The George I Alden Trust
The George I. Alden Trust is a private foundation based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Established by George Alden in 1912, it supports charitable and philanthropic enterprises, with a particular focus on education.
Key facts about The George I Alden Trust
In short: The George I Alden Trust gave $11.5M across 79 grants in 2024 (avg $145K), mostly in Massachusetts. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 04-6023784
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $11,478,000
- Grants made (2024)
- 79
- Average grant
- $145,291
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $214,398,299
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (72% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to apply
- The Trust accepts unsolicited requests. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- Proposals for the March, June, September, or December distribution meetings are due by the 15th of the preceding month.
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. 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
$214.4M
+5.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$11.5M
+4.1% YoY
Grant Count
79
+3.9% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$145K
+0.2% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The George I Alden Trust reported a distributable amount of $12.2M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
How The George I Alden Trust gives
- 30% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+2%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 97% 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 (2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
George Alden established the Trust for the general purpose of maintaining charitable or philanthropic enterprises, with specific interest in promoting education in schools, colleges, and other educational institutions. Its trustees retain broad discretion in interpreting the Trust’s purposes.
The Trust identifies five primary areas of grantmaking:
- Higher education: Capital needs at eligible independent undergraduate institutions. Eligible schools generally have at least 1,000 full-time undergraduate students and no more than 5,000 total undergraduate and graduate students on a full-time-equivalent basis. The Trust focuses on institutions in the six New England states, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, with a few grandfathered exceptions.
- Worcester educationally related organizations: Support for important and timely efforts by educationally related nonprofit organizations in Worcester, with an emphasis on capital projects.
- YMCAs: Significant support for the YMCA of Central Massachusetts and lesser levels of support for other Massachusetts YMCAs; support is for occasional capital projects.
- Vocational and secondary education: Primarily support for Worcester Technical High School, as well as independent secondary schools in the immediate Worcester area. The focus is on capital needs.
- Other Worcester-area nonprofits: When disbursable funds allow, the Trust makes year-end, unsolicited, unrestricted grants to Worcester-area nonprofits outside its four primary areas.
The Trust’s higher education grants may support classrooms, libraries, laboratories, auditoriums, learning centers, academic buildings, and related equipment or furnishings. The Trust primarily makes outright grants and occasionally makes challenge grants; its FAQ says these typically require a three-to-one match, met in full within 18 months.
Examples of 2024 grantees include Worcester Polytechnic Institute, which describes its mission as transforming lives and advancing STEM through education, projects, and research; Assumption University, which says it forms graduates for thoughtful citizenship and the common good; and Williamson College of the Trades, which says it prepares young men to be leaders and productive members of society. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the Trust made 79 grants totaling $11,478,000. Grant amounts ranged from $15,000 to $1,000,000, with a median grant of $100,000.
Review Cycle
Proposals for the March, June, September, or December distribution meetings are due by the 15th of the preceding month.
Open Grants
4 open opportunities from The George I Alden Trust
Educationally Related Worcester Nonprofit Organizations Grant
The George I Alden Trust
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
George I. Alden Trust: Higher Education Grant
The George I Alden Trust
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
George I. Alden Trust: Massachusetts YMCAs Grant
The George I Alden Trust
Amount
Up to US $100,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Ready to take the next step with The George I Alden Trust?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Trust is based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Its higher education focus covers the six New England states, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, with a few grandfathered institutions inside and outside that region. Its other stated geographic priorities are educationally related nonprofits in Worcester, vocational and independent secondary schools in the immediate Worcester area, and YMCAs in Massachusetts.
In 2024, 72% of grant dollars went to Massachusetts recipients, 14% to Pennsylvania, 8% to New York, and 2% each to New Hampshire and Kentucky.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 79 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $10.7M (2020) to $11.5M (2022). In 2024 it made 79 grants totaling $11.5M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Umass Memorial Health Care Inc ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $5.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
375 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 154 grants of 375 (41%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Umass Memorial Health Care Inc Worcester, MA | To Further Education | $1,000,000 |
| Ecotarium Worcester, MA | To Further Education | $750,000 |
| Saint John's High School Shrewsbury, MA | To Further Education | $750,000 |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA | To Further Education | $600,000 |
| Assumption University Worcester, MA | To Further Education | $500,000 |
| New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill Boylston, MA | To Further Education | $500,000 |
| Anna Maria College Paxton, MA | To Further Education | $475,000 |
| United Way of Central Massachusetts Worcester, MA | To Further Education | $300,000 |
| Williamson College of the Trades Media, PA | To Further Education | $300,000 |
| Franklin County YMCA Greenfield, MA | To Further Education | $250,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $214,398,299 | $24,510,938 | $14,187,415 | $11,478,000 | 79 |
| 2023 | $203,372,681 | $11,284,418 | $13,482,495 | $11,023,000 | 76 |
| 2022 | $204,621,748 | $6,944,899 | $13,962,308 | $11,482,000 | 94 |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $214,398,299 | $203,372,681 | $204,621,748 |
| Revenue | $24,510,938 | $11,284,418 | $6,944,899 |
| Expenses | $14,187,415 | $13,482,495 | $13,962,308 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $11,781,783 | $11,330,208 | $11,788,333 |
| Net Investment Income | $22,425,306 | $9,262,131 | $5,030,966 |
| Distributable Amount | $12,192,356 | $11,071,098 | $11,345,143 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists four trustees: Warner S. Fletcher, James E. Collins, Gail T. Randall, and Douglas Meystre.
The George I Alden Trust's 2024 filing lists 4 officers; all 4 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Douglas Meystre
Trustee
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$149K (2020) → $150K (2024)
Gail T. Randall
Trustee
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$149K (2020) → $150K (2024)
James E. Collins
Trustee
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$149K (2020) → $150K (2024)
Warner S. Fletcher
Trustee
On filings since 2020
25 hrs/week
$149K (2020) → $150K (2024)
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 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $150K, to Warner S Fletcher (Trustee). 4 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Application contact: Trustees Of The George I Alden Trus
Mailing address: C/O Fletcher Tilton Whipple - 370, Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608
Phone: (508) 459-8005
Email: trustees@aldentrust.org
Website: https://aldentrust.org
Frequently asked questions about The George I Alden Trust
How much does The George I Alden Trust give each year?
The George I Alden Trust gave $11.5M across 79 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $11.0M across 76 grants.
What is The George I Alden Trust's typical grant size?
The George I Alden Trust's median grant in 2024 was $100,000, and its average grant was $145,291, across 79 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The George I Alden Trust give grants?
The George I Alden Trust gives mostly in Massachusetts: 72% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Pennsylvania (14%) and New York (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Worcester, MA (40 grants) and Boston, MA (3 grants).
Does The George I Alden Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 79 grants with a stated purpose on The George I Alden Trust's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Further Education" (79 grants).
Who are The George I Alden Trust's largest grantees?
The George I Alden Trust's largest 2024 grantees include Umass Memorial Health Care Inc ($1,000,000), Ecotarium ($750,000) and Saint John's High School ($750,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 22% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The George I Alden Trust?
The George I Alden Trust reported $214.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $11.8M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $12.2M (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 George I Alden Trust fund?
George Alden established the Trust for the general purpose of maintaining charitable or philanthropic enterprises, with specific interest in promoting education in schools, colleges, and other educational institutions. Its trustees retain broad discretion in interpreting the Trust’s purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The George I Alden Trust?
The Trust accepts unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The George I Alden Trust's EIN?
The George I Alden Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6023784. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The George I Alden Trust accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, 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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