The George S. Bissell Charitable Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on education and international development with a strong local tie to Wellesley-area independent schooling. Grants are split between repeat, sizable gifts to a few education institutions (both local K–8 and overseas higher education) and targeted support for global health and girls’ education programs. This blend suggests a donor interest in sustained institutional support and cross-border impact in human development.
Relatively concentrated giving: a small number of medium-to-large grants (total $294K) with multiple repeat commitments to a handful of preferred grantees. Mix of local, place-based education funding and targeted international development/health grants rather than broad one-off donations.
Three institutions account for the foundation’s largest recent gifts: Anatolia College received $52,000 in 2024 and $43,000 in 2023, while Tenacre Country Day School received $25,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That pattern points to a funder that supports education with consistency rather than one-off awards. The George S Bissell Charitable Foundation’s recent record also shows unrestricted support for international student and institutional programs, alongside grants to schools and health nonprofits. Across the current grant list, the foundation backs a mix of local independent schooling, higher education, and human development work. Hiram College appears with gifts of $18,500, $16,000, and $15,000 across three years, and Brimmer and May School received $15,000 in 2023, $10,000 in 2025, and $5,000 in 2024. The granting pattern suggests sustained relationships with selected institutions and repeated support over multiple years, often without program restrictions. Alongside education, the portfolio includes grants to Partners in Health and Camfed USA, showing that the foundation also funds global health and girls’ education initiatives through U.S.-based intermediaries.
Education is the clearest throughline. Anatolia College received $42,000 in 2025 and earlier gifts of $52,000 in 2024 and $43,000 in 2023, all unrestricted. Tenacre Country Day School also received repeated support of $25,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, indicating a durable relationship with independent schooling. The foundation also funds higher education beyond New England. Hiram College received $18,500 in 2023, $16,000 in 2024, and $15,000 in 2025. University of Richmond appears with $5,000 grants in both 2023 and 2025. This shows ongoing support for colleges rather than isolated awards. Outside education, the foundation backs humanitarian and international-development work. Partners in Health received $30,000 in 2023, $21,000 in 2024, and $22,000 in 2025. Camfed USA received $30,000 in 2023, $20,000 in 2024, and $22,000 in 2025.
Typical grant size clusters in the mid-thousands: the 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $8,710, and the 75th percentile is $22,000. The recent list shows repeated gifts to the same organizations across 2023, 2024, and 2025, which points to multi-year relationship grantmaking rather than isolated awards. Grants are listed as unrestricted, and the foundation does not make program-related investments. It also does not fund individuals. The pattern is consistent with flexible institutional support, including both recurring school gifts and ongoing support for nonprofit partners.
$769K
$12.8M
$1M
$973K
Most grants fall between $5K and $22K, with a median of $9K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$9K
75th Percentile
$22K
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Notable grantees: Anatolia College, Tenacre Country Day School, Partners In Health, CAMFED USA
Although the foundation gives nationally, its grants land most often in Maryland by recipient count. Massachusetts accounts for 39% of grants to recipients in the HQ state. Recent recipient cities include Boston, Wellesley, Chestnut Hill, San Francisco, Hiram, Easton, Richmond, Washington, Santa Monica, and Vinalhaven. All recorded grants in the provided sample went to U.S. recipients, with no non-U.S. countries shown in the recent-grants data.
Its recent grants cluster around smaller institutional awards. The 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $8,710, and the 75th percentile is $22,000. The recent list includes both $5,000 grants and larger six-figure-style annual commitments to selected grantees, but the core distribution sits in the mid-thousands.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Anatolia College in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Tenacre Country Day School in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and Partners in Health in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards.
The recent record shows support for independent schools, colleges, and nonprofit health and girls’ education organizations. Examples include Tenacre Country Day School, Hiram College, Partners in Health, and Camfed USA. Grants are listed as unrestricted, which points to flexible support for institutional budgets and general operations.
