Walking Stick Family Fund
Walking Stick Family Fund is a private foundation based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2025, it made grants to charitable organizations including public media outlets, environmental groups, an organic farming association, and a dance organization.
Key facts about Walking Stick Family Fund
In short: Walking Stick Family Fund gave $126K across 41 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), top state Massachusetts. 65% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 47-2527481
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $125,600
- Grants made (2025)
- 41
- Average grant
- $3,063
- Median grant
- $2,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 65% first-time grantees (26 of 40, 2025)
- Total assets
- $3,177,112
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (40% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$3.2M
+95.1% YoY
Annual Giving
$126K
+42.9% YoY
Grant Count
41
+156.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$3K
-44.2% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Walking Stick Family Fund reported a distributable amount of $159K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Walking Stick Family Fund open to new grantees?
65%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 26 of 40 grantees (65%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 8% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 51% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 81% 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 (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the fund is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in public media, climate and environmental advocacy, organic farming education, and dance. For example, A Climate to Thrive says its mission is to achieve energy independence for Mount Desert Island, Maine, by 2030; the Northeast Organic Farming Association says it educates the public in organic farming, gardening, and homesteading; and Boston Dance Alliance says it works to increase access to dance and support dance in Greater Boston. WGBH Educational Foundation describes its work as providing programs and services that educate, inspire, and entertain.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the fund made 41 grants totaling $125,600. Grants ranged from $300 to $20,000, with a median of $2,000. Among the largest were $20,000 to 909 WBUR; $10,000 to A Climate to Thrive; $7,000 to the Northeast Organic Farming Association; and $6,000 each to WGBH Educational Foundation and Maine Public Broadcasting. Other grants included $5,000 to Natural Resources Defense Council, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Boston Dance Alliance, and Our Children’s Trust. WGBH Educational Foundation also received a separate $4,000 grant.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Massachusetts received 40% of grant dollars and Maine received 20%. New York received 5%, while the District of Columbia and West Virginia each received 4%. The fund also made grants to organizations in other states, including Oregon.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 41 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $53K (2023) to $126K (2025). In 2025 it made 41 grants totaling $126K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was 909 Wbur ($20K). Together the top 10 received $77K.
Grant Size Distribution
161 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 161 grants of 161 (100%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 909 Wbur Boston, MA | Charitable | $20,000 |
| A Climate to Thrive Mt Desert, ME | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Northeast Organic Farming Association Florence, MA | Charitable | $7,000 |
| WGBH Educational Foundation Boston, MA | Charitable | $6,000 |
| Maine Public Broadcasting Bangor, ME | Charitable | $6,000 |
| Natural Resources Defense Council New York, NY | Charitable | $5,000 |
| West Virginia Public Broadcasting Charleston, WV | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Boston Dance Alliance Boston, MA | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Our Children's Trust Eugene, OR | Charitable | $5,000 |
| The Sierra Club Boston, MA | Charitable | $4,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Grantmaking totals by filing year:
| Filing year | Grant total | Number of grants |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $125,600 | 41 |
| 2024 | $87,868 | 16 |
| 2023 | $53,400 | 19 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $3,177,112 | $1,628,380 | $1,646,743 |
| Revenue | $1,683,275 | $85,830 | $37,407 |
| Expenses | $137,173 | $104,192 | $70,088 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $129,321 | $91,503 | $56,735 |
| Net Investment Income | $275,855 | $73,141 | $26,995 |
| Distributable Amount | $158,861 | $100,984 | $90,384 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 29, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 24, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 31, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Joan Fitzgerald is listed as trustee.
Walking Stick Family Fund is led by Joan Fitzgerald, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Joan Fitzgerald
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Amos Denny (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Frances Denny (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: George Denny (2020–2023) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Contact
Mailing address: 160 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: (617) 490-1140
Frequently asked questions about Walking Stick Family Fund
How much does Walking Stick Family Fund give each year?
Walking Stick Family Fund gave $126K across 41 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $88K across 16 grants.
What is Walking Stick Family Fund's typical grant size?
Walking Stick Family Fund's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $3,063, across 41 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Walking Stick Family Fund that year got $3K on average.
Where does Walking Stick Family Fund give grants?
Walking Stick Family Fund's top state is Massachusetts, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Maine (20%) and New York (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (6 grants), Washington, DC (5 grants) and Belfast, ME (2 grants).
Does Walking Stick Family Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 41 grants with a stated purpose on Walking Stick Family Fund's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (41 grants).
Who are Walking Stick Family Fund's largest grantees?
Walking Stick Family Fund's largest 2025 grantees include 909 Wbur ($20,000), A Climate to Thrive ($10,000) and WGBH Educational Foundation ($10,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Walking Stick Family Fund?
Walking Stick Family Fund reported $3.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $129K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $159K (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 Walking Stick Family Fund fund?
No mission statement for the fund is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in public media, climate and environmental advocacy, organic farming education, and dance. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Walking Stick Family Fund?
The foundation 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 Walking Stick Family Fund's EIN?
Walking Stick Family Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-2527481. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Walking Stick Family 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.
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