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Cardinal Brook Trust

Annual Giving
$0.0M
Grant Range
$3K - $0.0M
00

Cardinal Brook Trust - Funder Overview

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $24,625 (2023); $2,470,288 (2022); $2,975,466 (2021)
  • Total Assets: $125 million (2024)
  • Grant Range: $2,500 - $10,000 (based on 2023 awards)
  • Geographic Focus: Massachusetts and Vermont (particularly rural communities)
  • Application Process: Invitation only - does not accept unsolicited applications

Contact Details

Location: Boston, MA
EIN: 04-3050557
Note: This foundation does not accept unsolicited funding requests and does not maintain public contact information for grant inquiries.

Overview

Cardinal Brook Trust is a private foundation established in 1988 and based in Boston, Massachusetts. With total assets of $125 million as of 2024, the foundation focuses its grantmaking on environmental programs, health care, and education. The foundation's grantmaking fluctuates significantly year to year, with $2.97 million distributed in 2021, $2.47 million in 2022, but only $24,625 in 2023 across 5 awards. Major donors are David Davis and Karen Davis, who along with family members Hannah Johnson, Nathan Davis, Jacob Davis, and Rebecca Aures serve as the six trustees. The foundation operates with a capital-preservation approach and makes all grants to preselected charitable organizations, primarily supporting rural communities and underserved populations in Massachusetts and Vermont.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not maintain formal grant programs with application cycles. Instead, trustees identify and select beneficiaries at their discretion. Recent grants suggest general operating support rather than project-specific funding.

2023 Grant Recipients (5 awards totaling $24,625):

  • Martha's Vineyard Vision Fellowship: $10,000
  • Unitarian Universalist of Petersham: $5,000
  • Potash Hill: $4,000
  • Barre Center for Buddhist Studies: $3,125
  • Tri-Parish Community Church: $2,500

Priority Areas

Based on the foundation's stated focus and observable grantmaking patterns:

  • Environmental Programs: Conservation organizations, sustainable agriculture initiatives, and land conservation
  • Health Care: Health centers serving rural and underserved populations
  • Education: Educational institutions, particularly those in rural areas
  • Faith-Based Organizations: Unitarian Universalist congregations and Buddhist centers
  • Rural Community Development: Organizations serving smaller communities in Massachusetts and Vermont

Geographic Focus

  • Primary focus: Massachusetts (particularly central and western regions including Berkshire County)
  • Secondary focus: Vermont
  • Strong preference for rural communities and smaller towns over major metropolitan areas

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the foundation's grantmaking patterns suggest:

  • Organizations outside Massachusetts and Vermont
  • Large, well-funded national organizations
  • Organizations without a connection to the trustees or their interests
  • Capital campaigns or major infrastructure projects (based on small grant sizes in recent years)

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees (all serving 1 hour/week with no compensation):

  • David Davis - Major donor and trustee
  • Karen Davis - Major donor and trustee
  • Hannah Johnson - Trustee
  • Nathan Davis - Trustee
  • Jacob Davis - Trustee
  • Rebecca Aures - Trustee

The foundation operates as a family foundation with David and Karen Davis as the primary donors. The six-member board includes family members who collectively determine grant allocations.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process.

According to their official filings, "The foundation has indicated it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

All grants are made to organizations identified and selected by the trustees. There is no application portal, no application deadlines, and no process for organizations to submit proposals.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are awarded at trustee discretion to preselected organizations.

Success Rates

Not applicable for unsolicited applications. Organizations not already known to the trustees have effectively a 0% chance of receiving funding through cold outreach.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Application Success Factors

Given the invitation-only nature of this foundation, traditional "application success factors" do not apply. However, observable patterns from their grantmaking include:

Organizations Most Likely to Receive Support:

  • Small to mid-sized organizations in rural Massachusetts and Vermont
  • Faith-based organizations, particularly Unitarian Universalist and Buddhist centers
  • Environmental and conservation organizations working in New England
  • Educational institutions serving rural communities
  • Health centers serving underserved populations
  • Organizations with connections to the Davis family or trustees

Grant Characteristics:

  • General operating support rather than project-specific grants
  • Modest grant amounts (typically $2,500-$10,000 in recent years)
  • Multi-year relationships suggested by the significant variation in annual grantmaking (possibly larger institutional grants in some years, smaller supplemental grants in others)

Critical Success Factor: The single most important factor is having a pre-existing relationship with one or more trustees. Without this connection, receiving funding is not possible given the foundation's stated policy.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. No Public Application Process: Do not waste time preparing unsolicited proposals - the foundation explicitly does not accept them
  2. Relationship-Driven Grantmaking: All funding goes to organizations already known to the trustees through personal connections
  3. Variable Annual Giving: The foundation's grantmaking varies dramatically year to year (from $24,625 to nearly $3 million), suggesting they may make larger institutional grants periodically
  4. Rural New England Focus: Strong preference for organizations serving rural communities in Massachusetts and Vermont
  5. Family Foundation Structure: Decisions are made by a small family board, making relationship-building with trustees essential
  6. Diverse Interest Areas: Despite stated focus on environment, health, and education, recent grants show support for faith communities and cultural organizations
  7. Not a Viable Prospect for Most Organizations: Unless your organization already has connections to the Davis family or trustees, Cardinal Brook Trust should not be included in your prospect list

References

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