Sullivan Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Milton, MA EIN: 20-3864725

Sullivan Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Milton, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing reports 11 grants totaling $452,500 to organizations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin.

Sullivan Family Foundation at a glance

In short: Sullivan Family Foundation gave $453K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $41K), mostly in Massachusetts. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$452,500
+38.2% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
11
+22.2% vs 2024
Average grant
$41,136
+13.0% vs 2024
Median grant
$25,000
Total assets
$1,881,462
+3.7% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
9% first-time grantees (1 of 11, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Massachusetts (77% 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 Sullivan Family Foundation

How to Apply

The foundation’s 2024 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. For scholarship applications, it names Margaret Sullivan Walsh as the contact and requires a written application with a statement that the candidate intends to use the award for tuition, fees, living expenses, travel, books, and supplies in connection with study at an educational institution. The filing lists no restrictions on awards.

Review Cycle
Deadlines may be established from time to time by the trustees.
Deadline
Deadlines may be established from time to time by the trustees.
Contact

Application contact: Margaret Sullivan Walsh
Mailing address: 117 Harbor View Road, Milton, MA 02186
Phone: (617) 478-2040

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Sullivan Family Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Massachusetts General Hospital: $150KMassachusetts General Hospital$150KTomten Farm & Sanctuary: $100KTomten Farm & Sanctuary$100KLifeworks Inc: $55KLifeworks Inc$55KSt Francis House: $50KSt Francis House$50KHomes for Our Troops: $25KHomes for Our Troops$25KThe Carroll Center for the Blind: $25KThe Carroll Center for theBlind$25KMaria Droste Counseling Services: $20KMaria Droste CounselingServices$20KCure Alzheimer's Fund: $10KCure Alzheimer's Fund$10KAmerican Red Cross: $10KAmerican Red Cross$10KThe Forbes House Museum: $5KThe Forbes House Museum$5K

The largest 2025 recipient was Massachusetts General Hospital ($150K). Together the top 10 received $450K.

Grant Size Distribution

53 grants across all recorded years

37<$50K10$50–100K5$100–250K1$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 37 grants of 53 (70%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 77% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts, 22% to recipients in New Hampshire, and 1% to recipients in Wisconsin.

Grant Distribution by State

3states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.

Cities

BostonHartfordNewtonQuincyTauntonWestwoodHaverhillMiltonWellesley HillsFranklinMedfordSalem

Is Sullivan Family Foundation open to new grantees?

9%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 1 of 11 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $44K. How we count

Medians: $10K first-time, $25K repeat.

  • 82% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+12%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 138% 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

$0$200K$400K$600K10 grants2021 11 grants2022 12 grants2023 9 grants2024 11 grants2025

From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $328K (2024) to $596K (2021). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $453K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MAUnrestricted$150,000
Tomten Farm & Sanctuary Haverhill, NHUnrestricted$100,000
Lifeworks Inc Westwood, MAUnrestricted$55,000
St Francis House Boston, MAUnrestricted$50,000
Homes for Our Troops Taunton, MAUnrestricted$25,000
The Carroll Center for the Blind Newton, MAUnrestricted$25,000
Maria Droste Counseling Services Quincy, MAUnrestricted$20,000
Cure Alzheimer's Fund Wellesley Hills, MAUnrestricted$10,000
American Red Cross Medford, MAHurricane Milton Relief Fund$10,000
The Forbes House Museum Milton, MAUnrestricted$5,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$1,881,462$546,696$479,831$452,50011$454,250$95,245$328,455
2024$1,814,597$339,658$360,231$327,5009$351,575$88,333$290,957
2023$1,835,170$654,610$412,928$382,50012$382,500$404,610$258,086
2022$1,593,488$308,692$429,621$403,50011$403,500$308,692$270,261
2021$1,714,417$72,803$621,363$595,50010—$72,803$233,596

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sullivan Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $328K 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 included $55,000 to LifeWorks Inc.; the grantee describes its mission as providing education, jobs, and homes for people with developmental disabilities. Homes for Our Troops, which received $25,000, says it builds and donates specially adapted homes for severely injured post-9/11 veterans. The Carroll Center for the Blind, also receiving $25,000, describes its mission as empowering blind and visually impaired people to achieve independence and a fulfilling life.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation made 11 grants totaling $452,500. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $150,000, with a median of $25,000. The largest grants were $150,000 to Massachusetts General Hospital, $100,000 to Tomten Farm & Sanctuary, $55,000 to LifeWorks Inc., and $50,000 to St Francis House. The remaining grants included $25,000 each to Homes for Our Troops and the Carroll Center for the Blind; $20,000 to Maria Droste Counseling Services; $10,000 each to Cure Alzheimer’s Fund and the American Red Cross (for the Hurricane Milton Relief Fund); $5,000 to the Forbes House Museum; and $2,500 to Support the Troops WI. All were listed as unrestricted except the Red Cross grant.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Margaret Walsh Sullivan and Margaret Sullivan Walsh as trustees, and Patrick Walsh as manager.

Sullivan Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Margaret Sullivan Walsh

    Trustee

    On filings since 2021

    5 hrs/week

    $22K (2021) → $0 (2025)

  • Margaret Walsh Sullivan

    Trustee

    On filings since 2021

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Patrick Walsh

    Manager

    On filings since 2024

    15 hrs/week

    $8K (2024) → $24K (2025)

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.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Patrick Walsh — Manager: $24KPatrick WalshManager$24K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $24K, to Patrick Walsh (Manager).

Frequently asked questions about Sullivan Family Foundation

How much does Sullivan Family Foundation give each year?

Sullivan Family Foundation gave $453K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $328K across 9 grants.

What is Sullivan Family Foundation's typical grant size?

Sullivan Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $41,136, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sullivan Family Foundation that year got $10K on average.

Where does Sullivan Family Foundation give grants?

Sullivan Family Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 77% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New Hampshire (22%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (2 grants).

Does Sullivan Family Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 91% of Sullivan Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Sullivan Family Foundation's largest grantees?

Sullivan Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Massachusetts General Hospital ($150,000), Tomten Farm & Sanctuary ($100,000) and Lifeworks Inc ($55,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 67% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Sullivan Family Foundation?

Sullivan Family Foundation reported $1.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $454K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $328K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Sullivan Family Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included $55,000 to LifeWorks Inc.; the grantee describes its mission as providing education, jobs, and homes for people with developmental disabilities. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Sullivan Family Foundation?

The foundation’s 2024 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 Sullivan Family Foundation's EIN?

Sullivan Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3864725. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.

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

Data update history

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025

Live grants for the work Sullivan Family Foundation funds

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.

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Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Sullivan Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sullivan-family-foundation-morg_b240c97aaab245fd8aef00290802149e

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203864725_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Sullivan Family Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/sullivan-family-foundation-morg_b240c97aaab245fd8aef00290802149e},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Sullivan 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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