The Dwyer Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Boston, MA EIN: 27-4292722

The Dwyer Foundation is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its 2024 grants included support for educational, religious, youth mentoring, community, animal-welfare, and other charitable organizations.

Key facts about The Dwyer Foundation

In short: The Dwyer Foundation gave $145K across 26 grants in 2024 (avg $6K), mostly in Massachusetts. 42% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
27-4292722
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$145,282
Grants made (2024)
26
Average grant
$5,588
Median grant
$1,101
New grantees (estimate)
42% first-time grantees (11 of 26, 2024)
Total assets
$2,705,128
Primary geography
Massachusetts (91% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
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. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$2.7M

-0.7% YoY

Annual Giving

$145K

+21.4% YoY

Grant Count

26

+8.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$6K

+12.1% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Dwyer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $151K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is The Dwyer Foundation open to new grantees?

42%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 11 of 26 grantees (42%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $7K. How we count

Medians: $1K first-time, $1K repeat.

  • 50% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−6%). Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 96% 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 (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations with varied purposes. For example, Esperanza Academy describes itself as a tuition-free, all-girls middle school that supports students in Lawrence, Massachusetts; Big Brothers Big Sisters received funding for youth mentoring; and Last Hope K9 Rescue says it provides rescue, foster care, and adoption for dogs in need.

Other 2024 recipients include organizations whose stated missions address homebound people’s hunger and isolation, access to nutritious food, animal welfare, heart health, and lung health. Those are the recipient organizations’ missions, not stated missions of the foundation.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation made 26 grants totaling $145,282. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $50,955, with a median of $1,101.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, Massachusetts recipients received 91% of grant dollars. The remaining shares went to California (5%), Virginia (2%), Texas (1%), and New York (1%).

Grant Distribution by State

11states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.

Cities

BostonSan DiegoLawrenceBraintreeChestnut HillIpswichChicagoDallasByfieldNeedhamOssingRancho Sante FeBoonePowayWalthamWashingtonAndoverArlingtonBethesdaBeverly

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$50K$100K$150K$200K12 grants2020 26 grants2021 19 grants2022 24 grants2023 26 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $119K (2022) to $161K (2020). In 2024 it made 26 grants totaling $145K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Boston College: $51KBoston College$51KEsperanza Academy Inc: $17KEsperanza Academy Inc$17KBig Brothers Big Sisters: $15KBig Brothers Big Sisters$15KBoston Police Athletic League: $14KBoston Police Athletic League$14KThe Govenors Academy: $10KThe Govenors Academy$10KOur Lady's School: $6KOur Lady's School$6KInvest in Others Charitable Foundation: $5KInvest in Others CharitableFoundation$5KThe Catholic Appeal: $5KThe Catholic Appeal$5KOur Lady of Hope: $5KOur Lady of Hope$5KLast Hope K9 Rescue: $4KLast Hope K9 Rescue$4K

The largest 2024 recipient was Boston College ($51K). Together the top 10 received $132K.

Grant Size Distribution

107 grants across all recorded years

105<$50K2$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 105 grants of 107 (98%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Boston College Chestnut Hill, MATo support educational, religious, mentoring and general support for boston college.$50,955
Esperanza Academy Inc Lawrence, MAPrimary Education Support Including Scholarships and Other Assistance.$17,086
Big Brothers Big Sisters Boston, MATo Support Youth Mentoring.$14,546
Boston Police Athletic League Boston, MATo support the boston police department in its efforts to engage under-resourced youth in boston to embark on a productive and positive journey in life and positively impact communities throughout the city of boston.$14,280
The Govenors Academy Byfield, MATo teach and learn skills thaat foster the courage to discover voices, develop old and new passions, practice balance in pursuit of excellence, and collaborate in building vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable communities.$10,206
Our Lady's School San Diego, CATo provide quality catholic education that prepares students for lives of service and leadership.$5,800
Invest in Others Charitable Foundation Andover, MAA platform for financial professionals to make an imopact on the causes they care about by channeling the philanthropy and volunteerism of the finance industry to make a difference where it's needed the most.$5,181
The Catholic Appeal Braintree, MAReligous Support to Meet General Budgetary Needs.$5,000
Our Lady of Hope Ipswich, MAReligious Support to Meet General Budgetary Needs.$5,000
Last Hope K9 Rescue Boston, MATo save abandoned, neglected, and abused dogs from high-kill shelters in central Arkansas and beyond.$3,925

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2024 $2,705,128 $137,241 $157,235 $145,282
2023 $2,725,122 $73,419 $131,059 $119,672
2022 $2,820,783 $6,447 $134,850 $118,679
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$200K$400K$600K2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$2,705,128$2,725,122$2,820,783
Revenue$137,241$73,419$6,447
Expenses$157,235$131,059$134,850
Qualifying Distributions$145,282$119,672$118,679
Net Investment Income$121,582$76,366$66,223
Distributable Amount$150,665$136,661$145,337

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists William E Dwyer III and Christine M Dwyer as trustees.

The Dwyer Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Christine M. Dwyer

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • William E. Dwyer III

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Mailing address: 1 Avery St 31B, Boston, MA 02111
Phone: (617) 794-1144

Frequently asked questions about The Dwyer Foundation

How much does The Dwyer Foundation give each year?

The Dwyer Foundation gave $145K across 26 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $120K across 24 grants.

What is The Dwyer Foundation's typical grant size?

The Dwyer Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $1,101, and its average grant was $5,588, across 26 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Dwyer Foundation that year got $4K on average.

Where does The Dwyer Foundation give grants?

The Dwyer Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (7 grants), San Diego, CA (3 grants), Ipswich, MA (2 grants) and Chicago, IL (2 grants).

Does The Dwyer Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 15% of The Dwyer Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (4 of 26) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Dwyer Foundation's largest grantees?

The Dwyer Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Boston College ($50,955), Esperanza Academy Inc ($17,086) and Big Brothers Big Sisters ($14,546), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 57% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Dwyer Foundation?

The Dwyer Foundation reported $2.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $145K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $151K (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 Dwyer Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations with varied purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Dwyer Foundation?

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 Dwyer Foundation's EIN?

The Dwyer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-4292722. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does The Dwyer Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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