By recipient count, Maryland is the top state in the giving record. Massachusetts is also a major destination, with 39% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. The recent-grants sample is entirely U.S.-based.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANATOLIA COLLEGE | BOSTON, MA | $206,666 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HIRAM COLLEGE | HIRAM, OH | $105,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CAMFED USA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PARTNERS IN HEALTH | BOSTON, MA | $100,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BRIMMER AND MAY SCHOOL | CHESTNUT HILL, MA | $93,334 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TENACRE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | WELLESLEY, MA | $58,334 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| GLOBAL GIVING | WASHINGTON, DC | $23,654 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PARTNERS IN ISLAND EDUCATION | VINALHAVEN, ME | $22,475 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WELLESLEY VILLAGE CHURCH | WELLESLEY, MA | $20,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ONEGOAL | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| AFRICAN COLLABORATION | WINCHESTER, MA | $10,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PROJECT OF EASTON INC | EASTON, PA | $10,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND | RICHMOND, VA | $5,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WELLESLEY A BETTER CHANCE | WELLESLEY HILLS, MA | $2,291 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CENTER FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION HAMMERSTONE SCHOOL | ITHACA, NY | $1,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| KARL STIRNER ARTS TRAIL | EASTON, PA | $1,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ANATOLIA COLLEGE | BOSTON, MA | $42,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TENACRE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | WELLESLEY, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CAMFED USA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $22,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PARTNERS IN HEALTH | BOSTON, MA | $22,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HIRAM COLLEGE | HIRAM, OH | $15,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PROJECT OF EASTON INC | EASTON, PA | $10,500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BRIMMER AND MAY SCHOOL | CHESTNUT HILL, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND | RICHMOND, VA | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| NOBLE & GREENOUGH SCHOOL | DEDHAM, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| US NAVAL ACADEMY FOUNDATION | NAVAL ACADEMY, MD | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PARTNERS IN ISLAND EDUCATION | VINALHAVEN, ME | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ANATOLIA COLLEGE | BOSTON, MA | $52,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TENACRE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | WELLESLEY, MA | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PARTNERS IN HEALTH | BOSTON, MA | $21,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CAMFED USA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HIRAM COLLEGE | HIRAM, OH | $16,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PROJECT OF EASTON INC | EASTON, PA | $6,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| US NAVAL ACADEMY FOUNDATION | NAVAL ACADEMY, MD | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND | RICHMOND, VA | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BRIMMER AND MAY SCHOOL | CHESTNUT HILL, MA | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PARTNERS IN ISLAND EDUCATION | VINALHAVEN, ME | $4,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| VERMONT ADAPTIVE SKI AND SPORTS | KILLINGTON, VT | $2,510 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PER SCHOLAS | BALTIMORE, MD | $500 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ANATOLIA COLLEGE | BOSTON, MA | $43,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CAMFED USA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $30,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PARTNERS IN HEALTH | BOSTON, MA | $30,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TENACRE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | WELLESLEY, MA | $25,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HIRAM COLLEGE | HIRAM, OH | $18,500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BRIMMER AND MAY SCHOOL | CHESTNUT HILL, MA | $15,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| GLOBAL GIVING | WASHINGTON, DC | $7,420 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PROJECT OF EASTON INC | EASTON, PA | $7,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| KRISTOF IMPACT | SANTA MONICA, CA | $6,600 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ONE GOAL MASS | BOSTON, MA | $6,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PARTNERS IN ISLAND EDUCATION | VINALHAVEN, ME | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
ANATOLIA COLLEGE
$206,666UNRESTRICTED
HIRAM COLLEGE
$105,000UNRESTRICTED
CAMFED USA
$100,000UNRESTRICTED
BRIMMER AND MAY SCHOOL
$93,334UNRESTRICTED
TENACRE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
$58,334UNRESTRICTED
GLOBAL GIVING
$23,654UNRESTRICTED
PARTNERS IN ISLAND EDUCATION
$22,475UNRESTRICTED
WELLESLEY VILLAGE CHURCH
$20,000UNRESTRICTED
AFRICAN COLLABORATION
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
WELLESLEY A BETTER CHANCE
$2,291UNRESTRICTED
CENTER FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION HAMMERSTONE SCHOOL
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
KARL STIRNER ARTS TRAIL
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
ANATOLIA COLLEGE
$42,000UNRESTRICTED
TENACRE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
HIRAM COLLEGE
$15,000UNRESTRICTED
BRIMMER AND MAY SCHOOL
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
NOBLE & GREENOUGH SCHOOL
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
PARTNERS IN ISLAND EDUCATION
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
ANATOLIA COLLEGE
$52,000UNRESTRICTED
TENACRE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
HIRAM COLLEGE
$16,000UNRESTRICTED
BRIMMER AND MAY SCHOOL
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
PARTNERS IN ISLAND EDUCATION
$4,000UNRESTRICTED
ANATOLIA COLLEGE
$43,000UNRESTRICTED
TENACRE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
HIRAM COLLEGE
$18,500UNRESTRICTED
BRIMMER AND MAY SCHOOL
$15,000UNRESTRICTED
KRISTOF IMPACT
$6,600UNRESTRICTED
ONE GOAL MASS
$6,000UNRESTRICTED
PARTNERS IN ISLAND EDUCATION
$5,000UNRESTRICTED