The Perkin Fund
The Perkin Fund is a private foundation based in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. Its filing says grants are primarily awarded to organizations concerned with medical research, astronomy, and optics, while grants to other types of organizations are also considered.
The Perkin Fund at a glance
In short: The Perkin Fund gave $1.5M across 37 grants in 2024 (avg $40K), top state New York. 30% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,492,500
- -2.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 37
- +12.1% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $40,338
- -13.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $32,114,300
- +6.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (11 of 37, 2024)
- Primary geography
- New York (32% 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 Perkin Fund
- How to Apply
-
Contact Mrs. Winifred P Gray. The filing requests a description of the program activities for which the grant is sought, the requested dollar amount, and evidence of the organization’s tax-exempt status. The fund distributes its funds annually in support of duly incorporated, tax-exempt agencies and institutions. It primarily makes grants to organizations in the USA; it does not award scholarships or make grants to individuals. Grants to organizations outside its stated primary areas are also considered.
- Review Cycle
- March 15 and September 15 each year.
- Deadline
- March 15 and September 15 each year.
- Contact
Application contact: Mrs Winifred P Gray
Mailing address: 176 Bay Road, PO Box 2220, S Hamilton, MA 01982-0220
Phone: (978) 468-2266
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Perkin Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Rectory School ($200K). Together the top 10 received $845K.
Grant Size Distribution
170 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 112 grants of 170 (66%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, recipients in New York received 32% of grant dollars, those in Massachusetts 25%, Connecticut 17%, Louisiana 7%, and Vermont 6%. The filing states that grants are primarily made to organizations in the USA.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 37 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Perkin Fund open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 11 of 37 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $21K; repeat grants $49K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $43K repeat.
- 41% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+10%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 110% 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 $1.2M (2022) to $1.5M (2023). In 2024 it made 37 grants totaling $1.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rectory School Pomfret, CT | Charitable Purpose | $200,000 |
| Pingree School Hamilton, MA | Charitable Purpose | $110,000 |
| Children's Hospital New Orleans New Orleans, LA | Charitable Purpose | $100,000 |
| Children's Hospital Boston Boston, MA | Charitable Purpose | $80,000 |
| George Pocock Rowing Foundation Seattle, WA | Charitable Purpose | $75,000 |
| The Society of Memorial Sloan CC New York, NY | Charitable Purpose | $70,000 |
| Boston Children's Museum Boston, MA | Charitable Purpose | $60,000 |
| Friends Academy Locust Valley, NY | Charitable Purpose | $50,000 |
| The Buckley School New York, NY | Charitable Purposes | $50,000 |
| Colgate University Hamilton, NY | Charitable Purpose | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Perkin Fund?
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 | $32,114,300 | $817,594 | $1,774,605 | $1,492,500 | 37 | $1,700,650 | $878,566 | $1,547,406 |
| 2023 | $30,084,454 | $1,005,369 | $1,766,108 | $1,530,000 | 33 | $1,684,741 | $675,654 | $1,416,620 |
| 2022 | $27,532,258 | $1,098,999 | $1,363,354 | $1,185,000 | 30 | $1,278,665 | $980,564 | $1,430,462 |
| 2021 | $33,022,689 | $2,805,638 | $1,533,759 | $1,352,000 | 33 | $1,448,139 | $900,442 | $1,572,182 |
| 2020 | $30,441,373 | $962,418 | $1,528,583 | $1,382,500 | 37 | — | $714,753 | $1,365,035 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Perkin Fund reported a distributable amount of $1.5M 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 is provided. The funder’s filing identifies medical research, astronomy, and optics as primary areas of grantmaking, while noting that it also considers organizations in other fields.
Its 2024 recipients included schools, hospitals, a children’s museum, a university, and organizations connected with rowing, fencing, and youth athletics. The George Pocock Rowing Foundation describes its mission as helping young people access rowing and building an inclusive rowing community. The Peter Westbrook Foundation says it uses fencing to develop life skills in young people from underserved communities. Other grantees’ stated missions include education: Friends Academy describes educating students guided by Quaker principles, and Dana Hall School describes itself as an independent boarding and day school for girls in grades five through twelve. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the fund awarded 37 grants totaling $1,492,500. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $200,000, with a median grant of $25,000.
Among the largest 2024 grants were $200,000 to Rectory School, $110,000 to Pingree School, $100,000 to Children’s Hospital New Orleans, $80,000 to Children’s Hospital Boston, and $75,000 to the George Pocock Rowing Foundation. Other notable awards included $70,000 to the Society of Memorial Sloan CC and $60,000 to Boston Children’s Museum.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists these trustees: Kristina Perkin Davison, Matthew EP Gray, Winifred P Gray, Caroline P Los Arcos, Christopher T Perkin, Nicolas Perkin, Richard S Perkin II, Robert S Perkin, Thorne L Perkin, and Alexandra T Wiberg.
The Perkin Fund's 2024 filing lists 10 officers; none of the 10 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Alexandra T. Wiberg
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Caroline P. Los Arcos
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Christopher T. Perkin
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Kristina Perkin Davison
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Matthew Ep Gray
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Nicolas Perkin
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Richard S. Perkin II
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Robert S. Perkin
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Thorne L. Perkin
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Winifred P. Gray
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: John M. Gray (2020–2022) — Trustee
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 Perkin Fund
How much does The Perkin Fund give each year?
The Perkin Fund gave $1.5M across 37 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.5M across 33 grants.
What is The Perkin Fund's typical grant size?
The Perkin Fund's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $40,338, across 37 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Perkin Fund that year got $21K on average.
Where does The Perkin Fund give grants?
The Perkin Fund's top state is New York, with 32% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (25%) and Connecticut (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (9 grants), Boston, MA (4 grants), Burlington, VT (2 grants) and Locust Valley, NY (2 grants).
Who are The Perkin Fund's largest grantees?
The Perkin Fund's largest 2024 grantees include Rectory School ($200,000), Pingree School ($110,000) and Children's Hospital New Orleans ($100,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Perkin Fund?
The Perkin Fund reported $32.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Perkin Fund fund?
No mission statement is provided. The funder’s filing identifies medical research, astronomy, and optics as primary areas of grantmaking, while noting that it also considers organizations in other fields. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Perkin Fund?
Contact Mrs. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Perkin Fund's EIN?
The Perkin Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-6222498. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Perkin Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-perkin-fund-morg_6ff6364d4939471f86eed92fa46ccfe6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_136222498_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Perkin Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-perkin-fund-morg_6ff6364d4939471f86eed92fa46ccfe6},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Perkin Fund'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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