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Charles F. and Beatrice D. Adams Charitable Trust

Annual Giving
$2.1M
Grant Range
$25K - $0.1M

Charles F. and Beatrice D. Adams Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $2,091,000 (2024)
  • Average Grant Size: ~$65,000
  • Number of Grants: 32 grants (2024), 28 grants (2023)
  • Total Assets: $85.4 million (2024)
  • Geographic Focus: Downeast Maine and Massachusetts
  • Application Method: Invitation only

Contact Details

Address:
Charles F. and Beatrice D. Adams Charitable Trust
c/o Choate Wealth
2 International Place, Suite 3000
Boston, MA 02110

Website: https://www.cfadamstrust.org/

Note: The Trust does not accept unsolicited proposals. Organizations are invited to submit requests after the Trust determines there is a potential fit with their funding interests.

Overview

The Charles F. and Beatrice D. Adams Charitable Trust was established in 1987 by Charles Francis Adams, a direct descendant of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Adams served as president and later chairman of Raytheon Company and was a dedicated civic leader and avid sailor. Following his death in 1999 and the death of his wife Beatrice in October 2022, the Trust's assets grew to approximately $85.4 million. The Trust focuses exclusively on two areas: enhancing quality of life in the Downeast region of Maine (a region Adams knew from his sailing adventures) and improving children's behavioral health in Massachusetts. In 2024, Tom Boutureira joined as the Trust's first full-time Executive Director, marking a new chapter while maintaining the founders' commitment to relationship-building, collaboration, and systems change.

Funding Priorities

Geographic and Thematic Focus

Downeast Maine (began 2000)

  • Place-based approach addressing fisheries, economic development, substance use response, arts economy, and services for children and families
  • Strengthening nonprofit infrastructure and encouraging linkages among service providers
  • The Trust helped create the Downeast Nonprofit Network, which draws together executive directors from different sectors and fosters collaborative initiatives
  • Mission: "to encourage Downeast Maine communities to work together to preserve their local cultural heritage, improve their quality of life, adapt to a changing environment, and achieve a sustainable economy"

Children's Behavioral Health in Massachusetts (began 2002)

  • Systems reform rather than direct service delivery
  • Advocacy efforts to advance access to clinical services, promote family engagement, reduce stigma, and strengthen legal protections
  • Research and demonstration projects addressing emerging issues (psychiatric boarding in emergency rooms, foster care-related behavioral health challenges)
  • Community-based arts therapy programs
  • School-based strategies enabling school personnel to address how behavioral health issues impact student learning

Grant Examples

  • Maine Seacoast Mission/Downeast Community Partners: $75,000 for housing rehabilitation and weatherization partnership (improved 60+ homes since 2015)
  • Healthy Acadia: Recipient of funding (amount not disclosed)
  • Downeast Maine Tiny House Project: Supported collaborative housing work

Strategic Approach

The Trust supports "organizations whose talented people change lives and strengthen communities through creative strategies and comprehensive solutions." They prioritize funding in areas "where the needs are great and private sector resources are limited" and favor backing "talented leaders and key organizations when such backing could make a significant difference." The Trust plays an active role in convening funders to share knowledge and inspire collective action.

What They Don't Fund

  • Direct service delivery in the children's behavioral health area (explicitly stated)
  • Organizations outside their two geographic focus areas (Downeast Maine and Massachusetts)
  • The Trust does not support the institutions Charles Adams personally favored during his lifetime (Harvard University, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, United Way of Massachusetts Bay), instead focusing on "new ways to carry on his legacy"

Governance and Leadership

Trustees

Janet C. Taylor - Managing Trustee and Board Chair ($50,000 compensation)

  • Independent philanthropic advisor
  • Previously led Associated Grant Makers (now Philanthropy Massachusetts)
  • Directed Raytheon's corporate giving program
  • For 20 years affiliated with Ropes & Gray LLP as a Philanthropic Advisor

Edward P. Lawrence, Esq. - Trustee ($30,000 compensation)

  • Retired partner at Ropes & Gray
  • Served as Charles Adams' attorney
  • Former Chairman of Partners Healthcare System and Massachusetts General Hospital boards

Marc J. Bloostein, Esq. - Trustee ($30,000 compensation)

  • Partner at Choate Wealth
  • Specializes in estate planning and trust administration
  • Served as legal advisor to Mr. and Mrs. Adams

Executive Director

Tom Boutureira - First Executive Director (started July 28, 2024) ($110,000 compensation)

  • Previously Senior Community Partner and Director of Change Management at Elmina B. Sewall Foundation (Maine) for 10 years
  • Prior leadership at The Conservation Fund and Downeast Coastal Conservancy
  • Former Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia (3 years)
  • University of Maine at Machias graduate, fluent in Spanish
  • Quote: "I'm eager to continue its important role in convening funders to share knowledge and inspire collective action."

