Sunflower Foundation
Sunflower Foundation is a private foundation based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It limits its activities to grantmaking and correspondence with current and past grantees; in its 2025 filing, it reported making 10 grants after considering many requests.
Sunflower Foundation at a glance
In short: Sunflower Foundation gave $44K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), top state Massachusetts. 50% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $44,000
- -37.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -23.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,400
- -18.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,678,801
- +2.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 50% first-time grantees (5 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (30% 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 Sunflower Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2025 filing names Dr Richard Parker as the contact and requests a brief description of the program, the amount requested, and a copy of the applicant’s exemption letter. The filing says giving is not restricted to preselected organizations and that there are no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: Dr Richard Parker
Mailing address: 27 Reservoir St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: (805) 963-7811
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sunflower Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Friends of Helsinki Foundation ($5K). Together the top 10 received $44K.
Grant Size Distribution
51 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 51 grants of 51 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grants went to recipients in multiple states. Massachusetts accounted for 30% of grant dollars; Indiana, New Hampshire, Maine, and Arizona each accounted for 11%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Sunflower Foundation open to new grantees?
50%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 10 grantees (50%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 87% 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 $21K (2021) to $70K (2024). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $44K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Friends of Helsinki Foundation Bloomington, IN | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| New Hampshire Democracy Fund Portsmouth, NH | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| The Rise Collaborative Brunswick, ME | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Toxics Action Center Boston, MA | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Worker Power Institute Phoenix, AZ | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Hopewell Fund Washington, DC | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Merrimack Valley Project Inc Lawrence, MA | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | General Operating Support | $3,000 |
| Friends of Sabeel North America Greenwood Village, CO | General Operating Support | $3,000 |
| Clemente Course in the Humanities Inc Wellesley, MA | General Operating Support | $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 | $1,678,801 | $154,767 | $116,397 | $44,000 | 10 | $68,980 | $114,123 | $79,548 |
| 2024 | $1,640,421 | $198,632 | $155,352 | $70,000 | 13 | $95,762 | $165,823 | $81,727 |
| 2023 | $1,601,480 | $115,421 | $171,036 | $52,000 | 12 | $99,816 | $36,524 | $75,144 |
| 2022 | $1,950,461 | $126,140 | $121,502 | $47,600 | 11 | $94,829 | $11,157 | $87,231 |
| 2021 | $1,926,003 | $243,729 | $102,376 | $21,000 | 5 | $73,819 | $216,626 | $92,870 |
| 2020 | $1,784,632 | $106,002 | $129,445 | $53,000 | 14 | — | $83,234 | $92,888 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sunflower Foundation reported a distributable amount of $80K 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 went to organizations whose stated work includes community pollution prevention and cleanup, democracy and voting rights, economic and social justice, and humanities education for adults facing economic hardship. These are descriptions of grantees’ work, not stated focus areas of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $44,000 through 10 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $3,000 to $5,000, with a median of $5,000. Each grant was listed for general operating support.
Grantees included Hopewell Fund ($5,000), which says it uses fiscal sponsorship and charitable grantmaking to support initiatives advancing the public good and equity; Worker Power Institute ($5,000), whose stated mission is to pursue economic, social, and immigrants’ justice in Arizona; Toxics Action Center ($5,000), which says it organizes with communities to prevent or clean up local pollution; New Hampshire Democracy Fund ($5,000), which says it works to protect democracy and voting rights in New Hampshire; and Clemente Course in the Humanities ($3,000), which says it provides free college humanities education to adults facing economic hardship.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dr Richard Parker as president, Robin Wright as executive director, and Liz Savage and Michael Ansara as directors.
Sunflower Foundation is led by Richard Parker, President on every filing since 2020; 2 of 4 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Richard Parker
President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
$45K (2020) → $23K (2025)
Robin Wright
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$45K (2021) → $23K (2025)
Liz Savage
Director
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Ansara
Director
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: David L. Peri (2020–2024) — Former CFO
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $23K, to Dr Richard Parker (President). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Sunflower Foundation
How much does Sunflower Foundation give each year?
Sunflower Foundation gave $44K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $70K across 13 grants.
What is Sunflower Foundation's typical grant size?
Sunflower Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $4,400, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sunflower Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Sunflower Foundation give grants?
Sunflower Foundation's top state is Massachusetts, with 30% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Indiana (11%) and New Hampshire (11%).
Does Sunflower Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Sunflower Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Sunflower Foundation's largest grantees?
Sunflower Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Friends of Helsinki Foundation ($5,000), New Hampshire Democracy Fund ($5,000) and The Rise Collaborative ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Sunflower Foundation?
Sunflower Foundation reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $69K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $80K (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 Sunflower Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose stated work includes community pollution prevention and cleanup, democracy and voting rights, economic and social justice, and humanities education for adults facing economic hardship. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sunflower Foundation?
The 2025 filing names Dr Richard Parker as the contact and requests a brief description of the program, the amount requested, and a copy of the applicant’s exemption letter. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Sunflower Foundation's EIN?
Sunflower Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-2644098. 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
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