The Oedel Foundation focuses its giving on education and youth services in the Massachusetts Merrimack Valley area, with large, targeted gifts to postsecondary and secondary career/technical institutions and local charter schools. Their grants support workforce-oriented education (community colleges and technical schools) and neighborhood youth programming, indicating an interest in practical skills training and community stability.
Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small number of local education institutions and youth organizations rather than many small awards; funding appears place-based and oriented to career/technical training and direct service providers.
A $1.2 million grant to Northshore Community College is the clearest signal in Oedel Foundation’s recent giving: the foundation backs education pathways that connect students to workforce training and continuing education. In 2024, it also made a $700,000 grant to Greater Lawrence Technical School and a $500,000 grant to Phoenix Charter Academy, showing sustained support for secondary, technical, and charter education in Massachusetts. The pattern extends to community colleges and local youth-serving organizations, with additional grants to Middlesex Community College and Youth Development Organization. Much of the portfolio centers on the Merrimack Valley and nearby communities, especially Lawrence, Andover, Danvers, Bedford, Chelsea, and Boston. The foundation’s recent awards also include support for local service organizations such as Bread & Roses and Lazarus House, alongside educational institutions ranging from K-12 schools to universities. Across these grants, Oedel Foundation appears to favor direct, practical support for institutions serving students and local residents rather than broad thematic or national giving.
Education is the largest thread in Oedel Foundation’s grant history. It gave $1.2 million to Northshore Community College for educational support, $700,000 to Greater Lawrence Technical School for educational support, and $500,000 to Phoenix Charter Academy for educational support. The foundation also supported higher education at Middlesex Community College with $250,000 and Tufts University with $5,000. Youth development appears alongside schooling: Youth Development Organization received $300,000 for community and charitable work, linking the foundation’s education work with neighborhood-based services. Community support is another clear area. Bread & Roses received $14,195, while Lazarus House and Neighbors in Need each received $3,000, all in Lawrence. Oedel Foundation also made smaller awards to cultural, environmental, and faith-based organizations, including Wgbh, WBUR, the Nature Conservancy, and Christ Church - Andover.
Oedel Foundation’s typical grant size is modest relative to its largest awards: the distribution runs from a p25 of $1,000 to a median of $5,000 and a p75 of $10,000. That said, its 2024 giving includes several major outliers in the education portfolio. The grant list shows repeat support to the same organizations across multiple years, including Bread & Roses, Lazarus House, Neighbors in Need, Wgbh, WBUR, the Nature Conservancy, Tufts University, and Massachusetts Institute for Technology. The foundation is a regular funder and does not fund individuals. The data provided does not show an application process.
$3M
$0
$62K
$3M
Most grants fall between $1K and $10K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$10K
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Notable grantees: Northshore Community College, Greater Lawrence Technical School, Phoenix Charter Academy, Middlesex Community College, Youth Development Organization
Oedel Foundation’s grants are overwhelmingly Massachusetts-based, with 81% of grants going to recipients in its headquarters state. The top state by grant count is Virginia, reflecting a small number of awards outside Massachusetts, including Arlington. Within Massachusetts, Lawrence appears repeatedly, along with Boston, Andover, Bedford, Chelsea, Danvers, Medford, Cambridge, Watertown, and Beverly. Outside the state, the recipient country distribution remains entirely domestic: all grants in the recent list went to US organizations.
The grant list points to education and youth services as the core focus. Recent awards supported community colleges, a technical high school, a charter academy, and youth development work. The foundation also funded local community organizations in Lawrence and Boston, plus smaller awards to environmental, cultural, and religious groups.
Typical awards are relatively small: the p25 is $1,000, the median is $5,000, and the p75 is $10,000. The recent file also includes much larger education grants, but most listed grants fall near that lower range.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Bread & Roses, Lazarus House, Neighbors in Need, Wgbh, WBUR, the Nature Conservancy, Tufts University, and Massachusetts Institute for Technology. That pattern suggests recurring support rather than one-time giving only.
