The Kane Wallace Foundation focuses on large, targeted investments in New England cultural, historic and outdoor-conservation institutions. Their grants support regional museums and libraries, maritime and historic preservation, arboretums/forestry organizations, and occasionally community housing efforts. They tend to fund established nonprofits with sizable, project- or capital-oriented requests rather than many small operating grants.
A $1.1 million unrestricted grant to the Appalachian Mountain Club stands out in the foundation’s recent record and signals the scale of its support for New England land, heritage, and place-based institutions. Kane Wallace Foundation gives to established organizations that care for museums, historic collections, maritime sites, conservation lands, and related community assets. Its recent grants include sizable awards to the Morris Arboretum, Newport Historical Society, Redwood Library & Athenaeum, and Mystic Seaport Museum Inc., showing a recurring emphasis on institutions with regional significance. The funding pattern is not limited to one type of venue: the foundation also supports organizations tied to forest stewardship, native plants, and community development. Across the recent list, many awards are unrestricted, suggesting flexibility in how grantees use the money. The foundation’s support reaches both major cultural destinations and smaller local institutions, with repeated grants to the same organizations across multiple years. That mix points to a funder that backs long-running work rather than isolated projects, especially where preservation, outdoor access, and local history intersect.
Historic preservation is a central theme. Kane Wallace Foundation gave $500,000 to Newport Historical Society for unrestricted support, alongside $500,000 to Redwood Library & Athenaeum and $25,000 to Preservation Society of Newport County. Maritime history also appears clearly in the portfolio: Mystic Seaport Museum Inc. received $250,000, and Herreshoff Marine Museum received $100,000. Conservation and stewardship are another visible area. The foundation awarded $205,000 to Northern Forest Center and $110,418 to Native Plant Trust, with another $100,000 to the same organization in 2024. Community-oriented work shows up as well, including $200,000 to Church Community Housing Corporation and $50,000 to Iyrs School of Technology & Trades. These grants show support for cultural institutions, land-related organizations, and place-based community efforts.
Typical grants sit between $1,000 at the 25th percentile and $25,000 at the 75th percentile, with a median of $5,450. The recent record also includes much larger awards, indicating a wide spread between routine support and major gifts. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Appalachian Mountain Club, Native Plant Trust, Northern Forest Center, Concord Museum, and Funderburg Scholars Inc., which suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards. The foundation appears to make grants to organizations, and the listed awards are unrestricted. It does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$3M
$35.2M
$5M
$3.2M
Most grants fall between $1K and $25K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$25K
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants (several six-figure and million-dollar gifts) to a small number of regional institutions; mix of one-time capital/project support and repeat funding for select grantees rather than broad small-scale grantmaking.
Notable grantees: Appalachian Mountain Club, Morris Arboretum, Redwood Library & Athenaeum, Mystic Seaport Museum, Church Community Housing Corporation
Grantmaking is regional and concentrated in the Northeast. Massachusetts receives the largest share of grants, and 46% of all grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Recent recipients in Massachusetts include Boston, Framingham, Concord, Worcester, and a regional arboretum in Illinois is an outlier in the recent list. Rhode Island is also prominent, with Newport, Bristol, and Providence appearing multiple times, alongside recipients in New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. All recorded grants in the provided distribution are to U.S. recipients.
The foundation funds museums, libraries, maritime heritage organizations, land-conservation groups, arboretums, forest stewardship groups, and some community housing efforts. Recent grants also include historical societies, preservation organizations, and a trades-focused school in Newport.
Its typical grant size is modest relative to some of its headline awards: the 25th percentile is $1,000, the median is $5,450, and the 75th percentile is $25,000. Recent giving also includes much larger six- and seven-figure grants.
Yes. The recent grants list labels the awards as unrestricted, including grants to organizations such as the Appalachian Mountain Club, Morris Arboretum, Newport Historical Society, and Redwood Library & Athenaeum.
Yes. Appalachian Mountain Club appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Native Plant Trust appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and Northern Forest Center, Concord Museum, and Funderburg Scholars Inc. each appear more than once.
