Rowland Foundation Inc
Boston, MA · EIN 04-6046756. Reported 148 grants totalling $8,101,000 to 78 organizations across tax years 2020-2023. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Rowland Foundation Inc did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $50,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $30,000 and $75,000; the smallest was $6,000 and the largest $225,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Familyaid Boston | Boston, MA | $605,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center | Jamaica Plain, MA | $350,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Rosie's Place | Boston, MA | $257,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Institute of Contemporary Art | Boston, MA | $225,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Political Asylum Immigration Representation Project Inc | Boston, MA | $225,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Smart From the Start | Roxbury, MA | $225,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Uaspire | Boston, MA | $225,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | Boston, MA | $210,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Northeastern University | Boston, MA | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Familyaid Boston Inc | Boston, MA | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| CASA Myrna Vazquez | Boston, MA | $195,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Boston Arts Academy Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | $175,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center | Boston, MA | $175,000 | 2 | 1 | 2023 |
| Berklee College of Music Inc | Boston, MA | $160,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| College Bound Dorchester | Dorcherster, MA | $160,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras | Boston, MA | $153,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| A Safe Place Inc | Nantucket, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Boston Ballet | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Boston Childrens Chorus | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Duet Inc | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Literations | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| More Than Words | Waltham, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| North Bennet Street School | Boston, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Roxbury Community College | Roxbury Crossing, MA | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Horizons for Homeless Children | Roxbury, MA | $140,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| New England Center for the Arts & Technology | Boston, MA | $140,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston | Boston, MA | $130,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Bethel Institute for Social Justice | Jamaica Plain, MA | $110,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Next Step Fund Inc | Cambridge, MA | $110,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Y2Y Network | Cambridge, MA | $110,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Museum of Fine Arts | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Rowland Institute at Harvard | Cambridge, MA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Up Together | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Appalachian Mountain Club | Boston, MA | $90,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Cradles to Crayons | Newtonville, MA | $90,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Generations Inc | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Berklee College of Music Inc | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo CASA Myrna Vazquez Inc | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo College Bound Dorchester Inc | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Institute of Contemporary Art | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Inc | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Literations | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Rosie's Place Inc | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Uaspire Inc | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Artists for Humanity | Boston, MA | $60,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Boston Music Project | Boston, MA | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Family Independence Initiative | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo a Safe Place Inc | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Boston Arts Academy | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Boston Ballet Inc | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Boston Children's Chorus Inc | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston Inc | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Duet Inc | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo More Than Words Inc | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo North Bennet Street School | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Rogerson Communities | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Roxbury Community College Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Smart From the Start Inc | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo the Sportsmen's Tennis & Enrichment Center Inc | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Harlem Lacrosse Boston | New York, NY | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| The Base | Roxbury, MA | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras Inc | Boston, MA | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Horizons for Homeless Children Inc | Boston, MA | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Next Step Fund Inc | Boston, MA | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Artists for Humanity Inc | Boston, MA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Cradles to Crayons Inc | Boston, MA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership | Boston, MA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo New England Culinary Arts Training | Boston, MA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo the Base | Boston, MA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Boston Music Project | Boston, MA | $22,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Josiah Quincy Orchestra Program | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Bethel Institute for Social Justice | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Y2Y Network | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston | Boston, MA | $18,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Sportsmen's Tennis & Enrichment Center | Dorchester, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Boston Foundation | Boston, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Boston Foundation - Fbo Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston Inc | Boston, MA | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
37 of 78 (47%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 89%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is unusually consistent. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 84 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 36 | $1,779,000 | $50,000 |
| 2021 | 37 | $2,204,000 | $50,000 |
| 2022 | 39 | $2,145,000 | $50,000 |
| 2023 | 36 | $1,973,000 | $50,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 100% of this one's giving went to organizations in Massachusetts. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $50,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Massachusetts.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Rowland Foundation Inc's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 255 State Street, Boston, MA, 02109. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 04-6046756 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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