The Samuel Salmanson Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Chestnut Hill, MA EIN: 59-2466060

The Samuel Salmanson Foundation is a private foundation based in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, that reported 13 grants totaling $13,740 in 2025. Its reported grants went to charitable organizations in Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., Rhode Island, and New York.

The Samuel Salmanson Foundation at a glance

In short: The Samuel Salmanson Foundation gave $14K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), mostly in Massachusetts. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$13,740
+8.4% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
13
+18.2% vs 2024
Average grant
$1,057
-8.2% vs 2024
Median grant
$800
Total assets
$378,762
+10.2% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
0% first-time grantees (0 of 13, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Massachusetts (53% 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 Samuel Salmanson 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.

Contact

Mailing address: 160 Boylston Street 1205, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Phone: (617) 510-7000

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who The Samuel Salmanson Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Friends of Dana Farber: $4KFriends of Dana Farber$4KTemple Sinai: $2KTemple Sinai$2KMisc Gifts 250: $2KMisc Gifts 250$2KBreast Cancer Research: $1KBreast Cancer Research$1KTemple Israel: $1KTemple Israel$1KDr Patrick O'Gara Research Fund: $1KDr Patrick O'Gara ResearchFund$1KAnti-Defamation League: $800Anti-Defamation League$800ACLU: $500ACLU$500Bhutan Foundation: $500Bhutan Foundation$500World Central Kitchen: $500World Central Kitchen$500

The largest 2025 recipient was Friends of Dana Farber ($4K). Together the top 10 received $13K.

Grant Size Distribution

68 grants across all recorded years

68<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 68 grants of 68 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 53% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts, 25% to recipients in Washington, D.C., 12% to recipients in Rhode Island, and 9% to recipients in New York.

Grant Distribution by State

10states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.

Cities

BostonWashingtonProvidenceNew YorkJamaica PlainArlingtonMemphisRutlandWalthamBrooklineCuttingsvilleManhattan BeachNewarkPhiladelphiaProvincetown

Is The Samuel Salmanson Foundation open to new grantees?

0%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 0 of 13 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. How we count

  • 54% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−7%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 97% 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 (2019–2025). 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

$0$5K$10K$15K$20K22 grants2019 18 grants2020 11 grants2021 14 grants2022 19 grants2023 11 grants2024 13 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $13K (2024) to $17K (2019). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $14K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Friends of Dana Farber Boston, MAGeneral Use of Charity$3,500
Temple Sinai Washington, DCGeneral Use of Charity$2,000
Misc Gifts 250 Providence, RIGeneral$1,700
Breast Cancer Research New York, NYGeneral Use of Charity$1,300
Temple Israel Boston, MAGeneral Use of Charity$1,050
Dr Patrick O'Gara Research Fund Boston, MAGeneral Use of Charity$1,000
Anti-Defamation League Boston, MAGeneral Use of Charity$800
ACLU Boston, MAGeneral Use of Charity$500
Bhutan Foundation Washington, DCGeneral Use of Charity$500
World Central Kitchen Washington, DCGeneral$500
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$378,762$38,209$20,845$13,74013$16,240$33,912$16,778
2024$343,710$23,685$19,351$12,67011$12,670$22,126$14,813
2023$267,583$14,713$25,969$14,88119$14,881$8,752$13,838
2022$251,893$15,764$21,659$14,85414$14,854$9,171$14,897
2021$322,990$22,301$22,022$14,87511—$15,251$15,282
2020$289,019$17,597$23,129$13,74118—$9,726$13,852
2019$294,148$12,494$25,423$16,79122—$3,906$14,687

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Samuel Salmanson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $17K 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 organizations involved in cancer research, religious and community organizations, civil liberties, humanitarian response, and other charitable activities.

Among its grantees, World Central Kitchen describes its mission as providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. Community Servings describes its mission as providing medically tailored meals and groceries to chronically and critically ill individuals and their families. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 13 grants totaling $13,740. Grant amounts ranged from $140 to $3,500, with a median grant of $800.

Notable 2025 grants included $3,500 to Friends of Dana-Farber in Boston, $2,000 to Temple Sinai in Washington, D.C., $1,700 to Misc Gifts 250 in Providence, and $1,300 to Breast Cancer Research in New York. Other listed grants included $1,050 to Temple Israel in Boston, $1,000 to the Dr. Patrick O'Gara Research Fund in Boston, and $800 to the Anti-Defamation League in Boston. World Central Kitchen received $500, and Community Servings received $250.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists James A Salmanson and Tobey S Oresman as trustees.

The Samuel Salmanson Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; 1 of 2 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Tobey S. Oresman

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    5 hrs/week

    $5K (2019) → $5K (2025)

  • James A. Salmanson

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Tobey S Oresman — Trustee: $5KTobey S OresmanTrustee$5K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $5K, to Tobey S Oresman (Trustee).

Frequently asked questions about The Samuel Salmanson Foundation

How much does The Samuel Salmanson Foundation give each year?

The Samuel Salmanson Foundation gave $14K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $13K across 11 grants.

What is The Samuel Salmanson Foundation's typical grant size?

The Samuel Salmanson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $800, and its average grant was $1,057, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does The Samuel Salmanson Foundation give grants?

The Samuel Salmanson Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 53% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (25%) and Rhode Island (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (6 grants) and Washington, DC (4 grants).

Does The Samuel Salmanson Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The Samuel Salmanson Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Samuel Salmanson Foundation's largest grantees?

The Samuel Salmanson Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Friends of Dana Farber ($3,500), Temple Sinai ($2,000) and Misc Gifts 250 ($1,700), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Samuel Salmanson Foundation?

The Samuel Salmanson Foundation reported $379K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $16K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $17K (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 Samuel Salmanson Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations involved in cancer research, religious and community organizations, civil liberties, humanitarian response, and other charitable activities. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Samuel Salmanson Foundation?

The foundation states that it 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 Samuel Salmanson Foundation's EIN?

The Samuel Salmanson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 59-2466060. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does The Samuel Salmanson 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

(8)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 14, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 15, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 14, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 15, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 28, 2023)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 14, 2025)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 12, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Samuel Salmanson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-samuel-salmanson-foundation-morg_01b12dd0586b42e7a37af8f50d68fd11

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_592466060_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Samuel Salmanson Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-samuel-salmanson-foundation-morg_01b12dd0586b42e7a37af8f50d68fd11},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-19. 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 Samuel Salmanson 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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