Popplestone Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The filing lists the foundation's themes as democracy and civic engagement, music education and early childhood development, so an organisation working in one of these areas has the clearest fit.
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests, so a cold proposal is not a route it has stated it will consider; seek an introduction through someone who already knows it.
- Half of its grants to organisations were $1,000,000 or less and the median was $1,000,000, so a request in the typical band of $300,000 to $5,000,000, where about 8 in 10 of its grants fall, is a realistic scale, though that band is not the full range, since its largest grant was $12,500,000.
- In its most recent filing, 37% of grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in earlier filings, so existing relationships carry real weight.
- No geographic focus is stated; the grants mainly in New York, District of Columbia and Massachusetts show where it has given, not who may apply.
Overview
Popplestone Foundation is a US private foundation based in Boston, MA.
What they fund
Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 12 October 2026.
Priority Areas
Across the recorded grants, the foundation supports democracy and civic engagement, music education, and early childhood development. Its democracy-related grants include work on courts and constitutions, election safeguarding and legal accountability, and hands-on civics. Music education funding includes scholarships, community music and free school-based instruction. Early-childhood grants include pre-kindergarten expansion and an education pilot. Recipients span civic and legal organisations, music schools and ensembles, and early-childhood education organisations. The recorded grants include general operating support as well as programme expansion, capital projects and endowments.
Themes
From its grants, not stated by the foundation:
- Democracy and civic engagement
- Music education
- Early childhood development
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in New York, District of Columbia and Massachusetts.
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 37% 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 109 grants to organisations were $1,000,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 8%
- The largest single recipient received 9% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 37% of grant dollars went to organisations Popplestone Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 7% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 24 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $738k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- William J Brennan Jr Center for Justice · Democracy & civic engagement - advance projects focusing on state & federal courts and constitutions$10,000,0002024 tax year
- Protect Democracy Project · Democracy & civic engagement - general operating support, safebuarding elections & legal accountability for 03/15/2024-03/15/2026$10,000,0002024 tax year
- States United Democracy Center · Democracy & civic engagement - general operating support, safebuarding elections & legal accountability for 03/15/2024-03/15/2026$5,000,0002024 tax year
- Campaign Legal Center · Democracy & civic engagement - combating election sabotage$3,250,0002024 tax year
- Young People's Chorus of New York City · Music education - general support, serving ages 8-18 in various choruses for 03/15/2024-09/15/2027$3,000,0002024 tax year
- ParentCorps · Early childhood development - general operating support, expansion of pre-k for all for 03/15/2024-08/14/2026$3,000,0002024 tax year
- The Reading League · Early childhood development - general operating support, further the science of reading movement for 03/15/2024-03/15/2026$2,500,0002024 tax year
- SD Foundation Fbo Voting Rights Lab · Democracy & civic engagement - general operating support, supporting general election officials in 2024 election for 03/13/2024-03/31/2025$2,500,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Sally L Rubin — Trustee
- Suzanne E Werber Dworsky — Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $23,656,638 | $23,519,394 | $29,164,335 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $145,752,029 | $145,306,337 | $62,805,601 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $51,788,482 | $51,278,754 | $18,463,724 | 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.
Sources
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At a glance
Applying to Popplestone Foundation?
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Contact
- Boston, MA
Applying to Popplestone Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Boston, MA