The Cecile Higginson Murphy Charitable Foundation concentrates philanthropic support in Greater Boston with high-dollar, repeat gifts to a small set of local institutions. Their giving blends major investment in classical arts with substantial support for services that serve vulnerable populations—especially women, children, and health/cancer programs—favoring general operating or program support. Grants are often large, multi-installment awards to established organizations rather than many small one-offs.
A recurring $500,000 annual grant to the Boston Symphony Orchestra stands out in the foundation’s recent giving and signals a long-running commitment to cultural institutions alongside service organizations in Greater Boston. Cecile Higginson Murphy Charitable Foundation’s portfolio also includes major support for women’s shelter and day services, children’s basic-needs distribution, and hospital-based programs, with several recipients appearing across multiple years. The foundation’s recent grants show a pattern of sizable general-purpose awards rather than narrow, one-time project funding. Boston appears frequently in the recipient list, but the foundation’s giving reaches beyond a single subsector. It has backed Women’s Lunch Place with repeated six-figure support, including a $250,000 grant in 2025, and has given Cradles To Crayons Inc multiple awards for general purposes. Health-related giving includes repeated support for Massachusetts General Hospital’s Aspire Program and for TargetCancer, both of which received grants in more than one year. The foundation’s recent activity suggests a concentrated grantmaker that favors established nonprofits, often with repeated awards over several years. Its grant list includes cultural, social-service, and health organizations, most of them based in Massachusetts.
In cultural philanthropy, Cecile Higginson Murphy Charitable Foundation gave Boston Symphony Orchestra $500,000 in 2025 for general purpose support. The same organization also received $500,000 in 2024 and 2023, showing a multi-year pattern around a single flagship institution. In support for women experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, the foundation awarded Women’s Lunch Place $250,000 in 2025 after prior grants of $200,000 in 2024 and 2023. For children’s basic needs, Cradles To Crayons Inc received $225,000 in 2025 and $200,000 in both 2024 and 2023. Health-focused grants include $200,000 to Massachusetts General Hospital for The Aspire Program in 2025, following the same amount in 2024 and 2023. TargetCancer also received $200,000 in 2025, after similar grants in 2024 and 2023.
Typical award size is $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $50,000 at the median, and $100,000 at the 75th percentile, while several recent grants are much larger. The foundation’s recent giving shows clear repeat relationships: Boston Symphony Orchestra, Women’s Lunch Place, Cradles To Crayons Inc, Massachusetts General Hospital’s Aspire Program, and TargetCancer each appear across multiple years. As a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund, it gives through direct grants. Recent awards are described mostly as general purpose or program-specific support, with no application process details in the provided data.
$2.4M
$58.4M
$3.9M
$2.8M
Most grants fall between $20K and $100K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$100K
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Concentrated, high-value giving with multiple grants to the same beneficiaries; primarily local Boston-area recipients; mix of multi-year or repeated general operating awards rather than many small, one-time grants.
Notable grantees: Boston Symphony Orchestra, Women’s Lunch Place, Cradles to Crayons Inc, Massachusetts General Hospital (Aspire Program), Literations Corp
The foundation gives primarily in Massachusetts, which accounts for 81% of grants and is its top state by grant count. Recent recipients cluster in Greater Boston and nearby communities, including Boston, Newton, Cambridge, South Walpole, Arlington, Concord, and North Grafton. Outside Massachusetts, recent grants also went to organizations in Nashville, Tennessee, and Merrifield, Virginia. All recorded grants in the supplied dataset were made to U.S. recipients.
Its recent grants favor established cultural, social-service, and health organizations. Examples in the dataset include a classical music institution, a women’s day-services and shelter provider, children’s basic-needs groups, and hospital-based programs. Many awards are labeled general purpose or program-specific support.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Boston Symphony Orchestra, Women’s Lunch Place, Cradles To Crayons Inc, Massachusetts General Hospital’s Aspire Program, and TargetCancer. The repeated grants suggest ongoing relationships rather than one-off awards.
