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Parker Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Parker Family Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$1.0M
Granted FY2025still arriving
12
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$213k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$2.8MHealth$1.3MEducation$657kEmployment$604kPublic Benefit$588kCivil Rights$530kInternational$450kEnvironment$180kOther$0
02FY2025 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k4 grants · $140k
  • $50k–250k8 grants · $908k
$85,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$13M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ALZHEIMERS DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS$213,000
ACTORS SHAKESPEARE PROJECT INC$175,000
MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET & POLICY CENTER$110,000
EDVESTORS INC$110,000
SUMMER SEARCH$85,000
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS$85,000
PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY FOUNDATION$80,000
HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY$50,000
GRUB STREET INC$45,000
THEATER OFFENSIVE INC$40,000
TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS$30,000
MASSACHUSETTS POETRY OUTREACH PROGRAM$25,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY19–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 61% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%ALZHEIMERS DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS: $213k → 8%THEATER OFFENSIVE INC: $125k → 16%SUMMER SEARCH: $75k → 10%DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: $85k → 17%PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY FOUNDATION: $80k → 14%ALZHEIMERS DISEASE & RELATED: $120k → 14%EDVESTORS INC: $110k → 16%MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERS USA INC: $75k → 17%PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY: $75k → 14%EDVESTORS INC: $100k → 16%MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERS USA INC: $75k → 17%PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY: $75k → 14%DECORDOVA SCULPTURE PARK & MUSEUM: $200k → 8%EDVESTORS INC: $95k → 16%MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERS USA INC: $75k → 17%PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY: $75k → 14%DECORDOVA SCULPTURE PARK & MUSEUM: $200k → 8%EDVESTORS INC: $90k → 16%MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERS USA INC: $75k → 17%PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY: $75k → 14%DECORDOVA SCULPTURE PARK & MUSEUM: $200k → 8%EDVESTORS INC: $90k → 16%DECORDOVA SCULPTURE PARK & MUSEUM: $200k → 8%EDVESTORS INC: $82k → 16%DECORDOVA SCULPTURE PARK & MUSEUM: $200k → 8%EDVESTORS INC: $80k → 16%ACTORS SHAKESPEARE PROJECT: $145k → 8%ACTORS SHAKESPEARE PROJECT: $120k → 8%ACTORS SHAKESPEARE PROJECT: $100k → 8%ALZHEIMERS DISEASE & RELATED: $225k → 8%ALZHEIMERS DISEASE & RELATED: $197k → 8%ALZHEIMERS DISEASE & RELATED: $195k → 8%ALZHEIMERS DISEASE & RELATED: $180k → 8%ALZHEIMERS DISEASE & RELATED: $130k → 8%SUMMER SEARCH: $114k → 16%SUMMER SEARCH: $85k → 16%SUMMER SEARCH: $85k → 16%SUMMER SEARCH: $85k → 16%SUMMER SEARCH: $85k → 16%SUMMER SEARCH: $75k → 16%TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS: $150k → 16%MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET & POLICY: $100k → 16%MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET & POLICY: $90k → 16%MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET & POLICY CENTER: $110k → 16%ACTORS SHAKESPEARE PROJECT INC: $175k → 16%ACTORS SHAKESPEARE PROJECT INC: $125k → 16%ACTORS SHAKESPEARE PROJECT: $110k → 16%ACTORS SHAKESPEARE PROJECT INC: $100k → 16%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

94%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$6.8M · 13 repeat orgs$416k to everyone else

13 repeat relationships: 9 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

13
3

Total granted

$6.8M
$98k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+3%
+15%

Still filing today

92%
33%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 70% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $318k went to new ones.

50%100%’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureEducationEmploymentInternationalHealthCivil RightsOther
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.

Backed again, and grew

  • DA
    DECORDOVA AND DANA MUSEUM & PARK
    5× · 2019–2023 · $1.0M · revenue +15%
  • Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center Inc
    7× · 2019–2025 · $588k · revenue +0%
  • MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC
    6× · 2019–2025 · $450k · revenue +79%

Funded once

  • SF
    STAND FOR CHILDREN LEADERSHIP
    one grant, 2019 · $50k
  • GS
    GRUB STREET INC
    one grant, 2020 · $38k
  • CM
    CARY MEMORIAL LIBRARY FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2021 · $10k · revenue +15%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Massachusetts Higher Education Assistance Corporation

The organization's primary exempt purpose is to provide access to and conduct activities in furtherance of higher education.

—
2
Aclu Foundation of Massachusetts Inc

Aclu foundation of ma was established to defend freedoms guaranteed in the constitution and bill of rights through public education and litigation.

