Burnham Family Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The foundation says it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a cold application is not the route to take.
- Its past grants cover public-school and literacy work, environmental and conservation work, arts and cultural organisations, and civil liberties and digital rights, and no thematic programme is stated, so check whether your work sits within those areas before approaching anyone.
- Typical grants fall between $10,000 and $190,000, with a median of about $32,500, but the largest was about $2,450,000 to Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, so that band is not a ceiling.
- In the filing, 33% of grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had funded before, so the foundation returns to known recipients often, and a warm introduction through an existing connection is the more realistic first step.
Overview
Burnham Family Foundation is a US private foundation based in Wilmington, DE.
What they fund
Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) 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 filings show grants to a varied group of charitable organisations, rather than a stated thematic programme. Recipients include public-school and literacy organisations, with support for teacher development and early literacy; environmental and conservation organisations, including work on wetlands and Long Island Sound; and arts and cultural organisations. Other recipients work in civil liberties and digital rights. Many payments are recorded simply as general and unrestricted support, alongside grants for specific projects and maintenance. The record describes past recipients and purposes, not published eligibility criteria or an open application route.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Ohio, Massachusetts and New York.
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 33% 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 66 grants to organisations were about $32,500 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
3 other states: <1%
- The largest single recipient received 34% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 33% of grant dollars went to organisations Burnham Family Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 64% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 45 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $29,662 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- New City Parks · General & Unrestricted$200,0002024 tax year
- Billion Oyster Project · Mitigation Bank Development Fund (see general explanation)$155,4992024 tax year
- Lighthouse Works · Hoffort House Maintenance Reserve Fund (see general explanation)$155,4992024 tax year
- Lighthouse Works · General & Unrestricted (see general explanation)$120,8042024 tax year
- Architectural League of New York · General & Unrestricted (see general explanation)$100,9072024 tax year
- Trust for Public Land · NYC Community Schoolyards$100,0002024 tax year
- Walsh Park Benevolent Corporation · Maintenance Fund$100,0002024 tax year
- Teaching Matters · Teacher Professional Development in connection with NYC Reads (see general explanation)$98,9962024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- R Bradford Burnham III — Trustee
- Mary Buttrick Burnham — Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $3,589,438 | $2,795,744 | $49,530,347 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $3,484,420 | $3,048,879 | $65,344,173 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $2,864,198 | $2,322,108 | $83,747,700 | 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.
Sources
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At a glance
Applying to Burnham Family Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (631) 252-4145
- Wilmington, DE
Applying to Burnham Family Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (631) 252-4145
- Wilmington, DE