The Grass Foundation
The Grass Foundation is a private foundation based in Harrison, New York, that supports neuroscience, principally neurophysiology, and allied fields of medicine and science. Established in 1955, it grew out of Albert M. Grass and Ellen H. Robinson’s connection at Harvard Medical School, which also led to the Grass Instrument Company.
The Grass Foundation at a glance
In short: The Grass Foundation gave $487K across 10 grants in 2024 (avg $49K), mostly in Massachusetts. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $486,963
- -44.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 10
- -28.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $48,696
- -22.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $25,802,196
- -0.7% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (89% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Grass Foundation
- 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. The Grass Fellowship has a separate application process for eligible early-career researchers.
- Review Cycle
- The 2027 Grass Fellowship application deadline is December 1, 2026; recommendation letters are due December 7, 2026.
- Deadline
- The 2027 Grass Fellowship application deadline is December 1, 2026; recommendation letters are due December 7, 2026.
- Contact
Mailing address: Co Pkfod 500 Mamaroneck Ave 301, Harrison, NY 10528-1633
Phone: (914) 381-8900
Website: https://grassfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Grass Foundation
Who The Grass Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 6 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Marine Biological Laboratory ($378K across 2 grants). Together the top 6 received $477K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($10,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
88 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 74 grants of 88 (84%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 89% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts, 10% to recipients in Washington, DC, and 1% to recipients in Rhode Island. The largest 2024 awards supported programs at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Grass Foundation gives
- Giving fell 36% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 49% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $487K (2024) to $936K (2022). In 2024 it made 10 grants totaling $487K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Biological Laboratory Woods Hole, MA | Grass Fellowship Program and the Forbes Lecture. | $194,863 |
| Marine Biological Laboratory Woods Hole, MA | Neurobiology and Neural Systems and Behavior Courses. | $183,600 |
| Society for Neuroscience Washington, DC | Year-long, multi-module professional development series for early-career neuroscience researchers on non-laboratory skills. | $50,000 |
| Foundation for the National Institute of Health Inc North Bethesda, MA | Participation of native American students in the national institute for neurological disorders and stroke (NINDS) summer internship program (SIP). | $30,000 |
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $10,000 |
| University of Massachusetts Foundation Inc Newton, MA | Cephalopod Neuroscience Conference and Workshops. | $10,000 |
| Trustees of Tufts College Medford, MA | Birdsong Satellite Meeting. | $4,000 |
| Gordon Research Conferences East Greenwich, RI | 2025 Neuroethology Gordon Research Conference. | $2,500 |
| Gordon Research Conferences East Greenwich, RI | 2025 gordon research seminar on cns injury and repair. | $1,000 |
| Gordon Research Conferences East Greenwich, RI | 2025 Cerebellum Gordon Research Seminar. | $1,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $25,802,196 | $1,124,594 | $803,217 | $486,963 | 10 | $691,008 | $2,012,620 | $1,404,678 |
| 2023 | $25,992,549 | $140,455 | $1,215,050 | $881,873 | 14 | $1,090,158 | — | $1,261,287 |
| 2022 | $26,946,631 | $1,864,666 | $1,344,829 | $936,362 | 27 | $1,059,438 | $1,602,536 | $1,248,619 |
| 2021 | $26,426,573 | $2,673,449 | $1,139,488 | $761,938 | 16 | $905,142 | $2,446,852 | $1,439,562 |
| 2020 | $24,892,612 | $1,999,178 | $1,031,797 | $535,715 | 21 | — | $1,739,832 | $1,241,486 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Grass Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.4M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s stated purpose is to advance knowledge principally in neurophysiology and allied fields of medicine and science, and to encourage education, research, and clinical investigation in those areas.
Its support includes early-career researchers’ independent neuroscience projects, neuroscience courses and professional development, and scientific meetings. The Foundation describes the Grass Fellowship as supporting approaches including neurophysiology, biophysics, neuroethology, systems neuroscience, and computational approaches to neural systems; it also has a longstanding interest in epilepsy-related research.
