The Allen Hilles Fund
The Allen Hilles Fund is a private foundation based in Radnor, Pennsylvania. It supports direct services and advocacy focused on the quality of life of children, youth, and women in Philadelphia and Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, as well as community development opportunities in the Northeast Kingdom.
The Allen Hilles Fund at a glance
In short: The Allen Hilles Fund gave $705K across 85 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 34% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $704,500
- +33.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 85
- +13.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,288
- +18.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $8,000
- Total assets
- $6,095,247
- +4.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 34% first-time grantees (28 of 82, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (86% 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 The Allen Hilles Fund
- How to Apply
The fund’s website directs applicants to an online application and lists required information about the organization, its mission, background, and services, along with a description of the project or operating-support…
The fund’s website directs applicants to an online application and lists required information about the organization, its mission, background, and services, along with a description of the project or operating-support request and the organization’s goals and objectives. The website lists application deadlines of March 15 and September 15 at 5:00 p.m.; if a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, it says applications may be submitted the next business day. No more than one request from an organization will be considered within a twelve-month period. The fund’s 2024 filing states that grants are made for one year, recipients must be tax-exempt under IRC Section 501(c)(3), and awards are generally limited to $3,000–$10,000 per recipient.
- Contact
Application contact: Online Application At Wwwhillesfund
Mailing address: 150 N Radnor Chester Rd Suite A110, Radnor, PA 19087
Phone: (610) 896-3868
Website: https://hillesfund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Allen Hilles Fund
Who The Allen Hilles Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation ($20K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $134K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($10,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
400 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 400 grants of 400 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The fund’s stated focus is Philadelphia and the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, comprising Essex, Orleans, and Caledonia counties. In filing year 2025, 86% of grant dollars went to recipients in Pennsylvania, 10% to Vermont, 3% to New York, and 1% to Colorado.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 85 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Allen Hilles Fund open to new grantees?
34%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 28 of 82 grantees (34%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 57% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+15%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 148% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $526K (2020) to $705K (2025). In 2025 it made 85 grants totaling $705K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jounce Partners Inc Philadelphia, PA | Jounce Partners Fellowship Forward Project | $15,000 |
| Philadelphia Foundation Philadelphia, PA | Philadelphia Regional Food Fund | $15,000 |
| The Foundation for Delaware County Media, PA | PA-FIRE | $15,000 |
| Abortion Liberation Fund of PA Philadelphia, PA | General operating support - alf pa abortion funding help line | $10,000 |
| After School Activities Partnerships Philadelphia, PA | General Operating Support | $10,000 |
| Asian Americans United Philadelphia, PA | General Operating Support | $10,000 |
| Beyond the Bars Philadelphia, PA | Running an ecosystem of support for youth impacted by violence | $10,000 |
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $10,000 |
| Centro Nueva Creacion - New Creation Community Center Philadelphia, PA | General Operating Support | $10,000 |
| Children First PA Philadelphia, PA | Parents Empowered for Change | $10,000 |
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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 | $6,095,247 | $1,118,443 | $875,966 | $704,500 | 85 | $781,627 | $1,056,229 | $527,832 |
| 2024 | $5,852,770 | $1,233,322 | $680,047 | $526,240 | 75 | $612,978 | $1,171,611 | $513,849 |
| 2023 | $5,299,495 | $354,237 | $680,326 | $566,300 | 79 | $634,579 | $296,746 | $452,273 |
| 2022 | $5,625,584 | $242,843 | $761,924 | $613,040 | 78 | $674,348 | $179,176 | $482,513 |
| 2021 | $6,144,665 | $1,496,164 | $686,382 | $537,500 | 83 | $593,066 | $1,428,735 | $522,253 |
| 2020 | $5,334,883 | $1,249,465 | $649,122 | $526,000 | 81 | — | $1,194,166 | $408,912 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Allen Hilles Fund reported a distributable amount of $528K 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 fund’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for children, youth, and women in Philadelphia and Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom through direct services and advocacy focused on education, youth development, and women’s self-sufficiency. It also supports community development opportunities in the Northeast Kingdom. Projects related to the Religious Society of Friends may be considered when consistent with the fund’s priority areas.
