The Stare Fund
The Stare Fund is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing lists grants to organizations working in areas including music, education, social services, and community support.
The Stare Fund at a glance
In short: The Stare Fund gave $585K across 46 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), top state Illinois. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $585,141
- +9.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 46
- -6.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $12,720
- +16.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,000
- Total assets
- $13,964,979
- +5.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (5 of 46, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (36% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Stare Fund
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: Choate Hall Stewart PO Box 961, Boston, MA 02196
Phone: (617) 248-4760
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Stare Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Chicago Jazz Orchestra Association ($105K). Together the top 10 received $365K.
Grant Size Distribution
222 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 215 grants of 222 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state went to Illinois (36%), California (24%), New York (8%), Connecticut (7%), and Massachusetts (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 46 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Stare Fund open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 46 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 89% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−7%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 92% 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
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $487K (2019) to $626K (2022). In 2025 it made 46 grants totaling $585K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Jazz Orchestra Association Skokie, IL | General Purpose | $105,047 |
| Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras Chicago, IL | General Purpose | $50,000 |
| Santa Rosa Symphony Association Santa Rosa, CA | General Purpose | $42,500 |
| Northwestern University Evanston, IL | General Purpose | $40,000 |
| ACLU New York, NY | General Purpose | $35,047 |
| Jewish Family Service of Metrowest Florham Park, NJ | General Purpose | $25,000 |
| Global Partners for Development Petaluma, CA | General Purpose | $22,000 |
| Hearthstone Village Ukiah, CA | General Purpose | $15,000 |
| LSU Foundation Baton Rouge, LA | General Purpose | $15,000 |
| St Vincent de Paul Place Middletown, CT | General Purpose | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Stare Fund?
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 | $13,964,979 | $402,895 | $716,137 | $585,141 | 46 | $602,313 | $330,761 | $651,643 |
| 2024 | $13,300,915 | $1,794,649 | $626,410 | $536,728 | 49 | $554,997 | $1,723,918 | $597,410 |
| 2023 | $11,208,829 | $569,644 | $639,462 | $568,361 | 44 | $579,755 | $509,937 | $548,123 |
| 2022 | $9,306,998 | $358,700 | $729,505 | $626,337 | 41 | $651,039 | $241,671 | $593,062 |
| 2021 | $9,685,217 | $1,248,589 | $606,567 | $531,018 | 42 | — | $1,203,292 | $648,947 |
| 2020 | $9,058,191 | $338,822 | $571,902 | $499,197 | 44 | — | $300,267 | $546,408 |
| 2019 | $9,290,090 | $883,238 | $573,725 | $486,677 | 41 | — | $837,906 | $518,237 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Stare Fund reported a distributable amount of $652K 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 fund. Its 2025 grantees include arts and education organizations, universities, and social-service organizations. For example, the Chicago Jazz Orchestra Association says it celebrates and perpetuates jazz orchestra music through performance, collaboration, and education; Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras says its mission is to inspire and cultivate personal excellence through music. Jewish Family Service of Metrowest describes its work as providing social, health, and community services to people in need.
Grantmaking
In 2025, The Stare Fund made 46 grants totaling $585,141. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $105,047, with a median of $7,000. Notable grants included $105,047 to the Chicago Jazz Orchestra Association, $50,000 to Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, $42,500 to Santa Rosa Symphony Association, $40,000 to Northwestern University, and $35,047 to ACLU.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mary S Wilkinson, David S Stare, and Maria Stare as trustees.
The Stare Fund's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David S Stare
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary S Wilkinson
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Maria Stare
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Fredrick A. Stare (2019–2020) — Trustee
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Stare Fund
How much does The Stare Fund give each year?
The Stare Fund gave $585K across 46 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $537K across 49 grants.
What is The Stare Fund's typical grant size?
The Stare Fund's median grant in 2025 was $7,000, and its average grant was $12,720, across 46 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Stare Fund that year got $4K on average.
Where does The Stare Fund give grants?
The Stare Fund's top state is Illinois, with 36% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (24%) and New York (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Santa Rosa, CA (7 grants), Healdsburg, CA (4 grants), Chicago, IL (3 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).
Does The Stare Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Stare Fund's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (46 of 46) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Stare Fund's largest grantees?
The Stare Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Chicago Jazz Orchestra Association ($105,047), Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras ($50,000) and Santa Rosa Symphony Association ($42,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Stare Fund?
The Stare Fund reported $14.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $602K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $652K (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 Stare Fund fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the fund. Its 2025 grantees include arts and education organizations, universities, and social-service organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Stare Fund?
The foundation 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 Stare Fund's EIN?
The Stare Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6026648. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Stare Fund 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS September 2, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 16, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 25, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Stare Fund's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Stare Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-stare-fund-morg_0eda58eae011408db515fbafe1d738d5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_046026648_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Stare Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-stare-fund-morg_0eda58eae011408db515fbafe1d738d5},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Stare Fund'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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