The Windham Foundation Inc
The Windham Foundation is a private foundation based in Grafton, Vermont. Its stated mission is to enhance economic, cultural, and civic life in Vermont, and it supports nonprofits through grants as well as operating the Grafton Inn and Grafton Trails and Outdoor Center.
The Windham Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: The Windham Foundation Inc gave $393K across 124 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Vermont. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $392,925
- -3.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 124
- -8.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,169
- +5.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,300
- Total assets
- $17,333,550
- -15.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Vermont (92% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Windham Foundation Inc
- How to Apply
-
The website says applicants must be private, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations, and the organization or program to be funded must be in Vermont. An organization may submit one application in a 12-month period. Applications are submitted online and should include demographic information about people served, measurable project goals, evidence of local support, and project and organizational budgets. The Foundation says funding decisions consider the applicant’s competence and track record, financial stability and fundraising strategies, leadership, and the program’s long-term viability. A 2023 filing also described application materials as including a project description and budget, other funding sources, and the applicant’s latest available financial statements.
- Review Cycle
- The website lists a spring 2026 cycle deadline of March 15, 2026, and a fall 2026 cycle deadline of September 15, 2026. Both deadlines have passed.
- Deadline
- The website lists a spring 2026 cycle deadline of March 15, 2026, and a fall 2026 cycle deadline of September 15, 2026.
- Contact
Application contact: The Windham Foundation
Mailing address: PO Box 70, Grafton, VT 05146
Phone: (802) 843-2220
Website: https://windham-foundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from The Windham Foundation Inc
Who The Windham Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cro Planning & Design ($40K). Together the top 10 received $136K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($100), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
599 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 599 grants of 599 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation’s website describes its mission and grant program as focused on Vermont. The 2025 filing shows that 92% of grant dollars went to recipients in Vermont; 1% each went to recipients in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. The website also describes separate small grants for community projects and nonprofits operating in the Grafton area.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 124 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Windham Foundation Inc gives
- 58% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+18%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $333K (2022) to $409K (2024). In 2025 it made 124 grants totaling $393K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cro Planning & Design Burlington, VT | General Operating Support | $40,205 |
| Grafton Public Library Grafton, VT | Local Library -General Operating Support | $14,949 |
| Grace Cottage Hospital Townshend, VT | General Operating Support to Local Community Hospital | $13,500 |
| Vermont Symphony Orchestra Burlington, VT | Performance Underwriting | $12,000 |
| Next Stage Arts Project Putney, VT | Local Arts Organization-Support for Summer Series | $10,500 |
| Preservation Trust of Vermont Montpelier, VT | Support for Windham County Projects | $10,000 |
| South Hero Land Trust South Hero, VT | Land Conservation Programs | $10,000 |
| Grafton Fund Donations Grafton, VT | General Operating Support | $10,000 |
| Nature Museum at Grafton Grafton, VT | Local Nature Museum - General Support for Programming | $7,376 |
| Vermont Foodbank Barre, VT | Support for Food Programs | $7,300 |
Ready to take the next step with The Windham Foundation Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $17,333,550 | $2,506,504 | $2,976,716 | $392,925 | 124 | $1,256,273 | $1,104,267 |
| 2024 | $20,461,243 | $2,200,411 | $2,839,855 | $408,670 | 136 | $1,264,742 | $630,823 |
| 2023 | $18,614,532 | $2,534,450 | $2,676,512 | $397,479 | 122 | $1,253,441 | $935,862 |
| 2022 | $18,476,181 | $2,398,908 | $2,329,611 | $333,106 | 109 | $1,090,046 | $992,484 |
| 2021 | $19,409,796 | $2,933,297 | $2,443,850 | $380,430 | 108 | — | $1,020,350 |
| 2020 | $19,266,261 | $2,977,325 | $2,678,699 | $384,850 | 1 | — | $1,395,589 |
| 2019 | $21,754,516 | $2,687,927 | $2,903,784 | $354,594 | 1 | — | $1,159,124 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s mission is to enhance economic, cultural, and civic life in Vermont. Its website describes grant themes that include rural economic and workforce development; food cultivation and security; food processing and distribution; conservation and climate adaptation; community arts and learning; historic places and preservation; and wellness, housing, outdoor activities, health access, and senior programs.
