Ploughshares Foundation
Ploughshares Foundation is a private foundation located in Highland Park, Illinois, focused on reducing and eventually eliminating the threat of nuclear weapons. Its filing describes it as supporting advocates and organizations through strategic grantmaking and field building; it also says the organization operates offices in San Francisco and Washington, DC.
Ploughshares Foundation at a glance
In short: Ploughshares Foundation gave $3.6M across 368 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), top state Massachusetts. 6% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,619,399
- +3.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 368
- +0.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $9,835
- +2.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $6,000
- Total assets
- $80,577,824
- +13.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 6% first-time grantees (21 of 366, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (41% 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 Ploughshares Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Applications must be in writing and include a description of the applying organization, the requested grant amount or amounts, and the intended use of any grant. Applicants must also provide their IRS determination letter showing qualification as a section 501(c)(3) organization and their most recently filed IRS Form 990. The filing lists no restrictions on awards.
- Review Cycle
- The filing lists no deadline.
- Deadline
- The filing lists no deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: D M Ephraim
Mailing address: 2070 Green Bay Road 199, Highland Park, IL 60035
Phone: (312) 321-9700
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ploughshares Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Partners in Health ($85K). Together the top 10 received $610K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($23,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
1,838 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 1,780 grants of 1,838 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Massachusetts recipients accounted for 41% of grant dollars, followed by New York at 11%, Washington, DC, and Maine at 9% each, and California at 7%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 368 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Ploughshares Foundation open to new grantees?
6%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 21 of 366 grantees (6%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $10K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 94% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+7%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 96% 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 (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 $3.1M (2020) to $3.6M (2025). In 2025 it made 368 grants totaling $3.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Partners in Health Boston, MA | $50,000 for Work in Haiti and Mexico | $85,000 |
| Lenny Zakim Fund Boston, MA | Youth violence prevention, social justice, human rights and alleviation of poverty and illness | $75,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders Hagerstown, MD | For aid to gaza, the west bank, and israel and for work along the us/mexico border | $70,000 |
| American Friends Service Committee Philadelphia, PA | $20,000 for prison justice programs; and $40,000 for relief/aid to gaza | $60,000 |
| Earlham College Richmond, IN | $40,000 for Student Scholarships; $20,000 for Faculty Development | $60,000 |
| Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Cambridge, MA | $20,000 for Climate Crisis | $60,000 |
| First Parish in Cambridge Cambridge, MA | $30,000 for tuesday meals endowment; $20,000 for first parish | $50,000 |
| Mercy Corps Boone, IA | Humanitarian Aid in Gaza and the Middle East | $50,000 |
| Save the Children Fairfield, CT | For programs in syria, yemen, south sudan, haiti, and along us border with mexico; and for emergency aid to ukraine and to children in gaza | $50,000 |
| United Mid Coast Charities Inc Camden, ME | General | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Ploughshares Foundation?
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 | $80,577,824 | $3,686,804 | $4,016,747 | $3,619,399 | 368 | $3,619,399 | $3,394,135 | $3,770,027 |
| 2024 | $70,763,289 | $4,680,570 | $3,844,753 | $3,508,899 | 367 | $3,508,899 | $4,401,478 | $3,368,812 |
| 2023 | $63,288,122 | $3,781,347 | $3,766,936 | $3,452,000 | 369 | $3,452,000 | $3,537,436 | $2,981,311 |
| 2022 | $55,523,549 | $1,823,625 | $3,694,713 | $3,370,500 | 374 | $3,370,500 | $1,570,856 | $3,020,415 |
| 2021 | $72,733,310 | $4,398,480 | $3,619,276 | $3,235,000 | 360 | $3,235,000 | $4,120,842 | $3,508,366 |
| 2020 | $66,927,531 | $3,789,954 | $3,440,885 | $3,149,000 | 339 | — | $3,548,340 | $2,933,521 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ploughshares Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3.8M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated purpose is to reduce and eventually eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons. Its filing describes its work as supporting effective advocates and organizations through grantmaking and field building, raising awareness about nuclear perils, and supporting transformational thinking.
Its 2025 grantees included organizations with a range of stated missions. For example, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee says it advances human rights and social justice; 350.org says it organizes campaigns and public engagement addressing the climate crisis; and the Natural Resources Council of Maine says it works to protect, restore, and conserve Maine’s environment. Earlham College describes its mission as providing undergraduate liberal arts education, including the sciences, shaped by Quaker perspectives.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Ploughshares reported 368 grants totaling $3,619,399. Grant amounts ranged from $999 to $85,000, with a median of $6,000. The largest listed awards included $85,000 to Partners in Health for work in Haiti and Mexico; $75,000 to the Lenny Zakim Fund for youth violence prevention, social justice, human rights, and alleviation of poverty and illness; and $70,000 to Doctors Without Borders for aid to Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel, and work along the U.S./Mexico border.
Other listed 2025 awards included $60,000 each to Earlham College for student scholarships and faculty development and to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee for climate-crisis work. Among other recipients, the Greater Boston Food Bank received $38,000, UNRWA USA National Committee received $30,000, and Greater Boston Legal Services received $25,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Donald M. Ephraim, Eliot S. Ephraim, and David M. Ephraim as officers and directors.
Ploughshares Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David M. Ephraim
Officer & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Donald M. Ephraim
Officer & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Eliot S. Ephraim
Officer & Director
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 Ploughshares Foundation
How much does Ploughshares Foundation give each year?
Ploughshares Foundation gave $3.6M across 368 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $3.5M across 367 grants.
What is Ploughshares Foundation's typical grant size?
Ploughshares Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $6,000, and its average grant was $9,835, across 368 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ploughshares Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does Ploughshares Foundation give grants?
Ploughshares Foundation's top state is Massachusetts, with 41% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (11%) and District of Columbia (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (68 grants), Washington, DC (35 grants), New York, NY (29 grants) and Cambridge, MA (27 grants).
Does Ploughshares Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 71% of Ploughshares Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (261 of 368) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Ploughshares Foundation's largest grantees?
Ploughshares Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Partners in Health ($85,000), Lenny Zakim Fund ($75,000) and Doctors Without Borders ($70,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($23,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 6% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ploughshares Foundation?
Ploughshares Foundation reported $80.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3.8M (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 Ploughshares Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated purpose is to reduce and eventually eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ploughshares Foundation?
The foundation’s filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Ploughshares Foundation's EIN?
Ploughshares Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3739577. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 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 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 9, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ploughshares Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ploughshares-foundation-morg_2c9364b60d894ca08655847962848b24
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363739577_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ploughshares Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ploughshares-foundation-morg_2c9364b60d894ca08655847962848b24},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Ploughshares 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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