McKenzie Family Charitable Trust
The McKenzie Family Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Putney, Vermont. The Trust says it was incorporated in Vermont and created in 1993, and that it gives grants to educational organizations.
McKenzie Family Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: McKenzie Family Charitable Trust gave $1.0M across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $45K), mostly in Vermont. 4% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,030,723
- +8.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- -8.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $44,814
- +17.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $22,500
- Total assets
- $30,085,775
- +12.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 4% first-time grantees (1 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Vermont (52% 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 McKenzie Family Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The Trust does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and says it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 285, Putney, VT 05346
Phone: (617) 922-9302
Website: https://mckenziefoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who McKenzie Family Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Yellow Barn ($205K). Together the top 10 received $843K.
Grant Size Distribution
120 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 87 grants of 120 (73%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 52% of grant dollars went to recipients in Vermont and 45% to recipients in Massachusetts. New Jersey received 2% and New Hampshire 1%. The Trust’s website lists supported organizations in Vermont and Massachusetts, including organizations in Putney, Brattleboro, Cambridge, Boston, and Dorchester.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
Cities
Is McKenzie Family Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
4%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 23 grantees (4%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $46K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $24K repeat.
- 96% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 89% 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 (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $799K (2020) to $1.0M (2025). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $1.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow Barn Putney, VT | Program Support | $205,000 |
| President & Fellows of Harvard College Cambridge, MA | Program Support | $155,000 |
| Harvard Medical School (Basic Science Partnership) Cambridge, MA | Program Support | $153,223 |
| Vermont Jazz Center Brattleboro, VT | Program Support | $70,000 |
| Brigham & Women's Hospital Boston, MA | Program Support | $60,000 |
| Epiphany School Dorchester, MA | Program Support | $50,000 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Brattleboro Brattleboro, VT | Program Support | $40,000 |
| Putney Community Cares Putney, VT | Program Support | $40,000 |
| Sandglass Theater Putney, VT | Program Support | $40,000 |
| Putney Foodshelf Putney, VT | Program Support | $30,000 |
Ready to take the next step with McKenzie Family Charitable Trust?
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 | $30,085,775 | $1,066,998 | $1,348,148 | $1,030,723 | 23 | $1,236,615 | $970,877 | $1,386,615 |
| 2024 | $26,705,341 | $794,162 | $1,282,645 | $953,850 | 25 | $1,151,894 | $1,048,141 | $1,291,754 |
| 2023 | $25,751,608 | $5,359,920 | $1,198,123 | $949,057 | 24 | $1,118,329 | $3,747,693 | $1,080,203 |
| 2022 | $22,001,572 | $1,021,967 | $1,236,813 | $954,486 | 24 | $1,146,343 | $945,997 | $1,116,152 |
| 2021 | $25,021,839 | $477,185 | $1,144,580 | $868,468 | 24 | $1,055,342 | $402,549 | $1,173,202 |
| 2020 | $22,629,147 | $550,850 | $1,013,619 | $799,458 | 19 | — | $493,637 | $1,020,585 |
| 2019 | $21,459,010 | $1,183,070 | $1,048,207 | $821,121 | 17 | — | $1,415,767 | $985,785 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, McKenzie Family Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $1.4M 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
The Trust describes its grantmaking as supporting educational organizations. Its supported organizations include arts, education, medical, and community-service organizations. For example, Yellow Barn says its mission is to promote and encourage the education of young musicians and audiences. The Vermont Jazz Center describes its work as presenting workshops, concerts, and instruction for artists, students, and the public. Epiphany School describes itself as an independent day school for grades 5–8.
Other grantees describe a range of work: Putney Foodshelf says it provides supplemental food for people in need; Retreat Farm says it connects people to land and community through its property, programs, and partnerships; and Food Connects says it cultivates farm and food connections in classrooms, cafeterias, and communities.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Trust reported 23 grants totaling $1,030,723. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $205,000, with a median of $22,500. Its largest grants included $205,000 to Yellow Barn, $155,000 to President & Fellows of Harvard College, $153,223 to Harvard Medical School’s Basic Science Partnership, and $70,000 to Vermont Jazz Center. Each was listed for program support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists J Michael McKenzie as trustee and Torin Koester as managing trustee. The Trust’s website identifies John Michael McKenzie as founder and Torin S. Koester as managing trustee.
McKenzie Family Charitable Trust is led by Torin Koester, Managing Trustee on every filing since 2019; 1 of 2 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Torin Koester
Managing Trustee
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$201K (2019) → $267K (2025)
J. Michael McKenzie
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 $267K, to Torin Koester (Managing Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about McKenzie Family Charitable Trust
How much does McKenzie Family Charitable Trust give each year?
McKenzie Family Charitable Trust gave $1.0M across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $954K across 25 grants.
What is McKenzie Family Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
McKenzie Family Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $22,500, and its average grant was $44,814, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from McKenzie Family Charitable Trust that year got $10K on average.
Where does McKenzie Family Charitable Trust give grants?
McKenzie Family Charitable Trust gives mostly in Vermont: 52% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Massachusetts (45%). The most frequent recipient cities were Brattleboro, VT (8 grants), Putney, VT (6 grants), Cambridge, MA (4 grants) and Boston, MA (2 grants).
Does McKenzie Family Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on McKenzie Family Charitable Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (23 grants).
Who are McKenzie Family Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
McKenzie Family Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Yellow Barn ($205,000), President & Fellows of Harvard College ($155,000) and Harvard Medical School (Basic Science Partnership) ($153,223), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 50% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is McKenzie Family Charitable Trust?
McKenzie Family Charitable Trust reported $30.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.4M (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 McKenzie Family Charitable Trust fund?
The Trust describes its grantmaking as supporting educational organizations. Its supported organizations include arts, education, medical, and community-service organizations. For example, Yellow Barn says its mission is to promote and encourage the education of young musicians and audiences. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from McKenzie Family Charitable Trust?
The Trust does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and says it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is McKenzie Family Charitable Trust's EIN?
McKenzie Family Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-6596096. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does McKenzie Family 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 4, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 24, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 3, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 26, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 3, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). McKenzie Family Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mckenzie-family-charitable-trust-morg_f766d3acfcdd41a1b8c362eda71423cd
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_226596096_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{McKenzie Family Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mckenzie-family-charitable-trust-morg_f766d3acfcdd41a1b8c362eda71423cd},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 McKenzie Family 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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