The stated distribution is $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $50,000 at the median, and $100,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent grants include much larger awards, such as $500,000 and $250,000, indicating that the foundation also makes sizable flagship gifts.
Massachusetts receives 81% of the grants, and the recent recipient list is heavily centered in Greater Boston. Named recipient cities include Boston, Newton, Cambridge, South Walpole, Arlington, Concord, and North Grafton.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Symphony Orchestra | Boston, MA | $500,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Women's Lunch Place | Boston, MA | $250,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Cradles To Crayons Inc | Newton, MA | $225,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| TargetCancer | Cambridge, MA | $200,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | Boston, MA | $200,000 | 2025 | The Aspire Program |
| Vital CxNs | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Gary Sinise Foundation | Merrifield, VA | $100,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Fisher House of Boston | South Walpole, MA | $100,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Read to a Child | Wellesley, MA | $75,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Community Harvest Project | North Grafton, MA | $75,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Literations Corp | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Project New Hope | Worcester, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Direct Relief | Santa Barbara, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Spoonfuls Inc | Newton, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| PADI Aware Foundation | Rancho Santa Margarita, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Food Link | Arlington, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Habitat For Humanity Greater Boston Inc | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Project Place Gatehouse | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| National Public Radio | Baltimore, MD | $25,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| St Patrick Parish | Lawrence, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| One Can Help Inc | Newton, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Breaktime United | Boston, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| The Book Truck | Long Beach, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Salvation Army | Canton, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Project LEARN | Lowell, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Abington Public Schools | Abington, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| South Shore YMCA | Norwell, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | South Shore Natural Science Center |
| The Walden Woods Project | Lincoln, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| ACE MV Inc | Vineyard Haven, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Thayer Academy | Braintree, MA | $2,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| Boston Symphony Orchestra | Boston, MA | $500,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | Boston, MA | $200,000 | 2024 | The Aspire Program |
| Cradles To Crayons Inc | Newton, MA | $200,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| TargetCancer | Cambridge, MA | $200,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Women's Lunch Place | Boston, MA | $200,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Fisher House of Boston | South Walpole, MA | $100,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Gary Sinise Foundation | Nashville, TN | $100,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Vital CxNs | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Food Link | Arlington, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Read to a Child | Wellesley, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Habitat For Humanity Greater Boston Inc | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Elizabeth Peabody House Association | Somerville, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Literations Corp | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Spoonfuls Inc | Newton, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Community Harvest Project | North Grafton, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Project New Hope | Worcester, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Project Aware Foundation | Rancho Santa Margarita, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| One Can Help Inc | Newton, MA | $25,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| International Rescue Committee | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
| Breaktime United | Boston, MA | $25,000 | 2024 | General Purpose |
Boston Symphony Orchestra
$500,000General Purpose
TargetCancer
$200,000General Purpose
Massachusetts General Hospital
$200,000The Aspire Program
Vital CxNs
$100,000General Purpose
Gary Sinise Foundation
$100,000General Purpose
Project New Hope
$50,000General Purpose
PADI Aware Foundation
$50,000General Purpose
Project Place Gatehouse
$50,000General Purpose
National Public Radio
$25,000General Purpose
St Patrick Parish
$25,000General Purpose
One Can Help Inc
$25,000General Purpose
The Book Truck
$20,000General Purpose
Salvation Army
$10,000General Purpose
Project LEARN
$10,000General Purpose
Abington Public Schools
$5,000General Purpose
South Shore YMCA
$5,000South Shore Natural Science Center
ACE MV Inc
$5,000General Purpose
Thayer Academy
$2,000General Purpose
Boston Symphony Orchestra
$500,000General Purpose
Massachusetts General Hospital
$200,000The Aspire Program
TargetCancer
$200,000General Purpose
Vital CxNs
$100,000General Purpose
Elizabeth Peabody House Association
$50,000General Purpose
Project New Hope
$50,000General Purpose
Project Aware Foundation
$50,000General Purpose
One Can Help Inc
$25,000General Purpose
Breaktime United
$25,000General Purpose