Roaring Brook Family Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About Roaring Brook Family Foundation
We support mission-driven nonprofits working within four interwoven themes: Rivers, Coasts & Oceans; Resilient Communities; Youth Leadership & Education; Healthy Foodsheds. On occasion, we also support projects outside of the above, usually in the arts.
Focus Areas
ClimateEnvironmentWaterOceansCommunity resilienceYouth leadershipEducationFood systemsArts
Who They Fund
youth and young leaders (students, scholars, writers)coastal and fishing communities / marine stakeholdersIndigenous communities and Native food practitionerssmall/local farmers and locally-scaled businesses
About Roaring Brook Family Foundation
Roaring Brook Family Foundation’s recent giving shows a clear mix of environmental work, youth leadership, and food-system support, with a strong pull toward organizations that build long-term capacity. In 2025, the foundation backed Greenagers with $125,000 for general operating funds, while Shelburne Farms received $125,000 for education for sustainability initiatives. Those grants sit alongside larger commitments to environmental and community-focused work, including $100,000 to Ocean Conservancy for trash-free seas, ghost gear, and DSM, and $100,000 to Coastal Conservation League for general operating funds. The foundation also supports education-centered nonprofits and place-based initiatives, such as The Telling Room’s young writers and leaders work and Esperanza Academy’s capital campaign. Its portfolio points to a funder that favors mission-driven nonprofits with clear plans and established leadership, rather than narrow project-only support. Across the recent grants list, the same themes recur in different forms: coastal protection, climate education, youth development, and healthy foodsheds. The pattern suggests a family foundation that uses a mix of operating support, program grants, and capital support to reinforce organizations working in conservation, resilience, and education.
What Roaring Brook Family Foundation Funds
Within environmental conservation, Roaring Brook Family Foundation supported Ocean Conservancy with $100,000 for the Trash-Free Seas Program, Ghost Gear Initiative, and DSM. It also gave $100,000 to Charles River Conservancy for floating wetlands, linking watershed work to urban ecology. For coastal and land stewardship, Trustees of Reservations received $100,000 for Appleton Farms and Crane Coastal Ecology Education. In the food-systems area, FreshFarm got $150,000 for the FoodPrints Program and capital campaign, while Vermont Farmers Food Center received $65,000 for general operating funds. Youth leadership and education also appear prominently: The Telling Room was awarded $100,000 for young writers and leaders, and Hurricane Island Outward Bound School received $50,000 for Pinnacle Scholarships. These grants show support for education, conservation, and community-based food work through specific programs and institutions.
How Roaring Brook Family Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.2M
Total Assets
$48.9M
Total Revenue
$8M
Total Expenses
$2.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $9K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$9K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
National18 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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