The Risor Foundation
The Risor Foundation is a private foundation based in Weston, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing lists grants to organizations in areas including education, community, health and welfare, humanitarian work, policy, and conservation.
The Risor Foundation at a glance
In short: The Risor Foundation gave $80K across 28 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), top state Massachusetts. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $80,000
- -9.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 28
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,857
- -9.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $2,023,511
- +12.0% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (22% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to The Risor Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 27 Bemis Street, Weston, MA 02493
Phone: (561) 723-0414
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Risor Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Focus Massachusetts (Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools) ($10K). Together the top 10 received $51K.
Grant Size Distribution
116 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 116 grants of 116 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state were Massachusetts and Virginia, at 22% each, followed by Connecticut at 17%, Pennsylvania at 12%, and New Jersey at 7%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 28 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Risor Foundation gives
- 68% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 60% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 95% 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 (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 $50K (2022) to $109K (2023). In 2025 it made 28 grants totaling $80K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Focus Massachusetts (Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools) New Canaan, CT | Community | $10,000 |
| University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA | Education | $10,000 |
| St Andrew's Church Wellesley, MA | Community | $7,500 |
| Concord Academy Concord, MA | Education | $5,000 |
| Turner Syndrome Society of the United States Houston, TX | Health and Welfare | $5,000 |
| Focus New Jersey (Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools) New Canaan, CT | Community | $3,500 |
| Best Buddies International-Philadelphia Pa Region King of Prussia, PA | Humanitarian | $2,500 |
| Dickinson College Carlisle, PA | Education | $2,500 |
| Edchoice Indianapolis, IN | Education | $2,500 |
| Epiphany School Dorchester, MA | Education | $2,500 |
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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 | $2,023,511 | $232,763 | $87,150 | $80,000 | 28 | $80,000 | $225,613 | $84,046 |
| 2024 | $1,807,332 | $-95,962 | $122,139 | $88,330 | 28 | $88,330 | — | $84,553 |
| 2023 | $2,025,433 | $131,862 | $136,054 | $109,250 | 27 | $109,250 | $94,544 | $88,747 |
| 2022 | $2,582,662 | $947,259 | $148,601 | $49,865 | 17 | $49,865 | $848,523 | $109,204 |
| 2021 | $4,542,632 | $332,774 | $107,276 | $52,450 | 16 | $52,450 | $273,695 | $47,137 |
| 2020 | $2,033,219 | $-778,681 | $80,215 | $75,685 | 6 | — | $8,782 | $52,450 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Risor Foundation reported a distributable amount of $84K 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 2025 grants include support for educational institutions, community organizations, health and welfare, humanitarian work, policy organizations, and conservation groups.
Grantees describe their work in varied ways. The University of Richmond says its mission is to educate students and prepare them for purposeful lives and responsible leadership. Concord Academy describes a focus on learning, equity, empathy, and responsibility. The Weston Forest and Trail Association says it maintains public hiking trails and land for conservation, scientific, and educational purposes. The Land Conservancy of New Jersey describes preserving land and water resources and conserving open space; the New Jersey Conservation Foundation describes preserving land and protecting natural resources. EdChoice says it advances educational choice, while the Institute for Humane Studies says it supports students and scholars interested in the classical liberal tradition.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 28 grants totaling $80,000. Grants ranged from $250 to $10,000, with a median of $2,500. The largest listed awards were $10,000 to Focus Massachusetts (Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools) for community and $10,000 to the University of Richmond for education. Other notable awards included $7,500 to St Andrew’s Church for community; $5,000 each to Concord Academy for education and the Turner Syndrome Society of the United States for health and welfare; and $3,500 to Focus New Jersey for community.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Finn M W Caspersen Jr, Emily W S Caspersen, and Alexis O Goltra as trustees.
The Risor Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Alexis O. Goltra
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Emily W. S. Caspersen
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Finn M. W. Caspersen Jr.
Trustee
On filings since 2020
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 Risor Foundation
How much does The Risor Foundation give each year?
The Risor Foundation gave $80K across 28 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $88K across 28 grants.
What is The Risor Foundation's typical grant size?
The Risor Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $2,857, across 28 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Risor Foundation give grants?
The Risor Foundation's top state is Massachusetts, with 22% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Virginia (22%) and Connecticut (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were Scarborough, ME (5 grants), New Canaan, CT (2 grants) and Weston, MA (2 grants).
Does The Risor Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 28 grants with a stated purpose on The Risor Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Community" (8 grants), "Environment" (7 grants) and "Education" (6 grants).
Who are The Risor Foundation's largest grantees?
The Risor Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Focus Massachusetts (Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools) ($10,000), University of Richmond ($10,000) and St Andrew's Church ($7,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Risor Foundation?
The Risor Foundation reported $2.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $80K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $84K (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 Risor Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for educational institutions, community organizations, health and welfare, humanitarian work, policy organizations, and conservation groups. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Risor Foundation?
The foundation 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 Risor Foundation's EIN?
The Risor Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-7113387. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Risor Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 3, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 30, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Risor Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-risor-foundation-morg_302f36457bcf450ab6be862f699c5a6e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_137113387_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Risor Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-risor-foundation-morg_302f36457bcf450ab6be862f699c5a6e},
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 Risor 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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