The East Boston Foundation
The East Boston Foundation is a public charity based in East Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1998, it makes grants to programs and organizations that support quality of life for East Boston and its residents.
The East Boston Foundation at a glance
In short: The East Boston Foundation gave $595K across 23 grants in 2024 (avg $26K), mostly in Massachusetts. 26% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $595,270
- +45.9% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 23
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $25,881
- +45.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $12,500
- Total assets
- $1,445,987
- -2.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (6 of 23, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The East Boston Foundation
- Review Cycle
- The website listed April 20, 2026, as the application deadline. This deadline has passed.
- Deadline
- The website listed April 20, 2026, as the application deadline.
- Contact
Mailing address: 245 Sumner Street 110, East Boston, MA 02128
Phone: (617) 561-6336
Website: https://ebfoundation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The East Boston Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was City of Boston ($187K). Together the top 10 received $452K.
Grant Size Distribution
96 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 89 grants of 96 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation describes its grantmaking as intended to improve quality of life for East Boston and its residents. All grant dollars reported for filing year 2024 went to recipients in Massachusetts, including organizations in East Boston and elsewhere in the state.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The East Boston Foundation open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 6 of 23 grantees (26%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $30K. How we count
Medians: $13K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 61% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−14%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $260K (2020) to $692K (2021). In 2024 it made 23 grants totaling $595K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City of Boston Boston, MA | To Fund a Senior Center. | $187,000 |
| Salesian Boys and Girls Club East Boston, MA | Helps the local community with child care and various health and wellness | $50,000 |
| Eastie Farm East Boston, MA | Community center to support teen programs and youth services programing. | $42,000 |
| Eb Social Centers - All Programs East Boston, MA | Community center to support teen programs and youth services programing. | $31,000 |
| Eb Apac (Abcd Summerworks) East Boston, MA | Provide Jobs to Youths | $30,000 |
| Zumix East Boston, MA | Teaches Children Music and Holds Musical Events | $29,000 |
| Harborside Council - All Programs East Boston, MA | For youth summer programs, girl's teen center and to support eastie pride day.for youth summer programs, girl's teen center and to support eastie pride day | $25,000 |
| Neighborhood of Affordable Housing Inc East Boston, MA | Clean Streets Program | $23,700 |
| Mystic River Watershed Arlington, MA | To enhance the lives of children, youth and families in east boston | $21,300 |
| Self Esteem Boston East Boston, MA | Community center to support teen programs and youth services programing. | $12,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,445,987 | $695,346 | $688,089 | $595,270 | 23 | $8,346 |
| 2023 | $1,483,126 | $697,247 | $502,808 | $408,100 | 23 | $10,247 |
| 2022 | $1,280,592 | $3,478 | $414,476 | $329,120 | 16 | $3,478 |
| 2021 | $1,612,843 | $689,802 | $781,153 | $692,000 | 16 | $2,802 |
| 2020 | $1,739,438 | $259,319 | $337,680 | $259,574 | 18 | $9,319 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to address socioeconomic and environmental impacts on East Boston arising from projects, facilities, and activities at Boston-Logan International Airport. Its 2024 filing says grants support East Boston organizations working to improve quality of life in the community.
Grantee missions illustrate the range of organizations it supports. For example, Eastie Farm describes its work as pursuing climate justice, improving food access, and fostering community resilience through urban agriculture and environmental education. ZUMIX describes its mission as empowering young people through music, technology, and creative employment. Piers Park Sailing Center describes its work as inclusive empowerment through marine science and community sailing. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 23 grants totaling $595,270. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $187,000, with a median grant of $12,500. Notable awards included $187,000 to the City of Boston to fund a senior center; $50,000 to Salesian Boys and Girls Club for child care and health and wellness; $42,000 to Eastie Farm; $30,000 to East Boston APAC for youth jobs; and $29,000 to ZUMIX.
The foundation’s website describes a mini-grant application for requests below $2,000. The application document must be on the applicant’s letterhead and state the event or project and how funds will be used; it must also identify the nonprofit that would accept the funds. The website says applicants should review the foundation’s grantmaking policies, procedures, and guidelines. The 2024 filing says that, after board approval, the foundation sends a grant agreement and withholds payment until it is signed. Grants over $12,500 are usually paid in two installments; grantees have 90 days after receiving a check to submit a spending report, and the second payment is withheld until that report is received.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The website describes the foundation as acting through an 11-member volunteer community Board of Trustees. The 2024 filing lists Thomas Tassinari as chairperson; David Arinella as treasurer; and Christopher Marchi, Nina Gaeta Coletta, Kannan Thiru, Jeff Drago Esq, Audry Nagle, Gloribell Mota, Fran Carbone, and James Kearney as directors or trustees.
The East Boston Foundation is led by Lorene Schettino, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 11 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Lorene Schettino
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$40K (2020) → $0 (2024)
Thomas Tassinari
Chairperson
Director → Chairperson, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Marchi
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Fran Carbone
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gloribell Mota
Trustee
Chairwoman → Trustee, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Kearney
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Drago Esq.
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Audry Nagle
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kannan Thiru
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nina Gaeta Coletta
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Arinella
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Gail Miller (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Michael Grieco (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Robert Anthony (2020–2021) — Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2022 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2022 filing was $40K, to Lorene Schettino (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about The East Boston Foundation
How much does The East Boston Foundation give each year?
The East Boston Foundation gave $595K across 23 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $408K across 23 grants.
What is The East Boston Foundation's typical grant size?
The East Boston Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $12,500, and its average grant was $25,881, across 23 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from The East Boston Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does The East Boston Foundation give grants?
The East Boston Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were East Boston, MA (15 grants) and Boston, MA (6 grants).
Does The East Boston Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on The East Boston Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are The East Boston Foundation's largest grantees?
The East Boston Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include City of Boston ($187,000), Salesian Boys and Girls Club ($50,000) and Eastie Farm ($42,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 47% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The East Boston Foundation?
The East Boston Foundation reported $1.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $695K.
What does The East Boston Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to address socioeconomic and environmental impacts on East Boston arising from projects, facilities, and activities at Boston-Logan International Airport. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The East Boston Foundation?
The East Boston Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check ebfoundation.com for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is The East Boston Foundation's EIN?
The East Boston Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1601979. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 2, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 13, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The East Boston Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The East Boston Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-east-boston-foundation-morg_88eea083163341958daab57e89ca5b8b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311601979_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The East Boston Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-east-boston-foundation-morg_88eea083163341958daab57e89ca5b8b},
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 East Boston 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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