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Reeder Foundation

Annual Giving
$4.5M
Grant Range
$50K - $0.8M

Reeder Foundation - Funder Overview

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $4,460,185 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $50,000 - $800,000
  • Grant Median: $250,000
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily Massachusetts, with some national reach
  • Total Assets: $62.7 million (2023)

Contact Details

Address: c/o PAR Capital Management, Boston, MA

Note: The foundation does not maintain a public website, email, or phone contact for grant inquiries. It operates through PAR Capital Management.

Overview

The Reeder Foundation was established in October 2001 as a private grantmaking foundation. Founded by Paul A. Reeder III, the foundation reflects his commitment to education and youth development, with particular emphasis on workforce development and social mobility initiatives. With total assets of $62.7 million and annual giving of approximately $4.5 million, the foundation operates as a strategic philanthropic vehicle that supports preselected charitable organizations. The foundation distributed $4,460,185 in grants in 2023 across 11 awards, focusing primarily on education, workforce development, and youth services organizations in the Boston area and beyond. The foundation's approach is highly selective, with a median grant size of $250,000, reflecting substantial multi-year commitments to proven organizations aligned with its mission.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Reeder Foundation does not operate formal grant programs with application cycles. All grants are made at the discretion of the trustee to preselected organizations.

Recent Grant Recipients (2023):

  • Year Up: $800,000 - Workforce development for young adults
  • Merit America: $500,000 - Skills training and career advancement
  • Duet Inc: $300,000 - Education and social services
  • Greenlight Fund: $250,000 - Evidence-based social innovations
  • Social Finance: $250,000 - Social impact investing

The foundation typically awards 11-12 grants annually, with individual grants ranging from approximately $50,000 to $800,000.

Priority Areas

Education & Workforce Development:

  • Youth education programs
  • Workforce training and job placement
  • Skills development for underserved populations
  • Education policy and teacher empowerment
  • College access and support

Social Mobility:

  • Programs serving low-income children and young adults
  • Career advancement initiatives
  • Evidence-based interventions with measurable outcomes

Geographic Priorities:

  • Strong preference for Massachusetts, particularly Greater Boston
  • Secondary funding in Washington, DC, New York, West Virginia, and California
  • Local organizations with direct service delivery

Historic Recipients Include:

  • Cradles to Crayons (serving low-income children in Boston)
  • Teach for America – Boston
  • Teach Plus (teacher leadership and policy)
  • Oberlin College (founder's alma mater)
  • MIT (founder's graduate institution)

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly documented, the foundation's giving history indicates it does not fund:

  • Organizations outside education and youth development
  • Capital campaigns or building projects
  • General operating support for large institutions
  • Arts, culture, or environmental causes
  • Healthcare or medical research
  • Religious organizations
  • International programs

Governance and Leadership

Trustee: Paul A. Reeder III serves as the sole trustee and decision-maker for the foundation. He dedicates approximately 1 hour per week to foundation activities and receives no compensation for this role.

Background: Paul Arlington Reeder III is the founder and president of PAR Capital Management, a Boston-based private investment partnership focusing on travel and online media industries. Founded in 1990, PAR Capital manages over $5 billion in assets. Prior to founding PAR Capital, Reeder worked as an airline analyst at Loomis, Sayles & Co.

Education:

  • B.A., Oberlin College (1983)
  • M.B.A., MIT Sloan School of Management (1985)

Reeder's educational background informs the foundation's strong support for education-focused organizations, including his alma maters. His professional success in investment management has enabled him to build the foundation's asset base from initial establishment in 2001 to over $62 million today.

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 organizations" and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Grants are made entirely at the discretion of the trustee, Paul A. Reeder III, based on his philanthropic priorities and existing relationships with organizations. The foundation does not maintain a website, public email, or phone line for grant inquiries.

Getting on Their Radar

Given the foundation's invitation-only structure, organizations seeking funding should understand that the Reeder Foundation identifies grantees through:

Existing Networks and Relationships:

  • Organizations connected to Paul Reeder's professional and educational networks (PAR Capital Management, Oberlin College, MIT)
  • Boston-area education and workforce development ecosystem connections
  • Organizations that have received grants from similar education-focused Boston foundations

Proven Track Record: The foundation's grant history shows preference for:

  • Established organizations with demonstrated impact in workforce development (Year Up, Merit America)
  • Evidence-based programs with measurable outcomes (Greenlight Fund focuses on proven interventions)
  • Organizations operating at significant scale in education and youth services
  • Programs with strong presence in Greater Boston

Alignment with Peer Funders: Organizations funded by the Reeder Foundation often receive support from similar education-focused funders in Boston. Building relationships with complementary foundations may increase visibility within this philanthropic network.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly disclosed. As a private foundation with a single trustee making all grant decisions, the process is not bound by formal review cycles or committee meetings.

Success Rates

Not applicable. The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable. The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. However, grant history shows the foundation maintains multi-year relationships with key grantees, with organizations like Year Up receiving substantial support over multiple years.

Application Success Factors

Since the Reeder Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, there is no public application process. However, analysis of the foundation's grantmaking patterns reveals the following characteristics of successful grantees:

Focus on Workforce Development and Economic Mobility: Recent grants show clear prioritization of organizations that help young adults and underserved populations gain employment skills and advance careers. Year Up (largest grant at $800,000) and Merit America ($500,000) both focus explicitly on workforce training and job placement.

Evidence-Based Approaches: The foundation supports organizations that use proven interventions and measure outcomes. The Greenlight Fund, for example, specializes in identifying and scaling evidence-based social programs.

Substantial, Meaningful Grants: With a median grant of $250,000 and grants ranging to $800,000, the foundation makes significant commitments rather than small, token grants. This suggests preference for organizations that can effectively deploy and report on substantial funding.

Boston Connection: While not exclusively local, the foundation shows strong preference for organizations with Boston presence or serving Greater Boston communities, reflecting the trustee's base and professional connections.

Unrestricted Funding: The majority of grants are unrestricted, indicating trust in grantee organizations to deploy funds where most needed rather than project-specific restrictions.

Long-Term Relationships: Rather than spreading small grants across many organizations, the foundation appears to build sustained relationships with a focused portfolio of high-performing organizations in its priority areas.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: This foundation cannot be approached through traditional grant proposals. It identifies and selects grantees through trustee discretion and existing relationships.

  • Focus on Workforce Development: Recent grantmaking heavily emphasizes workforce training, skills development, and economic mobility programs for young adults and underserved populations.

  • Substantial Grant Sizes: With median grants of $250,000 and top grants reaching $800,000, the foundation makes meaningful commitments to organizations that can effectively utilize significant funding.

  • Boston-Centric with National Reach: Strong preference for Greater Boston organizations, with selective funding to proven national organizations operating in Massachusetts or aligned priority areas.

  • Evidence and Outcomes Matter: Funded organizations demonstrate measurable impact, use evidence-based approaches, and operate at meaningful scale.

  • Educational Networks: The founder's connections to Oberlin College and MIT, plus his Boston-based investment firm (PAR Capital Management), inform the foundation's philanthropic network and priorities.

  • Strategic, Not Reactive: With only 11 grants annually and a focused portfolio, this is a highly strategic funder making deliberate choices rather than responding to broad community requests.

References

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