The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation
The Sidney A Swensrud Foundation is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2024, it gave grants to organizations working in areas including health, education, environment, and public policy.
The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation at a glance
In short: The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation gave $2.0M across 23 grants in 2024 (avg $86K), top state Massachusetts. 9% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,985,500
- -10.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 23
- -20.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $86,326
- +12.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $75,000
- Total assets
- $30,925,606
- +2.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (2 of 23, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (33% 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 Sidney a Swensrud 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 Choate PO Box 961019, Boston, MA 02196
Phone: (617) 423-0808
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Upstream USA ($500K). Together the top 10 received $1.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
143 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 72 grants of 143 (50%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts (33%), California (25%), Florida (21%), Washington, DC (20%), and New York (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 2 of 23 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $9K; repeat grants $94K. How we count
Medians: $9K first-time, $75K repeat.
- 87% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+11%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 120% 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 $1.5M (2020) to $2.2M (2023). In 2024 it made 23 grants totaling $2.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Upstream USA Oakland, CA | HEALTH | $500,000 |
| Federation for American Immigration Reform Washington, DC | Public Policy | $150,000 |
| Naples Botanical Garden Naples, FL | Environment | $150,000 |
| Cure Alzheimer's Fund Wellesley Hills, MA | HEALTH | $125,000 |
| Pioneer Institute Boston, MA | Public Policy | $125,000 |
| Dana Farber Cancer Institute Boston, MA | Health General | $100,000 |
| Epiphany School Dorchester, MA | Education | $100,000 |
| The Conservancy of Southwest Florida Naples, FL | Environment | $100,000 |
| American Federation for Children Washington, DC | Education | $75,000 |
| Immigration Reform Law Institute Washington, DC | Public Policy | $75,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Sidney a Swensrud 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $30,925,606 | $3,218,567 | $2,362,647 | $1,985,500 | 23 | $1,996,317 | $2,777,360 | $1,667,439 |
| 2023 | $30,153,322 | $2,062,514 | $2,542,030 | $2,217,500 | 29 | $2,229,632 | $1,772,154 | $1,565,435 |
| 2022 | $31,070,588 | $-833,693 | $2,295,670 | $1,900,000 | 28 | $1,915,971 | $225,074 | $1,827,058 |
| 2021 | $34,200,652 | $3,383,538 | $2,202,879 | $1,795,000 | 31 | $1,795,250 | $3,017,442 | $2,003,584 |
| 2020 | $33,064,847 | $2,845,690 | $1,863,779 | $1,512,450 | 32 | — | $2,502,238 | $1,804,080 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.7M 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 for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations in health, education, environment, and public policy. Among its grantees, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida describes its work as addressing regional environmental issues through science, policy, education, and wildlife rehabilitation. The National Council on Teacher Quality describes itself as a research and advocacy nonprofit working to ensure effective teachers for children. Pioneer Institute says it works across K–12 education, health, economic opportunity, and American civic values.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 23 grants totaling $1,985,500. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $500,000, with a median of $75,000. Its largest grants included $500,000 to Upstream USA for health; $150,000 each to the Federation for American Immigration Reform for public policy and Naples Botanical Garden for environment; and $125,000 each to Cure Alzheimer’s Fund for health and Pioneer Institute for public policy.
Other notable 2024 grants included $100,000 to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for health general, $100,000 to Epiphany School for education, and $100,000 to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida for environment. The foundation also gave $75,000 each to the American Federation for Children, Immigration Reform Law Institute, and National Council on Teacher Quality.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Nancy S. Anthony and Francis Brown as trustees.
The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; 1 of 2 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Francis Brown
Trustee
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
$3K (2022) → $5K (2024)
Nancy S. Anthony
Trustee
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Dozier Gardner (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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $5K, to Francis Brown (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation
How much does The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation give each year?
The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation gave $2.0M across 23 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.2M across 29 grants.
What is The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation's typical grant size?
The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $75,000, and its average grant was $86,326, across 23 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation that year got $9K on average.
Where does The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation give grants?
The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation's top state is Massachusetts, with 33% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (25%) and Florida (21%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (6 grants), Washington, DC (6 grants) and Naples, FL (4 grants).
Does The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 4% of The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 23) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Education" (11 grants), "Public Policy" (4 grants) and "Environment" (3 grants).
Who are The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation's largest grantees?
The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Upstream USA ($500,000), Federation for American Immigration Reform ($150,000) and Naples Botanical Garden ($150,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation?
The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation reported $30.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.7M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations in health, education, environment, and public policy. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Sidney a Swensrud 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 Sidney a Swensrud Foundation's EIN?
The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 25-6050238. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Sidney a Swensrud 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-sidney-a-swensrud-foundation-morg_f92c67e827e447aab6200760bf5cd129
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_256050238_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Sidney a Swensrud Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-sidney-a-swensrud-foundation-morg_f92c67e827e447aab6200760bf5cd129},
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 Sidney a Swensrud 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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