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Charles F. and Beatrice D. Adams Charitable Trust

Annual Giving
$2.1M
Grant Range
$20K - $0.1M

Charles F. and Beatrice D. Adams Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $2,091,000 (2024)
  • Assets: Approximately $80 million
  • Grant Range: Estimated $20,000 - $100,000+ (based on available examples)
  • Average Grant: ~$65,000 (2024 average)
  • Number of Grants: 32 awards (2024), 28 awards (2023)
  • Geographic Focus: Downeast Maine and Massachusetts only
  • Application Process: Invitation only - no unsolicited proposals accepted

Contact Details

Website: www.cfadamstrust.org

Email: info@cfadamstrust.org

Address: Charles F. and Beatrice D. Adams Charitable Trust c/o Choate Wealth 2 International Place, Suite 3000 Boston, MA 02110

Phone: (617) 422-0064

Note: The Trust does not accept unsolicited proposals. Organizations must submit a brief inquiry via email to determine potential fit before being invited to apply.

Overview

Charles Francis Adams, a descendant of U.S. Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, established the C.F. Adams Charitable Trust in 1987 to continue his family's legacy of public service. Adams served as president of Raytheon Company from 1948 until his death in 1999 and was an avid sailor who knew the Downeast Maine coast well. Following the death of his wife Beatrice in 2022, the Trust's assets grew to approximately $80 million, increasing annual grantmaking capacity to over $3 million. In July 2025, Tom Boutureira became the Trust's first full-time Executive Director, marking a significant transition from part-time trustee management to professional staffing. The Trust concentrates exclusively on two focus areas: enhancing quality of life in Downeast Maine and improving children's behavioral health in Massachusetts, with a strategic emphasis on systemic reform, collaborative initiatives, and strengthening nonprofit infrastructure.

Funding Priorities

Geographic & Thematic Focus

The Trust operates with strict geographic boundaries and does not fund outside these two areas:

1. Downeast Maine (Geographic Focus)

  • Fisheries and marine economy
  • Economic development and sustainable economy
  • Housing rehabilitation and weatherization
  • Arts economy and cultural heritage preservation
  • Substance use response
  • Services for children and families
  • Nonprofit infrastructure strengthening
  • Collaborative initiatives across sectors

Example Grant: $75,000 to Maine Seacoast Mission and Downeast Community Partners for housing rehabilitation and weatherization program (2022)

2. Children's Behavioral Health in Massachusetts (Thematic Focus)

The Trust launched this focus area in 2002 in response to the crisis of "stuck kids" - children languishing in hospitals due to severe shortage of therapeutic resources. The Trust explicitly does NOT fund direct service provision, focusing instead on:

  • Advocacy efforts: Advancing access to services, reducing stigma, strengthening legal protections, encouraging family participation
  • Research and demonstration projects: Addressing emerging issues such as psychiatric boarding in emergency departments and foster care challenges
  • Community-based arts therapy: Alternative and complementary treatment approaches
  • School-based resources: Helping school personnel mitigate behavioral health impacts on learning

Priority Areas for Downeast Maine

The Trust began its Downeast Maine work in 2000, taking a comprehensive "place-based" approach. The Trust helped create the Downeast Nonprofit Network, which brings together executive directors from different sectors to foster collaborative initiatives. Priority is given to projects that:

  • Preserve local cultural heritage
  • Improve quality of life for communities and families
  • Support adaptation to changing environmental conditions
  • Achieve sustainable economic development
  • Strengthen nonprofit infrastructure
  • Encourage linkages among service providers

What They Don't Fund

  • Direct clinical services or traditional counseling/treatment programs (in Massachusetts behavioral health focus)
  • Projects outside Downeast Maine or Massachusetts
  • Individual scholarships or emergency assistance
  • Capital campaigns (limited information suggests operational and programmatic support is preferred)
  • Organizations without collaborative partnerships or community connections

Governance and Leadership

Trustees

Janet C. Taylor (Managing Trustee, transitioning to Board Chair) Independent philanthropic advisor and former President of Associated Grant Makers. Previously directed Raytheon's corporate giving program and worked with Ropes & Gray LLP for twenty years assisting with charitable interests. Taylor describes the Trust as a "start-up with a long history" as it enters its transformational phase.