Its giving is concentrated in Massachusetts, with 81% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. The most frequent recipient location overall is Virginia by count, but the grant list shows many Massachusetts recipients, especially in Lawrence and Boston.
Recipients include community colleges, a regional technical school, charter and educational institutions, youth-development nonprofits, local service organizations, and a smaller set of cultural, environmental, and religious organizations. The recent grants list also includes universities such as Tufts University, Massachusetts Institute for Technology, and Harvard Business School.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTHSHORE COMMUNITY COLLEGE | DANVERS, MA | $1,200,000 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| GREATER LAWRENCE TECHNICAL SCHOOL | ANDOVER, MA | $700,000 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| PHOENIX CHARTER ACADEMY | CHELSEA, MA | $500,000 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION | LAWRENCE, MA | $300,000 | 2024 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| MIDDLESEX COMMUNITY COLLEGE | BEDFORD, MA | $250,000 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| BREAD & ROSES | LAWRENCE, MA | $14,195 | 2024 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| WGBH | BOSTON, MA | $7,500 | 2024 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| WBUR | BOSTON, MA | $7,500 | 2024 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| TUFTS UNIVERSITY | MEDFORD, MA | $5,000 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE FOR TECHNOLOGY | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $5,000 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| LAZARUS HOUSE | LAWRENCE, MA | $3,000 | 2024 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| NEIGHBORS IN NEED | LAWRENCE, MA | $3,000 | 2024 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $2,500 | 2024 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| CHRIST CHURCH - ANDOVER | ANDOVER, MA | $1,334 | 2024 | RELIGIOUS |
| UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $1,000 | 2024 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| NH LAKES ASSOCIATION | CONCORD, NH | $1,000 | 2024 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL | BOSTON, MA | $1,000 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEW ENGLAND | BOSTON, MA | $100,000 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| ESPERANZA ACADEMY | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL |
| LAZARUS HOUSE | LAWRENCE, MA | $10,000 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| NEIGHBORS IN NEED | LAWRENCE, MA | $10,000 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| BREAD & ROSES | LAWRENCE, MA | $10,000 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| WGBH | BOSTON, MA | $7,500 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| WBUR | BOSTON, MA | $7,500 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE FOR TECHNOLOGY | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $5,000 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL |
| TUFTS UNIVERSITY | MEDFORD, MA | $5,000 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL |
| PERKINS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND | WATERTOWN, MA | $3,000 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL |
| TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS | BEVERLY, MA | $2,500 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $2,500 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | BOSTON, MA | $1,000 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $1,000 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| NH LAKES ASSOCIATION | CONCORD, NH | $1,000 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| CHRIST CHURCH - ANDOVER | ANDOVER, MA | $1,000 | 2023 | RELIGIOUS |
| SHRINERS HOSPITALS | TAMPA, FL | $1,000 | 2023 | COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE |
| HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL | BOSTON, MA | $1,000 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL |
GREATER LAWRENCE TECHNICAL SCHOOL
$700,000EDUCATIONAL
PHOENIX CHARTER ACADEMY
$500,000EDUCATIONAL
MIDDLESEX COMMUNITY COLLEGE
$250,000EDUCATIONAL
BREAD & ROSES
$14,195COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE
WGBH
$7,500COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE
TUFTS UNIVERSITY
$5,000EDUCATIONAL
NEIGHBORS IN NEED
$3,000COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE
CHRIST CHURCH - ANDOVER
$1,334RELIGIOUS
NH LAKES ASSOCIATION
$1,000COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
$1,000EDUCATIONAL
NEIGHBORS IN NEED
$10,000COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE
BREAD & ROSES
$10,000COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE
TUFTS UNIVERSITY
$5,000EDUCATIONAL
PERKINS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND
$3,000EDUCATIONAL
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
$1,000COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE
NH LAKES ASSOCIATION
$1,000COMMUNITY & CHARITABLE
CHRIST CHURCH - ANDOVER
$1,000RELIGIOUS
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
$1,000EDUCATIONAL