Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr
The Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation TR is a private foundation based in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In its 2025 filing, it reported 12 grants totaling $1,136,285, primarily to organizations in Massachusetts.
Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr at a glance
In short: Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr gave $1.1M across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $95K), mostly in Massachusetts. 25% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,136,285
- +6.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $94,690
- -2.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $27,500
- Total assets
- $7,344,513
- -11.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 25% first-time grantees (3 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (89% 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 Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 74 Old Sandwich Road, Plymouth, MA 02360
Phone: (508) 737-1445
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Wildlands Trust ($725K). Together the top 10 received $1.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
70 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 38 grants of 70 (54%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Massachusetts organizations received 89% of grant dollars. Recipients in Rhode Island received 4%, while recipients in Ohio, Virginia, and Washington, DC each received 2%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr open to new grantees?
25%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 12 grantees (25%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $42K; repeat grants $112K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $30K repeat.
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 23% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 99% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 $850K (2020) to $1.1M (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wildlands Trust Plymouth, MA | General Support | $725,000 |
| Pilgrim Hall Museum Plymouth, MA | General Support | $100,000 |
| Bid Plymouth Family Fund Plymouth, MA | General Support | $69,000 |
| RI Hospital Providence, RI | General Support | $50,000 |
| Plymouth Philharmonic Plymouth, MA | General Support | $46,285 |
| Black Feather Horse Rescue Plymouth, MA | General Support | $30,000 |
| Kenyon College Gambier, OH | General Support | $25,000 |
| Manomet Conservation Sciences Plymouth, MA | General Support | $25,000 |
| The Salvation Army Alexandria, VA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Grange Foundation Washington, DC | General Support | $20,000 |
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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 | $7,344,513 | $252,306 | $1,184,943 | $1,136,285 | 12 | $1,136,285 | $344,489 | $1,145,191 |
| 2024 | $8,277,150 | $371,789 | $1,085,564 | $1,070,000 | 11 | $1,070,000 | $427,773 | $1,053,255 |
| 2023 | $8,990,908 | $402,502 | $940,259 | $925,000 | 15 | $925,000 | $416,425 | $916,329 |
| 2022 | $9,528,665 | $332,349 | $951,710 | $921,416 | 17 | $921,416 | $327,004 | $930,575 |
| 2021 | $10,148,026 | $1,480,222 | $1,137,256 | $1,128,200 | 15 | $1,128,200 | $1,471,291 | $979,045 |
| 2020 | $9,751,987 | $307,696 | $879,528 | $850,000 | 14 | — | $300,227 | $867,686 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr reported a distributable amount of $1.1M 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 own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants included support for conservation, cultural, community, health, and other organizations. The Wildlands Trust describes its work as conserving and permanently protecting native habitats, farmland, and other ecologically and scenically valuable land in southeastern Massachusetts. The Grange Foundation says it supports youth development, agricultural education and research, community improvement, and cultural, heritage, citizenship, and charitable activities.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 12 grants totaling $1,136,285. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $725,000, with a median of $27,500. The largest grants included $725,000 to Wildlands Trust, $100,000 to Pilgrim Hall Museum, $69,000 to BID Plymouth Family Fund, $50,000 to RI Hospital, and $46,285 to Plymouth Philharmonic. All were listed for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Nathan N Withington, Meghan Knight, and Heather W Ward as trustees.
Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; 2 of 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Meghan Knight
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
$4K (2021) → $4K (2025)
Heather W. Ward
Trustee
On filings since 2023
7 hrs/week
$1K (2023) → $4K (2025)
Nathan N. Withington
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $4K, to Meghan Knight (Trustee). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr
How much does Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr give each year?
Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr gave $1.1M across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.1M across 11 grants.
What is Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr's typical grant size?
Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr's median grant in 2025 was $27,500, and its average grant was $94,690, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr that year got $42K on average.
Where does Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr give grants?
Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr gives mostly in Massachusetts: 89% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Plymouth, MA (7 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (12 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr's largest grantees?
Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr's largest 2025 grantees include Wildlands Trust ($725,000), Pilgrim Hall Museum ($100,000) and Bid Plymouth Family Fund ($69,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 79% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr?
Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr reported $7.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr fund?
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants included support for conservation, cultural, community, health, and other organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr's EIN?
Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6382377. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr 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 October 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 July 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mary-elizabeth-pearce-foundation-tr-morg_28063a5bbfdc4372b1a1c9faf43dfea0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_046382377_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mary-elizabeth-pearce-foundation-tr-morg_28063a5bbfdc4372b1a1c9faf43dfea0},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Mary Elizabeth Pearce Foundation Tr'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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