The Humanist Trust
The Humanist Trust is a private foundation based in New York, New York. In its 2025 filing, it reported 11 grants totaling $30,000 to charitable organizations, including schools, a cancer research supporting organization, a public library, and youth and homelessness services organizations.
The Humanist Trust at a glance
In short: The Humanist Trust gave $30K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in New York. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $30,000
- +15.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +10.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,727
- +4.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,500
- Total assets
- $397,128
- +18.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (1 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (65% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Humanist Trust
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: C/O Ftci One Madison Ave Ste 2000, New York, NY 10010
Phone: (212) 632-3000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Humanist Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Milton Academy ($6K). Together the top 10 received $30K.
Grant Size Distribution
51 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 51 grants of 51 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in New York (65%), Massachusetts (32%), and California (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Humanist Trust open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 11 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 91% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+7%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 96% 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 (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $20K (2020) to $30K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $30K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Milton Academy Milton, MA | General Purpose | $5,500 |
| Licr Fund Inc New York, NY | General Purpose | $5,500 |
| Nightingale-Bamford School New York, NY | General Purpose | $5,500 |
| St Bernard's School New York, NY | General Purpose | $4,000 |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College Boston, MA | General Support | $4,000 |
| New York Public Library New York, NY | General Purpose | $1,500 |
| Prep for Prep New York, NY | General Purpose | $1,000 |
| Police Athletic League New York, NY | General Purpose | $1,000 |
| Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter New York, NY | General Purpose | $1,000 |
| Sterne School San Francisco, CA | General Support | $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 | $397,128 | $99,737 | $38,230 | $30,000 | 11 | $33,115 | $96,113 | $34,582 |
| 2024 | $335,624 | $56,714 | $32,129 | $26,000 | 10 | $28,977 | $53,656 | $32,588 |
| 2023 | $311,042 | $9,444 | $32,144 | $26,000 | 10 | $29,107 | $8,925 | $28,864 |
| 2022 | $333,852 | $1,617 | $34,417 | $28,125 | 11 | $31,252 | $5,659 | $28,711 |
| 2021 | $366,736 | $9,538 | $30,175 | $24,538 | 9 | $27,431 | $6,751 | $31,005 |
| 2020 | $387,430 | $15,227 | $25,926 | $20,000 | 9 | — | $12,293 | $27,605 |
| 2019 | $398,136 | $32,583 | $29,807 | $23,500 | 10 | — | $29,821 | $25,223 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Humanist Trust reported a distributable amount of $35K 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 went to organizations whose own descriptions include supporting medical research, providing education, expanding educational opportunity, serving young people, and helping people experiencing homelessness. These describe the grantees, not a stated mission or formal focus areas of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $30,000. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $5,500, with a median of $1,500. The largest grants were $5,500 each to LICR Fund Inc. and Milton Academy; $4,000 each to St. Bernard’s School and President and Fellows of Harvard College; and $1,500 to the New York Public Library. The filing listed the purposes of these grants as general purpose or general support.
The grantees’ own descriptions indicate a range of activities: LICR Fund says it supports medical research conducted by the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research; Milton Academy describes its work as cultivating students’ learning and respect for others; and St. Bernard’s School describes its educational program for boys. Other recipients included Prep for Prep, Police Athletic League, and Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John D Gordan III and Alexander G H Bowden as trustees.
The Humanist Trust's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Alexander G. H. Bowden
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John D. Gordan III
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Humanist Trust
How much does The Humanist Trust give each year?
The Humanist Trust gave $30K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $26K across 10 grants.
What is The Humanist Trust's typical grant size?
The Humanist Trust's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $2,727, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Humanist Trust that year got $4K on average.
Where does The Humanist Trust give grants?
The Humanist Trust gives mostly in New York: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Massachusetts (32%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (7 grants) and San Francisco, CA (2 grants).
Does The Humanist Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Humanist Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Humanist Trust's largest grantees?
The Humanist Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Milton Academy ($5,500), Licr Fund Inc ($5,500) and Nightingale-Bamford School ($5,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 55% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Humanist Trust?
The Humanist Trust reported $397K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $33K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $35K (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 Humanist Trust fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose own descriptions include supporting medical research, providing education, expanding educational opportunity, serving young people, and helping people experiencing homelessness. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Humanist Trust?
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 Humanist Trust's EIN?
The Humanist Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 11-6006530. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Humanist Trust 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 7, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 6, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 8, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 3, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Humanist Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
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