Vela Foundation

• The foundation supports equitable healthy living in underserved communities through food access, nutrition education, family uplift and research, so a request fits best when the work sits clearly within one of these areas.
• Its typical grants fall between $5,000 and $25,000, with a median of $10,000, and about 8 in 10 of its 74 grants fall in that band, so a modest request near $10,000 is a sensible size; the largest grant was $100,000, so the band is not a ceiling.
• Applications are rolling, and the foundation asks for a brief overview covering programme focus, geographic scope, programme reach and general funding needs, so a short letter with those four points is the right starting point.
• The filing shows that 91% of grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had funded in an earlier filing, so existing relationships seem to matter, but this is a share of dollars and a newer organisation should still apply.
• No geographic focus is stated, and the filing shows grants mainly in Massachusetts, New York and Florida, so an organisation elsewhere should set out its geographic scope clearly rather than assume it is excluded.

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

• Albertus Magnus High School · General use
  $81,8442024 tax year
• Community Servings · General use
  $25,0002024 tax year
• Wide Horizons for Children · General use
  $25,0002024 tax year
• Boston Medical Center · General use
  $25,0002024 tax year
• Adopt-A-Family · General use
  $25,0002024 tax year
• Cape Cod Council of Churches · General use
  $25,0002024 tax year
• Family Pantry of Cape Cod · General use
  $20,0002024 tax year
• Coastal Foodshed · General use
  $20,0002024 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.