Ruth Covo Foundation
The Ruth Covo Foundation is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. It reported 16 grants totaling $66,227 in 2025, with grants going to organizations including wildlife and conservation groups, schools, and other charitable organizations.
Ruth Covo Foundation at a glance
In short: Ruth Covo Foundation gave $66K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), top state Tennessee. 13% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $66,227
- +6.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,139
- +6.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,000
- Total assets
- $1,525,263
- +7.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 13% first-time grantees (2 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (20% 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 Ruth Covo Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: Choate Hall Stewart PO Box 961, Boston, MA 02196
Phone: (617) 248-4760
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ruth Covo Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was American Friends of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Inc ($12K). Together the top 10 received $55K.
Grant Size Distribution
82 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 82 grants of 82 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in several states. The largest reported shares were Tennessee (20%), New York (14%), California (13%), Massachusetts (12%), and Virginia (8%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Ruth Covo Foundation open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 16 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 88% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% 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 $50K (2020) to $72K (2022). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $66K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American Friends of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Inc Memphis, TN | General Purpose | $11,519 |
| American Friends of The Ocean Cleanup Foundation New York, NY | General Purpose | $5,519 |
| Nature Conservancy Arlington, VA | General Purpose | $5,519 |
| Pacific Salmon Foundation | General Purpose | $5,519 |
| The Biomimicry Institute Missoula, MT | General Purpose | $5,519 |
| WildCoast Del Mar, CA | General Purpose | $5,519 |
| St Paul's School Concord, NH | General Purpose | $4,500 |
| International Fund for Animal Welfare Inc Yarmouth Port, MA | General Purpose | $4,000 |
| Victoria and Albert Museum Americas Foundation New York, NY | General Purpose | $4,000 |
| United Animal Nations dba RedRover Sacramento, CA | General Purpose | $3,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,525,263 | $64,419 | $80,720 | $66,227 | 16 | $68,376 | $53,988 | $69,719 |
| 2024 | $1,423,122 | $107,224 | $74,044 | $62,000 | 16 | $64,055 | $97,235 | $68,947 |
| 2023 | $1,335,784 | $63,623 | $77,074 | $66,000 | 16 | $67,919 | $54,468 | $63,377 |
| 2022 | $1,245,902 | $-45,756 | $85,775 | $72,000 | 18 | $73,995 | $14,674 | $68,267 |
| 2021 | $1,649,104 | $136,144 | $81,312 | $63,997 | 16 | $70,100 | $124,932 | $78,856 |
| 2020 | $1,572,791 | $61,180 | $65,968 | $50,000 | 13 | — | $49,568 | $70,543 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ruth Covo Foundation reported a distributable amount of $70K 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 show support for organizations working in areas including conservation, animal welfare, and education. For example, WILDCOAST describes its mission as conserving coastal and marine ecosystems and addressing climate change through natural solutions. The Biomimicry Institute says it promotes the transfer of ideas from biology to sustainable human systems design. St. Paul’s School describes its work as educating students in a diverse, inclusive, and ethical academic community.
Other 2025 grantees include animal-welfare organizations. RedRover says it brings animals out of crisis and strengthens the bond between people and animals; The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee describes its work as providing lifetime care for elephants and supporting elephant welfare, conservation, and education.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 16 grants totaling $66,227. Grant amounts ranged from $1,113 to $11,519, with a median grant of $4,000.
Among its 2025 grants were $11,519 to American Friends of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust; $5,519 each to American Friends of The Ocean Cleanup Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, Pacific Salmon Foundation, the Biomimicry Institute, and WILDCOAST; and $4,500 to St. Paul’s School. The listed purposes for these grants were “General Purpose.” Other 2025 grants included $4,000 to International Fund for Animal Welfare, $3,000 to RedRover, $2,500 to Dexter Southfield, and $2,000 each to K9s for Warriors and The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kristin T Abati, Joanne Covo, and Marilyn Covo as trustees.
Ruth Covo Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Joanne Covo
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marilyn Covo
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kristin T Abati
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: A Silvana Giner (2020–2024) — Trustee
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 Ruth Covo Foundation
How much does Ruth Covo Foundation give each year?
Ruth Covo Foundation gave $66K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $62K across 16 grants.
What is Ruth Covo Foundation's typical grant size?
Ruth Covo Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,000, and its average grant was $4,139, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ruth Covo Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Ruth Covo Foundation give grants?
Ruth Covo Foundation's top state is Tennessee, with 20% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (14%) and California (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Ruth Covo Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Ruth Covo Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Ruth Covo Foundation's largest grantees?
Ruth Covo Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include American Friends of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Inc ($11,519), American Friends of The Ocean Cleanup Foundation ($5,519) and Nature Conservancy ($5,519), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ruth Covo Foundation?
Ruth Covo Foundation reported $1.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $68K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $70K (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 Ruth Covo Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in areas including conservation, animal welfare, and education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ruth Covo Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 Ruth Covo Foundation's EIN?
Ruth Covo Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6584378. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Ruth Covo 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 March 22, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 17, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 25, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 26, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 21, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 4, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ruth Covo Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ruth-covo-foundation-morg_95b7de36dbb246f1bdd953b59fe8aaaa
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_046584378_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ruth Covo Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ruth-covo-foundation-morg_95b7de36dbb246f1bdd953b59fe8aaaa},
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 Ruth Covo 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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