Roberts Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Boston, MA EIN: 04-3522054

The Roberts Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its 2024 filing reports grants to Harvard Business School for an undergraduate technology innovation fellowship fund, as well as support for other organizations.

Key facts about Roberts Family Foundation

In short: Roberts Family Foundation gave $2.5M across 12 grants in 2024 (avg $210K), mostly in Massachusetts. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
04-3522054
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$2,516,336
Grants made (2024)
12
Average grant
$209,695
Median grant
$4,560
Total assets
$53,901,133
Primary geography
Massachusetts (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
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. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$53.9M

+4.8% YoY

Annual Giving

$2.5M

-14.4% YoY

Grant Count

12

+71.4% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$210K

-50.1% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Roberts Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.7M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

How Roberts Family Foundation gives

  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+1%). Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 92% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for an undergraduate technology innovation fellowship fund at Harvard Business School. Other recipients include Revolutionary Spaces, whose stated mission is to bring people together to explore the American struggle to create and sustain a free society, and the Gary Sinise Foundation, which says it supports veterans, military personnel, first responders, their families, and the families of fallen heroes.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $2,516,336. Grant amounts ranged from $103 to $1,347,534, with a median of $4,560. Four grants to Harvard Business School, all for the HBS Roberts Family Undergraduate Technology Innovation Fellowship Fund, totaled $2,493,811. Other listed grants included $10,000 to Revolutionary Spaces and $1,040 to the Gary Sinise Foundation.

How to Apply

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2024 filing’s recipient-state breakdown reports 100% of grant dollars for Massachusetts and 0% each for Tennessee, Florida, New Jersey, and New York. The itemized grant list also names recipients in Tennessee, Florida, New Jersey, and New York.

Grant Distribution by State

7states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.

Cities

CambridgePrincetonBostonDedhamNeedhamPalm BeachBrooklineNew YorkBurlingtonHyannis PortNashvilleNassau HallWashingtonWellesleyWellesley HillsWhitman

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$1M$2M$3M4 grants2020 10 grants2021 8 grants2022 7 grants2023 12 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.8M (2020) to $2.9M (2023). In 2024 it made 12 grants totaling $2.5M.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 9 recipients in 2024

Harvard Business School: $2.5M across 4 grantsHarvard Business School$2.5M · 4 grantsRevolutionary Spaces: $10KRevolutionary Spaces$10KPan-Mass Challenge: $8KPan-Mass Challenge$8KGary Sinise Foundation: $1KGary Sinise Foundation$1KSt Edwards Catholic Church: $1KSt Edwards Catholic Church$1KPrinceton: $1KPrinceton$1KSt Andrews by the Sea: $1KSt Andrews by the Sea$1KFlow Thru Charitable Contributions - Point Olema PSHIPS: $262Flow Thru CharitableContributions - Point Olema…$262Success Academy: $103Success Academy$103

The largest 2024 recipient was Harvard Business School ($2.5M across 4 grants). Together the top 9 received $2.5M.

Grant Size Distribution

41 grants across all recorded years

28<$50K1$50–100K2$100–250K1$250–500K2$500K–1M7$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 28 grants of 41 (68%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Harvard Business School Cambridge, MAHBS Roberts Family Undergraduate Technology Innovation Fellowship Fund$1,347,534
Harvard Business School Cambridge, MAHBS Roberts Family Undergraduate Technology Innovation Fellowship Fund$758,940
Harvard Business School Cambridge, MAHBS Roberts Family Undergraduate Technology Innovation Fellowship Fund$219,712
Harvard Business School Cambridge, MAHBS Roberts Family Undergraduate Technology Innovation Fellowship Fund$167,625
Revolutionary Spaces Boston, MAUnrestricted$10,000
Pan-Mass Challenge Needham, MAUnrestricted$8,080
Gary Sinise Foundation Nashville, TNUnrestricted$1,040
St Edwards Catholic Church Palm Beach, FLUnrestricted$1,040
Princeton Princeton, NJUnrestricted$1,000
St Andrews by the Sea Hyannis Port, MAUnrestricted$1,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grant sum Grant count
2024 $53,901,133 $5,414,921 $3,700,209 $2,516,336 12
2023 $51,415,245 $4,664,899 $4,230,269 $2,940,052 7
2022 $51,053,812 $2,605,349 $2,565,835 $2,252,675 8
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$5M$10M$15M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$53,901,133$51,415,245$51,053,812
Revenue$5,414,921$4,664,899$2,605,349
Expenses$3,700,209$4,230,269$2,565,835
Qualifying Distributions$2,516,336$2,940,052$2,252,675
Net Investment Income$1,878,528$1,243,057$2,317,197
Distributable Amount$2,728,494$1,990,692$2,313,724

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Robert G Bannish, Kristen Roberts, and Thomas S Roberts as trustees.

Roberts Family Foundation's 2024 filing lists 3 officers; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Robert G. Bannish

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    $15K (2021) → $15K (2024)

  • Kristen Roberts

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Thomas S. Roberts

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    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.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

Robert G Bannish — Trustee: $15KRobert G BannishTrustee$15K

The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $15K, to Robert G Bannish (Trustee).

Contact

Mailing address: 31 St James Avenue Suite 740, Boston, MA 02116
Phone: (617) 933-3620

Frequently asked questions about Roberts Family Foundation

How much does Roberts Family Foundation give each year?

Roberts Family Foundation gave $2.5M across 12 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.9M across 7 grants.

What is Roberts Family Foundation's typical grant size?

Roberts Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $4,560, and its average grant was $209,695, across 12 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does Roberts Family Foundation give grants?

Roberts Family Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Cambridge, MA (4 grants) and Boston, MA (2 grants).

Does Roberts Family Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 67% of Roberts Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (8 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Roberts Family Foundation's largest grantees?

Roberts Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Harvard Business School ($2,493,811 across 4 grants), Revolutionary Spaces ($10,000) and Pan-Mass Challenge ($8,080), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

How large is Roberts Family Foundation?

Roberts Family Foundation reported $53.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.7M (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 Roberts Family Foundation fund?

No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for an undergraduate technology innovation fellowship fund at Harvard Business School. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Roberts 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 Roberts Family Foundation's EIN?

Roberts Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3522054. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does Roberts Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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