The Compass Fund
The Compass Fund is a private foundation based in Kingston, New Hampshire. It makes grants to charitable organizations; its 2025 grants included support for education, forestry, conservation, medical research, and veterans’ services.
The Compass Fund at a glance
In short: The Compass Fund gave $426K across 65 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), top state Massachusetts. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $425,587
- +15.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 65
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,547
- +15.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,587
- Total assets
- $6,149,330
- -2.4% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (47% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Compass Fund
- 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: PO Box 156, Kingston, NH 03848-0156
Phone: (800) 392-9244
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Compass Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Governor's Academy ($58K). Together the top 10 received $208K.
Grant Size Distribution
228 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 225 grants of 228 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Massachusetts recipients received 47% of grant dollars and New Hampshire recipients received 22%. Other leading recipient states were New York (6%), Maine (5%), and Vermont (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 65 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Compass Fund gives
- 80% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 252% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% 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 (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 $121K (2022) to $426K (2025). In 2025 it made 65 grants totaling $426K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Governor's Academy Byfield, MA | Annual FUND,GENERAL Support | $58,000 |
| NH Timberland Owners Education Foundation Concord, NH | Private Andpublic Workingforests | $25,000 |
| Lawrence Boys & Girls Clubs Inc Lawrence, MA | Generalsupport | $20,000 |
| The Bluefin Collaborative Ogunquit, ME | Bluefin Tunaresearch Andconservation | $20,000 |
| University of New Hampshire Durham, NH | Student Instructionthomson School | $20,000 |
| Brooks School North Andover, MA | General Support | $15,000 |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, MA | Medicalresearch | $15,000 |
| Vermont Forestry Foundation Coventry, VT | Forestryeducation Andoutreach | $15,000 |
| The Cotting School Lexington, MA | Education | $10,000 |
| Real American Hardwood Coalition Washington, DC | Promote Realamerican Hardwoodproducts | $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 | $6,149,330 | $405,377 | $559,504 | $425,587 | 65 | $428,017 | $72,323 | $457,083 |
| 2024 | $6,303,457 | $775,884 | $476,553 | $369,200 | 65 | $369,318 | $564,732 | $414,470 |
| 2023 | $6,004,126 | $162,923 | $469,870 | $372,100 | 43 | $372,226 | $13,408 | $369,339 |
| 2022 | $6,311,073 | $283,352 | $215,859 | $120,750 | 10 | $120,825 | $89,333 | $372,068 |
| 2021 | $6,243,580 | $4,789,943 | $311,486 | $231,500 | 45 | $233,601 | $301,242 | $234,038 |
| 2020 | $1,765,123 | $-135,689 | $171,714 | $140,000 | 45 | — | — | $133,442 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Compass Fund reported a distributable amount of $457K 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 is provided. The fund’s 2025 grants show support for organizations and activities including education, forest education and conservation, environmental protection, medical research, bluefin tuna research and conservation, and veterans’ services.
The grantees describe their own missions in varied ways. Brooks School says it seeks to provide students with a meaningful college-preparatory educational experience. Friends of Big Island Pond describes work to protect the watershed, maintain water quality, and preserve habitat. Wounded Warrior Project says it supports the well-being of post-9/11 wounded, ill, and injured veterans, service members, and their families.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the fund reported 65 grants totaling $425,587. Grants ranged from $250 to $58,000, with a median of $3,587.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $58,000 to The Governor’s Academy for its annual fund and general support; $25,000 to NH Timberland Owners Education Foundation for private and public working forests; and $20,000 each to Lawrence Boys & Girls Clubs for general support, The Bluefin Collaborative for bluefin tuna research and conservation, and the University of New Hampshire for student instruction at the Thomson School. Other grants included $15,000 to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for medical research and $10,000 to Southeast Land Trust of NH for environmental purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Steven B French and Emily F Breakey as trustees.
The Compass Fund's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; all 2 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Emily F. Breakey
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$10K (2021) → $15K (2025)
Steven B. French
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$10K (2021) → $10K (2025)
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 $15K, to Emily F Breakey (Trustee). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Compass Fund
How much does The Compass Fund give each year?
The Compass Fund gave $426K across 65 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $369K across 65 grants.
What is The Compass Fund's typical grant size?
The Compass Fund's median grant in 2025 was $3,587, and its average grant was $6,547, across 65 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Compass Fund give grants?
The Compass Fund's top state is Massachusetts, with 47% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New Hampshire (22%) and New York (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (8 grants), Andover, MA (6 grants), Lawrence, MA (3 grants) and Hampstead, NH (3 grants).
Does The Compass Fund give general operating support?
Occasionally: 5% of The Compass Fund's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 65) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Generalsupport" (10 grants), "Post-Secondaryeducation" (3 grants) and "Medicalresearch" (3 grants).
Who are The Compass Fund's largest grantees?
The Compass Fund's largest 2025 grantees include The Governor's Academy ($58,000), NH Timberland Owners Education Foundation ($25,000) and Lawrence Boys & Girls Clubs Inc ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Compass Fund?
The Compass Fund reported $6.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $428K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $457K (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 Compass Fund fund?
No mission statement is provided. The fund’s 2025 grants show support for organizations and activities including education, forest education and conservation, environmental protection, medical research, bluefin tuna research and conservation, and veterans’ services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Compass Fund?
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 Compass Fund's EIN?
The Compass Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3366745. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Compass 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 3, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 2, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 30, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Compass Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-compass-fund-morg_d7d1e6a797eb440494626f95811b2e66
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_043366745_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Compass Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-compass-fund-morg_d7d1e6a797eb440494626f95811b2e66},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Compass 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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