $5,986, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation give grants?
John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were West Harwich, MA (2 grants), Cotuit, MA (2 grants), Dennis, MA (2 grants) and Cambridge, MA (2 grants).
Does John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation's largest grantees?
John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Cape Cod Theatre Co Harwich Jr Theatre ($20,000 across 2 grants), Cotuit Center for the Arts ($15,000 across 2 grants) and Cape Cod Repertory Theatre Company Inc ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation?
John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $88K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $77K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its reported grantmaking supports visual and performing arts organizations, youth arts programming, arts education, and scholarships. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation?
The 2024 filing describes an application process for both arts grants and arts scholarships. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation's EIN?
John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-2647795. 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 September 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). John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/john-k-and-thirza-f-davenport-foundation-morg_0349619bab7c422baaa5fc8a02fa3631
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_222647795_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{John K and Thirza F Davenport Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/john-k-and-thirza-f-davenport-foundation-morg_0349619bab7c422baaa5fc8a02fa3631},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-23. 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 John K and Thirza F Davenport 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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