The Samelson-Lowitt Foundation concentrates its giving locally in the Boston/Needham area with a strong emphasis on regional land conservation and nature education, significant support for a local independent school, and targeted funding for civil liberties work in Massachusetts. Grants are few but sizable and concentrated among a small set of repeat recipients, indicating long-term relationships with place-based environmental and educational institutions as well as civic organizations.
A $130,000 grant to Charles River School is the clearest signal in Samelson-lowitt Foundation Inc’s recent giving: the foundation makes a small number of relatively large, place-based awards tied to organizations in the Boston and Needham area. Its recent grants show sustained support for regional land conservation and nature education, alongside funding for civil liberties work in Massachusetts and support for a local independent school. Mass Audubon Society appears repeatedly in the grant list, including awards of $100,000 in 2023 and 2025 and a smaller $14,000 grant in 2023, pointing to an ongoing relationship rather than one-off support. The same pattern appears in civic funding, where ACLU Foundation of Massachusetts received $25,000 in both 2023 and 2025. Smaller grants extend the same local orientation to organizations such as Center for Women & Enterprise Inc, Rosie’s Place, and Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition. The foundation’s grantmaking is concentrated among a limited set of recipients, with a strong emphasis on Massachusetts institutions and conservation-oriented work.
Regional land conservation and nature education are central to the foundation’s giving. Mass Audubon Society received $100,000 in 2023, $100,000 in 2025, and $500 in 2025, while Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition received $250 in 2023 and Grow Native Massachusetts received $100 in 2023. Those grants point to support for land protection, preserve stewardship, and ecological education in Massachusetts. The foundation also backs independent education: Charles River School in Dover received $130,000 in 2023. On the civic side, ACLU Foundation of Massachusetts in Boston received $25,000 in 2023 and another $25,000 in 2025, showing continued support for state-level civil liberties and advocacy. Smaller grants to Center for Women & Enterprise Inc and Rosie’s Place broaden the picture to local community support.
The typical grant size is concentrated in the middle range, with a p25 of $1,000, a median of $14,000, and a p75 of $62,500. That spread matches a pattern of a few large awards and several much smaller gifts. Repeat recipients are prominent: Mass Audubon Society and ACLU Foundation of Massachusetts each received more than one grant across 2023 and 2025. The foundation funds as a local grantmaker and does not fund individuals. The recent list also suggests relationship-driven giving, with awards recurring to the same organizations rather than spreading widely across many new recipients.
$2K
$13K
$6K
$8K
Most grants fall between $1K and $63K, with a median of $14K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$14K
75th Percentile
$63K
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Small number of relatively large grants concentrated among repeat, locally based organizations; mix of multi-grant support for flagship conservation and civil liberties partners alongside a major one-off gift to a local school.
Notable grantees: Mass Audubon Society, Charles River School, ACLU Foundation of Massachusetts
Grantmaking is heavily centered in Massachusetts, which accounts for 82% of grants and is the top state by grant count. Recent recipient locations include Lincoln, Boston, Dover, Sudbury, and Waltham in Massachusetts. Outside the state, the list includes one recipient in New York, New York and one in Sanibel, Florida. All recent grants in the dataset went to U.S. recipients.
Its recent grants go mainly to Massachusetts conservation and education groups, along with civil liberties and community organizations. The list includes Mass Audubon Society, Charles River School, ACLU Foundation of Massachusetts, Center for Women & Enterprise Inc, Rosie’s Place, Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition, and Grow Native Massachusetts.
Yes. Mass Audubon Society appears in 2023 and 2025, and ACLU Foundation of Massachusetts appears in 2023 and 2025. That pattern suggests ongoing support rather than isolated one-time grants.
The grant-size distribution is $1,000 at the 25th percentile, $14,000 at the median, and $62,500 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards range from $100 to $130,000, with several larger grants and a handful of smaller gifts.
Most grants go to recipients in Massachusetts: 82% of grants are in the HQ state, and Massachusetts is also the top state by grant count. Recent recipient cities include Boston, Dover, Lincoln, Sudbury, and Waltham.
The strongest themes are regional land conservation and nature education, independent K–8 education, and state-level civil liberties and advocacy. The grant list also includes smaller awards to a women’s enterprise organization and a local anti-poverty charity.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY | BOSTON, MA | $2,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED DONATION |
| MASS AUDUBON SOCIETY | LINCOLN, MA | $100,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| ACLU FOUNDATION OF MASSACHUSETTS | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| CENTER FOR WOMEN & ENTERPRISE INC | BOSTON, MA | $3,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| MASS AUDUBON SOCIETY | LINCOLN, MA | $500 | 2025 | DONATION |
| CHARLES RIVER SCHOOL | DOVER, MA | $130,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| MASS AUDUBON SOCIETY | LINCOLN, MA | $100,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| ACLU FOUNDATION OF MASSACHUSETTS | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| MASS AUDUBON SOCIETY | LINCOLN, MA | $14,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| UNICEF USA | NEW YORK, NY | $2,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION | SANIBEL, FL | $1,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| ROSIE'S PLACE | BEDFORD, MA | $1,000 | 2023 | DONATION |
| MASSACHUSETTS LAND TRUST COALITION | SUDBURY, MA | $250 | 2023 | DONATION |
| GROW NATIVE MASSACHUSETTS | WALTHAM, MA | $100 | 2023 | DONATION |
CENTER FOR WOMEN & ENTERPRISE INC
$3,000DONATION
DONATION
UNICEF USA
$2,000DONATION
MASSACHUSETTS LAND TRUST COALITION
$250DONATION
GROW NATIVE MASSACHUSETTS
$100DONATION