The Gilson Family Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on direct support for child-focused basic needs organizations, with all recorded giving directed to Cradles to Crayons. Grants appear targeted to local, hands-on service delivery that supplies clothing, school supplies and essentials to low-income children. The foundation favors a narrow, impact-focused approach rather than spreading funds across many causes.
Highly concentrated: all recorded dollars went to a single nonprofit (Cradles to Crayons) across multiple grants, indicating repeated, significant support for one core grantee rather than broad diversification.
Gilson Family Foundation Inc has kept its giving tightly focused around direct, practical support for children and families, with every recorded grant in the dataset going to organizations that provide basic goods, food, health-related help, or community services. The largest recent awards are repeated charitable donations to Cradles to Crayons, including $150,260 in 2023 and $150,220 in both 2024 and 2025, showing a sustained relationship rather than one-off support. That same pattern appears in other areas of its portfolio: Open Table received $75,500 in 2024 and again in 2025, while Jog Your Memory was awarded $60,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation also extends support to regional intermediaries and local nonprofits such as Essex County Community Foundation, Berkshire Taconic Foundation, Greater Boston Food Bank, and Care Dimensions. Across the record, the foundation’s approach looks concentrated and recurring, with grants often clustered around organizations that deliver services directly to communities in Massachusetts and nearby regions.
Child basic needs is the clearest throughline in the record. Cradles to Crayons received multiple grants for charitable donation, including $150,220 in 2025, reflecting support for a group associated with clothing, school supplies, and essentials for low-income children. Food access also appears as a recurring theme: Greater Boston Food Bank received $50,000 in 2024 and another $50,000 in 2025, while Open Table received $75,500 in both 2024 and 2025. The foundation also backed local health and family-support work through Care Dimensions with a $50,000 grant in 2025 and Plummer Youth Promise with $50,000 in 2024. Community-based intermediaries are part of the portfolio as well, including Essex County Community Foundation and Berkshire Taconic Foundation, both of which appear in the recent grants list.
Typical grants fall in a fairly tight range: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $20,000, and the 75th percentile is $30,000. The recent-grants record also shows repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, which suggests an ongoing, relationship-based pattern rather than isolated one-time gifts. The foundation is a family foundation and the grants are listed as charitable donations, with philosophy tags indicating unrestricted or undesignated donations and general operating support. Program-related investments and individual giving are both absent from the profile data.
$1.5M
$29.7M
$7.4M
$1.7M
Most grants fall between $10K and $30K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$30K
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Notable grantees: Cradles to Crayons
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly Massachusetts-centered: 79% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Recipient locations cluster around Boston-area and western Massachusetts communities, including Brighton, Boston, Maynard, Danvers, Concord, Salem, Needham, Wayland, Great Barrington, Pittsfield, North Adams, and Sheffield. The top state by grant count is California, but the recent-grants list itself is dominated by Massachusetts organizations. Outside the U.S., there are no recorded recipient countries in the provided distribution.
The foundation’s recent record points to direct-service nonprofits and community organizations. Grants have gone to groups tied to child basics, food access, youth support, health-related services, and community foundations, including Massachusetts-based charities and regional intermediaries.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years. Open Table received $75,500 in both 2024 and 2025, and Jog Your Memory received $60,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Cradles to Crayons also appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The distribution is centered on relatively modest grants: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $20,000, and the 75th percentile is $30,000. The recent grants list also includes larger repeat gifts, such as six-figure donations to Cradles to Crayons.
