The Sudbury Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The Foundation's stated focus is youth development, sustainable farming and local food, and Sudbury community life, within eleven named towns, with Massachusetts as a priority, so check that your work and location fit before writing.
- Typical grants fall between $2,500 and $25,000 (about 8 in 10 grants), with a median of $5,000, so a request near that level is realistic, though the largest grant was $100,000, so the band is not a ceiling.
- Sudbury Program applications open twice a year, are due in March and September, and staff should be consulted first, while Children, Youth & Families applications open in February, are due by the end of March, and require a 30-minute Zoom call with staff before applying.
- Around 79% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had funded before, so relationships matter, and a new applicant should still speak to staff first, but ongoing operating support, deficit funding, loans or grants to individuals, sponsorships, benefit tickets, government responsibilities and religious activities are generally not provided, so organisations seeking those should look elsewhere.
Overview
The Sudbury Foundation is a US private foundation based in Sudbury, 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 Sudbury Foundation uses grant making and scholarship programmes to transform lives and strengthen communities. Its Sudbury Program supports Sudbury-based public and nonprofit institutions, the Town and its schools, as well as outside organisations whose projects substantially benefit Sudbury residents. Its Children, Youth & Families programme supports nonprofits whose primary mission is helping underserved young people facing economic or personal barriers realise their potential. Farm & Local Food funding supports sustainable agriculture and the Massachusetts local food system, including farmer technical assistance, food waste and recovery, access to fresh, healthy food and youth education. Community grants provide essential resources to local organisations and initiatives addressing critical needs, equity and belonging. The Foundation also calls for justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism and anti-oppression in its communities.
Themes
- Youth development
- Sustainable farming and local food
- Food waste and recovery
- Fresh food access
- Sudbury community life
- Equity and inclusion
- Historic and environmental preservation
Geographic Focus
Sudbury; Acton; Concord; Framingham; Hudson; Lincoln; Marlborough; Maynard; Natick; Stow; Wayland. Priority: Massachusetts.
What They Don't Fund
- Loans or grants to individuals
- Ongoing operating support (generally not provided)
- Offset deficits (generally not provided)
- Contribute to general appeals (generally not provided)
- Purchase benefit tickets (generally not provided)
- Sponsorships (generally not provided)
- Fund efforts understood to be the responsibility of government (generally not provided)
- Support religious activities (generally not provided)
How to apply
For the Sudbury Program, applications open twice a year; organisations are encouraged to discuss ideas with staff before applying.
Deadlines:
- Sudbury Program applications are due in March and September.
- Children, Youth & Families applications open in February.
- Children, Youth & Families applications are due by the end of March.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 79% 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 486 grants to organisations were $5,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The trustees favour collaboration among agencies with similar missions and consider an applicant’s ability to secure alternate project financing.
- Sudbury applicants based outside the town must speak to staff before applying.
- Children, Youth & Families applicants must schedule a 30-minute Zoom call with staff before applying.
- An organisation applying for work in collaboration with a school must submit a letter of support from the school.
- Grantees must provide a financial statement and a programmatic report describing expenditure and results.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 3%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 2%
- The largest single recipient received 6% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 79% of grant dollars went to organisations The Sudbury Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- <1% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Canada).
- 1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 137 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $6,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Boys & Girls Clubs of MetroWest · Children, youth & families$100,0002024 tax year
- The Wayside Inn Foundation · Sudbury$57,0002024 tax year
- College Planning Collaborative · Children, youth & families$50,0002024 tax year
- University of Massachusetts Amherst · Scholarship$45,0002024 tax year
- Regional Environmental Council · Farm & local food$40,0002024 tax year
- Spoonfuls · Farm & local food$40,0002024 tax year
- Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture · Farm & local food$40,0002024 tax year
- Boston Area Gleaners · Farm & local food$40,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Sonia Shah — Executive Director
- Bill Spencer — Trustee
- Tracy Stewart — Trustee
- Jill Stansky — Trustee / Chair
- Miner Crary — Trustee
- Bank Of America — Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $1,721,342 | $1,623,642 | $32,987,532 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $2,473,009 | $1,630,898 | $35,452,264 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $2,719,567 | $1,875,274 | $36,890,846 | 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
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to The Sudbury Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (978) 443-0849
- contact@sudburyfoundation.org
- shah@sudburyfoundation.org
- Sudbury, MA
- sudburyfoundation.org
Applying to The Sudbury Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (978) 443-0849
- contact@sudburyfoundation.org
- shah@sudburyfoundation.org
- Sudbury, MA
- sudburyfoundation.org