← Back to US Funders Directory

Baker Family Trust

Annual Giving
$3.1M
Grant Range
$5K - $20.0M

Baker Family Trust

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $3,096,950 (2022)
  • Number of Grants: 20-25 grants annually
  • Average Grant Size: ~$147,000
  • Geographic Focus: Massachusetts (particularly Boston area) and national (Georgetown University)
  • Application Process: Invitation only - does not accept unsolicited requests

Contact Details

Address: 888 Worcester St, Suite 130, Wellesley, MA 02482-3744
Phone: 781-237-3331
EIN: 04-6628772

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Overview

The Baker Family Trust was established in 1989 and received its IRS ruling in 1990. The trust serves as the philanthropic vehicle for Jon M. Baker Sr., Patricia Baker, and their family. Jon Baker graduated from Georgetown University (Class of 1964) and established one of the earliest offshore life insurance companies in Bermuda in 1978. He currently serves as chairman and CEO at International Planning Group, which provides wealth structuring and transfer planning solutions for high net worth individuals and executives of multinational companies. Patricia Baker serves on Georgetown's Board of Regents. The trust distributed $3,096,950 in grants in 2022 across 21 awards, maintaining a focused approach to supporting education, healthcare, and community organizations primarily in the Boston area and at Georgetown University.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Baker Family Trust operates through trustee-discretion grantmaking rather than formal grant programs. Recent giving patterns show:

  • Major institutional gifts: $1,000,000+ (e.g., Massachusetts General Hospital received $1 million in 2014)
  • Significant university support: $20 million gift to Georgetown University to establish the Baker Center for Leadership and Governance; $10 million for the Baker Trust for Experiential Learning in 2019
  • Mid-sized grants: $50,000 range (e.g., Campaign for Catholic Schools received $50,000 from 2013-2017)
  • Smaller community grants: Varies based on organization and need

Priority Areas

Education & Youth Development

  • Higher education (particularly Georgetown University)
  • Catholic schools and educational institutions
  • Youth development organizations
  • Experiential learning initiatives

Healthcare

  • Major medical institutions
  • Hospice care
  • Health-related charitable organizations

Arts & Culture

  • Museums
  • Cultural institutions in the Boston area

Religious Organizations

  • Catholic churches and religious institutions

Social Services

  • Domestic violence prevention
  • Housing assistance
  • Community support organizations

Geographic Focus

  • Primary: Greater Boston area and Massachusetts
  • Secondary: Georgetown University (Washington, DC area)
  • Limited: Palm Beach, Florida (hospice support)

What They Don't Fund

While the trust has not published explicit exclusions, they have stated they:

  • Do not accept unsolicited requests for funds
  • Only make contributions to preselected charitable organizations
  • Focus on organizations with which the family has established relationships

Governance and Leadership

Jon M. Baker Sr. - Trustee and primary benefactor. Georgetown University alumnus (Class of 1964), founder of early offshore life insurance companies, current chairman and CEO of International Planning Group. His business expertise in wealth structuring informs the family's strategic approach to philanthropy.

Patricia Baker - Trustee. Serves on Georgetown University's Board of Regents and co-chaired a committee focused on reinventing Georgetown education. Her involvement reflects the family's deep commitment to transformative educational experiences.

The foundation is managed as a family trust, with decisions made by the Baker family trustees based on their philanthropic priorities and existing relationships with organizations.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The Baker Family Trust explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

Grants are awarded based on:

  • Trustee discretion and family philanthropic priorities
  • Pre-existing relationships with organizations
  • Personal connections to causes (such as Jon Baker's Georgetown affiliation)
  • Trustee identification of worthy organizations

Organizations cannot apply for funding through a formal application process.

Getting on Their Radar

The Baker Family Trust has a specific documented approach for how they identify grant recipients:

  • Georgetown University connections: The Bakers have a strong, multi-generational relationship with Georgetown University, with Jon Baker as an alumnus (Class of 1964) and multiple children attending the university. Patricia Baker serves on Georgetown's Board of Regents and has been actively involved in committees focused on educational innovation.

  • Boston-area institutional relationships: The family supports established Boston institutions where they likely have board involvement or long-standing relationships, such as the Boston Athenaeum, Museum of Fine Arts, and Massachusetts General Hospital.

  • Catholic institutional network: The trust supports Catholic churches and schools, suggesting connections through religious institutional networks, including St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Church and Catholic educational institutions like The Rivers School and Nativity School.

  • Personal cause connections: The trust supports specific organizations like Hospice Foundation of Palm Beach and the Joey Fund, suggesting these grants stem from personal experiences or family connections to specific causes.

Given this pattern, organizations seeking funding would need to develop genuine, long-term relationships with the Baker family trustees through shared institutional affiliations, particularly in the Boston area or through Georgetown University networks.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - the trust operates on a trustee-discretion model without formal application cycles. Grants are awarded as trustees identify and select organizations throughout the year.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept applications from organizations outside their existing network of relationships.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Application Success Factors

Given that this foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, the primary factor for receiving funding is having an established relationship with the Baker family trustees. Analysis of their grantmaking patterns reveals:

Relationship-Based Funding: The Baker Family Trust awards grants to organizations where family members have direct, personal connections. Examples include:

  • Georgetown University (Jon Baker's alma mater, Patricia Baker serves on Board of Regents)
  • Massachusetts General Hospital (major Boston institution, $1 million grant in 2014)
  • Catholic schools and churches (family's religious affiliation)
  • Boston cultural institutions (local community engagement)

Long-Term Commitments: The trust demonstrates sustained support for chosen institutions rather than one-time gifts. For example, the Campaign for Catholic Schools received $50,000 over a multi-year period (2013-2017).

Transformational Focus: Patricia Baker has stated preferences for educational innovation and "reinventing what a Georgetown education might look like," as evidenced by the Baker Trust for Experiential Learning. The family appears interested in funding that creates transformational change rather than simply maintaining existing programs.

Scale Flexibility: The trust makes grants across a wide spectrum, from smaller community organization support to multi-million dollar institutional gifts, suggesting they evaluate based on relationship and impact rather than predetermined grant sizes.

Geographic Connection: Strong preference for Boston-area organizations and Georgetown University, with limited funding outside these geographic areas unless there's a personal connection (e.g., Palm Beach hospice care).

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process exists - the Baker Family Trust explicitly does not accept unsolicited funding requests and only supports preselected organizations
  • Relationship is paramount - all grants appear to stem from direct family trustee connections, whether through Jon Baker's Georgetown affiliation, Boston-area institutional involvement, or personal cause connections
  • Focus on transformation and innovation - particularly in education, the family supports initiatives that reimagine and transform rather than simply sustain
  • Multi-generational Georgetown commitment - the strongest institutional relationship is with Georgetown University, spanning multiple family generations and resulting in naming gifts exceeding $30 million
  • Boston-area community roots - established cultural, healthcare, and religious institutions in Greater Boston receive consistent support
  • Wide grant range - from tens of thousands to millions, suggesting flexibility based on the project and relationship rather than rigid grant categories
  • Catholic institutional affinity - support for Catholic schools, churches, and faith-based organizations is a recurring theme

References

← Back to US Funders Directory