The Robert and Michelle Cooke Atchinson Foundation

• This Winchester, Massachusetts foundation funds a wide range of causes, including medical research, Catholic elementary education, reproductive health care, mentoring, camps and other programmes for children and young people, substance-use education and treatment, scholarships, orchestral education, community programmes, church support and social services, so check your work fits one of these areas before approaching.
• No geographic focus is stated, though its recorded giving is heavily concentrated in Massachusetts.
• A realistic request would be modest: about 8 in 10 of its 153 grants fall between $5,000 and $150,000, with a median grant of $25,000, though its largest grant reached $2,250,000.
• The foundation says it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a grant writer cannot simply submit a cold proposal and should look for some other route to an invitation.
• Giving looks relationship-led rather than open-competition: 79% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its two prior filings, so new approaches should be made with that pattern in mind.

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

• Massachusetts Eye and Ear · Increase medical research
  $2,250,0002024 tax year
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution · General support
  $1,000,0002024 tax year
• Campaign for Catholic Schools · To strengthen & support catholic elementary schools in boston neighborhoods.
  $525,0202024 tax year
• Upstream · To improve and change reproductive health care
  $300,0002024 tax year
• Camp Harbor View Foundation · To support summer camps and activites provided to boston's at-risk neighborhoods.
  $200,0002024 tax year
• Nantucket Boys and Girls Club · To empower the youth of nantucket to reach their full potential.
  $185,0002024 tax year
• Big Brother Big Sister Central Massmetrowest · Support mentoring for children throughout central massachusetts.
  $150,0002024 tax year
• Boston Childrens Hospital · General support for medical research and support
  $125,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

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.