The Colburn Foundation
The Colburn Foundation is a private foundation based in Manchester, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing reports $96,000 in grants to 19 organizations; the foundation states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
The Colburn Foundation at a glance
In short: The Colburn Foundation gave $96K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Massachusetts. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $96,000
- +18.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +5.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,053
- +12.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $1,012,111
- +21.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (2 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (94% 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 Colburn Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5C Peele House Square, Manchester, MA 01944
Phone: (978) 526-1020
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Colburn Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Museum of Fine Arts Boston ($33K). Together the top 10 received $85K.
Grant Size Distribution
82 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 81 grants of 82 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 94% of grant dollars went to Massachusetts recipients. The remaining reported shares went to New York (2%), California (1%), North Carolina (1%), and Rhode Island (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Colburn Foundation open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 19 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 89% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+13%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% 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 (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $68K (2020) to $139K (2023). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $96K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Museum of Fine Arts Boston Boston, MA | General Cash Donation | $33,000 |
| The National Trust for Scotland Foundation Boston, MA | General Cash Donation | $10,000 |
| GBH Brighton, MA | General Cash Donation | $9,500 |
| The Trustee of Reservation Beverly, MA | General Cash Donation | $9,000 |
| Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA | General Cash Donation | $8,000 |
| The Boston Symphony Orchestra Boston, MA | General Cash Donation | $7,000 |
| Beverly Hospital Beverly, MA | General Cash Donation | $2,500 |
| Manchester Essex Conservation Manchester, MA | General Cash Donation | $2,000 |
| Spaulding Rehab Hospital Charlestown, MA | General Cash Donation | $2,000 |
| Conservation Law Foundation Boston, MA | General Cash Donation | $2,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Colburn Foundation?
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 | $1,012,111 | $272,104 | $99,590 | $96,000 | 19 | $96,000 | $269,014 | $98,858 |
| 2024 | $832,668 | $128,497 | $83,271 | $81,000 | 18 | $81,000 | $126,226 | $94,042 |
| 2023 | $792,881 | $37,644 | $141,097 | $139,000 | 17 | $139,000 | $221,524 | $76,862 |
| 2022 | $728,156 | $35,441 | $86,981 | $85,000 | 15 | $85,000 | $197,688 | $76,614 |
| 2021 | $615,469 | $33,882 | $72,954 | $70,000 | 13 | $70,000 | $70,758 | $82,013 |
| 2020 | $614,710 | $33,808 | $77,471 | $68,000 | 13 | — | $46,858 | $67,538 |
| 2019 | $635,378 | $35,172 | $74,448 | $72,500 | 11 | — | $212,098 | $60,259 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Colburn Foundation reported a distributable amount of $99K 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 including museums, performing-arts organizations, hospitals, conservation organizations, and United Way.
Conservation Law Foundation, which received $2,000 in 2025, describes its mission as protecting New England’s environment for the benefit of all people and future generations. It says it uses law, science, and markets to preserve and restore natural resources, build healthy and resilient communities, and sustain a vibrant economy.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $96,000 through 19 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $33,000, with a median of $2,000. The listed grants were described as general cash donations.
Largest reported grants included $33,000 to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston; $10,000 to The National Trust for Scotland Foundation; $9,500 to GBH; $9,000 to The Trustee of Reservation; $8,000 to Massachusetts General Hospital; and $7,000 to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Other listed recipients included Beverly Hospital ($2,500), Manchester Essex Conservation ($2,000), Spaulding Rehab Hospital ($2,000), Conservation Law Foundation ($2,000), and The United Way of Bay ($2,000).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Frances H Colburn as president, Clarissa C Hunnewell as treasurer, and Oliver C Colburn as secretary.
The Colburn Foundation is led by Frances H. Colburn, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Frances H. Colburn
President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Clarissa C. Hunnewell
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Oliver C. Colburn
Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Colburn Foundation
How much does The Colburn Foundation give each year?
The Colburn Foundation gave $96K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $81K across 18 grants.
What is The Colburn Foundation's typical grant size?
The Colburn Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $5,053, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Colburn Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does The Colburn Foundation give grants?
The Colburn Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (8 grants), Beverly, MA (2 grants), Manchester, MA (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does The Colburn Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Colburn Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (19 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Colburn Foundation's largest grantees?
The Colburn Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Museum of Fine Arts Boston ($33,000), The National Trust for Scotland Foundation ($10,000) and GBH ($9,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 55% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Colburn Foundation?
The Colburn Foundation reported $1.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $96K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $99K (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 Colburn Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations including museums, performing-arts organizations, hospitals, conservation organizations, and United Way. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Colburn Foundation?
The foundation 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 Colburn Foundation's EIN?
The Colburn Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-2748890. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Colburn 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 2024 (received by the IRS November 7, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 16, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 8, 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 April 10, 2024)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Colburn Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-colburn-foundation-morg_ecab59a5b7074078b709e99f7b894932
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_042748890_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Colburn Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-colburn-foundation-morg_ecab59a5b7074078b709e99f7b894932},
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 The Colburn 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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