Roaring Brook Family Foundation
Roaring Brook Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Lenox, Massachusetts. It supports mission-driven nonprofits working across four interwoven themes: Rivers, Coasts & Oceans; Resilient Communities; Youth Leadership & Education; and Healthy Foodsheds.
Roaring Brook Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Roaring Brook Family Foundation gave $2.2M across 62 grants in 2025 (avg $36K), top state Massachusetts. 19% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,245,000
- +2.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 62
- -1.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $36,210
- +4.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $48,938,848
- +12.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (11 of 57, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (37% 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 Roaring Brook Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and says it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Its website welcomes dialogue and potential collaboration regarding areas of shared concern.
- Contact
Mailing address: P O Box 963, Lenox, MA 01240-0963
Phone: (617) 630-6900
Website: https://roaringbrookfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Roaring Brook Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Roots Rising ($175K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.2M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($50,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
320 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 242 grants of 320 (76%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says it supports projects from as far north as Northeast Harbor, Maine; as far south as coastal South Carolina; and as far west as Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state went to Massachusetts (37%), the District of Columbia (12%), Vermont (11%), Maine (10%), and South Carolina (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 62 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Roaring Brook Family Foundation open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 57 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $46K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 77% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+9%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 101% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.6M (2023) to $2.2M (2025). In 2025 it made 62 grants totaling $2.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Shelburne Farms Shelburne, VT | Education for Sustainability Initiatives | $125,000 |
| Greenagers S Egremont, MA | General Operating Funds | $125,000 |
| Coastal Conservation League Charleston, SC | General Operating Funds | $100,000 |
| Ocean Conservancy Washington, DC | Trash-free seas program + ghost gear initiative + dsm | $100,000 |
| Roots Rising Pittsfield, MA | Matching Challenge Grant | $100,000 |
| Trustees of Reservations Boston, MA | Appleton Farms + Crane Coastal Ecology Education | $100,000 |
| Earth Justice San Francisco, CA | Energy Programs | $100,000 |
| Berkshire Agricultural Ventures Great Barrington, MA | Loan Fund | $100,000 |
| Charles River Conservancy Cambridge, MA | Floating Wetlands | $100,000 |
| Roots Rising Pittsfield, MA | Roots Rising Program | $75,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Roaring Brook Family 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 | $48,938,848 | $7,970,915 | $2,607,746 | $2,245,000 | 62 | $2,264,389 | $8,089,586 | $2,241,111 |
| 2024 | $43,646,806 | $3,370,934 | $2,490,952 | $2,185,000 | 63 | $2,224,773 | $3,365,405 | $2,092,681 |
| 2023 | $42,848,265 | $1,175,473 | $1,794,715 | $1,593,000 | 65 | $1,601,348 | $1,465,372 | $1,960,811 |
| 2022 | $43,464,950 | $346,250 | $2,391,734 | $2,056,000 | 66 | $2,065,546 | $1,061,085 | $2,168,495 |
| 2021 | $45,399,156 | $13,084,289 | $2,866,587 | $2,154,000 | 64 | — | $6,072,303 | $2,164,751 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Roaring Brook Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.2M 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 describes its name as reflecting a desire to be “brave in the face of climate breakdown and other challenges” while recognizing that it is “just one tributary among countless others, flowing towards a more viable future.” Its stated themes are Rivers, Coasts & Oceans; Resilient Communities; Youth Leadership & Education; and Healthy Foodsheds.
Examples of supported organizations’ own missions illustrate the range of work represented in its grants. Shelburne Farms says its mission is to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future. Greenagers says it connects young people with land, work, and community through education and paid work in conservation, sustainable farming, and related trades. Roots Rising says it empowers youth and builds community through food and farming. Ocean Conservancy says it unites science, people, and policy to protect the ocean. Berkshire Agricultural Ventures says it supports local farms and strengthens local food systems.
The foundation says it seeks partners with clear missions, experienced and stable leadership, sound strategic plans, evidence of program impacts, capacity to collaborate, strong governance, financial discipline and integrity, and informative periodic updates, including annual reports.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 62 grants totaling $2,245,000. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $125,000, with a median of $25,000. Its largest reported grants included $125,000 to Shelburne Farms for education for sustainability initiatives and $125,000 to Greenagers for general operating funds. Other notable grants were $100,000 each to Coastal Conservation League, Ocean Conservancy, Roots Rising, Trustees of Reservations, Earthjustice, Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, and Charles River Conservancy. Roots Rising also received a separate $75,000 grant for its program.
The foundation reported 63 grants totaling $2,185,000 in 2024 and 65 grants totaling $1,593,000 in 2023.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists J. Gregory Whitehead as president and director; Timothy P. Maloney as treasurer and director; Susan Ginsburg as vice president and director; and Lillian Lennox Whitehead as secretary and director.
Roaring Brook Family Foundation is led by J. Gregory Whitehead, President & Director on every filing since 2021; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
J. Gregory Whitehead
President & Director
On filings since 2021
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lillian Lennox Whitehead
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Ginsburg
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Timothy P. Maloney
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Roaring Brook Family Foundation
How much does Roaring Brook Family Foundation give each year?
Roaring Brook Family Foundation gave $2.2M across 62 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.2M across 63 grants.
What is Roaring Brook Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Roaring Brook Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $36,210, across 62 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Roaring Brook Family Foundation that year got $12K on average.
Where does Roaring Brook Family Foundation give grants?
Roaring Brook Family Foundation's top state is Massachusetts, with 37% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (12%) and Vermont (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (9 grants), Great Barrington, MA (5 grants), Pittsfield, MA (3 grants) and Boston, MA (3 grants).
Does Roaring Brook Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 39% of Roaring Brook Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (24 of 62) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Roaring Brook Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Roaring Brook Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Roots Rising ($175,000 across 2 grants), Berkshire Agricultural Ventures ($150,000 across 2 grants) and Greenagers ($150,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($50,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 21% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Roaring Brook Family Foundation?
Roaring Brook Family Foundation reported $48.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.2M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Roaring Brook Family Foundation fund?
The foundation describes its name as reflecting a desire to be “brave in the face of climate breakdown and other challenges” while recognizing that it is “just one tributary among countless others, flowing towards a more viable future.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Roaring Brook Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and says it 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 Roaring Brook Family Foundation's EIN?
Roaring Brook Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-4303914. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Roaring Brook 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Roaring Brook Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/roaring-brook-family-foundation-morg_d5cb57bf5a0d4b358d3eb26aa285f9fa
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_474303914_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Roaring Brook Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/roaring-brook-family-foundation-morg_d5cb57bf5a0d4b358d3eb26aa285f9fa},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Roaring Brook 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.
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