Nancy Sayles Day Foundation
The Nancy Sayles Day Foundation is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its 2024 filing reports 19 grants totaling $913,500, with nearly all grant dollars going to recipients in Massachusetts.
Nancy Sayles Day Foundation at a glance
In short: Nancy Sayles Day Foundation gave $914K across 19 grants in 2024 (avg $48K), mostly in Massachusetts. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $913,500
- +25.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 19
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $48,079
- +25.4% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $13,027,020
- -1.1% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (99% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Nancy Sayles Day Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 50 Congress Street 800, Boston, MA 02109
Phone: (617) 624-0610
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Nancy Sayles Day Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Nantucket Conservation Foundation ($691K across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $881K.
Grant Size Distribution
87 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 75 grants of 87 (86%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 99% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts. The filing reports 0% for recipients in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Nancy Sayles Day Foundation gives
- 88% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 42% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 120% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $627K (2020) to $914K (2024). In 2024 it made 19 grants totaling $914K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Nantucket Conservation Foundation Nantucket, MA | Capital Campaign | $400,000 |
| Nantucket Conservation Foundation Nantucket, MA | Capital Campaign | $266,000 |
| St Paul's Church Nantucket, MA | General Support | $50,000 |
| Lahey Clinic Burlington, MA | To be administered by dr bruce campbell for research and education. | $50,000 |
| Nantucket Conservation Foundation Nantucket, MA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Nantucket Cottage Hospital Foundation Nantucket, MA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Nantucket Land Council Nantucket, MA | General Support | $15,000 |
| A Safe Place Nantucket, MA | General Support | $10,000 |
| Addiction Solutions of Nantucket Inc Nantucket, MA | General Support | $10,000 |
| Nantucket Food Fuel and Rental Assistance Nantucket, MA | General Support | $10,000 |
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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 | $13,027,020 | $978,561 | $1,079,972 | $913,500 | 19 | $1,037,005 | $956,165 | $867,063 |
| 2023 | $13,166,821 | $682,816 | $880,078 | $728,500 | 19 | $831,008 | $644,642 | $809,801 |
| 2022 | $13,431,615 | $1,166,029 | $911,804 | $749,000 | 26 | $862,272 | $1,119,684 | $839,411 |
| 2021 | $13,536,490 | $799,555 | $812,502 | $642,500 | 22 | — | $742,051 | $852,911 |
| 2020 | $13,687,278 | $737,308 | $741,986 | $627,000 | 1 | — | $1,089,355 | $726,614 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Nancy Sayles Day Foundation reported a distributable amount of $867K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including land and coastal conservation, health care, social services, sailing, and history. For example, the Nantucket Conservation Foundation describes its work as protecting and stewarding land and shoreline, conserving natural resources, and conducting ecological research. A Safe Place says it works to eliminate domestic violence and sexual assault in the Nantucket community, while Nantucket Community Sailing says it engages people of all ages in sailing and teaches life and leadership skills.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 19 grants totaling $913,500. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $400,000, with a median grant of $10,000. The largest listed awards were $400,000 and $266,000 to the Nantucket Conservation Foundation for its capital campaign. Other notable grants included $50,000 to St. Paul’s Church for general support and $50,000 to Lahey Clinic for research and education to be administered by Dr. Bruce Campbell. The foundation also awarded $25,000 to the Nantucket Conservation Foundation for general support and $25,000 to the Nantucket Cottage Hospital Foundation for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Mary G West and Nathaniel Jeppson as co-trustees.
Nancy Sayles Day Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Mary G. West
Co-Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nathaniel Jeppson
Co-Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/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 Nancy Sayles Day Foundation
How much does Nancy Sayles Day Foundation give each year?
Nancy Sayles Day Foundation gave $914K across 19 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $729K across 19 grants.
What is Nancy Sayles Day Foundation's typical grant size?
Nancy Sayles Day Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $48,079, across 19 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Nancy Sayles Day Foundation give grants?
Nancy Sayles Day Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Nantucket, MA (14 grants).
Does Nancy Sayles Day Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 68% of Nancy Sayles Day Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Nancy Sayles Day Foundation's largest grantees?
Nancy Sayles Day Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Nantucket Conservation Foundation ($691,000 across 3 grants), St Paul's Church ($50,000) and Lahey Clinic ($50,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 87% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Nancy Sayles Day Foundation?
Nancy Sayles Day Foundation reported $13.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $867K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Nancy Sayles Day Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including land and coastal conservation, health care, social services, sailing, and history. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Nancy Sayles Day Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 Nancy Sayles Day Foundation's EIN?
Nancy Sayles Day Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-6071254. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Nancy Sayles Day Foundation 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
(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). Nancy Sayles Day Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/nancy-sayles-day-foundation-morg_896a5902139c4951ad9e69d85a5b15ac
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_066071254_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Nancy Sayles Day Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/nancy-sayles-day-foundation-morg_896a5902139c4951ad9e69d85a5b15ac},
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 Nancy Sayles Day 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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