The Geoffrey C Hughes Foundation concentrates large, unrestricted gifts to a small set of regional conservation organizations and national democracy/legal reform groups. Grants show a strong interest in land conservation and natural resources in the Berkshire/Upstate New York–western Massachusetts region, complemented by support for voting/redistricting policy and some local social services like food security. The foundation favors flexible general operating support, enabling grantees to allocate funds where most needed.
A $750,000 general-purpose grant to Sheffield Land Trust Inc in 2024 is the clearest sign of the Geoffrey C Hughes Foundation Inc’s style: large, flexible gifts to a small set of conservation and civic-policy organizations. The foundation repeatedly backs land trusts and conservation groups in the Berkshires and nearby New England communities, while also funding national work on voting rights and redistricting reform. Its recent record includes repeated support for Berkshire Natural Resources, Connecticut Farmland Trust Inc, and Campaign Legal Center Inc, alongside place-based grants tied to farmland, corridors, and habitat stewardship. The foundation’s giving is not spread thinly across many recipient types. Instead, it appears to favor multi-year relationships with organizations working on land protection, agriculture, and legal reform. That pattern is reinforced by the recurring general operating support across several years, which gives grantees flexibility rather than tying dollars to narrowly defined project budgets. Alongside the conservation portfolio, the foundation has also supported food security and community-serving organizations in the New York–Connecticut–Massachusetts corridor, showing a willingness to fund both regional environmental work and broader public-interest advocacy.
Land conservation is a central theme. The foundation gave $75,000 in 2023 to Sheffield Land Trust Inc for the Sheffield Egremont Corridor Project, and in 2025 it funded Berkshire Community Land Trust with $100,000 for the River Run Farm Project. Berkshire Natural Resources also received multiple general operating grants, including $150,000 in 2023 and $100,000 in both 2024 and 2025. Agriculture and farmland protection appear alongside that conservation work. Connecticut Farmland Trust Inc received $80,000 in both 2023 and 2024, and Berkshire Agriculture Ventures received $75,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation also supported natural-resource stewardship through a $75,000 grant in 2024 to The Nature Conservancy for the Berkshire Program of invasives removal. Public-interest legal reform is another recurring area. Campaign Legal Center Inc received $150,000 in 2023 and $100,000 in 2024, while National Redistricting Foundation received $150,000 in 2024 and $125,000 in 2025.
$2.2M
$32.8M
$1.9M
$2.8M
Most grants fall between $25K and $80K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$80K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in MA.
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Concentrated, high-value grants to a small number of recurring grantees; predominantly unrestricted/general operating support with multi-grant relationships spanning conservation and democracy-focused organizations.
Notable grantees: Sheffield Land Trust Inc, Campaign Legal Center Inc, National Redistricting Foundation, Egremont Land Trust Inc, Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry Inc
Typical grant sizes cluster in the mid-five-figure range, with p25 at $25,000, a median of $50,000, and p75 at $80,000. Recent awards run well above that median at the top end, including several six-figure grants. The record shows recurring support rather than one-off gifts: Berkshire Natural Resources, Berkshire Agriculture Ventures, Streetsquash Inc, Campaign Legal Center Inc, and National Redistricting Foundation each appear in multiple years. The foundation is a Regular Funder, not a DAF or program-related-investment vehicle, and the grants shown are overwhelmingly general operating support with only a few project-specific awards.
Grant recipients are entirely U.S.-based in the recent sample. Massachusetts appears most often, with repeated grants to Sheffield, South Egremont, Lenox, and Great Barrington. Connecticut and New York also show up regularly through Hartford, Middletown, New Haven, Mount Kisco, and New York City. Washington, DC and Illinois appear through national policy grantees, while New Jersey and Virginia also receive support. The pattern centers on the Berkshire region and the broader New York–Connecticut–Massachusetts corridor, not on the foundation’s Delaware headquarters.
The recent record centers on land conservation, farmland protection, and environmental stewardship, especially in the Berkshires and nearby New England communities. It also supports voting rights and redistricting reform organizations, plus a smaller set of food security and community-serving groups in the New York–Connecticut–Massachusetts corridor.
Most of the recent grants are labeled General & Unrestricted. Project-specific awards appear too, such as the Sheffield Egremont Corridor Project and the River Run Farm Project, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
The stated distribution is p25 at $25,000, median at $50,000, and p75 at $80,000. The recent grants also include larger awards, such as a $750,000 grant and several six-figure gifts.
Massachusetts is the top state by grant count, with repeated awards to organizations in Sheffield, South Egremont, Lenox, and Great Barrington. The recent grants also reach Connecticut, New York, Washington, DC, Illinois, New Jersey, and Virginia.