The 2025 grants show support for organizations with a range of missions. For example, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra says it fosters and encourages the love of music throughout Vermont. The Preservation Trust of Vermont says it assists local and statewide efforts to preserve historic, architectural, cultural, and community resources. South Hero Land Trust describes its work as land conservation and environmental education, while Vermont Foodbank describes its work as hunger relief through a network of community partners. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 124 grants totaling $392,925. Grants ranged from $100 to $40,205, with a median of $2,300. Among the largest awards were $40,205 to CRO Planning & Design for general operating support, $14,949 to Grafton Public Library for general operating support, and $13,500 to Grace Cottage Hospital for general operating support. Other notable awards included $12,000 to Vermont Symphony Orchestra for performance underwriting, $10,500 to Next Stage Arts Project for support of its summer series, and $10,000 each to Preservation Trust of Vermont for Windham County projects, South Hero Land Trust for land conservation programs, and Grafton Fund Donations for general operating support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Daniel Lerner as executive director; Robert Donald as president/CFO through the end of fiscal year 2025; William Kuhnert as CFO beginning in fiscal year 2025; Lisa Ventriss as chair; Ellen McCulloch-Lovell as vice chair; and Suzanne Welch as treasurer. William Bruett, Jeffrey Smith, Robin Stern, and Robert Reese are listed as trustees.
The Windham Foundation Inc is led by Robert Donald, President & CFO since 2021 (on filings since 2019); 3 of 14 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert Donald
President & CFO
Assistant Secretary & Treasurer → President & CFO, 2021
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$165K (2019) → $85K (2025)
Daniel Lerner
Executive Director
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$125K (2025)
Lisa Ventriss
Chair
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey Smith
Trustee
Vice President → Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$5K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Robert Reese
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$3K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Robin Stern
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$5K (2019) → $0 (2025)
William Bruett
Trustee
Chairman → Trustee, 2024
On filings since 2019
8 hrs/week
$8K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Alan Yuspeh
Trustee
Trustee → Vice Chair, 2023
Vice Chair → Trustee, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dennis D'amico
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Peter Kunin
Trustee
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tim Briglin
Trustee
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Suzanne Welch
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
$4K (2019) → $0 (2025)
William Kuhnert
CFO
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$34K (2025)
Ellen McCulloch-Lovell
Vice Chair
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Ellen Lovell (2019–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Edward Zuccaro (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Elizabeth Bankowski (2019–2020) — President & Chairman
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $125K, to Daniel Lerner (Executive Director). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Windham Foundation Inc
How much does The Windham Foundation Inc give each year?
The Windham Foundation Inc gave $393K across 124 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $409K across 136 grants.
What is The Windham Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
The Windham Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $2,300, and its average grant was $3,169, across 124 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Windham Foundation Inc give grants?
The Windham Foundation Inc gives mostly in Vermont: 92% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Burlington, VT (14 grants), Brattleboro, VT (12 grants), Grafton, VT (10 grants) and Montpelier, VT (9 grants).
Does The Windham Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 62% of The Windham Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (77 of 124) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Land Conservation Programs" (5 grants).
Who are The Windham Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
The Windham Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Cro Planning & Design ($40,205), Grafton Public Library ($14,949) and Grace Cottage Hospital ($13,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($100), which are not listed by name. Together they received 17% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Windham Foundation Inc?
The Windham Foundation Inc reported $17.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $2.5M.
What does The Windham Foundation Inc fund?
The Foundation’s mission is to enhance economic, cultural, and civic life in Vermont. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Windham Foundation Inc?
The website says applicants must be private, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations, and the organization or program to be funded must be in Vermont. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Windham Foundation Inc's EIN?
The Windham Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-6142024. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 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 January 30, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 8, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 21, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Windham Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Windham Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-windham-foundation-inc-morg_d9c38bd79c794af5a5329c559efeb076
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_136142024_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Windham Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-windham-foundation-inc-morg_d9c38bd79c794af5a5329c559efeb076},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Windham Foundation Inc'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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