The fund’s guidelines describe support for children and youth ages 3–24 through learning opportunities, early education, school readiness, literacy, and youth leadership. For women, the fund lists services in areas including health care access, education, legal assistance, housing, employment, workforce development, and financial services. It also supports advocacy consistent with its priorities.
Examples of 2025 grantees illustrate the range of organizations receiving support. Jounce Partners describes its mission as accelerating learning for students in high-need schools. Philadelphia Young Playwrights says it teaches playwriting and theater and promotes literacy and creativity among K–12 students. The Abortion Liberation Fund of PA describes its mission as protecting and expanding abortion access. These are grantees’ own stated missions, not the fund’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the fund reported 85 grants totaling $704,500. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $15,000, with a median of $8,000. The fund’s website says it seeks to support organizations for which grants of $4,000–$10,000 will have an impact and gives priority to organizations with operating budgets under $2 million.
Among the largest reported 2025 grants were $15,000 to Jounce Partners for its Fellowship Forward Project, $15,000 to the Philadelphia Foundation for the Philadelphia Regional Food Fund, and $15,000 to the Foundation for Delaware County for PA-FIRE. Other reported grants included $10,000 to After School Activities Partnerships for general operating support, $10,000 to Beyond the Bars for youth support work, and $10,000 to Children First PA for Parents Empowered for Change.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Robert L. Dewees Jr. as president; Edward D. Dewees as treasurer; Daphne Rowe as secretary and executive director; and Christina Holiday, Candace Matthews Bass, Octavia Howell, Brian Jones, and Nina Dewees as directors.
The Allen Hilles Fund is led by Robert L. Dewees Jr. Esq., President on every filing since 2020; none of the 8 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert L. Dewees Jr. Esq.
President
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Daphne Rowe
Secretary & Executive Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christina Holiday
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Octavia Howell
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian Jones
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Candace Matthews Bass
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nina Dewees
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Edward D. Dewees Cfa Cic
Treasurer
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Stephanie D. Judson (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Edward D. Dewees (2020–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Pembroke Philanthropy Adv Daphne Ro (2020–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Jamiliyah Foster (2020–2022) — Director
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 The Allen Hilles Fund
How much does The Allen Hilles Fund give each year?
The Allen Hilles Fund gave $705K across 85 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $526K across 75 grants.
What is The Allen Hilles Fund's typical grant size?
The Allen Hilles Fund's median grant in 2025 was $8,000, and its average grant was $8,288, across 85 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Allen Hilles Fund that year got $8K on average.
Where does The Allen Hilles Fund give grants?
The Allen Hilles Fund gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 86% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Vermont (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Philadelphia, PA (68 grants), New York, NY (2 grants) and Craftsbury, VT (2 grants).
Does The Allen Hilles Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 51% of The Allen Hilles Fund's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (43 of 85) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Allen Hilles Fund's largest grantees?
The Allen Hilles Fund's largest 2025 grantees include The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation ($20,000 across 2 grants), Movement Alliance Project ($18,000 across 2 grants) and Jounce Partners Inc ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($10,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 8% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Allen Hilles Fund?
The Allen Hilles Fund reported $6.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $782K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $528K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Allen Hilles Fund fund?
The fund’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for children, youth, and women in Philadelphia and Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom through direct services and advocacy focused on education, youth development, and women’s self-sufficiency. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Allen Hilles Fund?
The fund’s website directs applicants to an online application and lists required information about the organization, its mission, background, and services, along with a description of the project or operating-support… Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Allen Hilles Fund's EIN?
The Allen Hilles Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 51-6154986. 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 October 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 July 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 6, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 24, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Allen Hilles Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-allen-hilles-fund-morg_1b49b776f05c43a3a1a61db4244417d2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_516154986_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Allen Hilles Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-allen-hilles-fund-morg_1b49b776f05c43a3a1a61db4244417d2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 The Allen Hilles Fund'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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