Charles Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- Charles Foundation, based in Morristown, NJ, states that it does not accept unsolicited requests and its filing describes it as giving to preselected organisations, so a cold application is unlikely to be considered.
- If you have a genuine route in, its grant record leans towards education and medical work, with schools, colleges, hospitals and health-care organisations the closest fit, and it also records religious, environmental, social services, arts and counselling grants.
- Its typical grants run from $5,000 to $100,000 with a median of $10,000, though its largest grant was $500,000, so a modest request sits well within its usual pattern.
- Repeat giving is strong, with 55% of its grant dollars going to organisations it had already funded, so a relationship built over time matters more than a first approach.
- The filings show grants mainly in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maine, but no geographic focus is stated, so that pattern is not a rule about who may apply.
Overview
Charles Foundation is a US private foundation based in Morristown, NJ.
What they fund
Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2025, TY2024, TY2023) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The grant record is led by education, followed by medical purposes. Recipients include schools, colleges and universities, alongside hospitals and health-care organisations. It also records grants for religious purposes and for environmental work, conservation, social services, arts and counselling. Among the organisations shown are educational institutions, medical centres, churches, a public library, historical societies, a lake group and a performing arts centre. The filing identifies preselected charitable organisations as the recipients of its contributions, rather than describing an open application route for prospective applicants.
Themes
From its grants, not stated by the foundation:
- Education
- Medical
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maine.
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2025 filing, 55% 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 157 grants to organisations were $10,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2023–2025.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 7%
- The largest single recipient received 13% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2025, 55% of grant dollars went to organisations Charles Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 2% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 20 grants in tax year 2025 by size
Median $12,500 (tax year 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Bridgewater-Hebron Village School · Education$500,0002025 tax year
- Morristown Medical Center Foundation · Medical$100,0002025 tax year
- Presbyterian Church in Morristown · Religious$100,0002025 tax year
- Yale School of Forestry-Broad Arrow Scholarship · Education$100,0002025 tax year
- Kent Place School · Education$100,0002025 tax year
- Dartmouth College · Education$100,0002025 tax year
- Wilton United Methodist Church · Religious$50,0002025 tax year
- Missoula Christian Montessori School · Education$50,0002025 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Robert R Rooke — Vice President / Trustee
- Shirleen Offerman — Secretary / Trustee
- Robert C Rooke Jr — President / Treasurer / Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 tax year | $2,430,323 | $2,303,000 | $43,140,422 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $2,710,537 | $2,220,000 | $49,047,312 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
| 2025 tax year | $1,275,055 | $1,225,000 | $22,232,089 | 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
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At a glance
Applying to Charles Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Morristown, NJ
Applying to Charles Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Morristown, NJ