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Parker Family Foundation

Annual Giving
$1.1M
Grant Range
$50K - $0.1M
Success Rate
12%

Parker Family Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: ~$1.1 million
  • Total Assets: $12.4 million
  • Grant Range: Average $93,333 per grant
  • Number of Grants: 12 active grantee organizations
  • Geographic Focus: Greater Boston area (Massachusetts), Washington D.C., New York
  • Total Giving Since 2001: Over $15 million

Contact Details

  • Address: PO Box 1532, Pennington, NJ 08534-0691
  • Phone: 888-866-3275
  • Website: parkerff.org
  • Application Status: Does not accept unsolicited grant requests

Overview

The Parker Family Foundation (PFF) is a private family foundation established in 2001 by Glenn P. Parker and Faith K.P. Parker. The foundation is classified as a 501(c)(3) private independent foundation and has been tax-exempt since January 2001. Based in Pennington, New Jersey, with strong ties to the Greater Boston area, PFF has distributed over $15 million in grants supporting arts, education, and humanitarian causes over its two decades of operation.

The foundation holds approximately $12.4 million in assets and operates with annual expenses of around $1.27 million. Approximately 92% of expenses go toward charitable disbursements, demonstrating strong operational efficiency. The foundation emphasizes personal connections and active engagement with its grantee organizations, pursuing long-term relationships based on consistent and continuous support rather than one-time grants.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation provides general operating support and program funding to a select group of approximately 12 organizations. With annual giving of approximately $1.1 million spread across 12 grantees, the average grant size is approximately $93,333.

Priority Areas

  • Arts and Culture: Organizations that foster artistic exploration and expression, provide broad-based public access to art
  • Education: Organizations that work cooperatively to improve public education and advance educational equity
  • Humanitarian Causes: Health organizations and international relief efforts
  • Civic Engagement: Public policy organizations focused on racial and economic justice

Geographic Focus

  • Massachusetts (particularly Greater Boston area including Boston, Cambridge, Lexington, Newton, Waltham, Charlestown, Jamaica Plain, Lincoln, Arlington)
  • Washington, D.C.
  • New York

Current Funded Organizations

  1. Actors' Shakespeare Project - Cambridge-based professional theater company with resident artists and community programs
  2. Alzheimer's Association - Research and support services for dementia
  3. Cary Memorial Library - Lexington's public library (established 1868)
  4. edVestors - Advancing educational equity for Boston students
  5. Grub Street - Writing development organization for diverse writers
  6. Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center - Public policy think tank focused on racial and economic justice
  7. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) - International medical humanitarian organization
  8. People for the American Way - National progressive advocacy organization
  9. Summer Search Boston - Mentoring, travel experiences, and internships for high school students
  10. The Handel & Haydn Society - Period music performances and educational programs
  11. The Theater Offensive - Creates art by, for, and about queer and trans people of color
  12. The Trustees of Reservations - Protects Massachusetts natural and cultural sites

Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

  • Glenn P. Parker - Founder & Trustee. Glenn is a retired software engineer who attended MIT (1979-1982). His family moved to Lexington, Massachusetts in 1994. He and his wife started the family foundation in 2002 and have been providing grants to arts and education organizations in Greater Boston ever since. He currently serves as Chair of Lexington's Appropriation Committee and has represented Precinct 3 in Town Meeting since 2007. He also serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.

  • Faith K.P. Parker - Founder & Trustee. Faith serves as co-trustee alongside her husband Glenn and is actively involved in the foundation's grantmaking decisions.

Both trustees receive no compensation for their foundation roles.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not accept unsolicited grant requests. The Parker Family Foundation has explicitly stated on their website that they do not accept unsolicited applications. All grants are made at the discretion of the trustees to organizations they have identified and developed relationships with.

The foundation emphasizes "personal connections and active engagement with organizations, pursuing long-term relationships based on consistent and continuous support." This indicates that the trustees proactively identify and cultivate relationships with organizations that align with their mission rather than reviewing external applications.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation has specific involvement patterns that may provide insight for organizations hoping to build relationships:

  • Glenn Parker's civic involvement: Glenn Parker serves on the board of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and has been involved in Lexington, MA local government since 2007. Organizations working in Greater Boston public policy or education may encounter him through sector networks.

  • EdVestors connection: The foundation has been a supporting funder for the BPS Arts Expansion initiative. Organizations involved in Boston Public Schools arts education may have visibility through this network.

  • Arts and theater community: Multiple funded organizations (Actors' Shakespeare Project, Handel & Haydn Society, The Theater Offensive) suggest deep connections to the Greater Boston performing arts community.

Application Success Factors

Given that PFF does not accept unsolicited applications, the path to funding involves:

  1. Geographic alignment: Organizations must operate in or serve the Greater Boston area, Washington D.C., or New York
  2. Mission alignment: Focus on arts (especially performing arts), public education improvement, or humanitarian causes
  3. Long-term relationship potential: The foundation values "consistent and continuous support" over one-time grants
  4. Public access focus: For arts organizations, emphasis on providing "broad-based public access to art"
  5. Collaborative approach: Education organizations should "work cooperatively to improve public education"

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process: PFF explicitly states they do not accept unsolicited grant requests. Organizations cannot submit proposals directly.

  • Relationship-driven grantmaking: The foundation emphasizes personal connections and long-term relationships with grantees. Building visibility in their areas of interest is the only path to potential funding.

  • Concentrated giving: With only 12 active grantee organizations sharing approximately $1.1 million annually, grants are substantial but the foundation maintains a small, focused portfolio.

  • Greater Boston focus: Despite being headquartered in New Jersey, the foundation's primary geographic focus is the Greater Boston area, reflecting the trustees' long residence in Lexington, MA.

  • Sector networking opportunity: Glenn Parker's involvement with the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and local government provides visibility in policy and civic circles.

  • Stable, long-term funder: Organizations that do receive funding can expect consistent, ongoing support rather than one-time grants.

  • Progressive orientation: The foundation has been characterized as supporting "left-of-center organizations" and funds groups focused on equity, justice, and progressive causes.

References

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