The Nook Foundation
The Nook Foundation is a private foundation based in Dennis, Massachusetts. It awarded 12 grants totaling $52,750 in filing year 2025. Its 2025 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
The Nook Foundation at a glance
In short: The Nook Foundation gave $53K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Massachusetts. 42% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $52,750
- +14.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,396
- +4.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $274,103
- -10.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 42% first-time grantees (5 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (89% 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 Nook Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Submit a written proposal; trustees evaluate applications on their merits to ensure funds are used exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes. The filing names Neil F. Fitzpatrick as the contact.
- Review Cycle
- None stated.
- Deadline
- None stated.
- Contact
Application contact: Neil F Fitzpatrick
Mailing address: 82 Nobscusset Road, Dennis, MA 02638
Phone: (617) 599-2599
Email: nfitzpatrick@bosfrt.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Nook Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cape Cod Center for the Arts ($25K). Together the top 10 received $52K.
Grant Size Distribution
54 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 54 grants of 54 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In filing year 2025, 89% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts, 9% to recipients in Rhode Island, and 2% to recipients in Vermont.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Nook Foundation open to new grantees?
42%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 12 grantees (42%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 65% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 241% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $29K (2021) to $53K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $53K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Cod Center for the Arts Barnstable, MA | Support | $25,000 |
| Dennis Conservation Land Trust East Dennis, MA | Support | $10,000 |
| Advocates for a Community College Education Yarmouth Port, MA | Support | $5,000 |
| Health Equity Institute Providence, RI | Support | $5,000 |
| Edinburg Center Bedford, MA | Support | $2,500 |
| Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts Boston, MA | Support | $1,000 |
| Fill a Back Pack Inc Dennis, MA | Support | $1,000 |
| Greater Boston Food Bank Boston, MA | Support | $1,000 |
| Three Peaks Medical Clinic Waitsfield, VT | Support | $1,000 |
| Pine Street Inn Boston, MA | 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 | $274,103 | $28,762 | $60,018 | $52,750 | 12 | $52,750 | $21,494 | $21,879 |
| 2024 | $305,359 | $10,887 | $54,560 | $46,150 | 11 | $46,150 | $2,477 | $21,502 |
| 2023 | $349,032 | $-1,160 | $55,140 | $49,100 | 13 | $49,100 | $2,413 | $19,961 |
| 2022 | $405,332 | $5,672 | $44,521 | $32,000 | 8 | $32,000 | — | $21,464 |
| 2021 | $444,181 | $229,979 | $36,068 | $29,200 | 10 | $29,200 | $223,111 | $21,856 |
| 2020 | $502,280 | $502,280 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Nook Foundation reported a distributable amount of $22K 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
The available information does not state the foundation’s own mission. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including arts and culture, conservation, education, health, food assistance, and homelessness. For example, the Cape Cod Center for the Arts describes its mission as fostering creativity, enriching lives, and nurturing learning through cultural and artistic experiences. Advocates for a Community College Education says it supports Cape Cod high school graduates attending Cape Cod Community College with services including scholarships, financial assistance, and mentoring. Pine Street Inn describes its mission as ending homelessness through outreach, emergency services, housing, and employment support.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 12 grants totaling $52,750. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $25,000, with a median of $1,000. The largest awards were $25,000 to Cape Cod Center for the Arts, $10,000 to Dennis Conservation Land Trust, and $5,000 each to Advocates for a Community College Education and Health Equity Institute. Other listed recipients included Edinburg Center ($2,500), Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts ($1,000), Fill a Back Pack ($1,000), Greater Boston Food Bank ($1,000), Three Peaks Medical Clinic ($1,000), Pine Street Inn ($500), Cape Cod Museum of Art ($500), and Thacher Hall ($250). The filing lists each grant’s purpose as “support.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Neil F. Fitzpatrick and Maureen P. Arkle as trustees.
The Nook Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Maureen P. Arkle
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Neil F. Fitzpatrick
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Nook Foundation
How much does The Nook Foundation give each year?
The Nook Foundation gave $53K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $46K across 11 grants.
What is The Nook Foundation's typical grant size?
The Nook Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $4,396, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Nook Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does The Nook Foundation give grants?
The Nook Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 89% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Rhode Island (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (3 grants), Yarmouth Port, MA (2 grants) and Dennis, MA (2 grants).
Does The Nook Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on The Nook Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support" (12 grants).
Who are The Nook Foundation's largest grantees?
The Nook Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Cape Cod Center for the Arts ($25,000), Dennis Conservation Land Trust ($10,000) and Advocates for a Community College Education ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 76% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Nook Foundation?
The Nook Foundation reported $274K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $53K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $22K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Nook Foundation fund?
The available information does not state the foundation’s own mission. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including arts and culture, conservation, education, health, food assistance, and homelessness. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Nook Foundation?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Nook Foundation's EIN?
The Nook Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-4285930. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Nook Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Nook Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Nook Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Nook Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-nook-foundation-morg_99786e1a2f1f476a87fad8150dea9219
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_854285930_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Nook Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-nook-foundation-morg_99786e1a2f1f476a87fad8150dea9219},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Nook 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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