Yawkey Foundation II

Private foundation · EIN 04-2768239 · since 1983yawkeyfoundation.org·Massachusetts·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$19.1M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$10,000 to $150k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$35,000

Typical grant (median)

166 grants in the latest filing

Open to applications

A mix of rolling and fixed deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Its themes are health care, education, human services, youth and amateur athletics, arts and culture, and conservation and wildlife, and it prioritises established organisations with demonstrated capacity, financial stability and a track record of impact.
About 8 in 10 of its grants to organisations fall between $10,000 and $150,000, and half of its grants across its recent filings were $25,000 or less, so a modest request fits its usual pattern, though that band is typical rather than a ceiling.
Its Program & Small Capital Grants, stated at up to $100,000, fund discrete, timebound projects addressing an immediate need rather than general operations, personnel or consultants, and applicants begin with an Initial Proposal, after which only some are invited to submit a full Grant Application.
In its latest filing, 77% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had funded in earlier filings, so a prior relationship carries real weight.
Do not apply if you are a public entity such as a school district, library or government agency, a private foundation, an intermediary or pass-through, or a 509(a)(3) Type III organisation, or if your work is scholarships, early education, sectarian activity, emergency response, or primarily benefits people outside the United States.

Overview

Yawkey Foundation II is a US private foundation based in Westwood, MA.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The Yawkey Foundation supports 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit organisations, including those using fiscal sponsors, that make a meaningful difference to individuals, families and communities through direct programmes and services. It works across health care, education, human services, youth and amateur athletics, arts and culture, and conservation and wildlife. The Foundation prioritises established organisations with demonstrated capacity, financial stability, a track record of impact and meaningful scale of direct service. Its Program & Small Capital Grants support discrete, timebound projects addressing an immediate need critical to an organisation’s work. It values strong leadership and proven impact in direct services addressing unmet needs in underserved regions.

Themes

Health care
Education
Human services
Youth and amateur athletics
Arts and culture
Conservation and wildlife

Geographic Focus

No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Massachusetts.

What They Don't Fund

Organizations that are not 501(c)(3) public charities, including private operating foundations and 509(a)(3) Type III non-functionally integrated organizations
Public entities (e.g., school districts, charter/public schools, libraries, government agencies) and nonprofits/quasi-public nonprofits whose core programming relies on access to or partnership with these entities
Funding for specific staff positions, stipends, consultants, or recruitment efforts
Emergency response efforts, events, conferences, sponsorships, advertisements, films, travel, or individual benefit requests
Intermediaries, pass-through organizations, funder collaboratives, private foundations, or general endowments
Sectarian activities of faith-based organizations
Athletic and sports programs not primarily focused on baseball or softball
Scholarships
Early education, preschool, or elementary school programs
Organizations whose direct services primarily benefit individuals or communities outside the United States
Program & Small Capital Grants only: general or ongoing program operations; personnel expenses (Including stipends); consultants; programs specific to individual public or charter schools/districts, cities, towns, or counties

How to apply

Organisations submit an Initial Proposal; after preliminary evaluation, the Foundation may invite an organisation to submit a full Grant Application.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 77% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 523 grants to organisations were $25,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

It prioritises established nonprofits with demonstrated organisational capacity, financial stability, a track record of impact and meaningful scale of direct service.
It considers an organisation’s annual operating budget, the reach and scale of direct services, impact history and request size relative to the organisation’s overall operations.
Strong leadership and proven impact in direct services addressing unmet needs in underserved regions strengthen a Program & Small Capital proposal.
Strategic Investment and Transformational Capital applicants must show that their board has committed to and approved the project or initiative.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Massachusetts96%

New York3%

South Carolina<1%

District of Columbia<1%

Florida<1%

Maine<1%

2 other states: <1%

The largest single recipient received 17% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 77% of grant dollars went to organisations Yawkey Foundation II had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
6% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

166 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $35,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 166 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$1k–$2.5k1%

$2.5k–$5k0%

$5k–$10k2%

$10k–$25k18%

$25k–$50k37%

$50k–$100k20%

$100k–$250k14%

$250k–$500k1%

$500k–$1M4%

$1M and over3%

Median $35,000 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Camp Harbor View Foundation · Capital renovations to new co-located facility for camp & youth enrichment programs
$2,500,0002024 tax year
Pine Street Inn · Capital support for permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals
$2,000,0002024 tax year
Trustees of Boston College · Capital project for construction of frates center baseball & softball field complex
$1,200,0002024 tax year
Father Bills & Mainspring Inc · Support for housing resource center for underserved individuals
$1,000,0002024 tax year
The Baseball Inc · Capital project for new building to improve delivery of youth programs
$1,000,0002024 tax year
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum · Development, education, and outreach for black baseball initiative
$750,0002024 tax year
Lawrence Catholic Academy of Lawrence Massachusetts · Capital project for new buildings for school and recreation/athletics
$750,0002024 tax year
Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción · Capital project for new building to expand programs and mission delivery
$750,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Maicharia Weir Lytle — CPO Elect
Alicia K Verity — CPO / CCO / Board Secretary
John A Desisto — Chief Investment Officer
John M Redmond — CFO / Treasurer
Maureen H Bleday — Trustee / Chief Executive Officer
William B Gutfarb — Trustee
Vanessa Calderon-Rosado — Trustee
Rev Dr Ray Hammond — Trustee
Myechia Minter-Jordan — Trustee
Justin P Morreale — Trustee
Judith Walden Scarafile — Trustee
James P Healey — Trustee
George R Neble — Trustee
Debra Mcnulty — Trustee
Charles Clough Jr — Trustee
John L Harrington — Board Chair / Trustee

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$25,104,979	$19,266,082	$420,538,932	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$24,272,319	$18,990,047	$448,413,557	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$24,775,322	$19,106,806	$467,408,406	Filing for 2024 tax year

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.