The Hershey Family Foundation
The Hershey Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its 2024 grants supported organizations including universities, hospitals, arts organizations, and groups working in health, education, mindfulness, and poverty relief.
The Hershey Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Hershey Family Foundation gave $6.6M across 43 grants in 2024 (avg $154K), top state Massachusetts. 21% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $6,616,585
- +1.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 43
- -4.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $153,874
- +5.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $40,833,639
- -9.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (9 of 43, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (49% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Hershey 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: 2 International Place, Boston, MA 02110
Phone: (617) 248-4078
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Hershey Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Whole School Mindfulness ($750K). Together the top 10 received $3.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
209 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 87 grants of 209 (42%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 49% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts, 12% to Colorado, 10% to New York, 6% to Ohio, and 4% to Wisconsin.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 43 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Hershey Family Foundation open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 43 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $161K; repeat grants $152K. How we count
Medians: $109K first-time, $100K repeat.
- 77% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+18%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 162% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF 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 $4.3M (2020) to $6.8M (2022). In 2024 it made 43 grants totaling $6.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Whole School Mindfulness Wrentham, MA | Women's studio workshop envisions a society where women's visual art is integral to the cultural mainstream and permanently recorded in history. Our mission is to operate and maintain an artists' workspace that encourages the voice and vision of individual women artists, provides professional opportunities for artists at various stages of their careers, and promotes programs designed to stimulate public involvement, awareness, and support for the visual arts. | $750,000 |
| Pres & Fellows Harvard University Cambridge, MA | Scholarships, grants, and awards to students (both undergraduate and graduate) and faculty of harvard university, ma | $500,000 |
| Mind and Life Institute Boulder, CO | Fund projects that advance our understanding of the mechanisms, implementation, and outcomes of contemplative approaches to promote well-being and prosocial behavior in individuals and communities. | $451,900 |
| Women's Studio Workshop Kingston, NY | To operate and maintain an artists workspace that encourages the voice and vision of individual women artists, to provide professional opportunities for artists and to promote programs designed to stimulate public involvement, awareness and support for the visual artist. | $400,000 |
| Partners in Health Boston, MA | Our mission is a preferential option for the poor in health care. By establishing long-term relationships with sister organizations based in settings of poverty, partners in health strives to achieve two overarching goals: to bring benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them and to serve as an antidote to despair. | $350,000 |
| Hershey Montessory School Concord TWP, OH | Funding for educating children from infancy to 12 years of age and adolescents. | $300,000 |
| Brigham & Women's Hospital Boston, MA | Funding for physical wellness fund at brigham and womans. Brigham and women's hospital is dedicated to: serving the needs of our local and global community, providing the highest quality health care to patients and their families, expanding the boundaries of medicine through research, | $250,000 |
| Univ of Wisconsin Foundation Madison, WI | Aids university of Wisconsin-madison by soliciting gifts and bequests, administers and invests securities and property and distributes payments for benefit of uw-madison. | $250,000 |
| Harvard Divinity School Cambridge, MA | Harvard divinity school is a nonsectarian school of religious and theological studies that educates students both in the pursuit of the academic study of religion and in preparation for leadership in religious, governmental, and a wide range of service organizations. | $200,000 |
| Inward Bound Mindfulness Education N Andover, MA | Funding for Youth Training | $200,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Hershey Family Foundation?
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 | $40,833,639 | $2,905,187 | $6,719,162 | $6,616,585 | 43 | $6,644,135 | $2,810,546 | $4,097,919 |
| 2023 | $45,252,440 | $2,835,956 | $6,646,156 | $6,543,094 | 45 | $6,571,330 | $2,786,130 | $3,939,764 |
| 2022 | $48,133,774 | $2,344,041 | $6,920,145 | $6,812,411 | 42 | $6,826,161 | $2,274,865 | $4,111,317 |
| 2021 | $52,889,929 | $3,548,018 | $5,751,388 | $5,597,307 | 41 | $5,609,757 | $3,492,181 | $4,409,071 |
| 2020 | $55,285,244 | $13,382,393 | $4,471,765 | $4,255,852 | 38 | — | $11,273,906 | $3,796,745 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Hershey Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.1M 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Women’s Studio Workshop says its mission is to maintain an artists’ workspace, provide professional opportunities for women artists, and promote public involvement in the visual arts. Inward Bound Mindfulness Education says it provides in-depth mindfulness programming for youth and the parents and professionals who support them. Funderburg Scholars says it helps inner-city youth attend college, while Haiti Projects says it works to empower women and their families in rural Haiti through access to jobs, healthcare, and education.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 43 grants totaling $6,616,585. Grants ranged from $25,000 to $750,000, with a median grant of $100,000. Among the largest reported grants were $750,000 to Whole School Mindfulness, $500,000 to the President and Fellows of Harvard University, $451,900 to Mind and Life Institute, $400,000 to Women’s Studio Workshop, and $350,000 to Partners in Health. Other grants included $300,000 to Hershey Montessori School, $250,000 each to Brigham & Women’s Hospital and the University of Wisconsin Foundation, and $200,000 each to Harvard Divinity School, Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, and Oxfam America.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Barry J Hershey as trustee and Connie Hershey as trustee, noting that she was deceased on 51324.
The Hershey Family Foundation is led by Barry J. Hershey, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Barry J. Hershey
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Connie Hershey (2020–2024) — Trustee · Filing note: Deceased on 51324
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 Hershey Family Foundation
How much does The Hershey Family Foundation give each year?
The Hershey Family Foundation gave $6.6M across 43 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $6.5M across 45 grants.
What is The Hershey Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Hershey Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $100,000, and its average grant was $153,874, across 43 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Hershey Family Foundation that year got $161K on average.
Where does The Hershey Family Foundation give grants?
The Hershey Family Foundation's top state is Massachusetts, with 49% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Colorado (12%) and New York (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (7 grants), Cambridge, MA (4 grants), Boulder, CO (4 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does The Hershey Family Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 2% of The Hershey Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 43) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Hershey Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Hershey Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Whole School Mindfulness ($750,000), Pres & Fellows Harvard University ($500,000) and Mind and Life Institute ($451,900), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Hershey Family Foundation?
The Hershey Family Foundation reported $40.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $6.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Hershey Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for a range of organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Hershey 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 Hershey Family Foundation's EIN?
The Hershey Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 34-1574366. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Hershey Family 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
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Hershey Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 30, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-hershey-family-foundation-morg_dd3e3981beb6415ebb32ca4c9deee2a2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_341574366_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Hershey Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-hershey-family-foundation-morg_dd3e3981beb6415ebb32ca4c9deee2a2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-30. 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 Hershey 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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