The Foster Family Foundation
The Foster Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. Its 2025 grants supported organizations in Massachusetts and Maine, including environmental, educational, community, and health-related organizations.
The Foster Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Foster Family Foundation gave $182K across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Massachusetts. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $181,760
- +87.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- +123.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,268
- -16.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $4,537,225
- +10.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (70% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to The Foster Family 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: Foundation Source 501 Silverside Rd, Wilmington, DE 19809-1377
Phone: (800) 839-1754
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Foster Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Massachusetts Audubon Society Inc ($60K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $152K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($25,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
42 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 41 grants of 42 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars were reported as 70% to recipients in Massachusetts and 29% to recipients in Maine. The filing also reported 1% each for the District of Columbia, Maryland, and North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
Cities
How The Foster Family Foundation gives
- 41% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 84% 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 2024 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $97K (2024) to $182K (2025). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $182K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Audubon Society Inc Lincoln, MA | Mass Audubon Habitat - Somerset Street Improvement Project | $50,000 |
| Lexington Montessori School Inc Lexington, MA | General & Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| 1 individual scholarship Recipients not named | — | $25,000 |
| Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME | Justin Foster '03 and Family Scholarship Fund | $20,000 |
| Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME | Justin Foster '03 and Family Scholarship Fund | $10,000 |
| Massachusetts Audubon Society Inc Lincoln, MA | Habitat in Belmont | $10,000 |
| Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME | Justin Foster '03 and Family Scholarship Fund | $6,000 |
| Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME | Polar Bear Athletic Fund - Go U Bears Challenge | $5,000 |
| Town of Belmont Belmont, MA | To purchase rink equipment for the Belmont Sports Complex fund | $5,000 |
| Ocean Park Association Ocean Park, ME | Compost Station | $3,500 |
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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 | $4,537,225 | $682,475 | $239,197 | $181,760 | 29 | $201,067 | $398,227 | $239,317 |
| 2024 | $4,093,947 | $1,200,019 | $142,930 | $96,965 | 13 | $113,366 | $171,388 | $202,718 |
| 2023 | $3,036,858 | $1,054,711 | $29,110 | — | — | $11,712 | $59,895 | $110,528 |
| 2022 | $2,011,257 | $2,017,790 | $6,533 | — | — | $6,533 | $7,790 | $11,595 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Foster Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $239K 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 included support for habitat projects, education and scholarships, athletics, community equipment, composting, and a hospital appeal. Massachusetts Audubon Society describes its mission as protecting Massachusetts nature for people and wildlife through education, conservation, advocacy, research, and habitat stewardship. Lexington Montessori School says it builds an inclusive, joyful learning community, while Bowdoin College describes its mission as providing a four-year liberal arts education that develops students’ minds, creative faculties, and social and leadership abilities.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 29 grants totaling $181,760. Grants ranged from $100 to $50,000, with a median of $2,000. In 2024, it made 13 grants totaling $96,965. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 29 grants totaling $181,760.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $50,000 to Massachusetts Audubon Society for its Somerset Street habitat improvement project; two grants of $25,000 each to Lexington Montessori School, one unrestricted and one for the Aline Gery Fund Scholarship Fund; and grants of $20,000, $10,000, and $6,000 to Bowdoin College for the Justin Foster ’03 and Family Scholarship Fund. Other notable grants included $10,000 to Massachusetts Audubon Society for habitat in Belmont and $5,000 to the Town of Belmont for rink equipment.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Corinne Foster as director and vice president, and Justin Foster as director, president, secretary, and treasurer.
The Foster Family Foundation is led by Justin Foster, Director, President, Secretary & Treasurer on every filing since 2022; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Justin Foster
Director, President, Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Corinne Foster
Director & Vice President
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2025. "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 Foster Family Foundation
How much does The Foster Family Foundation give each year?
The Foster Family Foundation gave $182K across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $97K across 13 grants.
What is The Foster Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Foster Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $6,268, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Foster Family Foundation give grants?
The Foster Family Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 70% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Maine (29%). The most frequent recipient cities were Brunswick, ME (6 grants), Belmont, MA (4 grants), Lexington, MA (3 grants) and Ocean Park, ME (3 grants).
Does The Foster Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 38% of The Foster Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 29) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Justin Foster '03 and Family Scholarship Fund" (3 grants).
Who are The Foster Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Foster Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Massachusetts Audubon Society Inc ($60,000 across 2 grants), Bowdoin College ($43,500 across 6 grants) and Lexington Montessori School Inc ($27,000 across 3 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($25,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 72% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Foster Family Foundation?
The Foster Family Foundation reported $4.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $201K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $239K (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 Foster Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for habitat projects, education and scholarships, athletics, community equipment, composting, and a hospital appeal. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Foster Family 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 Foster Family Foundation's EIN?
The Foster Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 88-3709233. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2025.
Does The Foster Family 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.
Data update history
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 4, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 17, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 1, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Foster Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Foster Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-foster-family-foundation-morg_3258c590a4594c7eb90fcfec4834fa29
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_883709233_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Foster Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-foster-family-foundation-morg_3258c590a4594c7eb90fcfec4834fa29},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Foster Family 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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