John Winthrop Charitable Trust
The John Winthrop Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Charleston, South Carolina, that makes grants to charitable organizations. In its 2025 filing, it reported 39 grants totaling $648,961, with recipients in South Carolina and several other states.
John Winthrop Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: John Winthrop Charitable Trust gave $649K across 39 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in South Carolina. 18% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $648,961
- +160.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 39
- -18.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $16,640
- +220.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $4,393,141
- -8.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (7 of 39, 2025)
- Primary geography
- South Carolina (61% 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 Winthrop Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The trust makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 22527, Charleston, SC 29413
Phone: (843) 722-2228
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who John Winthrop Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Coastal Community Foundation ($69K). Together the top 10 received $547K.
Grant Size Distribution
278 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 268 grants of 278 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 61% of grant dollars went to recipients in South Carolina, 15% to Massachusetts, 10% to Maryland, 7% to Connecticut, and 6% to New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 39 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is John Winthrop Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 39 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $20K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 69% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 46% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 129% 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 $222K (2023) to $1.2M (2022). In 2025 it made 39 grants totaling $649K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Community Foundation North Charleston, SC | General | $69,035 |
| University of SC Columbia, SC | General | $68,173 |
| Dexter Southfield School Brookline, MA | General | $65,553 |
| Salisbury School Salisbury, MD | General | $65,000 |
| Charleston Library Society Charleston, SC | General | $60,000 |
| A Father's Place North Charleston, SC | General | $53,022 |
| Citadel Foundation Charleston, SC | General | $50,532 |
| Indian MTN School Lakeville, CT | General | $43,313 |
| American College of the Bldg Arts Charleston, SC | General | $36,000 |
| Gilder Lehrman Institute New York, NY | General | $35,959 |
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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 | $4,393,141 | $325,282 | $727,151 | $648,961 | 39 | $653,904 | $89,408 | $507,381 |
| 2024 | $4,798,176 | $837,959 | $316,891 | $249,500 | 48 | $253,383 | $781,824 | $427,543 |
| 2023 | $4,273,942 | $746,788 | $299,696 | $222,000 | 56 | $230,628 | $654,104 | $368,194 |
| 2022 | $3,826,850 | $1,479,057 | $1,275,349 | $1,209,500 | 67 | $1,216,169 | $1,119,248 | $400,354 |
| 2021 | $3,632,142 | $771,657 | $444,064 | $394,700 | 68 | — | $534,689 | $370,733 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John Winthrop Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $507K 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 trust is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose stated missions include education, historical preservation and learning, support for families, and conservation. For example, Salisbury School describes its mission as helping students reach their potential through an experiential, college-bound curriculum; the Charleston Library Society describes work that includes educational opportunities and preserving and expanding its collections. A Father’s Place says it works to inspire responsible fatherhood, while the Longleaf Alliance describes its mission as restoring longleaf pine forest ecosystems.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the trust made 39 grants totaling $648,961. Grants ranged from $100 to $69,035, with a median award of $1,000. The largest listed grants included $69,035 to Coastal Community Foundation, $68,173 to the University of South Carolina, $65,553 to Dexter Southfield School, $65,000 to Salisbury School, and $60,000 to Charleston Library Society. The filing lists the purposes of these grants as general.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John Winthrop and John Winthrop Jr. as trustees.
John Winthrop Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John Winthrop
Trustee
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
John Winthrop Jr.
Trustee
On filings since 2021
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.
Frequently asked questions about John Winthrop Charitable Trust
How much does John Winthrop Charitable Trust give each year?
John Winthrop Charitable Trust gave $649K across 39 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $250K across 48 grants.
What is John Winthrop Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
John Winthrop Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $16,640, across 39 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from John Winthrop Charitable Trust that year got $1K on average.
Where does John Winthrop Charitable Trust give grants?
John Winthrop Charitable Trust gives mostly in South Carolina: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (15%) and Maryland (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Charleston, SC (12 grants), North Charleston, SC (4 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Boston, MA (3 grants).
Does John Winthrop Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of John Winthrop Charitable Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (39 of 39) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are John Winthrop Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
John Winthrop Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Coastal Community Foundation ($69,035), University of SC ($68,173) and Dexter Southfield School ($65,553), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is John Winthrop Charitable Trust?
John Winthrop Charitable Trust reported $4.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $654K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $507K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does John Winthrop Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose stated missions include education, historical preservation and learning, support for families, and conservation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from John Winthrop Charitable Trust?
The trust 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 John Winthrop Charitable Trust's EIN?
John Winthrop Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-2982306. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does John Winthrop Charitable Trust 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 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). John Winthrop Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/john-winthrop-charitable-trust-morg_36b44297ba404cb5b99237f1d6c65c0f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_132982306_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{John Winthrop Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/john-winthrop-charitable-trust-morg_36b44297ba404cb5b99237f1d6c65c0f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Winthrop Charitable Trust'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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