The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund
The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund is a private foundation based in Milton, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing reports 22 grants totaling $22,500, including support for organizations working in areas such as poverty relief, youth services, education, food distribution, and access to clothing and basic necessities.
The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund at a glance
In short: The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund gave $23K across 22 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), mostly in Massachusetts. 5% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $22,500
- +15.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 22
- +4.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,023
- +10.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $571,215
- +15.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 5% first-time grantees (1 of 22, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (69% 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 Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 103 Canton Ave, Milton, MA 02186-3503
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was GiveDirectly ($2K). Together the top 10 received $13K.
Grant Size Distribution
103 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 103 grants of 103 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went primarily to organizations in Massachusetts (69%), followed by New York (13%), Connecticut (9%), Vermont (4%), and Tennessee (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund open to new grantees?
5%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 22 grantees (5%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $1K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 91% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 32% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 91% 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 $17K (2020) to $23K (2025). In 2025 it made 22 grants totaling $23K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| GiveDirectly New York, NY | Poverty relief for families worldwide | $2,000 |
| Catie's Closet Boston, MA | Distribute donated clothes supplies | $1,750 |
| More Than Words Boston, MA | Job experience for disadvantaged youth | $1,750 |
| All Our Kin Inc New Haven, CT | Support local child care providers | $1,000 |
| Boston Partners in Education Boston, MA | School volunteer programs | $1,000 |
| Camp Starfish Stow, MA | Programs for special-needs children | $1,000 |
| Citizen School Boston, MA | After-school programs for teenagers | $1,000 |
| Cradles to Crayons Brighton, MA | Providing supplies to shelters | $1,000 |
| Dwight Hall at Yale New Haven, CT | Student-led community programs | $1,000 |
| Girls Incorporated New York, NY | Girls educational opportunities | $1,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund?
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 | $571,215 | $39,092 | $23,631 | $22,500 | 22 | $23,631 | $37,023 | $26,049 |
| 2024 | $493,035 | $37,718 | $20,597 | $19,500 | 21 | $20,125 | $33,596 | $23,370 |
| 2023 | $448,105 | $50,145 | $18,452 | $17,500 | 20 | $18,055 | $28,279 | $20,418 |
| 2022 | $393,687 | $44,367 | $17,806 | $17,000 | 20 | $17,236 | $28,553 | $19,526 |
| 2021 | $454,864 | $42,504 | $17,702 | $17,000 | 20 | $17,315 | $25,210 | $20,638 |
| 2020 | $397,453 | $25,960 | $17,013 | $16,500 | 19 | — | $17,863 | $16,995 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund reported a distributable amount of $26K 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 fund itself is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for charitable organizations addressing a range of needs. GiveDirectly describes its mission as reducing poverty through direct financial assistance; More Than Words says it empowers youth facing challenges such as foster care, homelessness, or being out of school through business experience; and Catie’s Closet says it provides children in need with clothing and basic necessities.
Other 2025 grantees describe work in college access and readiness (Steppingstone Foundation), support for Milton public schools (Milton Foundation for Education), services and prevention related to sexual violence (Sexual Assault Center), therapeutic summer camp for children with disabilities (Camp Starfish), and food distribution (Greater Boston Food Bank).
Grantmaking
In 2025, the fund reported 22 grants totaling $22,500. Grants ranged from $500 to $2,000, with a median grant of $1,000.
Among the largest grants were $2,000 to GiveDirectly for poverty relief for families worldwide, and $1,750 each to Catie’s Closet for distributing donated clothing and supplies and More Than Words for job experience for disadvantaged youth. Other listed grants included $1,000 each to All Our Kin, Boston Partners in Education, Camp Starfish, Citizen School, Cradles to Crayons, Dwight Hall at Yale, Girls Incorporated, Greater Boston Food Bank, and Green Mountain Farm-To-School.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Michael F Dunn and Suzanne Christensen as co-trustees.
The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michael F Dunn
Co-Trustee
Trustee → Co-Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Suzanne Christensen
Co-Trustee
Trustee → Co-Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
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 Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund
How much does The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund give each year?
The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund gave $23K across 22 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $20K across 21 grants.
What is The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund's typical grant size?
The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,023, across 22 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund give grants?
The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund gives mostly in Massachusetts: 69% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (13%) and Connecticut (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (11 grants), New York, NY (2 grants) and New Haven, CT (2 grants).
Does The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 22 grants with a stated purpose on The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund's largest grantees?
The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund's largest 2025 grantees include GiveDirectly ($2,000), Catie's Closet ($1,750) and More Than Words ($1,750), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund?
The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund reported $571K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $24K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $26K (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 The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund fund?
No mission statement for the fund itself is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for charitable organizations addressing a range of needs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund?
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 The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund's EIN?
The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-6653144. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund 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 May 14, 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 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 3, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 21, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-christensen-dunn-early-foundations-fund-morg_f227506b135a4eba8b8b3052347371a5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_316653144_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Christensen Dunn Early Foundations Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-christensen-dunn-early-foundations-fund-morg_f227506b135a4eba8b8b3052347371a5},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Christensen Dunn Early Foundations 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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