Pearson Family Charitable Foundation
The Pearson Family Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. It made 16 grants totaling $117,500 in filing year 2025, supporting charitable organizations including schools, universities, and community organizations.
Pearson Family Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: Pearson Family Charitable Foundation gave $118K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Massachusetts. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $117,500
- +291.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +700.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,344
- -51.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,500
- Total assets
- $1,513,113
- -4.6% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (83% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Pearson Family Charitable 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: Nixon Peabody Llp 53 State Street, Boston, MA 02109-2835
Phone: (617) 345-1000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Pearson Family Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Rivers School ($50K). Together the top 10 received $104K.
Grant Size Distribution
37 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 35 grants of 37 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 83% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts, 9% to New York, 3% to Washington, D.C., 2% to Vermont, and 2% to Virginia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
How Pearson Family Charitable Foundation gives
- Giving grew 34% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 109% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $30K (2023) to $143K (2020). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $118K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Rivers School Weston, MA | Charitable | $50,000 |
| Noble & Greenough School Dedham, MA | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Metrowest Women's Fund Weston, MA | Charitable | $10,000 |
| St Lawrence University Canton, NY | Charitable | $7,500 |
| The Fenn School Concord, MA | Charitable | $7,500 |
| Tufts University Medford, MA | Charitable | $5,000 |
| American Fund for London School of Economics New York, NY | Charitable | $3,500 |
| George Washington University Washington, DC | Charitable | $3,500 |
| Heading Home Boston, MA | Charitable | $3,500 |
| Runway for Recovery Newburyport, MA | Charitable | $3,500 |
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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 | $1,513,113 | $55,823 | $128,317 | $117,500 | 16 | $120,535 | $55,823 | $111,036 |
| 2024 | $1,585,607 | $331,850 | $34,676 | $30,000 | 2 | $34,570 | $331,744 | $104,864 |
| 2023 | $1,290,933 | $62,195 | $32,500 | $30,000 | 3 | $32,500 | $62,195 | $94,135 |
| 2022 | $1,311,238 | $9,918 | $92,010 | $87,500 | 9 | $90,035 | $25,409 | $95,557 |
| 2021 | $1,345,830 | $193,135 | $78,510 | $76,000 | 7 | $78,510 | $190,660 | $86,105 |
| 2020 | $1,224,455 | $103,407 | $154,656 | $142,500 | 4 | — | $103,389 | $65,131 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Pearson Family Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $111K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose work includes education, community support, housing services, and conservation. For example, The Rivers School describes itself as a college preparatory day school for grades 6 through 12, while Heading Home says its mission is to end homelessness in Greater Boston through housing and support services. Northeast Wilderness Trust describes its work as preserving and restoring wild landscapes across several northeastern states.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 16 grants totaling $117,500. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $50,000, with a median of $3,500. Notable grants included $50,000 to The Rivers School, $10,000 each to Noble & Greenough School and MetroWest Women’s Fund, and $7,500 each to St. Lawrence University and The Fenn School. Other recipients included Tufts University ($5,000), Heading Home ($3,500), and Runway for Recovery ($3,500).
The foundation reported two grants totaling $30,000 in 2024 and three grants totaling $30,000 in 2023.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Deborah L. Anderson, Elizabeth E. Pearson, and Hugh W. Pearson as trustees.
Pearson Family Charitable Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Deborah L. Anderson
Trustee
Trustee - As Required → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth E. Pearson
Trustee
Trustee - As Required → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Hugh W. Pearson
Trustee
Trustee - As Required → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/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.
Frequently asked questions about Pearson Family Charitable Foundation
How much does Pearson Family Charitable Foundation give each year?
Pearson Family Charitable Foundation gave $118K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $30K across 2 grants.
What is Pearson Family Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
Pearson Family Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,500, and its average grant was $7,344, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Pearson Family Charitable Foundation give grants?
Pearson Family Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 83% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Lexington, MA (3 grants), Weston, MA (2 grants) and Boston, MA (2 grants).
Does Pearson Family Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Pearson Family Charitable Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (16 grants).
Who are Pearson Family Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
Pearson Family Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Rivers School ($50,000), Noble & Greenough School ($10,000) and Metrowest Women's Fund ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Pearson Family Charitable Foundation?
Pearson Family Charitable Foundation reported $1.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $121K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $111K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Pearson Family Charitable Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose work includes education, community support, housing services, and conservation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Pearson Family Charitable 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 Pearson Family Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Pearson Family Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3353589. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Pearson Family Charitable 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 7, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Pearson Family Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/pearson-family-charitable-foundation-morg_b7689b58a9dc4c69b5dda9c4d5a415a3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_043353589_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Pearson Family Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/pearson-family-charitable-foundation-morg_b7689b58a9dc4c69b5dda9c4d5a415a3},
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 Pearson Family Charitable 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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