The Pacer Foundation
The Pacer Foundation is a private foundation based in Waltham, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations working in areas including education, health, and community services.
The Pacer Foundation at a glance
In short: The Pacer Foundation gave $154K across 32 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), top state Massachusetts. 28% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $154,000
- +33.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 32
- +6.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,813
- +25.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $5,722,150
- +6.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 28% first-time grantees (9 of 32, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (40% 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 Pacer 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: Co Fdc 1075 Main Street Suite 200, Waltham, MA 02451
Phone: (617) 423-3900
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Pacer Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Shore Country Day School ($15K). Together the top 10 received $99K.
Grant Size Distribution
181 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 181 grants of 181 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Massachusetts received 40% of grant dollars, California 14%, Vermont 11%, Montana 10%, and Georgia 6%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 32 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Pacer Foundation open to new grantees?
28%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 32 grantees (28%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 69% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 37% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 45% 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 (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $113K (2022) to $154K (2025). In 2025 it made 32 grants totaling $154K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Shore Country Day School Beverly, MA | To provide an education that encourages children to embrace academic challenge | $15,000 |
| Thrive Bozeman, MT | To provide children an opportunity to grow, succeed, and become valuable members of our community | $15,000 |
| Brooks School North Andover, MA | Provide Education | $10,000 |
| Hop on a Cure Foundation Roswell, GA | To improve health and lives of people affected by diseases | $10,000 |
| Park Community Foundation Unknown, MA | To Provide High Quality of Education | $10,000 |
| Santa Barbara Middle School Santa Barbara, CA | Provide Education | $10,000 |
| St Jude Hospital Memphis, TN | To advance cures & prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research & treatment | $10,000 |
| MV Community Services Vineyard Haven, MA | To provide accessible education and health and human services of the highest quality | $8,000 |
| Direct Relief International Santa Barbara, CA | To improve health and lives of people affected by poverty | $6,000 |
| Copley Hospital Morrisville, VT | To improve health and lives of people affected by poverty | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Pacer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,722,150 | $594,504 | $240,917 | $154,000 | 32 | $167,142 | $518,773 | $368,686 |
| 2024 | $5,368,563 | $3,362,892 | $138,256 | $115,000 | 30 | $121,474 | $160,544 | $146,937 |
| 2023 | $2,143,927 | $64,333 | $170,289 | $138,254 | 40 | $150,436 | $46,126 | $129,582 |
| 2022 | $2,249,883 | $86,430 | $131,852 | $112,500 | 39 | $115,540 | $71,499 | $142,573 |
| 2021 | $2,295,305 | $161,215 | $133,999 | $113,500 | 40 | — | $144,624 | $135,864 |
| 2020 | $2,268,089 | $124,005 | $162,710 | $131,500 | 45 | — | $108,810 | $130,923 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Pacer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $369K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for schools and other educational organizations, health-related organizations, and community services. For example, Shore Country Day School describes its mission as providing an education that inspires a love of learning and encourages academic challenge; THRIVE Inc. says it seeks opportunities for all children to grow and succeed; and Copley Hospital says it aims to help people live healthier lives by providing care and access to affordable, high-quality health care.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 32 grants totaling $154,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $15,000, with a median of $5,000. Notable awards included $15,000 each to Shore Country Day School and THRIVE Inc.; $10,000 each to Brooks School, Hop On a Cure Foundation, Santa Barbara Middle School, and several other organizations; and $8,000 to MV Community Services.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Hugh K Foster Jr as president/director; Frank H Foster and Jennifer BF Walton as vice presidents/directors; Elizabeth G Woodard as treasurer/director; and Adelaide E Foster as secretary/director.
The Pacer Foundation is led by Hugh K. Foster Jr., President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Hugh K. Foster Jr.
President & Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Adelaide E. Foster
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth G. Woodard
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Frank H. Foster
Vice President & Director
V.p. & Director → Vice President & Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Bf Walton
Vice President & Director
V.p. & Director → Vice President & Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Barbara Hunter Foster (2020–2023) — Chairperson
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 Pacer Foundation
How much does The Pacer Foundation give each year?
The Pacer Foundation gave $154K across 32 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $115K across 30 grants.
What is The Pacer Foundation's typical grant size?
The Pacer Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $4,813, across 32 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Pacer Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does The Pacer Foundation give grants?
The Pacer Foundation's top state is Massachusetts, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (14%) and Vermont (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Santa Barbara, CA (3 grants), Boston, MA (3 grants), Morrisville, VT (2 grants) and Burlington, VT (2 grants).
Does The Pacer Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 32 grants with a stated purpose on The Pacer Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Provide Education" (5 grants) and "To Provide High Quality of Education" (5 grants).
Who are The Pacer Foundation's largest grantees?
The Pacer Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Shore Country Day School ($15,000), Thrive ($15,000) and Brooks School ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Pacer Foundation?
The Pacer Foundation reported $5.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $167K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $369K (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 Pacer Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for schools and other educational organizations, health-related organizations, and community services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Pacer 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 Pacer Foundation's EIN?
The Pacer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0233360. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Pacer 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 30, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 10, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Pacer Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Pacer Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-pacer-foundation-morg_6d81c9cda0ff4d09ac79e5325ce05066
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_770233360_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Pacer Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-pacer-foundation-morg_6d81c9cda0ff4d09ac79e5325ce05066},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Pacer 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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