The Vela Foundation
The Vela Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation based in Osterville, Massachusetts. Established in 2008, it operates as a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting improved nutrition and wellness for families in eastern Massachusetts through entrepreneurial programs that provide nutrition education and improve access to healthy foods.
Key facts about The Vela Foundation
- EIN
- 20-8117214
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $351,844
- Grants made (2024)
- 17
- Average grant
- $20,697
- Median grant
- $20,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (3 of 17, 2024)
- Total assets
- $12,344,747
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (64% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Who The Vela Foundation funds
By grant dollars, the top recipient states for The Vela Foundation's 17 itemized 2024 grants were Massachusetts (64%), New York (23%) and Florida (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were New Bedford, MA (3 grants). 100% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
Is The Vela Foundation open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 17 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. 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 IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with The Vela Foundation
- How to evaluate The Vela Foundation as a funder
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Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$12.3M
+12.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$352K
-1.2% YoY
Grant Count
17
-41.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$21K
+68.6% YoY
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.
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: The Vela Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation dedicated to promoting improved nutrition and wellness for families in eastern Massachusetts. The foundation supports entrepreneurial programs that provide nutrition education and improve access to healthy foods.
Primary Focus Areas:
- Education
- Health and public health
- Physical fitness
- Nutrition and obesity prevention
- Agriculture, fishing, and forestry
- Human services
- Food aid and food banks
- Basic and emergency aid
Grantmaking
The foundation has made 106 grants totaling $1.9 million to 51 unique organizations. The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.
Grant Range
$18,000
Average Grant
$18,000
Ready to take the next step with The Vela Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily supports organizations in Massachusetts, New York, and Florida, which account for 92% of all grants. Grantmaking reaches organizations across five states, including Massachusetts, New York, Florida, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 17 itemized 2024 grant dollars.
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue:
- Total assets (2024): $12,344,747
- Total assets (2023): $11,000,000
- Total assets (2010): $1,600,000
- Annual income (2024): $1,947,270
- Annual income (2023): $4,210,612
Expenses:
- 2024: $600,907
- 2023: $583,000
Investment Income:
- 2024: $217,371 in investment income and dividends
- 2024: $1,699,481 in net gains from sale of non-inventory assets
Liabilities: $0 (2023)
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $12,344,747 | $10,976,448 | $9,189,802 |
| Revenue | $1,947,270 | $4,210,612 | $2,316,419 |
| Expenses | $600,907 | $582,549 | $726,014 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $366,987 | $367,899 | $525,000 |
| Net Investment Income | $1,774,740 | $2,039,900 | $2,220,610 |
| Distributable Amount | $426,118 | $494,547 | $346,797 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
130 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Vela Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Albertus Magnus High School ($81,844), Adopt-a-Family ($25,000), Boston Medical Center ($25,000).
| 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 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Bernadette T. Rehnert – Founding Trustee and principal officer of the foundation. Ms. Rehnert has focused on nutrition education as a fundamental basis for the prevention of chronic diseases. She contributed 10 hours of service without compensation according to recent filings.
Compensation Overview
No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.
From 2024 IRS filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernadette T Rehnert | Trustee | 10 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
In 2016, the Vela Foundation awarded a one-year grant to the Seafood Nutrition Partnership to fund the "Eating Heart Healthy" program in Boston. The program, developed in partnership with Brigham and Women's Hospital, provides nutrition education to underserved women in affordable-housing communities and YMCAs, with a focus on adopting seafood-rich diets for improved heart health. The grant followed a 2014 site visit by Bernadette Rehnert to the program's pilot at Roxbury Tenants of Harvard.
New $750,000 Grant Offering Available to CO, NM, UT, WY Families\uFFFCSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does The Vela Foundation fund?
**Mission:** The Vela Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation dedicated to promoting improved nutrition and wellness for families in eastern Massachusetts. The foundation supports entrepreneurial programs that provide nutrition education and improve access to healthy foods. **Primary Focus Areas:** • Education • Health and public health • Physical fitness • Nutrition and obesity prevention • Agriculture, fishing, and forestry • Human services • Food aid and food banks • Basic and emergen…
How do I apply for a grant from The Vela Foundation?
**Grant Characteristics:** • Typical award range: $1,000–$100,000 • Average grant size: $18,000 • Median grant size: $10,000 • Individual grants have ranged from $1,000 to $250,000 **Recent Grantmaking Activity:** • 2024: $358,500 in total grants • 2023: $356,000 in total grants • 2022: $1.1 million distributed across 56 grants (highest activity year on record) • 2020: $465,000 in total grants **Grant History:** The foundation has made 106 grants totaling $1.9 million to 51 unique organizations…
Where does The Vela Foundation make grants?
The foundation primarily supports organizations in Massachusetts, New York, and Florida, which account for 92% of all grants. Grantmaking reaches organizations across five states, including Massachusetts, New York, Florida, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.
What size grants does The Vela Foundation award?
In 2024, The Vela Foundation awarded 17 grants totaling $352K — an average of about $21K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is The Vela Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Vela Foundation reported a distributable amount of $426K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
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.
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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.