Seherr-Thoss Charitable Trust
At a glance
Key takeaways
- If your organisation is a tax-exempt, religious or municipality-affiliated body serving Litchfield, including Bantam, East Litchfield, Milton and Northfield, or an out-of-town group serving Litchfield residents, and your work is cultural, educational, health-related, religious or civic, the foundation may fit your work.
- Most grants are modest: about 8 in 10 fall between $4,700 and $90,000 and half are $18,000 or less, so a request in that typical band suits it better than the largest grant of about $550,000.
- Apply online through the applicant information page in a spring or fall cycle, checking the deadline the Board posts for that cycle.
- According to the filing, 77% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded in earlier filings, so it gives much of its money to repeat grantees, and a first approach should be made with that in mind.
- Do not apply for individuals, annual appeals, general endowment funds, salaries, operating expenses, trips, concerts or events, or for municipalities outside Litchfield.
Overview
Seherr-Thoss Charitable Trust is a US private foundation based in Garden City, NY.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2025, TY2024, TY2023) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Seherr-Thoss Foundations support cultural, educational, health-related, religious and civic organisations serving the people and communities of Litchfield, including Bantam, East Litchfield, Milton and Northfield. Their grant information describes major support for specific capital projects as the central purpose, with priority given to large capital grants. They also accept smaller requests from smaller organisations and seed money for vital start-up programmes, and look favourably on matching grant requests. Eligible applicants include tax-exempt organisations, organisations affiliated with a municipal entity within or associated with the Town of Litchfield, and recognised religious organisations. Out-of-town organisations can also receive support when they serve Litchfield residents.
Themes
- Cultural organisations
- Educational organisations
- Health-related organisations
- Religious organisations
- Civic organisations
Geographic Focus
Priority: Litchfield.
What They Don't Fund
- Municipalities or departments other than those in Litchfield
- Individuals
- Annual appeals
- General endowment funds
- Programs
- Salaries
- Operating expenses
- Trips
- Concerts
- Events
How to apply
Applicants use the online application; instructions are linked on the applicant information page.
Deadlines: Applications follow spring and fall cycles; the Board determines and posts each cycle's deadline.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2025 filing, 77% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2023 or TY2024 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2023, TY2024 and TY2025 filings, half of its 68 grants to organisations were $18,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The Foundations give priority to large capital grants.
- The Foundations accept smaller requests from smaller organisations and seed money for vital start-up programmes.
- The Foundations look favourably upon requests for matching grants.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2023–2025.
Grant dollars by state
- The largest single recipient received 45% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2025, 77% of grant dollars went to organisations Seherr-Thoss Charitable Trust had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 26 grants in tax year 2025 by size
Median $16,500 (tax year 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Litchfield Community Center · General support$548,0942025 tax year
- Litchfield Department of Public Works Parks and Recreation · General support$125,1992025 tax year
- Arethusa Farm Foundation · General support$80,0002025 tax year
- Litchfield Fire Company · General support$60,1002025 tax year
- American Legion Morgan-Weir Post 27 · General support$50,0002025 tax year
- Litchfield Housing Authority · General support$45,0002025 tax year
- Litchfield Historical Society · General support$40,2062025 tax year
- Northfield Volunteer Fire Company · General support$35,0002025 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Hilary Barhydt — Board Member
- Denise Raap — Board Member
- Andrew Roraback — Board Member
- Ann Borzilleri — Board Member
- Tracy Keilty — Secretary
- Matt Karpas — Treasurer
- Michele Saunders — President
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 tax year | $1,176,990 | $1,145,626 | $24,213,359 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $1,242,170 | $1,104,531 | $26,692,626 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
| 2025 tax year | $1,363,279 | $1,219,874 | $29,208,244 | Filing for 2025 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 Seherr-Thoss Charitable Trust?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- secretary@seherr-thoss.org
- Garden City, NY
- seherr-thoss.org
Applying to Seherr-Thoss Charitable Trust?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- secretary@seherr-thoss.org
- Garden City, NY
- seherr-thoss.org