Davis Family Charitable Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 05-6149205 · since 2007davisfamilycf.org·Connecticut, Massachusetts·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$2.2M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$2,500 to $150k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$25,000

Typical grant (median)

56 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

This foundation does not accept unsolicited requests, so a cold application is unlikely to be considered; its approach is by invitation, so the practical first step is to find a way to be introduced before writing any request.
Its stated themes are education and opportunity, family basic needs, equitable health care, climate and habitat, humanitarian aid and community support, so a small charity should be confident that its work sits clearly within one of them.
Most of its grants are modest: about 8 in 10 of its 142 grants to organisations fall between $2,500 and $150,000, and half are $20,000 or less, so a request around $20,000 is a sensible starting point, though the largest grant in the filings was $290,000 and that band is not a ceiling.
The filing shows that 80% of grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had already funded in an earlier filing, so repeat relationships matter and a first approach is likely to be a slow, relationship-led process rather than a quick win.
No geographic focus is stated, so location alone should not decide whether to approach it.

Overview

Davis Family Charitable Foundation is a US private foundation based in Boston, 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 Foundation supports well-managed, high-performing organisations whose work aligns with its focus areas. It seeks to improve children’s and young people’s prospects through equitable access to education and opportunity, and to support hunger and homelessness prevention and services for unhoused people and families, including immigrant and refugee populations. It backs initiatives that improve access to quality, equitable health care, climate-change mitigation, habitat conservation and restoration, humanitarian aid and disaster relief. Its community support includes access to arts, culture and outdoor spaces, as well as advocacy for a more just and equitable community and a particular commitment to the local Jewish community. It partners with high-impact social-sector organisations and works collaboratively with grantees to strengthen long-term sustainability and promote meaningful impact.

Themes

Education and opportunity
Family basic needs
Equitable health care
Climate and habitat
Humanitarian aid
Community support

Geographic Focus

No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

How to apply

The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 80% 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 142 grants to organisations were $20,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

The foundation supports well-managed, high-performing organisations that align with its areas of focus.
It works collaboratively with grant recipients to strengthen long-term sustainability and promote meaningful impact.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Massachusetts83%

Connecticut8%

New York2%

District of Columbia2%

New Hampshire1%

Oregon<1%

4 other states: 2%

The largest single recipient received 12% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 80% of grant dollars went to organisations Davis Family Charitable Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
6% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

56 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $25,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 56 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$1k–$2.5k2%

$2.5k–$5k13%

$5k–$10k11%

$10k–$25k21%

$25k–$50k20%

$50k–$100k25%

$100k–$250k5%

$250k–$500k4%

Median $25,000 (tax year 2024)

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

Heading Home · Charitable gift
$275,0002024 tax year
WBUR Boston · Charitable gift
$250,0002024 tax year
Save the Children Federation · Charitable gift
$150,0002024 tax year
Brandeis University · Charitable gift
$125,0002024 tax year
Family Aid Boston · Charitable gift
$100,0002024 tax year
Cambridge Health Alliance Foundation · Charitable gift
$75,0002024 tax year
Boston Medical Center · Charitable gift
$75,0002024 tax year
Boston Childrens Hospital · Charitable gift
$70,0002024 tax year

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

Officers and directors

Stephen T Davis — Trustee
Molly Davis Macleod — Trustee / Executive Director
Margot T Davis — Trustee
Jonathan G Davis — Trustee

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$4,126,123	$2,498,000	$46,927,283	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$3,603,877	$2,330,500	$48,208,089	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$3,290,050	$2,240,106	$54,343,476	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.