The Vela Foundation
The Vela Foundation is a private foundation based in Osterville, Massachusetts. It supports grants for equitable healthy living in underserved communities, with stated areas of focus including food access, nutrition education, family uplift, and research.
The Vela Foundation at a glance
In short: The Vela Foundation gave $352K across 17 grants in 2024 (avg $21K), mostly in Massachusetts. 18% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $351,844
- -1.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 17
- -41.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $20,697
- +68.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $12,344,747
- +12.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (3 of 17, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (64% 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 Vela 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. Its website says organizations wishing to be considered may submit a brief overview of the request, including program focus, geographic scope, program reach, and general funding needs.
- Contact
Mailing address: 7 Parker Road, Osterville, MA 02655
Phone: (617) 230-9476
Website: https://velafoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Vela Foundation
Who The Vela Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Albertus Magnus High School ($82K). Together the top 10 received $287K.
Grant Size Distribution
130 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 124 grants of 130 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2024 grants went to recipients in Massachusetts, New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Massachusetts received 64% of grant dollars, New York 23%, Florida 7%, and Pennsylvania 6%.
The foundation’s grant program description identifies the Greater Boston area, Gateway Cities, and Cape Cod as eligible service areas. It lists Brockton, Chelsea, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, and New Bedford among the Gateway Cities and says the Greater Boston area is roughly defined as within Route 128.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Vela Foundation open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 17 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $23K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 76% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 21% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 86% 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 (2020–2024). 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 $352K (2024) to $525K (2022). In 2024 it made 17 grants totaling $352K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Albertus Magnus High School Bardonia, NY | General Use | $81,844 |
| Adopt-a-Family Lake Worth, FL | General Use | $25,000 |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA | General Use | $25,000 |
| Cape Cod Council of Churches Hyannis, MA | General Use | $25,000 |
| Community Servings Jamaica Plain, MA | General Use | $25,000 |
| Wide Horizons for Children Waltham, MA | General Use | $25,000 |
| Coastal Foodshed New Bedford, MA | General Use | $20,000 |
| Family Pantry of Cape Cod Harwich, MA | General Use | $20,000 |
| Homeless Prevention Council Orleans, MA | General Use | $20,000 |
| Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA | General Purpose | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Vela 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 | $12,344,747 | $1,947,270 | $600,907 | $351,844 | 17 | $366,987 | $1,774,740 | $426,118 |
| 2023 | $10,976,448 | $4,210,612 | $582,549 | $356,000 | 29 | $367,899 | $2,039,900 | $494,547 |
| 2022 | $9,189,802 | $2,316,419 | $726,014 | $525,000 | 28 | $525,000 | $2,220,610 | $346,797 |
| 2021 | $7,635,179 | $345,390 | $600,681 | $445,000 | 35 | $445,000 | $205,063 | $466,653 |
| 2020 | $7,902,548 | $144,293 | $600,731 | $464,805 | 21 | — | $35,228 | $485,141 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Vela Foundation reported a distributable amount of $426K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation says it is dedicated to providing grants in support of equitable healthy living in underserved communities. Its current areas of focus are food access, nutrition education, family uplift, and research. Its grant program description adds that it supports entrepreneurial programs that provide nutrition education and improve access to healthy foods.
Grantees’ missions illustrate the kinds of organizations it has supported. Community Servings says it provides medically tailored meals and groceries to chronically and critically ill individuals and their families. Coastal Foodshed describes its work as connecting local growers with consumers and providing education about local food, nutrition, and regenerative agriculture. Boston Medical Center says its mission is to provide accessible health services regardless of a person’s status or ability to pay. Wide Horizons for Children says it works to advance the well-being of vulnerable children by strengthening families and supporting children and their parents.
Grantmaking
In its 2024 filing, it reported 17 grants totaling $351,844. Those grants ranged from $5,000 to $81,844, with a median of $20,000.
Among the largest reported 2024 grants were $81,844 to Albertus Magnus High School in Bardonia, New York, and $25,000 each to Adopt-A-Family, Boston Medical Center, Cape Cod Council of Churches, Community Servings, and Wide Horizons for Children. The filing lists each of these grants for general use. It also lists a $20,000 general-purpose grant to Pennsylvania State University.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Bernadette T. Rehnert as trustee. The foundation’s website identifies her as its founding trustee and describes her work with the foundation as focused on nutrition education and chronic disease prevention.
The Vela Foundation is led by Bernadette T. Rehnert, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Bernadette T. Rehnert
Trustee
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Vela Foundation
How much does The Vela Foundation give each year?
The Vela Foundation gave $352K across 17 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $356K across 29 grants.
What is The Vela Foundation's typical grant size?
The Vela Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $20,000, and its average grant was $20,697, across 17 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Vela Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does The Vela Foundation give grants?
The Vela Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 64% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (23%) and Florida (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were New Bedford, MA (3 grants).
Does The Vela Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Vela Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (17 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Vela Foundation's largest grantees?
The Vela Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Albertus Magnus High School ($81,844), Adopt-a-Family ($25,000) and Boston Medical Center ($25,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Vela Foundation?
The Vela Foundation reported $12.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $367K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $426K (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 Vela Foundation fund?
The foundation says it is dedicated to providing grants in support of equitable healthy living in underserved communities. Its current areas of focus are food access, nutrition education, family uplift, and research. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Vela 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 Vela Foundation's EIN?
The Vela Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-8117214. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Vela 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Vela Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Vela Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Vela Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-vela-foundation-morg_97399874eed54ba1998f1823310bf63c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_208117214_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Vela Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-vela-foundation-morg_97399874eed54ba1998f1823310bf63c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Vela 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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