Civil Rights
3
Boston Public Library Fund Inc

The boston public library fund provides financial support to the boston public library (bpl), ensuring that it remains viable, engaging, accessible, and free to all. the library fund fulfills this mission by working in partnership with…

Education
4
Massachusetts Business Roundtable Inc

The mission of the roundtable is to make massachusetts the most desirable place to live, work and do business by engaging private sector executives and public leaders to ensure access to a robust, diverse and talented workforce that…

—
5
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
6
Mit Free Speech Alliance

To promote free expression, academic freedom, viewpoint diversity, and open scientific inquiry in the MIT community

Civil Rights
7
Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities & Public Policy Inc

We create opportunities for the people of massachusetts to transform their lives and build a more equitable commonwealth through the humanities.

Arts & Culture
8
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
9
Trustees of the Berkshire Museum

Bringing people together for experiences that spark creativity and innovative thinking by making inspiring educational connections among art, history, and natural science.

Arts & Culture
10
Proprietors of the Social Law Library

To provide research facilities to members and to the judicial, executive, and legislative branches of the massachusetts government.

—
11
League of Women Voters of Massachusetts

Lwvma, a nonpartisan organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Civil Rights
12
Revolutionary Spaces Inc

Revolutionary spaces brings people together to explore the american struggle to create and sustain a free society, singularly evoked by boston's old south meeting house and old state house. we steward these buildings as gathering spaces…

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is People for the American Way; the most unlike its peers is Alzheimer's Disease & Related Disorders Association Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

14 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 14 of the 19 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
0
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
8/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

DECORDOVA AND DANA MUSEUM & PARK: $1,000,000 · Arts & CultureDECORDOVA AND DANA MUSEUM & PARKACTORS' SHAKESPEARE PROJECT: $875,000 · Arts & CultureACTORS' SHAKESPEARE PROJECTTHE THEATER OFFENSIVE INC: $535,000 · Arts & CultureTHE THEATER OFFENSIVE INCHANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY: $262,500 · Arts & CultureHANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETYGRUB STREET INC: $150,000 · Arts & CultureALZHEIMERS DISEASE & RELATED: $927,000 · OtherALZHEIMERS DISEASE & RELATEDMassachusetts Budget and Policy Center Inc: $587,500 · OtherMassachusetts Budget and Policy Cen…PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY: $400,000 · OtherPEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAYALZHEIMERS DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS: $213,000 · OtherALZHEIMERS DISEASE & RELATED DISORD…+3 more: $112,500 · OtherEDVESTORS INC: $647,000 · EducationEDVESTORS …+1 more: $10,000 · EducationSUMMER SEARCH: $604,000 · EmploymentSUMMER SE…MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $450,000 · InternationalTHE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS: $180,000 · EnvironmentALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC: $145,000 · HealthPEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY FOUNDATION: $80,000 · Civil Rights
Arts & Culture$2,822,500Other$2,240,000Education$657,000Employment$604,000International$450,000Environment$180,000Health$145,000Civil Rights$80,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetDECORDOVA AND DANA MUSEUM & PARK: $1,000,000 over 5y, 7.0% of budgetACTORS' SHAKESPEARE PROJECT: $875,000 over 7y, 17% of budgetEDVESTORS INC: $647,000 over 7y, 4.0% of budgetSUMMER SEARCH: $604,000 over 7y, 0.5% of budgetMassachusetts Budget and Policy Center Inc: $587,500 over 7y, 6.5% of budgetTHE THEATER OFFENSIVE INC: $535,000 over 7y, 4.4% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $450,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetPEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY: $400,000 over 6y, 1.2% of budgetHANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY: $262,500 over 6y, 0.8% of budgetTHE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS: $180,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetGRUB STREET INC: $150,000 over 4y, 0.8% of budgetALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC: $145,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY FOUNDATION: $80,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetCARY MEMORIAL LIBRARY FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds DECORDOVA AND DANA MUSEUM & PARK ↗
  • Who funds ACTORS' SHAKESPEARE PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds EDVESTORS INC ↗
  • Who funds SUMMER SEARCH ↗
  • Who funds Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center Inc ↗
  • Who funds THE THEATER OFFENSIVE INC ↗
  • Who funds MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC ↗
  • Who funds PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY ↗
  • Who funds HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds THE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS ↗
  • Who funds GRUB STREET INC ↗
  • Who funds ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE & RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION INC ↗
  • Who funds PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds CARY MEMORIAL LIBRARY FOUNDATION INC ↗

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 IncLiberty Mutual Founda…Barr FoundationEastern Bank Foundati…Morgan Stanley Global…National Philanthropi…The Bank of America C…Donor Advised Charita…Vanguard Charitable E…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Boston Foundation IncMA20.8× affinity8 shared granteesties to 10 of 10Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Boston Foundation Inc · Liberty Mutual Foundation Inc · Barr Foundation · Eastern Bank Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

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.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Parker Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Parker Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%1%5%11%20%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • Actors' Shakespeare Project: 6% of income from government
  • Handel and Haydn Society: 2% of income from government
  • The Theater Offensive Inc: 2% of income from government
  • The Trustees of Reservations: 2% of income from government
  • Grub Street Inc: 2% of income from government
  • Edvestors Inc: 1% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get no government money at all
2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

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 19 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Parker Family’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home