Novack Family Foundation
The Novack Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing reports contributions to charitable organizations, including arts and cultural, educational, food-access, health-care, and human-services organizations.
Novack Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Novack Family Foundation gave $371K across 50 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), top state New York. 29% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $371,300
- -21.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 50
- +4.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,426
- -24.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,151,887
- +54.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 29% first-time grantees (14 of 48, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (44% 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 Novack Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: Captrust One Liberty Sq 13Fl, Boston, MA 02109
Phone: (617) 488-2700
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Novack Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Film Forum Inc ($100K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $226K.
Grant Size Distribution
280 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 272 grants of 280 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to organizations in New York (44%) and Massachusetts (37%), followed by Maine (10%), New Hampshire (3%), and Maryland (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 50 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Novack Family Foundation open to new grantees?
29%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 14 of 48 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+16%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $306K (2023) to $474K (2024). In 2025 it made 50 grants totaling $371K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Film Forum Inc New York, NY | Contribution | $50,000 |
| Film Forum Inc New York, NY | Contribution | $50,000 |
| Apollo Theatre Foundation Inc New York, NY | Contribution | $25,000 |
| Food Link Auburn, ME | Contribution | $25,000 |
| Brooklyn Public Library Brooklyn, NY | Contribution | $15,000 |
| Pathways for Children Gloucester, MA | Contribution | $10,000 |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA | Contribution | $10,000 |
| Backyard Growers Gloucester, MA | Contribution | $10,000 |
| Cape Ann Art Haven Gloucester, MA | Contribution | $10,000 |
| Dartmouth College Fund Hanover, NH | Contribution | $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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,151,887 | $847,678 | $442,579 | $371,300 | 50 | $371,300 | $760,592 | $26,176 |
| 2024 | $746,788 | $574,079 | $551,418 | $473,800 | 48 | $473,800 | $406,627 | $37,594 |
| 2023 | $716,039 | $243,933 | $353,967 | $305,500 | 52 | $305,500 | $181,262 | $50,779 |
| 2022 | $826,073 | $160,789 | $394,367 | $321,050 | 66 | $321,050 | $68,975 | $57,471 |
| 2021 | $1,058,083 | $601,393 | $424,844 | $357,900 | 64 | $357,900 | $532,480 | $61,646 |
| 2020 | $873,115 | $349,208 | $411,847 | $343,550 | 66 | — | $273,938 | $58,468 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Novack Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $26K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations with varied missions. For example, Film Forum describes its work as presenting challenging and historically important films to the public and serving independent film; Brooklyn Public Library says it provides free and open access to information and preserves and transmits knowledge, history, and culture. Gloucester-based Backyard Growers says it works to increase equitable access to vegetable gardens and resources for growing food. Pathways for Children describes its work as supporting children and families affected by economic and social inequity, while Day by Day Adult Care says it serves elders and adults with disabilities or illnesses.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 50 grants totaling $371,300. Grants ranged from $250 to $50,000, with a median of $5,000. Among the largest listed awards were two $50,000 contributions to Film Forum, $25,000 to Apollo Theatre Foundation, and $25,000 to Food Link. Other listed grants included $15,000 to Brooklyn Public Library and $10,000 each to Pathways for Children, Tufts Medical Center, Backyard Growers, Cape Ann Art Haven, Dartmouth College Fund, Day by Day Adult Care, and Facing History and Ourselves.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kenneth J. Novack as trustee, serving as needed.
Novack Family Foundation is led by Kenneth J. Novack, Trustee - As Needed on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kenneth J. Novack
Trustee - As Needed
On filings since 2020
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.
Frequently asked questions about Novack Family Foundation
How much does Novack Family Foundation give each year?
Novack Family Foundation gave $371K across 50 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $474K across 48 grants.
What is Novack Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Novack Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $7,426, across 50 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Novack Family Foundation that year got $12K on average.
Where does Novack Family Foundation give grants?
Novack Family Foundation's top state is New York, with 44% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (37%) and Maine (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Gloucester, MA (10 grants), New York, NY (7 grants), Boston, MA (7 grants) and Rockport, MA (5 grants).
Does Novack Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 50 grants with a stated purpose on Novack Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Contribution" (48 grants).
Who are Novack Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Novack Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Film Forum Inc ($100,000 across 2 grants), Apollo Theatre Foundation Inc ($25,000) and Food Link ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Novack Family Foundation?
Novack Family Foundation reported $1.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $371K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $26K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Novack Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Novack Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Novack Family Foundation's EIN?
Novack Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6896914. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Novack Family 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 September 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 August 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Novack Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Novack Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Novack Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/novack-family-foundation-morg_414d315376b24bd3975035a26cb62d8a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_046896914_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Novack Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/novack-family-foundation-morg_414d315376b24bd3975035a26cb62d8a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Novack Family 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.
Novack Family Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?