The Single Step Foundation
The Single Step Foundation is a private foundation based in Waltham, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in Massachusetts, including organizations working in healthcare, youth services, education, arts, conservation, and hunger relief.
The Single Step Foundation at a glance
In short: The Single Step Foundation gave $50K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Massachusetts. 40% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $50,424
- +62.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +100.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,042
- -19.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $765,602
- +1.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 40% first-time grantees (4 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (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 Single Step 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 Fdc 1075 Main Street Suite 200, Waltham, MA 02451
Phone: (617) 423-3900
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Single Step Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Beverly Hospital ($15K). Together the top 10 received $50K.
Grant Size Distribution
55 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 54 grants of 55 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Single Step Foundation open to new grantees?
40%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 10 grantees (40%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $7K repeat.
- 30% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+12%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 83% 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 (2020–2025). 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 $31K (2024) to $122K (2023). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $50K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Beverly Hospital Beverly, MA | To Deliver Quality Healthcare | $15,000 |
| Plummer Youth Promise Salem, MA | To Improve Outcomes for Young People | $12,900 |
| Boston Children's Hospital Boston, MA | To Provide Worldwide Leadership in Pediatric Health Care | $10,000 |
| Brooks School North Andover, MA | For Education | $3,524 |
| Trustee of Reservation Beverly, MA | To preserve scenic, historic, and ecological value of ma | $2,000 |
| Cabot Performing Arts Center Beverly, MA | To Enrich the Cultural Lives of the Community | $2,000 |
| Squashbusters Lawrence, MA | To Challenge and Nurture Urban Youth | $2,000 |
| Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum Boston, MA | For Education and Enjoyment of the Public | $1,000 |
| Accord Food Pantry South Hamilton, MA | To Prevent Hunger | $1,000 |
| The Community House - so Hamilton MA South Hamilton, MA | To Support Community | $1,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Single Step 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 | $765,602 | $75,131 | $66,978 | $50,424 | 10 | $51,874 | $60,027 | $62,446 |
| 2024 | $757,524 | $94,129 | $46,210 | $31,127 | 5 | $34,327 | $82,246 | $57,602 |
| 2023 | $709,413 | $58,188 | $135,902 | $122,000 | 10 | $125,885 | $48,171 | $51,180 |
| 2022 | $787,127 | $5,237 | $59,572 | $45,000 | 18 | $48,930 | $7,526 | $54,608 |
| 2021 | $841,458 | $86,994 | $74,713 | $51,000 | 12 | $65,050 | $78,998 | $58,535 |
| 2020 | $829,177 | $76,329 | $52,287 | $43,500 | 13 | — | $69,358 | $50,097 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Single Step Foundation reported a distributable amount of $62K 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
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations including hospitals, schools, youth-serving organizations, cultural institutions, a conservation organization, a food pantry, and a community organization.
Among its grantees, Plummer Youth Promise describes its mission as improving outcomes for young people in or at risk of entering state care by developing permanent family relationships, skills, and community connections. Brooks School describes itself as a college preparatory school seeking to provide students with a meaningful educational experience. SquashBusters describes its mission as nurturing urban youth as students, athletes, and citizens, while Cabot Performing Arts Center describes its mission as preserving its historic theater and bringing vibrancy to the community through diverse programming.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $50,424. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $15,000, with a median grant of $2,000.
The largest reported grants were $15,000 to Beverly Hospital for quality healthcare, $12,900 to Plummer Youth Promise for improving outcomes for young people, and $10,000 to Boston Children’s Hospital for pediatric healthcare. Other grants included $3,524 to Brooks School for education and $2,000 each to the Trustees of Reservation, Cabot Performing Arts Center, and SquashBusters.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Hugh K Foster Jr and Elena I Foster as trustees.
The Single Step Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Elena I. Foster
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hugh K. Foster Jr.
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
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 Single Step Foundation
How much does The Single Step Foundation give each year?
The Single Step Foundation gave $50K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $31K across 5 grants.
What is The Single Step Foundation's typical grant size?
The Single Step Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $5,042, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Single Step Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Single Step Foundation give grants?
The Single Step Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Beverly, MA (3 grants), Boston, MA (2 grants) and South Hamilton, MA (2 grants).
Does The Single Step Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on The Single Step Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are The Single Step Foundation's largest grantees?
The Single Step Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Beverly Hospital ($15,000), Plummer Youth Promise ($12,900) and Boston Children's Hospital ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 75% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Single Step Foundation?
The Single Step Foundation reported $766K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $52K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $62K (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 Single Step Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations including hospitals, schools, youth-serving organizations, cultural institutions, a conservation organization, a food pantry, and a community organization. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Single Step 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 Single Step Foundation's EIN?
The Single Step Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-7025935. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Single Step 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 2, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Single Step Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Single Step Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-single-step-foundation-morg_bc4f36812c154fc8afaa96b8c360ec39
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_047025935_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Single Step Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-single-step-foundation-morg_bc4f36812c154fc8afaa96b8c360ec39},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Single Step 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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