Marc J. Bloostein Partner at Choate Wealth specializing in estate planning and trust administration. Served as legal advisor to Mr. and Mrs. Adams.

Edward P. Lawrence Retired Ropes & Gray LLP partner who acted as Mr. Adams' attorney. Former Chairman of Partners Healthcare System and Massachusetts General Hospital boards.

Executive Director

Tom Boutureira (joined July 28, 2025) The Trust's first full-time Executive Director. Previously served as Senior Community Partner and Director of Change Management with the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation in Maine for a decade. Also held positions with The Conservation Fund and Downeast Coastal Conservancy. Notably, Boutureira was first introduced to the Adams Trust as a grantee.

Quote from Tom Boutureira: "My introduction to the Adams Trust was as a grantee, which gave me firsthand experience of their strong commitment to relationship-building and their supportive, collaborative approach to working with organizations and leaders—and to centering community voices."

Boutureira emphasized his eagerness to "continue its important role in convening funders to share knowledge and inspire collective action" and to deepen the Trust's "shared values and engaging with the organizations and collaboratives that are driving critical initiatives and systems change."

Advisors

Karen Darcy Retired pediatric nurse practitioner from Boston Children's Hospital, where she directed the Child Behavioral Health Policy and Advocacy Program.

Janet Henry Trustee of Maine's Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust and retired President of the Maine Philanthropy Center.

Guiding Principles

The Trust operates according to three core principles:

  1. Continuous Learning: Commitment to "continuously learn about our targeted issues and what it takes to create change," demonstrating dedication to understanding complex challenges in their focus areas.

  2. Recognition of Nonprofit Leadership: Aim to "recognize the challenges of nonprofit leadership and management," showing appreciation for operational realities grantees face.

  3. Collaboration: Encouraging and practicing collaboration among stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of working together to address community needs.

Charles Adams instructed his trustees to support "talented leaders and key organizations when such backing could make a significant difference" and to discover innovative approaches rather than limiting support to institutions he had personally supported during his lifetime. The Trust's approach reflects the donor's core values: "enriching lives, backing talent, engaging volunteers and improving communities."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Charles F. and Beatrice D. Adams Charitable Trust does not accept unsolicited proposals. Organizations cannot submit full applications without first being invited to do so.

Initial Inquiry Process:

  1. Organizations believing they fit the Trust's programmatic and geographic focus should submit a brief inquiry to the Managing Trustee via email at info@cfadamstrust.org
  2. Thoroughly review the Trust's focus areas and guiding principles on their website before making contact
  3. A response will indicate whether a full proposal will be considered
  4. If invited, organizations will receive specific guidance on proposal requirements

Getting on Their Radar

The Trust identifies potential grantees through:

Existing Relationships: Tom Boutureira's statement about being "introduced to the Adams Trust as a grantee" demonstrates the Trust's commitment to relationship-building with current partners who can vouch for other organizations.

Collaborative Networks: The Trust helped create the Downeast Nonprofit Network and actively convenes funders to share knowledge. Participation in these collaborative spaces may increase visibility.

Funder Convening: The Trust plays an active role in convening funders in both focus areas. Engagement with other foundations working in children's behavioral health in Massachusetts or Downeast Maine community development may lead to referrals.

Community Voice: The Trust emphasizes "centering community voices" in their work. Organizations deeply embedded in their communities with strong local connections are more likely to come to the Trust's attention.

Partnership Approach: The Maine Seacoast Mission grant demonstrates the Trust's interest in collaborative partnerships between organizations. Joint initiatives may be particularly attractive.

Decision Timeline

Specific decision timelines are not publicly documented. Given the invitation-only process and the Trust's emphasis on relationship-building, the timeline likely varies by project and requires initial relationship development before formal proposal consideration.

Success Rates

With 32 grants awarded in 2024 from an invitation-only process, traditional success rate calculations don't apply. The Trust's selective approach means organizations invited to submit proposals likely have strong alignment with funding priorities.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly documented. Given the relationship-based approach and emphasis on multi-year support for systemic change, the Trust likely maintains ongoing relationships with grantees rather than operating on a traditional grant cycle.

