The Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation

BOSTON, MA EIN: 04-6728351

The Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1992 by Thomas D. Cabot and his wife Virginia Wellington Cabot. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the foundation operates as the independent philanthropic arm of Cabot-Wellington LLC, an investment management firm. The foundation's primary purpose is to foster family-wide philanthropy and serve as a tool for teaching future generations to be effective and innovative givers.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$44.9M

+4.2% YoY

Annual Giving

$2.1M

+9.7% YoY

Grant Count

108

-5.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$19K

+15.8% YoY

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

Mission Statement: The mission of the Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation is to benefit mankind through the practice of responsible philanthropy, and to inspire, educate, engage and unify the descendants of Tom and Virginia Cabot in that worthy cause.

Funding Categories:

  • Culture and Humanities
  • Education and Youth
  • Conservation and Environment
  • Health and Human Services

The foundation's giving policy is guided as much by the degree of personal, volunteer commitment as by subject matter.

Grantmaking

The foundation made 138 grants in 2023, with total giving of $2,063,223. Typical grant awards range from $200 to $201,503.

How to Apply

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation's grant-making focuses primarily on Massachusetts, New York, and California.

Grant Distribution by State

34states
+26 more states

Cities

AddisonAlbert LeaAlbuquerqueAlexandriaAllstonAmesburyArlingtonArroyo SecoAshevilleAtlantaAuburnAvondaleBarnstableBemidjiBendBerkeleyBeverlyBeverly HillsBillericaBirmingham

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Most Recent Financial Data (2023):

  • Total Assets: $43,142,424
  • Total Revenues: $2,079,694
  • Total Expenses: $2,678,025
  • Total Giving: $2,063,223

Historical Assets:

  • 2021: $53,324,195
  • 2020: $46,181,054
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$2M$3M$5M$6M20202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$44,937,726$43,142,424$41,116,756
Revenue$863,422$2,079,694$808,907
Expenses$2,816,427$2,678,025$3,081,024
Qualifying Distributions$2,460,370$2,319,449$2,658,881
Net Investment Income$3,730,147$3,347,034
Distributable Amount$2,261,803$2,072,675$2,203,227

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$564K$1M$2M$2M108 grants2020134 grants2021124 grants2022114 grants2023108 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

HURRICANE ISLAND FOUNDAT…$66KGREENWICH ACADEMY INC$56KHANLEY CENTER FOUNDATION$50KHURRICANE ISLAND OUTWARD…$40KCHARLOTTESVILLE BALLET$35KFAMILY NURTURING CENTER …$35KLA COMPOST$35KHEALTHY PENINSULA$30KCOLLATERAL REPAIR PROJECT$28KBOSTON LYRIC OPERA$25K

Grant Size Distribution

250 grants across all recorded years

241<$50K9$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for .

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

  • Executive Director: Heidi Heinlein
  • Trustees: Helen C. McCarthy, Joan M. Whelton, Bryan McCarthy

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
ALBERT MAXIMILIAN CABOT ALLETZHAUSETRUSTEE1
DANIEL DOMONEYTRUSTEE1
MAYA CABOTTRUSTEE1
TAMSIN MYERSTRUSTEE1
GULREZ ARSHADTRUSTEE1
AIDAN FITZGERALD ENDED 52024TRUSTEE1
FIONA SCANLON-BLACKTRUSTEE1
ALEXANDER BLACKTRUSTEE1
PERE SELLESTRUSTEE1
HEATHER CABOTTRUSTEE1
PETER MYERSCHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD1
JOAN WHELTONSECRETARY1
SOPHIE DICKSON AS OF 62024TRUSTEE1

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

2022

The foundation has supported various initiatives including COVID-19 immunization efforts, with a $25,000 grant to Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center to fund COVID-19 immunizations and infection prevention. The foundation also supported cultural programming, including an opera production titled "Champion: An Opera in Jazz" in May 2022.

Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation grants $25,000 to Novant Health Presbyterian

Contact Information

Address: Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation c/o GMA Foundations 2 Liberty Square, Suite 500 Boston, MA 02109

Phone: 617-391-3073 or 617-750-2741

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://apply.vwcfoundation.org/

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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.

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