Yes. Several organizations receive repeated support across multiple years, including Berkshire Natural Resources, Berkshire Agriculture Ventures, Streetsquash Inc, Campaign Legal Center Inc, and National Redistricting Foundation. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated one-time gifts.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHEFFIELD LAND TRUST INC | SHEFFIELD, MA | $750,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| NATIONAL REDISTRICTING FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $150,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| CAMPAIGN LEGAL CENTER INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $150,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $125,000 | 2026 | TO SUPPORT THE MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER OF THE NATURE CONSERVANCY |
| NEIGHBORS LINK CORP | MOUNT KISCO, NY | $100,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| PRINCETON IN ASIA INC | PRINCETON, NJ | $100,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| BERKSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES | LENOX, MA | $100,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| PITTSFIELD COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY INC | PITTSFIELD, MA | $75,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| BERKSHIRE AGRICULTURE VENTURES | GREAT BARRINGTON, MA | $75,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| STREETSQUASH INC | NEW YORK, NY | $60,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| GREENAGERS INC | S EGREMONT, MA | $50,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| CONSTRUCT INC | GREAT BARRINGTON, MA | $50,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| VOTE ORG | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| MAHAIWE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER INC | GT BARRINGTON, MA | $50,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| TIDES FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | Movement Voter Fund |
| BERKSHIRE BIRD OBSERVATORY | GT BARRINGTON, MA | $50,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| 1BERKSHIRE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE FOUNDATION INC | PITTSFIELD, MA | $40,000 | 2026 | BLACKSHIRES FUND |
| COUNCIL ON THE ENVIRONMENT INC | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| BERKSHIRE OPERA FESTIVAL | PITTSFIELD, MA | $25,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| LITERACY NETWORK OF SOUTH BERKSHIRE INC | LEE, MA | $20,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| BERKSHIRE IMMIGRANT CENTER INC | PITTSFIELD, MA | $20,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| BERKSHIRES BOUNTY INC | GT BARRINGTON, MA | $15,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE BERKSHIRE TACONIC COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC | SHEFFIELD, MA | $10,000 | 2026 | TO SUPPORT R.O.P.E. |
| NONPROFIT CENTER OF THE BERKSHIRES INC | SANDISFIELD, MA | $10,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| JACOBS PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL INC | BECKET, MA | $10,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| MOUNT KISCO INTERFAITH FOOD PANTRY INC | MOUNT KISCO, NY | $175,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| NATIONAL REDISTRICTING FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $125,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| CAMPAIGN LEGAL CENTER INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $125,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| PRINCETON IN ASIA INC | PRINCETON, NJ | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| BERKSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES | LENOX, MA | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $100,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| BERKSHIRE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST | GT BARRINGTON, MA | $100,000 | 2025 | River Run Farm Project |
| BERKSHIRE AGRICULTURE VENTURES | GT BARRINGTON, MA | $75,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| NEIGHBORS LINK CORP | MOUNT KISCO, NY | $75,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| STREETSQUASH INC | NEW YORK, NY | $60,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| GREENAGERS INC | S EGREMONT, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| MAHAIWE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER INC | GT BARRINGTON, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| 1BERKSHIRE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE FOUNDATION INC | PITTSFIELD, MA | $40,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| CONSTRUCT INC | GREAT BARRINGTON, MA | $40,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| BERKSHIRE OPERA FESTIVAL | PITTSFIELD, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| COUNCIL ON THE ENVIRONMENT INC | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| BERKSHIRE IMMIGRANT CENTER INC | PITTSFIELD, MA | $20,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| JACOBS PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL INC | BECKET, MA | $20,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| BERKSHIRES BOUNTY INC | GT BARRINGTON, MA | $15,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| BERKSHIRE ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION TEAM INC | PITTSFIELD, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| EQUINE ADVOCATES INCORPORATED | VALATIE, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| LITERACY NETWORK OF SOUTH BERKSHIRE INC | LEE, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| SHEFFIELD LAND TRUST INC | SHEFFIELD, MA | $750,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| NATIONAL REDISTRICTING FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $150,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
SHEFFIELD LAND TRUST INC
$750,000General & Unrestricted
TO SUPPORT THE MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER OF THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
BERKSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES
$100,000General & Unrestricted
PITTSFIELD COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY INC
$75,000General & Unrestricted
BERKSHIRE BIRD OBSERVATORY
$50,000General & Unrestricted
1BERKSHIRE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE FOUNDATION INC
$40,000BLACKSHIRES FUND
LITERACY NETWORK OF SOUTH BERKSHIRE INC
$20,000General & Unrestricted
BERKSHIRES BOUNTY INC
$15,000General & Unrestricted
BERKSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES
$100,000General & Unrestricted
BERKSHIRE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
$100,000River Run Farm Project
1BERKSHIRE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE FOUNDATION INC
$40,000General & Unrestricted
BERKSHIRES BOUNTY INC
$15,000General & Unrestricted
LITERACY NETWORK OF SOUTH BERKSHIRE INC
$10,000General & Unrestricted
SHEFFIELD LAND TRUST INC
$750,000General & Unrestricted
NATIONAL REDISTRICTING FOUNDATION
$150,000General & Unrestricted