PDB Foundation
PDB Foundation is a private foundation based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2024, it reported 29 grants totaling $4,411,495 to charitable organizations, with stated grant purposes including education, research, health care, food insecurity, and family assistance.
PDB Foundation at a glance
In short: PDB Foundation gave $4.4M across 29 grants in 2024 (avg $152K), top state Massachusetts. 10% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $4,411,495
- -12.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 29
- -6.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $152,121
- -6.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $80,097,565
- +5.4% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 10% first-time grantees (3 of 29, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (44% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to PDB Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. It states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 99 Irving Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: (508) 345-1001
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who PDB Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Mass Liberation ($830K). Together the top 10 received $3.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
120 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 50 grants of 120 (42%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 44% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts, 19% to California, 10% to Oklahoma, and 7% to New Hampshire. The filing lists 16% under “?” for recipient state. Named 2024 recipients included organizations in Boston and other Massachusetts communities, as well as recipients in California, Oklahoma, and New Hampshire.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
Cities
Is PDB Foundation open to new grantees?
10%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 29 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $102K; repeat grants $158K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $75K repeat.
- 90% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 79% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 113% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 $2.5M (2021) to $5.0M (2023). In 2024 it made 29 grants totaling $4.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mass Liberation Torrance, CA | Education | $830,233 |
| University of Strathclyde | Education | $455,754 |
| American Cancer Society Oklahoma City, OK | Research | $450,000 |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA | Education | $355,200 |
| The Trussell Trust | Food Insecurities | $254,117 |
| Cambridge Health Allicance Foundation Malden, MA | Health Care | $250,000 |
| Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts Dorchester, MA | Family Assistance Programs | $250,000 |
| International Institution of New England Boston, MA | Education and Refugees Support | $250,000 |
| West End House Allston, MA | Education | $250,000 |
| Proctor Academy Andover, NH | Education | $210,000 |
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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 | $80,097,565 | $8,695,453 | $4,611,712 | $4,411,495 | 29 | $4,418,322 | $8,539,880 | $3,901,885 |
| 2023 | $76,013,824 | $1,758,576 | $5,213,514 | $5,035,436 | 31 | $5,035,436 | $2,387,060 | $3,794,194 |
| 2022 | $79,457,103 | $43,568,437 | $3,213,269 | $3,043,582 | 19 | $3,043,582 | $841,001 | $3,527,491 |
| 2021 | $39,101,935 | $1,203,660 | $2,670,159 | $2,465,264 | 18 | $2,465,264 | $1,023,958 | $2,203,711 |
| 2020 | $40,568,738 | $4,495,796 | $5,018,128 | $4,201,228 | 23 | — | $1,577,121 | $2,100,134 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, PDB Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3.9M for 2024 — 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 foundation is provided. Its 2024 grant purposes included education, research, health care, food insecurity, family assistance programs, and education and refugee support.
Grantees’ own descriptions show the range of organizations supported. Mass Liberation describes its work as supporting people returning from incarceration through housing, technology and employment training, and connections to resources. Year Up says its mission is to help young adults gain skills, experience, and support for careers and higher education. The Greater Boston Food Bank describes its work as acquiring, sorting, and distributing food through member agencies and community distribution sites.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 29 grants totaling $4,411,495. Grants ranged from $1,300 to $830,233, with a median of $50,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $830,233 to Mass Liberation for education, $455,754 to the University of Strathclyde for education, $450,000 to the American Cancer Society for research, and $355,200 to Wentworth Institute of Technology for education. Other notable awards included $250,000 each to Cambridge Health Alliance Foundation for health care, Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts for family assistance programs, International Institution of New England for education and refugee support, and West End House for education.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Mark R. Bamforth and Morag Bamforth as trustees.
PDB Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Mark R. Bamforth
Trustee
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Morag Bamforth
Trustee
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/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 PDB Foundation
How much does PDB Foundation give each year?
PDB Foundation gave $4.4M across 29 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $5.0M across 31 grants.
What is PDB Foundation's typical grant size?
PDB Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $50,000, and its average grant was $152,121, across 29 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from PDB Foundation that year got $102K on average.
Where does PDB Foundation give grants?
PDB Foundation's top state is Massachusetts, with 44% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (19%) and Oklahoma (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (5 grants) and Cambridge, MA (2 grants).
Does PDB Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 7% of PDB Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 29) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Education" (9 grants) and "Food Insecurities" (5 grants).
Who are PDB Foundation's largest grantees?
PDB Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Mass Liberation ($830,233), University of Strathclyde ($455,754) and American Cancer Society ($450,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is PDB Foundation?
PDB Foundation reported $80.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3.9M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does PDB Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grant purposes included education, research, health care, food insecurity, family assistance programs, and education and refugee support. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from PDB Foundation?
The foundation 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 PDB Foundation's EIN?
PDB Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-3779206. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does PDB 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
(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). PDB Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/pdb-foundation-morg_65a7b462df0747f3a1946b523e92e2b5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_823779206_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{PDB Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/pdb-foundation-morg_65a7b462df0747f3a1946b523e92e2b5},
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 PDB 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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