Among its 2024 grantees, the Marine Biological Laboratory describes itself as a center for biological discovery and training. The Society for Neuroscience says its mission is to advance understanding of the brain and nervous system by bringing together scientists and facilitating integration of research. The University of Massachusetts Foundation says it fosters the growth and welfare of the University of Massachusetts and disburses gifts for its educational mission. Gordon Research Conferences says it provides an international forum for discussion of frontier research across scientific fields and their interfaces.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the Foundation reported 10 grants totaling $486,963. Individual grants ranged from $1,000 to $194,863, with a median of $10,000. Its largest awards included $194,863 to the Marine Biological Laboratory for the Grass Fellowship Program and Forbes Lecture, and $183,600 to the MBL for Neurobiology and Neural Systems and Behavior courses. Other notable awards were $50,000 to the Society for Neuroscience for a professional development series for early-career researchers, and $30,000 to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health for Native American students’ participation in the NINDS Summer Internship Program.
The Foundation’s website describes the Grass Fellowship as a 14-week, investigator-designed research program at MBL for early-career scientists. Applicants submit a research proposal of no more than four pages, along with information about their background, experience, career status, and proposed project. The selection committee evaluates, among other factors, the proposal’s quality, experimental plan, feasibility, and the applicant’s promise in neuroscience. The fellowship supports participants with research resources and living arrangements; it is distinct from grants to outside organizations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Matthew B. McFarlane, PhD, as director and president, and Joshua Grass, PhD, as director and treasurer, beginning December 19, 2024. Other listed directors and life directors are Bernice Grafstein, PhD; Catherine E. Carr, PhD; Henry J. Grass, MD; Ronald R. Hoy, PhD; Kamran Khodakhah, PhD, beginning July 11, 2024; Felix E. Schweizer, PhD; Gwyneth Card, beginning January 11, 2024; and Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD.
The Grass Foundation is led by Matthew B. McFarlane PhD, Director & President since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 13 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Matthew B. McFarlane PhD
Director & President
Trustee → Director & President, 2023
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bernice Grafstein PhD
Life Director & Vice President
Vice President & Trustee → Life Director & Vice President, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Catherine E. Carr PhD
Life Director
President → Life Director & President, 2023
Life Director & President → Life Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Felix E. Schweizer PhD
Life Director
Trustee → Life Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Henry J. Grass MD
Life Director
Trustee → Life Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joshua Grass PhD
Director & Treasurer
Trustee → Director & Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kamran Khodakhah PhD
Life Director
Trustee → Life Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ronald R. Hoy PhD
Life Director
Trustee → Life Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steven J. Zottoli PhD
Director
Trustee → Life Director, 2023
Life Director → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kafui Dzirasa MD PhD
Director
Trustee → Director, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael A. Long PhD
Director
Trustee → Director, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Guoping Feng PhD
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gwyneth Card PhD
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (6)
- Former: Victor F. Chin (2020–2023) — Director & Treasurer
- Former: Andre Fenton (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Melissa J Coleman (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Andrew Blum (2020–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Elva Diaz (2020–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Vanessa Ruta (2020–2021) — Trustee
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Grass Foundation
How much does The Grass Foundation give each year?
The Grass Foundation gave $487K across 10 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $882K across 14 grants.
What is The Grass Foundation's typical grant size?
The Grass Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $48,696, across 10 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Grass Foundation give grants?
The Grass Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 89% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were East Greenwich, RI (3 grants) and Woods Hole, MA (2 grants).
Does The Grass Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on The Grass Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are The Grass Foundation's largest grantees?
The Grass Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Marine Biological Laboratory ($378,463 across 2 grants), Society for Neuroscience ($50,000) and Foundation for the National Institute of Health Inc ($30,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($10,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 94% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Grass Foundation?
The Grass Foundation reported $25.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $691K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.4M (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 Grass Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s stated purpose is to advance knowledge principally in neurophysiology and allied fields of medicine and science, and to encourage education, research, and clinical investigation in those areas. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Grass 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 Grass Foundation's EIN?
The Grass Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6049529. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Grass Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Grass Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Grass Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-grass-foundation-morg_b8c94a70061e46a1afdf1f631f9fd42a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_046049529_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Grass Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-grass-foundation-morg_b8c94a70061e46a1afdf1f631f9fd42a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Grass 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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