Advisors

Karen Darcy - Pediatric nurse practitioner, retired from Boston Children's Hospital where she directed the Child Behavioral Health Policy and Advocacy Program

Janet Henry - Trustee of Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust; retired Maine Philanthropy Center president and former Maine Community Foundation vice president

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The Charles F. and Beatrice D. Adams Charitable Trust does not accept unsolicited proposals. Organizations are invited to submit requests only after the Trust has made a determination that there is a potential fit with their funding interests.

The Trust identifies potential grantees through:

  • Relationships with advisors, advocates, providers, policy makers, and other funders
  • Participation in funder collaboratives and networks
  • Their role in convening funders and community stakeholders
  • Monitoring of community needs and organizational leadership in their two focus areas

Getting on Their Radar

The Trust has created and actively participates in collaborative networks, specifically:

  • Downeast Nonprofit Network: The Trust helped establish this network that brings together executive directors from different sectors in Downeast Maine to foster collaborative initiatives
  • Funder Convenings: Executive Director Tom Boutureira has emphasized continuing "the Trust's important role in convening funders to share knowledge and inspire collective action"
  • Initial Partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation: In 2002, the Trust partnered with this foundation for a five-year "Building Bridges in Children's Mental Health" initiative, demonstrating their openness to collaborative funding relationships

Organizations working in Downeast Maine or on children's behavioral health in Massachusetts should:

  • Participate in relevant sector networks where Trust staff and advisors are active
  • Demonstrate collaborative approaches and partnerships with other organizations
  • Focus on systems change and strengthening nonprofit infrastructure rather than isolated programs
  • Connect with the Downeast Nonprofit Network if working in Maine

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed, as the Trust operates on an invitation-only basis. Timeline likely varies based on the nature of the relationship and project.

Application Success Factors

Since the Trust operates on an invitation-only basis, success depends on alignment with their strategic approach and values:

Demonstrated Collaborative Approach

  • The Trust values "relationship-building and their supportive, collaborative approach to working with organizations and leaders—and to centering community voices"
  • Example: Their $75,000 grant to Maine Seacoast Mission supported a partnership with Downeast Community Partners; according to Mission President John Zavodny, "This is an impactful and ongoing partnership between like-minded organizations"
  • The Trust's funding often serves as catalytic capital that attracts additional support from other funders

Systems Change Focus

  • In Massachusetts children's behavioral health work, the Trust explicitly does not fund direct service delivery
  • They support "broad-based efforts to reform and improve the behavioral health delivery system"
  • They back "organizations and collaboratives that are driving critical initiatives and systems change"

Talented Leadership

  • The Trust's philosophy emphasizes "enriching lives, backing talent, engaging volunteers and improving communities"
  • They prioritize support for "talented leaders and key organizations when such backing could make a significant difference"

Place-Based Strategy (for Downeast Maine)

  • Organizations must demonstrate understanding of the region's unique challenges and assets
  • The Trust recognizes "the abundant natural resources and the resilient population of the region while also aware of the significant community needs and lack of philanthropic investment"
  • Projects should address multiple aspects of community life: fisheries, economic development, substance use response, arts economy, and services for children and families

Infrastructure Strengthening

  • The Trust makes grants "to strengthen the nonprofit infrastructure and encourage linkages among the service providers"
  • They created the Downeast Nonprofit Network to foster this ecosystem approach

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation-only model: You cannot submit an unsolicited proposal. Focus on building relationships through networks, collaboratives, and sector events where Trust staff and advisors participate
  • Geographic restrictions are absolute: Only Downeast Maine and Massachusetts children's behavioral health initiatives are considered
  • Collaboration is essential: The Trust strongly prefers partnerships between organizations over solo efforts. Their $75,000 housing grant supported a collaboration, not a single organization
  • Systems change over direct service: Especially for children's behavioral health work, the Trust explicitly funds advocacy, research, and policy work rather than clinical service delivery
  • Long-term commitment: The Trust began Downeast Maine work in 2000 and children's behavioral health in 2002, demonstrating patience and sustained engagement with their focus areas
  • Leverage matters: Trust funding is designed to attract additional resources from other funders and strengthen collaborative initiatives
  • New leadership in 2024: Executive Director Tom Boutureira brings deep Maine experience and commitment to funder collaboration, representing both continuity and fresh perspective

References

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