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Frank M & Olive E Gilman Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$2.0M
Grant Range
Up to $0.8M00

Frank M & Olive E Gilman Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $2,039,359 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $32.3 million (2023)
  • Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed (known grant: $757,200 to single recipient in 2023)
  • Geographic Focus: Windsor County and Orange County (Vermont); Grafton County (New Hampshire)
  • Application Method: No public application process - works through intermediary organizations
  • Founded: 1991

Contact Details

Foundation Address: Enfield, NH

For Vermont Scholarships: Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) 10 East Allen Street, PO Box 2000 Winooski, VT 05404 Phone: 888-253-4819 or 802-654-3798 Email: scholarships@vsac.org

For New Hampshire Scholarships: New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Hilary DeAngelis, Scholarship Administrator 37 Pleasant Street Concord, NH 03301 Phone: (603) 225-6641 Fax: (603) 225-1700

Note: The foundation does not maintain a public website or direct contact information for grant inquiries from organizations.

Overview

The Frank M & Olive E Gilman Foundation Inc, established in 1991, is a private foundation with assets of $32.3 million and annual grant-making of approximately $2 million. The foundation has a highly focused mission: providing grants to educational 501(c)(3) organizations that administer scholarships for high school seniors in specific counties across Vermont and New Hampshire. Rather than making grants to a wide range of educational institutions, the foundation works primarily through two major intermediary organizations—the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC)—to distribute scholarship funding. This approach allows the foundation to leverage the administrative expertise and reach of these established scholarship programs while maintaining its focus on supporting students from Windsor and Orange counties in Vermont, and Grafton County in New Hampshire. The foundation operates with a volunteer board comprised entirely of the Jones family and maintains minimal overhead, with all officers serving without compensation.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation makes grants exclusively to educational 501(c)(3) organizations that provide scholarships to high school seniors. Individual scholarships can be up to $6,000 per student.

Known Grant Recipients:

  • New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: $757,200 (December 2023) for educational assistance
  • Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC): Amount not publicly disclosed; administers scholarships for Vermont students

Priority Areas

The foundation's funding is restricted to:

  • Educational Scholarships: Grants to organizations that provide financial assistance to high school seniors pursuing certificate programs or undergraduate degrees
  • Geographic Focus: Students graduating from high schools in:
    • Vermont: Windsor County and Orange County (including Blue Mountain Union High School, Green Mountain Union High School, Hartford High School, Mid Vermont Christian School, Oxbow High School, Randolph Union High School, Sharon Academy, Springfield High School, Thetford Academy, White River Valley High School, Williamstown Middle High School, Windsor High School, and Woodstock Union High School)
    • New Hampshire: Grafton County (including Lebanon High School area)
  • Student Criteria: Recipients must demonstrate financial need and community service/school involvement

What They Don't Fund

  • Direct grants to individuals (works only through intermediary organizations)
  • Grants to organizations outside the educational scholarship sector
  • General operating support for educational institutions
  • Capital campaigns
  • Programs serving students outside Windsor County (VT), Orange County (VT), or Grafton County (NH)
  • Graduate or professional degree programs
  • International study programs (unless part of undergraduate degree)

Governance and Leadership

The foundation is governed entirely by members of the Jones family, all of whom serve without compensation:

  • Joseph Jones, President
  • Andrew Jones, Vice President
  • Elizabeth Jones, Secretary
  • Brenda Jones, Treasurer
  • Reginald Jones, Past President

The foundation maintains a lean operational structure with no paid staff, relying instead on its intermediary partners (NHCF and VSAC) to handle scholarship administration, selection committees, and disbursement. According to VSAC, recipients are selected by an independent selection committee not comprised of Gilman Foundation Board members, ensuring an objective evaluation process.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Important Note: The Frank M & Olive E Gilman Foundation does not have a public application process for organizations seeking grants.

The foundation operates by making grants to two primary intermediary organizations that administer scholarship programs on its behalf:

  • New Hampshire Charitable Foundation (for New Hampshire students)
  • Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (for Vermont students)

For Students: High school seniors meeting the eligibility criteria can apply for scholarships through VSAC (Vermont students) or NHCF (New Hampshire students). Applications typically require:

  • FAFSA completion
  • Essay
  • Recommendation letters
  • Demonstration of financial need
  • Evidence of community service or school involvement

For Organizations: There is no documented application process for new organizations to seek grants from this foundation. The foundation appears to have established long-term partnerships with NHCF and VSAC rather than accepting proposals from other educational organizations.

Decision Timeline

The foundation made two grants in 2023, suggesting decisions are made on a limited basis, likely annually or semi-annually in coordination with the academic calendar and scholarship cycles of its partner organizations.

For Student Scholarships:

  • VSAC and NHCF maintain their own scholarship calendars
  • Award notifications are typically made in spring for the following academic year
  • Contact the respective intermediary organization for specific deadlines

Success Rates

Not publicly available. The foundation made only two grants in 2023, indicating a highly selective and focused grant-making approach centered on its established partnerships.

Application Success Factors

Given the foundation's exclusive partnership model, organizations seeking funding should consider:

Understanding the Partnership Model:

  • The foundation has established long-term relationships with major scholarship intermediaries (NHCF and VSAC)
  • New partnerships appear to be extremely rare given the foundation made only two grants in 2023
  • Both current partners are well-established, statewide scholarship administrators with decades of experience

If Considering Outreach:

  • Any approach would need to demonstrate capacity to administer scholarships across multiple high schools in the target counties
  • Strong track record in educational scholarship administration would be essential
  • Must serve students specifically in Windsor County (VT), Orange County (VT), or Grafton County (NH)
  • Evidence of independent selection processes and proper fiscal oversight would be critical
  • Alignment with the foundation's focus on financial need and community service criteria

Realistic Expectations:

  • The foundation's model appears designed for long-term, high-value partnerships rather than multiple smaller grants
  • The 2023 grant of $757,200 to NHCF represents a substantial, ongoing commitment
  • Organizations should not expect this foundation to be accessible for general grant-seeking

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Closed Partnership Model: This foundation does not operate an open grant application process and works exclusively with established scholarship intermediaries (NHCF and VSAC)
  • Narrow Geographic Focus: Only serves students from Windsor County (VT), Orange County (VT), and Grafton County (NH) - organizations must serve these specific areas
  • Substantial Assets, Limited Grantees: With $32.3 million in assets but only two grants made in 2023, the foundation prefers deep partnerships over broad distribution
  • Educational Scholarships Only: The foundation's sole focus is providing scholarships to high school seniors pursuing post-secondary education
  • Family Foundation: Governed entirely by the Jones family with no paid staff, suggesting a conservative, relationship-based approach to grant-making
  • Student-Centered Criteria: Scholarships prioritize financial need and community service, with awards up to $6,000 per student
  • For Most Organizations: This foundation is not realistically accessible for new grant applications; focus grant-seeking efforts on foundations with open application processes

References

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