Most grants go to recipients in Massachusetts, which accounts for 79% of grants in the profile data. Within the recent grants list, many recipients are in Boston-area and western Massachusetts places such as Brighton, Boston, Danvers, Concord, Great Barrington, Pittsfield, and Sheffield.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRADLES TO CRAYONS | BOSTON, MA | $150,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| ESSEX COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | DANVERS, MA | $110,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| OPEN TABLE | MAYNARD, MA | $100,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| JOG YOUR MEMORY | NEEDHAM, MA | $60,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| GAINING GROUND | CONCORD, MA | $55,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| PLAYBALL FOUNDATION | CONCORD, MA | $53,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| METRO CARING | DENVER, CO | $52,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| BERKSHIRE TACONIC COMMUNITY FOUNDAT | SHEFFIELD, MA | $50,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| THE GREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| PITTSFIELD HIGH SCHOOL | PITTSFIELD, MA | $50,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR METROWEST | NATICK, MA | $50,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS OF MASSACHUSETTS | NW WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| DIGNITY MATTERS | WAYLAND, MA | $40,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| JEFF'S PLACE | FRAMINGHAM, MA | $37,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| FAMILIES IN TRANSITION | MANCHESTER, NH | $35,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF THE NORT | MARBLEHEAD, MA | $35,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| IMPACT CHARITABLE FOR SOCIAL VENTUR | DENVER, CO | $34,183 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| BERKSHIRE AG VENTURES | GREAT BARRINGTON, MA | $30,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| ROOTS RISING | PITTSFIELD, MA | $30,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| BIRTHDAY WISHES | NATICK, MA | $30,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| FOOD BANK OF WESTERN MA | HATFIELD, MA | $30,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| BERSHIRE BOUNTY | GREAT BARRINGTON, MA | $26,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| THINKGIVE | CONCORD, MA | $25,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO FOUNDATION | DENVER, CO | $25,230 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| IMPACT FINANCE CENTER | DENVER, CO | $25,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| CONSTRUCT | GREAT BARRINGTON, MA | $25,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| LAWRENCE COMMUNITYWORKS INC | LAWRENCE, MA | $25,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| PROJECT BREAD | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| LEVER | NORTH ADAMS, MA | $25,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| BEVERLY BOOTSTRAPS | BEVERLY, MA | $25,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| ROOT | SALEM, MA | $20,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| MASS AUDUBON | LINCOLN, MA | $20,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| 18 DEGREES | PITTSFIELD, MA | $20,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| COMMUNITY INVOLVED IN SUSTAINING AG | SOUTH DEERFIELD, MA | $20,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| CATA | GREAT BARRINGTON, MA | $20,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| PITTSFIELD COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY | PITTSFIELD, MA | $20,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| BERSHIRE IMMIGRANT CENTER | PITTSFIELD, MA | $17,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| BERKSHIRE COMMUNITY ACTION COUNCIL | PITTSFIELD, MA | $15,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| BERKSHIRE GROWN | GREAT BARRINGTON, MA | $15,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| LEAP FOR EDUCATION | SALEM, MA | $15,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| VOLUNTEERS IN MEDICINE | GREAT BARRINGTON, MA | $15,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| LEO INC | LYNN, MA | $12,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| BERKSHIRE THEATRE GROUP | STOCKBRIDGE, MA | $12,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| BERKSHIRE NURSING FAMILIES | NORTH ADAMS, MA | $12,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| SOUTH METRO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | LITTLETON, CO | $12,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| ROSIE'S PLACE | BOSTON, MA | $10,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| ME INTERNATIONAL | JOHNSTOWN, CO | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| THE HAVEN PROJECT | LYNN, MA | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| BERKSHIRE DIAPER PROJECT | WEST STOCKBRIDGE, MA | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| LITERACY NETWORK | LEE, MA | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
CRADLES TO CRAYONS
$150,000CHARITABLE DONATION
OPEN TABLE
$100,500CHARITABLE DONATION
JOG YOUR MEMORY
$60,000CHARITABLE DONATION
GAINING GROUND
$55,500CHARITABLE DONATION
CHARITABLE DONATION
BERKSHIRE TACONIC COMMUNITY FOUNDAT
$50,000CHARITABLE DONATION
PITTSFIELD HIGH SCHOOL
$50,000CHARITABLE DONATION
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR METROWEST
$50,000CHARITABLE DONATION
JEFF'S PLACE
$37,500CHARITABLE DONATION
JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF THE NORT
$35,000CHARITABLE DONATION
IMPACT CHARITABLE FOR SOCIAL VENTUR
$34,183CHARITABLE DONATION
BERKSHIRE AG VENTURES
$30,500CHARITABLE PURPOSES
BIRTHDAY WISHES
$30,500CHARITABLE DONATION
BERSHIRE BOUNTY
$26,500CHARITABLE DONATION
THINKGIVE
$25,500CHARITABLE DONATION
IMPACT FINANCE CENTER
$25,000CHARITABLE DONATION
PROJECT BREAD
$25,000CHARITABLE DONATION
LEVER
$25,000CHARITABLE DONATION
BEVERLY BOOTSTRAPS
$25,000CHARITABLE DONATION
18 DEGREES
$20,000CHARITABLE DONATION
CATA
$20,000CHARITABLE DONATION
PITTSFIELD COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY
$20,000CHARITABLE DONATION
BERKSHIRE GROWN
$15,000CHARITABLE DONATION
VOLUNTEERS IN MEDICINE
$15,000CHARITABLE DONATION
LEO INC
$12,500CHARITABLE DONATION
BERKSHIRE THEATRE GROUP
$12,000CHARITABLE DONATION
BERKSHIRE NURSING FAMILIES
$12,000CHARITABLE DONATION
SOUTH METRO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$12,000CHARITABLE DONATION
ME INTERNATIONAL
$10,000CHARITABLE DONATION
BERKSHIRE DIAPER PROJECT
$10,000CHARITABLE DONATION
LITERACY NETWORK
$10,000CHARITABLE DONATION