The Once Here Foundation
The Once Here Foundation is a private foundation based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with awards listed as general support.
The Once Here Foundation at a glance
In short: The Once Here Foundation gave $2.8M across 14 grants in 2024 (avg $196K), mostly in Massachusetts. 14% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $2,750,000
- +4.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 14
- -6.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $196,429
- +12.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $137,500
- Total assets
- $52,841,531
- +28.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 14% first-time grantees (2 of 14, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (63% 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 Once Here Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 17 Highland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: (781) 455-1400
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Once Here Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund ($900K). Together the top 10 received $2.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
78 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 48 grants of 78 (62%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts (63%), Ohio (33%), and Colorado (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Once Here Foundation open to new grantees?
14%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 2 of 14 grantees (14%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $550K; repeat grants $138K. How we count
Medians: $550K first-time, $125K repeat.
- 86% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 59% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 120% 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 $1.5M (2020) to $2.8M (2024). In 2024 it made 14 grants totaling $2.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Cincinatti, OH | General Support | $900,000 |
| Harvard Divinity School Cambridge, MA | General Support | $225,000 |
| Shooting Touch Boston, MA | General Support | $200,000 |
| Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA | General Support | $200,000 |
| Mothers for Justice and Equality Inc Roxbury, MA | General Support | $150,000 |
| McLean Hospital Belmont, MA | General Support | $150,000 |
| Friends of Matenwa Inc Cambridge, MA | General Support | $150,000 |
| Concord Prison Outreach Inc Concord, MA | General Support | $125,000 |
| Louis D Brown Peace Institute Corporation Dorchester, MA | General Support | $125,000 |
| Camp Jabberwocky Vineyard Haven, MA | General Support | $125,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Once Here 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 | $52,841,531 | $23,972,301 | $2,807,715 | $2,750,000 | 14 | $2,750,746 | $11,911,950 | $2,293,611 |
| 2023 | $41,062,229 | $3,439,034 | $2,765,498 | $2,625,000 | 15 | $2,634,602 | $3,378,138 | $2,084,959 |
| 2022 | $40,388,693 | $13,506,322 | $1,814,075 | $1,750,000 | 14 | $1,765,114 | $5,499,871 | $2,049,345 |
| 2021 | $33,048,191 | $4,600,605 | $1,740,675 | $1,727,002 | 18 | $1,733,038 | $1,860,576 | $1,849,116 |
| 2020 | $31,368,380 | $7,548,698 | $1,605,484 | $1,525,017 | 17 | — | $1,469,624 | $1,502,550 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Once Here Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.3M 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 2024 grantees include organizations working in areas such as youth and community programs, education, social justice, health and welfare, and support for incarcerated people and their families. For example, Shooting Touch describes its mission as promoting basketball competition for underprivileged youth; Friends of Matenwa says it supports education, social justice, community and cultural development, health, and welfare in Haiti; and Concord Prison Outreach says it helps incarcerated people build better lives for themselves and their families.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation made 14 grants totaling $2,750,000. Grants ranged from $75,000 to $900,000, with a median of $137,500. The largest listed award was $900,000 to Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund for general support. Other notable grants included $225,000 to Harvard Divinity School; $200,000 each to Shooting Touch and Massachusetts General Hospital; $150,000 each to Mothers for Justice and Equality, McLean Hospital, and Friends of Matenwa; and $125,000 each to Concord Prison Outreach, the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, Camp Jabberwocky, and Calling All Crows. These listed grants were for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Karl Bandtel and Farley Urmston as trustees.
The Once Here Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Farley Urmston
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Karl Bandtel
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 Once Here Foundation
How much does The Once Here Foundation give each year?
The Once Here Foundation gave $2.8M across 14 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.6M across 15 grants.
What is The Once Here Foundation's typical grant size?
The Once Here Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $137,500, and its average grant was $196,429, across 14 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Once Here Foundation that year got $550K on average.
Where does The Once Here Foundation give grants?
The Once Here Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 63% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Ohio (33%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (3 grants) and Cambridge, MA (2 grants).
Does The Once Here Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Once Here Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Once Here Foundation's largest grantees?
The Once Here Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund ($900,000), Harvard Divinity School ($225,000) and Shooting Touch ($200,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 48% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Once Here Foundation?
The Once Here Foundation reported $52.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.8M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.3M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Once Here Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grantees include organizations working in areas such as youth and community programs, education, social justice, health and welfare, and support for incarcerated people and their families. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Once Here Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Once Here Foundation's EIN?
The Once Here Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-7001052. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Once Here 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
Live grants for the work The Once Here Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Once Here Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
Boston Charitable Trust Fund City of Boston Trust Office
Boston, MA
The Boston Charitable Trust Fund supports charitable organizations working in charitable, scientific, literary, or educational fields; its only reported grant was for assistance to residents in need. In 2025 it gave $141,161 to a Boston organization, though it reported no grants in 2023 or 2024. The available information does not state whether it accepts unsolicited requests.
Assets
$673K
Grants
1
Total Given
$141K
Doran Family Foundation
Boston, MA
Assets
$4.0M
Grants
1
Total Given
$50K
Paul & Edith Babson Foundation
Wilmington, DE
The foundation supports charities and educational organizations, generally preferring those in Massachusetts, though its 2025 grant went to a recipient in Wilmington, Delaware. Its reported giving was one grant of $690,368 in 2025; it accepts applications and does not limit giving to preselected organizations.
Assets
$8.8M
Grants
1
Total Given
$690K
Giving Grousbeck Fazzalari
Seattle, WA
Giving Grousbeck Fazzalari supports a range of charitable work, including scholarships and youth programs, cancer research, criminal justice reform, and the arts. In 2024, grants ranged from $1,000 to $3.7 million, with a median of $50,000; funding went mainly to organizations in Massachusetts, New York, Washington, DC, and Illinois. The profile gives application instructions but does not state whether unsolicited requests are accepted.
Assets
$309.2M
Grants
43
Total Given
$17.8M
Boston After School & Beyond Inc
Boston, MA
Boston After School & Beyond funds after-school, summer learning, youth development, and social-emotional learning programs, especially those serving high-need youth. Its 2025 grants had a median of $30,000 and ranged from $8,650 to $766,549, supporting programs focused on Boston youth and other Massachusetts communities. It lists grant opportunities on its website; whether it accepts unsolicited requests is not stated.
Assets
$4.1M
Grants
98
Total Given
$5.1M
Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation
Boston, MA
The Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation funds criminal and juvenile justice work, especially research, offender reentry, crime prevention, and advocacy, with a focus on improving justice in Massachusetts. Its 2025 grants ranged from $1,500 to $70,000, with a median of $10,000; applicants are asked to call before submitting written materials.
Assets
$13.6M
Grants
73
Total Given
$972K
More similar funders
More Funders in Massachusetts
Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Once Here Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-once-here-foundation-morg_1569ec7651e942c0848630a074d17eac
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_817001052_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Once Here Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-once-here-foundation-morg_1569ec7651e942c0848630a074d17eac},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Once Here 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.
The Once Here Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?