The Kelsey Trust
Lincoln, MA · EIN 04-6609917. Reported 132 grants totalling $1,041,000 to 73 organizations across tax years 2020-2024. 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. The Kelsey Trust 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 $7,500. Half of everything it gave fell between $5,000 and $10,000; the smallest was $2,000 and the largest $48,500. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont Community Foundation | Middlebury, VT | $93,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Shelburne Farms | Shelburne, VT | $55,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Adirondack Foundation | Lake Placid, NY | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Conservation Law Foundation | Boston, MA | $37,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Champlain College | Burlington, VT | $35,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Helping Overcome Poverty's Effects | Middlebury, VT | $35,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Intervale Center | Burlington, VT | $35,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Resource | Williston, VT | $35,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Lakeside School | Essex, NY | $32,500 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Planned Parenthood Northern New England | Colchester, VT | $32,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Greater Burlington YMCA | Burlington, VT | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Spectrum | Burlington, VT | $27,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| John Graham Center | Vergennes, VT | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Adirondack Land Trust | Keene, NY | $21,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Committee on Temporary Shelter Inc | Burlington, VT | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Stern Center for Language and Learning | Williston, VT | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Nofa - Vt | Richmond, VT | $17,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Prevent Child Abuse - Vt | Montpelier, VT | $17,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Partners in Adventure | Essex, VT | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Sara Holbrook Community Center | Burlington, VT | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Nature Conservancy | New York, NY | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Planned Parenthood of Northern New England | Colchester, VT | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Vermont Works for Women Inc | Winooski, VT | $12,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Vermont Public Radio | Colchester, VT | $12,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Addison County Community Action Group Inc Dba Hope | Middlebury, VT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Behavioral Health Sciences Ny | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Boys and Girls Club Btv | Burlington, VT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Boys and Girls Club of Burlington Inc | Burlington, VT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opp | Burlington, VT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Counseling Service of Addison County | Middlebury, VT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Feeding Chittenden | Burlington, VT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Families First in Essex County (ny) | Elizabethtown, NY | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Housing Assistance Program of Essex County | Elizabethtown, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Howard Center | Burlington, VT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| King Street Center | Burlington, VT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Lewis Creek Association | Charlotte, VT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Planned Parenthood of the North Country Ny Inc | Watertown, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Resource a Nonprofit Community Enterprise Inc | Williston, VT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Sarah Holbrook Community Center | Burlington, VT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Spectrum Youth & Family Services Inc | Burlington, VT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Steps to End Domestic Violence Inc | Burlington, VT | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The John W Graham Emergency Shelter and Services | Vergennes, VT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Echo Leahy Center | Burlington, VT | $9,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Vermont River Conservancy Inc | Montpelier, VT | $9,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Greater Burlington YMCA Foundation Inc (6663-S01) | Burlington, VT | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Prevent Child Abuse-Vermont | Montpelier, VT | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Stern Center for Languard & Learning | Williston, VT | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Howardcenter Inc Dba Howard Center Inc | Burlington, VT | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Town of Essex Ny | Essex, NY | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Uvm Health Network - Home Health and Hospice | Colchester, VT | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Vermont Youth Conservation Corps Inc | Richmond, VT | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Common Roots Inc | South Burlington, VT | $6,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Kidsafe Collaborative Inc | Burlington, VT | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Adirondack Foundation - Essex Community Fund | Lake Placid, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Adirondack Medical Center Foundation | Saranac Lake, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Champlain Area Trails | Westport, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Community Health Centers of Btv | Burlington, VT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Easter Seals Vermont | Barre, VI | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Homeshare Vermont Inc | South Burlington, VT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Home Share | South Burlington, VT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kids Safe | Burlington, VT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lakeside Preschool Dba Lakeside School at Black | Essex, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lund Family Center Inc | Burlington, VT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lund Center | Burlington, VT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont | Richmond, VT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Nature Conservancy | Arlington, VA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Uvm Health Network & Family & Children's Program | Burlington, VT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Addison County Relocalization Network Inc | Middlebury, VT | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| North Branch Nature Center | Montpelier, VT | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Otter Creek Audubon Society | Middlebury, VT | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Reach Out and Read | Boston, MA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Vermont Public Co | Colchester, VT | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Whallonsburg Grange Hall | Essex, NY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
28 of 73 (38%) received money in more than one year over the 5 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 52%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. 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 the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- The Nature Conservancy
GENERAL SUPPORT - VERMONT
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 85 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 19 | $199,500 | $10,000 |
| 2021 | 30 | $198,500 | $6,000 |
| 2022 | 28 | $187,500 | $7,000 |
| 2023 | 25 | $232,000 | $10,000 |
| 2024 | 30 | $223,500 | $7,750 |
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. 78% of this one's giving went to organizations in Vermont. 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 $7,500. 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 Vermont.
- 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 The Kelsey Trust's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2020-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 99 Trapelo Road, Lincoln, MA, 01773. 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 04-6609917 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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