The Putnam Area Foundation
The Putnam Area Foundation is a private foundation based in Putnam, Connecticut. Its 2025 grants supported organizations and projects in areas including historical preservation, arts and culture, agriculture, recreation, youth activities, food assistance, and education.
The Putnam Area Foundation at a glance
In short: The Putnam Area Foundation gave $96K across 31 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Connecticut. 48% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $95,670
- +16.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 31
- +24.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,086
- -6.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,500
- Total assets
- $2,362,875
- +6.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 48% first-time grantees (15 of 31, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (100% 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 Putnam Area Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Submit a written request to Thomas A. Borner, President. The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations; its stated geographic restriction is Putnam, CT, and surrounding towns.
- Contact
Application contact: Thomas A Borner President
Mailing address: 155 Providence Street, PO Box 166, Putnam, CT 06260
Phone: (860) 928-2429
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Putnam Area Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Aspinock Historical Society ($15K). Together the top 10 received $74K.
Grant Size Distribution
112 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 112 grants of 112 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated geographic restriction is Putnam, Connecticut, and surrounding towns. Its 2025 grants included recipients in Putnam, Woodstock, Pomfret, and Columbia, Connecticut.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 31 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Putnam Area Foundation open to new grantees?
48%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 15 of 31 grantees (48%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 45% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 46% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 90% 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 (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 $49K (2021) to $96K (2025). In 2025 it made 31 grants totaling $96K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Aspinock Historical Society Putnam, CT | Donation/Conservaton | $15,000 |
| Theater of Northeastern CT Putnam, CT | Donation | $10,000 |
| Town of Putnam (Mural Art Project) Putnam, CT | Donation | $10,000 |
| Woodstock Agricultural Society Woodstock, CT | Donation | $10,000 |
| Community Cultural Committee Nect Pomfret, CT | Donation | $5,500 |
| Hale YMCA Youth & Family Center Putnam, CT | Youth Activity Sponsorship | $5,000 |
| Jolly John's Keep on Truckin Fund Columbia, CT | Donation | $5,000 |
| Town of Putnam (Recreational Dept) Putnam, CT | Donation | $5,000 |
| Trustees of Roseland Park Woodstock, CT | Donation | $5,000 |
| Daily Bread Food Pantry Putnam, CT | Donation | $3,200 |
Ready to take the next step with The Putnam Area 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 | $2,362,875 | $56,275 | $87,862 | $95,670 | 31 | $96,339 | $31,700 | $107,130 |
| 2024 | $2,219,644 | $204,850 | $69,549 | $82,450 | 25 | $82,614 | $58,103 | $99,691 |
| 2023 | $2,048,251 | $56,293 | $56,747 | $54,986 | 22 | $56,338 | $55,884 | $96,931 |
| 2022 | $1,867,676 | $29,450 | $66,443 | $65,634 | 19 | $66,443 | $29,450 | $100,493 |
| 2021 | $2,229,854 | $85,874 | $49,800 | $48,534 | 15 | — | $85,874 | $100,572 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Putnam Area Foundation reported a distributable amount of $107K 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 grants include support for a range of community organizations. For example, the Woodstock Agricultural Society describes its mission as educating and promoting agriculture through exhibitions and demonstrations, while the Trustees of Roseland Park describe providing public recreational opportunities through park and facility operations and improvements. The QVCC Foundation says it raises funds to expand access to Quinebaug Valley Community College and support educational excellence and related work.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 31 grants totaling $95,670. Grants ranged from $120 to $15,000, with a median grant of $1,500. Notable awards included $15,000 to the Aspinock Historical Society for “donation/conservation”; $10,000 each to the Theater of Northeastern CT, the Town of Putnam for a mural art project, and the Woodstock Agricultural Society; and $5,500 to the Community Cultural Committee NECT. Other awards included $5,000 each to the Hale YMCA Youth & Family Center, Jolly John’s Keep On Truckin Fund, the Town of Putnam Recreational Department, and the Trustees of Roseland Park.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Thomas A. Borner as president; Richard A. Loomis as vice president and treasurer; and Paul M. Kelly, Jitendra Sinha, Charles H. Puffer, and Kyle F. Borner as directors.
The Putnam Area Foundation is led by Thomas A. Borner, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Thomas A. Borner
President
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Charles H. Puffer
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jitendra Sinha
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paul M. Kelly
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kyle F. Borner
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard A. Loomis
Vice President & Treasurer
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Putnam Area Foundation
How much does The Putnam Area Foundation give each year?
The Putnam Area Foundation gave $96K across 31 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $82K across 25 grants.
What is The Putnam Area Foundation's typical grant size?
The Putnam Area Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $3,086, across 31 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Putnam Area Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does The Putnam Area Foundation give grants?
The Putnam Area Foundation gives mostly in Connecticut: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Putnam, CT (19 grants), Woodstock, CT (5 grants), Pomfret, CT (2 grants) and Danielson, CT (2 grants).
Does The Putnam Area Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 31 grants with a stated purpose on The Putnam Area Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Donation" (26 grants).
Who are The Putnam Area Foundation's largest grantees?
The Putnam Area Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Aspinock Historical Society ($15,000), Theater of Northeastern CT ($10,000) and Town of Putnam (Mural Art Project) ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Putnam Area Foundation?
The Putnam Area Foundation reported $2.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $96K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $107K (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 Putnam Area Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for a range of community organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Putnam Area 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 Putnam Area Foundation's EIN?
The Putnam Area Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-1716876. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does The Putnam Area 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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Browse active grant opportunities in The Putnam Area Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Putnam Area Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-putnam-area-foundation-morg_5789e87dd8fd4e4a9947697f711bfb1e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_201716876_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Putnam Area Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-putnam-area-foundation-morg_5789e87dd8fd4e4a9947697f711bfb1e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Putnam Area 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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