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Massachusetts · Private foundation

Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$269k
Granted FY2024(still arriving)
54
Grants FY2024
60
Organizations funded FY2023
12%
First-time grantees FY2023
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2024
$300
Largest grant, FY2024
$130,739
Organizations funded a year
53 to 60
FY2020 to FY2023
States reached, FY2024
5
Total assets, FY2024
$1.9M
Applications
Preselected organizations only
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2023, 12% of the organizations Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 2% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 98% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $7k went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’21’22’23
Arts & CultureHealthInternationalHuman ServicesEducationOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2024still arriving53$259k11%
FY202360$297k12%
FY202259$110k27%
FY202155$68k35%
FY202053$82kn/a
99% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Health$386kArts & Culture$324kPhilanthropy$53kCommunity Improvement$35kReligion$20kHuman Services$11kEducation$9kInternational$7kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

VT
MT
IL
NY
MA
OH
PA
NJ
CT
DC
GA
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2020 to FY2024, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc$292,93940%
Handel and Haydn Society$177,95041%
Huntington Theatre Co Inc$107,90050%
Paradigm for Parity$20,00041%
Temple Beth Elohim$18,1475n/a
Shakespeare & Company Inc$15,00050%
Boston Ballet Inc$12,75050%
The Committee of 200$10,00010%
Babson College$5,00050%
Medshare International Inc$4,50020%
Show all 62 grantees
All grantees of Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc$292,93940%
Handel and Haydn Society$177,95041%
Huntington Theatre Co Inc$107,90050%
Paradigm for Parity$20,00041%
Temple Beth Elohim$18,1475n/a
Shakespeare & Company Inc$15,00050%
Boston Ballet Inc$12,75050%
The Committee of 200$10,00010%
Babson College$5,00050%
Medshare International Inc$4,50020%
The Samuel Hunington Fund Inc$3,00031%
Children's Hospital Corporation$3,00030%
League School for Autism Inc$2,50050%
Lund Family Center Inc$2,50050%
Hannah's House Inc$2,40051%
Runway for Recovery Inc$2,25050%
Neck of the Woods Inc$2,00030%
Mad River Valley Ambulance Service Inc$1,90050%
Hebrew Senior Life Inc$1,50040%
Vermont Foodbank$1,50050%
Mad River Valley Community Fund Inc$1,50050%
Jewish Community of Greater Stowe$1,50040%
Facing History & Ourselves Inc$1,35040%
Committee on Temporary Shelter Inc$1,25550%
Vermont Youth Conservation Corps Inc$1,25050%
The Food Project Inc$1,25030%
Women for Women International$1,25010%
Partners in Health a Nonprofit Corporation$1,15050%
The Red Sox Foundation Inc$1,00010%
The Loomis Institute D/B/A the Loomis Chaffee School$1,00010%
Miami Music Project Inc$1,00030%
The Andrew Goodman Foundation Inc$1,00020%
Peabody Essex Museum Inc$99050%
Tedy's Team Inc$75010%
Mass General Brigham Incorporated$7002n/a
Mad River Valley Arts Inc$65030%
WGBH Educational Foundation$61540%
The Trustees of Reservations$60050%
Museum of Fine Arts$56040%
Vermont Public Radio$53050%
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Inc$52040%
Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown Inc$50010%
The Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Partnership$50010%
Massachusetts Audubon Society Inc$50050%
Greater Boston Food Bank Inc$50020%
Vermont Land Trust Inc$46040%
American National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches$40040%
The Institute of Contemporary Art Inc$38230%
Boston Symphony Orchestra Inc$35020%
Angel Fund Inc$30010%
Friends of Weston's Council on Aging Inc$30030%
The Scioto Society Inc$25010%
Resource a Nonprofit Community Enterprise Inc$25010%
Williams College$25010%
Family Reach Foundation$25010%
Weston Forest and Trail Association Inc$21030%
Longwood Symphony Orchestra Inc$20010%
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Inc$12510%
Trustees of Boston University$12510%
Adventure Cycling Association$11020%
Jewish Arts Collaborative Inc$10010%
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation Inc$10010%

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 39 recipients with no EIN on record ($102k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation supplied at peak.

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $292,939 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetHandel and Haydn Society: $177,950 over 4y, 0.5% of budgetHuntington Theatre Co Inc: $107,900 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetParadigm for Parity: $20,000 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetShakespeare & Company Inc: $15,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetBoston Ballet Inc: $12,750 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetThe Committee of 200: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetBabson College: $5,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetMedshare International Inc: $4,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Samuel Hunington Fund Inc: $3,000 over 3y, 1.4% of budgetChildren's Hospital Corporation: $3,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetLeague School for Autism Inc: $2,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetLund Family Center Inc: $2,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetHannah's House Inc: $2,400 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetRunway for Recovery Inc: $2,250 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetNeck of the Woods Inc: $2,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetMad River Valley Ambulance Service Inc: $1,900 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetHebrew Senior Life Inc: $1,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetVermont Foodbank: $1,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetMad River Valley Community Fund Inc: $1,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetJewish Community of Greater Stowe: $1,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetFacing History & Ourselves Inc: $1,350 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCommittee on Temporary Shelter Inc: $1,255 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetVermont Youth Conservation Corps Inc: $1,250 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetThe Food Project Inc: $1,250 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetWomen for Women International: $1,250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPartners in Health a Nonprofit Corporation: $1,150 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetThe Red Sox Foundation Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Loomis Institute D/B/A the Loomis Chaffee School: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMiami Music Project Inc: $1,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetThe Andrew Goodman Foundation Inc: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPeabody Essex Museum Inc: $990 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetTedy's Team Inc: $750 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMad River Valley Arts Inc: $650 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetWGBH Educational Foundation: $615 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetThe Trustees of Reservations: $600 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetMuseum of Fine Arts: $560 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetVermont Public Radio: $530 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum Inc: $520 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetFine Arts Work Center in Provincetown Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Partnership: $500 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetMassachusetts Audubon Society Inc: $500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetGreater Boston Food Bank Inc: $500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetVermont Land Trust Inc: $460 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $400 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetThe Institute of Contemporary Art Inc: $382 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBoston Symphony Orchestra Inc: $350 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAngel Fund Inc: $300 over 1y, 0.0% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 60.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Boston Foundation IncMA21.5× affinity10 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Boston Foundation Inc · The Vermont Community Foundation · Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston Inc · Eastern Bank Foundation · Xenon Foundation · Oakland Foundation Inc · The Klarman Family Foundation · National Life Group Charitable Foundation Inc · American Tower Corporation Foundation Inc · Bny Mellon Charitable Gift Fund · Amica Companies Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Compare Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

About Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation

How much does Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation give?
Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation reported 54 grants totaling $268,574 in its FY2024 IRS filing. It funded between 53 and 60 organizations a year over FY2020 to FY2023.
What does Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2020 to FY2024, its largest causes are Health (45%), Arts & Culture (37%), Philanthropy (6%).
Who are Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2020 to FY2024: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc ($293k), Handel and Haydn Society ($178k), Huntington Theatre Co Inc ($108k).
Does Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2023, 12% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and does not take unsolicited requests. Check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.
Which funders back the same organizations as Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Boston Foundation Inc, The Vermont Community Foundation, Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston Inc.
Where is Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation based?
Deborah and Robert First Family Foundation is based in MA.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 105 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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