Application Success Factors

For Downeast Maine Organizations:

  1. Collaborative Approach: The Trust created the Downeast Nonprofit Network and values "linkages among service providers." As seen in the Maine Seacoast Mission grant ($75,000), partnership projects between organizations are particularly attractive. Mission President John Zavodny's observation that "Partnerships like this are often the best way to help" reflects the Trust's philosophy.

  2. Place-Based Integration: Demonstrate how your work addresses multiple interconnected issues (fisheries, economic development, arts economy, housing, etc.) rather than operating in a silo.

  3. Infrastructure Strengthening: The Trust prioritizes strengthening nonprofit capacity and infrastructure in the region where private philanthropic resources are limited.

  4. Community Heritage & Sustainability: Projects should connect to preserving local cultural heritage while supporting adaptation to changing conditions and achieving sustainable economic development.

  5. Leveraging Capacity: The Maine Seacoast Mission grant "underwritten the partnership and attracted additional funding from other sources," suggesting the Trust appreciates when their support catalyzes broader fundraising efforts.

For Massachusetts Children's Behavioral Health Organizations:

  1. Systemic Focus Required: The Trust explicitly does NOT fund direct clinical services. Your work must focus on system reform, policy change, advocacy, research, or innovative service delivery models.

  2. Historical Context Matters: The Trust launched this work in 2002 in response to "stuck kids" in hospitals. Understanding this crisis and how your work addresses systemic gaps demonstrates alignment.

  3. Strategic Priority Alignment: Ensure your work clearly fits one of four categories:

    • Advocacy to advance access, reduce stigma, or strengthen protections
    • Research/demonstration projects on emerging issues (e.g., psychiatric boarding, foster care)
    • Community-based arts therapy as complementary treatment
    • School-based resources to address learning impacts

  4. Collaborative Expertise: The Trust "draws upon the expertise of advocates, providers, policy makers and other funders" and values organizations that can work across these sectors.

  5. Evidence of Innovation: The Trust supported the initial "Building Bridges in Children's Mental Health initiative" with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, demonstrating interest in innovative approaches to systemic problems.

Universal Success Factors:

  1. Talented Leadership: Charles Adams instructed trustees to back "talented leaders and key organizations when such backing could make a significant difference." Leadership capacity and vision are critical.

  2. Continuous Learning: Organizations should demonstrate commitment to learning about complex issues and what creates change, mirroring the Trust's own principle.

  3. Community Voice: Tom Boutureira emphasized the Trust's approach to "centering community voices." Demonstrate genuine community engagement and accountability.

  4. Relationship-Building: Boutureira's experience being "introduced to the Adams Trust as a grantee" and his observation of their "strong commitment to relationship-building" indicates this is central to their approach.

  5. Volunteer Engagement: Charles Adams valued "engaging volunteers," suggesting organizations with strong volunteer programs may align well with his legacy.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Don't Apply Cold: This is strictly an invitation-only funder. Submit only a brief inquiry email initially, and only if you have clear alignment with Downeast Maine OR Massachusetts children's behavioral health.

  • Collaboration is Essential: Whether creating the Downeast Nonprofit Network or partnering with other funders on behavioral health initiatives, this Trust values and funds collaborative approaches. Solo initiatives are less attractive.

  • No Direct Services for Behavioral Health: If you provide direct clinical services or counseling in Massachusetts, this is not your funder. They fund system reform, advocacy, research, and policy work only.

  • Geography is Non-Negotiable: Downeast Maine and Massachusetts only. Exceptional work in other geographies will not be considered.

  • Build Relationships First: With their first Executive Director just hired in 2025 and a strong emphasis on relationship-building, invest in getting to know the Trust through their collaborative networks before seeking funding.

  • Think Systemically: Both focus areas emphasize systemic change over individual interventions. Frame your work in terms of community-wide impact, infrastructure strengthening, and sustainable solutions.

  • Leverage Your Grant: The Trust appreciates when their support catalyzes additional funding and partnerships, as demonstrated in the Maine Seacoast Mission example.

References

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