Massachusetts is the top state by grant count, and 46% of grants go to recipients in that state. Recent Massachusetts recipients include Boston, Concord, Framingham, and Worcester.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CLUB | BOSTON, MA | $1,100,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MORRIS ARBORETUM | MORRIS, IL | $525,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| NEWPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY | NEWPORT, RI | $500,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| NORTHERN FOREST CENTER | CONCORD, NH | $205,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| NATIVE PLANT TRUST | FRAMINGHAM, MA | $110,418 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CONCORD MUSEUM | CONCORD, MA | $75,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $75,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| IYRS SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY & TRADES | NEWPORT, RI | $50,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FUNDERBURG SCHOLARS INC | CONCORD, MA | $35,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY | WORCESTER, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WINTERTHUR MUSEUM | WILMINGTON, DE | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SEACOAST EAT LOCAL | DOVER, NH | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| NORMAN BIRD SANCTUARY TRUST RI HOSPITAL TRUST | MIDDLETOWN, RI | $20,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HERRESHOFF MARINE MUSEUM | BRISTOL, RI | $15,132 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FIRST PARISH IN CONCORD | CONCORD, MA | $15,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK, NY | $12,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HISTORIC TRAPPE | TRAPPE, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| NEWPORT PERFORMING ARTS CENTER | NEWPORT, RI | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HISTORIC DEERFIELD | DEERFIELD, NH | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CONCORD CARLISLE COMMUNITY CHEST | CONCORD, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CONCORD LAND CONSERVATION TRUST | CONCORD, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| DR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR COMMUNITY CENTER | NEWPORT, RI | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CENTER FOR AMERICAN MARINE ART | MYSTIC, CT | $8,100 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| NASHOBA BROOKS SCHOOL | CONCORD, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE CONCORD BRIDGE | CONCORD, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| LUCYS HEARTH | MIDDLETOWN, RI | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| DECORATIVE ARTS TRUST | MEDIA, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CONCORD PRISON OUTREACH | CONCORD, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WORLD OCEAN SCHOOL | BOSTON, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE UMBRELLA COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER | CONCORD, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC | NEW YORK, NY | $3,750 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| AQUIDNECK LAND TRUST | MIDDLETOWN, RI | $2,500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CONCORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY | CONCORD, MA | $2,500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HAITI PROJECTS | HANOVER, MA | $2,500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST URBAN MINISTRY | ROXBURY, MA | $2,500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MASS AUDUBON SOCIETY | BOSTON, MA | $2,500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SERVICE COMMITTEE | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $2,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| GAINING GROUND | CONCORD, MA | $2,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MASSACHUSETTS RIVERS ALLIANCE | BOSTON, MA | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SAVE THE BAY INC | PROVIDENCE, RI | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE FARM SCHOOL INC | ATHOL, MA | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| OPEN TABLE INC | CONCORD, MA | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HOUSEHOLD GOODS INC | ACTON, MA | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SEA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION | WOODS HOLE, MA | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| NH AUDOBON | CONCORD, NH | $500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FRIENDS OF JACKSON PUBLIC LIBRARY | JACKSON, NH | $250 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WALLACE KANE CHARITABLE GIFT FUND | CONCORD, MA | $1,000,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CLUB | BOSTON, MA | $300,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
MORRIS ARBORETUM
$525,000UNRESTRICTED
NATIVE PLANT TRUST
$110,418UNRESTRICTED
CONCORD MUSEUM
$75,000UNRESTRICTED
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PA
$75,000UNRESTRICTED
IYRS SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY & TRADES
$50,000UNRESTRICTED
FUNDERBURG SCHOLARS INC
$35,000UNRESTRICTED
WINTERTHUR MUSEUM
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
SEACOAST EAT LOCAL
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
HERRESHOFF MARINE MUSEUM
$15,132UNRESTRICTED
FIRST PARISH IN CONCORD
$15,000UNRESTRICTED
HISTORIC TRAPPE
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
NEWPORT PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
HISTORIC DEERFIELD
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
CONCORD CARLISLE COMMUNITY CHEST
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
CONCORD LAND CONSERVATION TRUST
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
CENTER FOR AMERICAN MARINE ART
$8,100UNRESTRICTED
NASHOBA BROOKS SCHOOL
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
THE CONCORD BRIDGE
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
CONCORD PRISON OUTREACH
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
WORLD OCEAN SCHOOL
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
THE UMBRELLA COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
CONCORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY
$2,500UNRESTRICTED
HAITI PROJECTS
$2,500UNRESTRICTED
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST URBAN MINISTRY
$2,500UNRESTRICTED
MASS AUDUBON SOCIETY
$2,500UNRESTRICTED
GAINING GROUND
$2,000UNRESTRICTED
MASSACHUSETTS RIVERS ALLIANCE
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
OPEN TABLE INC
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
HOUSEHOLD GOODS INC
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
SEA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
NH AUDOBON
$500UNRESTRICTED
FRIENDS OF JACKSON PUBLIC LIBRARY
$250UNRESTRICTED
WALLACE KANE CHARITABLE GIFT FUND
$1,000,000UNRESTRICTED