Mellen Charitable Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and contributes only to organisations it has preselected, so a cold proposal is unlikely to be considered and your best route is a warm introduction through someone who already knows it.
- Most of its grants fall between $250,000 and $1,000,000 and the median is $425,000, so a request in that region fits, although the largest grant was far above that band and the band is not a ceiling.
- Most of its grant dollars go to organisations it has funded before, so an existing relationship matters a great deal.
- Its funded areas are cancer and medical care, reproductive health, employment and vocational training, youth services, education and tutoring, and ocean-life conservation, and the filing shows grants mainly in Connecticut and Massachusetts, which describes past giving rather than a stated geographic focus.
- Total giving has risen each year, reaching $35,658,156 in the latest filing.
Overview
Mellen Charitable Foundation is a US private foundation based in Boston, MA.
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 12 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The grants went to cancer and medical care, reproductive health, employment and vocational training, youth services, education and tutoring, and ocean-life conservation. Their stated purposes include cancer-centre projects and initiatives, reducing unplanned pregnancy, training unemployed or underemployed people for high-demand jobs with family-sustaining wages, and providing career-focused post-secondary degrees. Other grants support young adults’ LifeSet services, direct-service programmes and new initiatives, early education, evidence-based one-to-one tutoring for younger pupils in high-poverty settings, and conservation field staff. Recipients include hospitals and cancer institutes, employment and vocational-service organisations, youth-service providers, public schools, other education organisations, and a conservation institution. Further grants are recorded as general-purpose support or support for a matching-gift campaign.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
How to apply
The foundation contributes only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 94% 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 41 grants to organisations were $425,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
- The largest single recipient received 56% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 94% of grant dollars went to organisations Mellen Charitable Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 60% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 17 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $425k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Jerome Avenue Fund, The Boston Foundation · General purpose - 90,885 sh vti book value $19,385,886mean fmv used for deduction$25,047,9062024 tax year
- Dana-Farber Inc · Dana-farber cancer institute projects and initiatives$4,060,0002024 tax year
- Social Finance · Support training for the unemployed or underemployed to gain access to high-demand jobs that pay family sustaining wages$1,000,0002024 tax year
- Upstream USA · Support upstream usa's mission to expand opportunity by reducing unplanned pregnancy$1,000,0002024 tax year
- Year Up · Direct service programs and new pilots and initiatives$540,0002024 tax year
- Focusing Philanthropy · Jewish vocational service / focusing philanthropy matching gift campaign$537,0002024 tax year
- Youth Villages · Provide young adults with lifeset services$500,0002024 tax year
- Milford Public Schools · Support evidence based 1:1 virtual tutoring through ignite reading to support 1st and 2nd grade students in high poverty$445,5002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Jane Goldstein — Treasurer, Secretary, Director
- Neil Mellen — Chair, Director
- Michael Eisenson — President, Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $5,410,831 | $5,035,000 | $108,116,261 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $7,399,373 | $5,595,000 | $121,447,095 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $37,827,806 | $35,658,156 | $317,973,352 | 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 Mellen Charitable Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
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Contact
- Boston, MA
Applying to Mellen Charitable Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Boston, MA