The Ferris Family Foundation

FRANCONIA, NH EIN: 52-1774631

The Ferris Family Foundation is a private foundation established in 1992, based in Franconia, New Hampshire. The foundation operates as a trust and provides grants to various educational, scientific, and charitable organizations.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$8.0M

-0.3% YoY

Annual Giving

$626K

+2.6% YoY

Grant Count

+2.4% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$15K

+0.2% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Ferris Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $695K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's purpose is to provide grants to various educational, scientific, and charitable organizations. Primary funding focus areas include:

Education
Youth services and youth development
Human services
Philanthropy and voluntarism
General charitable purposes
Historic preservation

Grantmaking

No specific format required for grant applications.

Grant Range

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Average Grant

$13,000–$14,000

How to Apply

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation primarily funds organizations in:

Maryland
District of Columbia
Virginia

These three states account for 76% of all grants. Grantmaking reaches organizations across 16 states total.

Grant Distribution by State

District of Columbia $2.0M (65%)

Maryland $573K (19%)

Virginia $257K (9%)

Connecticut $121K (4%)

Illinois $25K (1%)

New York $20K (1%)

Pennsylvania $19K (1%)

California $11K (0%)

+10 more states

States

California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Florida Georgia Illinois Louisiana Massachusetts Maryland Michigan Minnesota New Jersey New York Oregon Pennsylvania Tennessee Virginia

Cities

Alvert LeaAmericusAnnandaleAnnapolisArlingtonAtlantaBaltimoreBellevilleBethesdaBeverly HillsBrandy StationCambridgeCharlottesvilleChicagoCumberlandDenverEaganFairfaxFalls ChurchFarmville

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Assets & Income (2024):

Total assets: $7,993,288–$8,000,000
Total revenues: $733,129
Total expenses: $704,886
Annual income: $1.1 million

Asset Growth: Total assets have grown from $3.5 million in 2011 to approximately $8 million in 2024.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$7,993,288	$8,018,875	$7,433,209
Revenue	$733,129	$1,276,795	$1,387,535
Expenses	$704,886	$722,129	$706,462
Qualifying Distributions	$625,985	$610,000	$636,950
Net Investment Income	$720,568	$1,267,145	$1,366,258
Distributable Amount	$694,692	$610,186	$633,682

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

219 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington Inc(bgcgw) ($344,279), Trinity College ($26,000), Noyes Childrens Library Foundation ($25,500).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
A WIDER CIRCLE SILVER SPRING, MD	GENERAL PURPOSES	$25,000
AM INDIAN COLLEGE FUND ATLANTA, GA	GENERAL PURPOSESGENERAL PURPOSES	$500
AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR STUTTERING (AIS) NEW YORK, NY	EDUCATION	$1,000
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER WASHINGTON INC(BGCGW) WASHINGTON, DC	GENERAL PURPOSES	$344,279
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF SANTA BARBARA WANTA BARBARA, CA	GENERAL PURPOSES	$9,856
C & O CANAL TRUST WILLIAMSPORT, MD	GENERAL PURPOSES	$1,000
CENTER FOR INSPIRED TEACHING WASHINGTON, DC	EDUCATIONAL	$25,000
CENTRAL UNION MISSION WASHINGTON, DC	GENERAL PURPOSES	$10,000
CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION ANNAPOLIS, MD	GENERAL PURPOSES	$2,000
COMMUNITY OF HOPE WASHINGTON, DC	HEALTHCARE/HOMELESSNESS	$25,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Karen Beardsley – Trustee
WB Ferris – Trustee

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
KAREN BEARDSLEY	TRUSTEE	2	—
WB FERRIS	TRUSTEE	2	—

Contact Information

Address: PO Box 726, Franconia, NH 03580-0726
Phone: (301) 922-2700
EIN: 52-1774631
IRS Ruling Year: 1992

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Ferris Family Foundation fund?

The foundation's purpose is to provide grants to various educational, scientific, and charitable organizations. Primary funding focus areas include: • Education • Youth services and youth development • Human services • Philanthropy and voluntarism • General charitable purposes • Historic preservation

How do I apply for a grant from The Ferris Family Foundation?

**Grant Sizes:** • Smallest grant: $250 • Median grant: $1,800–$4,000 • Average grant: $13,000–$14,000 • Largest grant: $344,279 **Recent Activity:** • Total giving in 2024: $625,985 • Made 39–42 grants in 2024 • Historical grantmaking peaked in 2021 with $663,000 distributed across 47 grants • Annual giving has ranged from $507,000 (2020) to $637,000 (2022) • The foundation has made 141 grants totaling $1.8 million across its history • Has supported 73 unique organizations **Application Proces…

Where does The Ferris Family Foundation make grants?

The foundation primarily funds organizations in: • Maryland • District of Columbia • Virginia These three states account for 76% of all grants. Grantmaking reaches organizations across 16 states total.

What size grants does The Ferris Family Foundation award?

In 2024, The Ferris Family Foundation awarded 42 grants totaling $626K — an average of about $15K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is The Ferris Family Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Ferris Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $695K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.