Forrest C And Frances H Lattner Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $2,700,000
• Total Assets: $52,600,000
• Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed (preselected organisations)
• Grant Range: $5,000 - $330,000
• Median Grant: $11,250
• Number of Grants: 62-76 annually
• Geographic Focus: Vermont, Rhode Island, California, Washington DC

Contact Details

Email: dwhollenbeck@mac.com
Phone: (561) 266-9494
Address: 4416 Spear St, Shelburne, VT 05482
Location: East Greenwich, RI (formally registered)

Overview

The Forrest C And Frances H Lattner Foundation Inc was established in 2005 as a private family foundation with assets from the original Forrest C. Lattner Foundation. Named after Forrest and Frances Lattner, the foundation is now managed by their descendants, the Hollenbeck family. With approximately $52.6 million in assets, the foundation distributes around $2.7 million annually across 62-76 grants. The foundation focuses primarily on environmental conservation, organic agriculture, education, and health and social services. Geographic priorities align with where trustees reside, particularly Vermont, Rhode Island, California, and Washington DC, though historical funding also extended to Georgia, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and the San Francisco Bay area. The foundation operates as a traditional family foundation with trustees actively involved in selecting grant recipients.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

The foundation does not operate formal grant programmes with set cycles or categories. Instead, it makes discretionary grants to preselected organisations. Grant amounts vary widely:

• Small Grants: $5,000 - $20,000 (majority of grants)
• Medium Grants: $25,000 - $100,000 (environmental initiatives)
• Large Grants: $100,000 - $330,000 (major organisations and multi-year commitments)

Priority Areas

Environment & Conservation (Primary Focus):

• Ocean conservation and marine protection programmes
• Plastic pollution initiatives
• Coastal resilience and climate adaptation
• Land conservation and preservation
• Organic farming and sustainable agriculture

Education:

• Food systems education
• Environmental education programmes

Health & Social Services:

• Community health initiatives
• Social service organisations

What They Don't Fund

• Organisations outside their geographic focus areas
• Individual requests
• For-profit entities
• Organisations without 501(c)(3) status

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees:

• David W. Hollenbeck - Chairman (based in Shelburne, VT)
• Douglas W. Hollenbeck - Trustee (based in Westerly, RI)
• Drew H. Hollenbeck - Trustee (served until his passing in July 2024)

Staff:

• Kim Newton - Fund Manager

The foundation is managed by the Hollenbeck brothers, grandsons of founders Forrest and Frances Lattner. Their mother, Susan Lattner Lloyd, previously served as President of the foundation. The trustees receive compensation for their roles, with David W. Hollenbeck receiving $225,042 in 2024, reflecting significant time commitment to foundation management and grant selection.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organisations" and "does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

Grants are awarded through trustee discretion, with organisations selected proactively by the board members based on their knowledge of and connection to causes in their geographic areas of interest.

Formal Application Requirements (for preselected organisations):

1. Certification, application, project description & budget pages
2. Copy of organisation's 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter
3. Most recent financial statements or tax return
4. List of officers and directors

Application Deadlines: June 30 and December 31 (for preselected organisations)

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. Organisations selected by trustees are contacted directly.

Success Rates

Not applicable for unsolicited applications, as the foundation does not accept them. All grants are awarded to trustee-selected organisations.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly disclosed. Ongoing relationships appear common, with some organisations receiving multi-year or repeated support.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation only funds preselected organisations, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, analysing their funding patterns reveals key characteristics of organisations they support:

Geographic Connection: Organisations must operate in or benefit regions where trustees reside (Vermont, Rhode Island, California, Washington DC). This is explicitly stated as a funding criterion.

Environmental Focus: The majority of significant grants ($100,000+) support environmental conservation organisations, particularly those addressing:

• Ocean health and marine conservation (Ocean Conservancy: $165,000-$170,000)
• Plastic pollution (Surfrider Foundation: $130,000-$165,000)
• Coastal resilience (The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island: $100,000)
• Organic agriculture (Real Organic Project: $330,000)

Established Organisations: Grant recipients tend to be well-established national or regional organisations with proven track records rather than small grassroots initiatives.

Multi-Year Support: The foundation demonstrates commitment to causes through repeated funding to the same organisations across multiple years, suggesting they value long-term relationships over one-off grants.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No Public Application Process: This foundation cannot be approached through traditional grant applications. They proactively select all grant recipients.
• Geographic Restrictions: Strong preference for Vermont, Rhode Island, California, and Washington DC where trustees reside.
• Environmental Priority: Environmental conservation, particularly ocean health, coastal resilience, and organic agriculture, receives the largest grants ($100,000-$330,000).
• Relationship-Based: All funding decisions are made through trustee discretion and existing relationships rather than competitive application processes.
• Established Organisations: Recent grant recipients are primarily established regional or national non-profit organisations rather than small or emerging organisations.
• Contact Carefully: While unsolicited applications are not accepted, inquiries to dwhollenbeck@mac.com may be appropriate if your organisation has strong alignment with their mission and operates in their geographic areas.

References

• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Forrest C And Frances H Lattner Foundation Inc (EIN 20-3106502), Form 990-PF filings for 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/203106502 (Accessed January 2026)
• Grantmakers.io Profile - Forrest C and Frances H Lattner Foundation Inc. https://www.grantmakers.io/profiles/v0/203106502-forrest-c-and-frances-h-lattner-foundation-inc/ (Accessed January 2026)
• Foundation Directory Online (Candid) - Forrest C & Frances H Lattner Foundation. https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile?key=LATT018 (Accessed January 2026)
• Instrumentl 990 Report - Forrest C And Frances H Lattner Foundation. https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/forrest-c-and-frances-h-lattner-foundation (Accessed January 2026)
• Charity Navigator Profile - Forrest C and Frances H Lattner Foundation Inc. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/203106502 (Accessed January 2026)
• GrantStation - Forrest C. and Frances H. Lattner Foundation. https://grantstation.com/grantmakers/forrest-c-and-frances-h-lattner-foundation (Accessed January 2026)