The Kelsey Trust appears to concentrate its giving through intermediaries that support place-based philanthropy; its sole recorded grant is a single, moderate-sized contribution to the Vermont Community Foundation. Although based in Lincoln, MA, the Trust directed funds to a Vermont-focused community foundation, suggesting an interest in supporting regional/state-level philanthropic infrastructure or broad community needs in Vermont rather than specific service providers. With only one grant on file, the pattern is preliminary but points to a preference for funding intermediaries that can deploy resources locally.
Highly concentrated and transactional: one recorded, single-purpose grant of moderate size to a philanthropic intermediary (no evidence of repeat grantees or diversified giving).
The Kelsey Trust’s clearest pattern is a strong preference for general-support grants to Vermont intermediaries and community-serving organizations. Its largest recorded grant went to the Vermont Community Foundation for $48,500 in 2024, and the trust continued to support that intermediary with another $10,000 in 2025. That same approach appears in direct grants to local organizations that serve housing, youth, and community needs across Vermont, including Committee on Temporary Shelter Inc., Boys and Girls Club of Burlington Inc., and The John W Graham Emergency Shelter and Services. The trust’s giving is not limited to one kind of institution: it also funds statewide and regional nonprofits such as Adirondack Foundation and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Across the recent grants list, the repeated use of general support suggests the trust favors flexible funding over project-restricted awards. The record also shows recurring support over multiple years, with several recipients appearing in both 2023 and later years. Taken together, the pattern points to a regional grantmaker that channels resources through established nonprofits and intermediaries rather than making a small number of highly targeted grants.
Community foundations and grantmaking infrastructure are central to the trust’s recent activity. In 2024, it gave $48,500 to Vermont Community Foundation for general support, then added another $10,000 in 2025. It also backed Adirondack Foundation with $10,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, showing sustained support for intermediary organizations. The trust also funds basic community services. It awarded $10,000 to Committee on Temporary Shelter in 2024 and another $10,000 to Committee on Temporary Shelter Inc in 2025, along with grants to The John W Graham Emergency Shelter and Services and John Graham Center. Public health and family services appear as another thread, with grants to Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Planned Parenthood of the North Country NY Inc. Education and youth-serving organizations also appear through Champlain College, Spectrum Youth & Family Services Inc., and Boys and Girls Club of Burlington Inc.
The typical grant size is tightly clustered: p25 is $5,000, median grant size is $7,500, and p75 is $10,000. The recent record is dominated by $10,000 awards, with a single larger outlier at $48,500. Grants recur across years, including Adirondack Foundation, Shelburne Farms, Greater Burlington YMCA, Spectrum, and Planned Parenthood Northern New England. The trust does not make grants to individuals and does not make program-related investments. The grant descriptions are overwhelmingly general support, indicating flexible operating-style funding rather than narrowly restricted project grants.
$224K
$3.8M
$234K
$273K
Most grants fall between $5K and $10K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$10K
About 5% of grants go to recipients in VT.
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: Vermont Community Foundation
Grant recipients are concentrated in Vermont, especially Burlington, Middlebury, Williston, Shelburne, and Vergennes. The recent list also includes a smaller set of New York recipients in Lake Placid, Keene, and Watertown. The foundation gives most often in Massachusetts by grant count, but only 6% of grants go to recipients in its headquarters state. All recorded grants in the dataset go to U.S. organizations.
The recent grants list shows repeated general-support grants to community foundations, shelters, youth-serving nonprofits, and family or health organizations. Examples include Vermont Community Foundation, Adirondack Foundation, Committee on Temporary Shelter Inc., Boys and Girls Club of Burlington Inc., and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.
Its grant sizes are compact: the 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $7,500, and the 75th percentile is $10,000. Most of the recent grants listed are $10,000 awards.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Adirondack Foundation in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Shelburne Farms in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Greater Burlington YMCA in 2023 and 2024; and Planned Parenthood Northern New England in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Most recent grants go to Vermont organizations, with additional awards to recipients in New York. Specific recipient cities include Burlington, Middlebury, Williston, Shelburne, Vergennes, Lake Placid, Keene, and Watertown.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND | COLCHESTER, VT | $12,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE JOHN W GRAHAM EMERGENCY SHELTER AND SERVICES | VERGENNES, VT | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| COMMITTEE ON TEMPORARY SHELTER INC | BURLINGTON, VT | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SPECTRUM YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES INC | BURLINGTON, VT | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BURLINGTON INC | BURLINGTON, VT | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ADIRONDACK FOUNDATION | LAKE PLACID, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ADDISON COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION GROUP INC DBA HOPE | MIDDLEBURY, VT | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF THE NORTH COUNTRY NY INC | WATERTOWN, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| VERMONT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | MIDDLEBURY, VT | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| RESOURCE A NONPROFIT COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE INC | WILLISTON, VT | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SHELBURNE FARMS | SHELBURNE, VT | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| STERN CENTER FOR LANGUARD & LEARNING | WILLISTON, VT | $8,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE INC | BURLINGTON, VT | $8,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PREVENT CHILD ABUSE-VERMONT | MONTPELIER, VT | $8,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GREATER BURLINGTON YMCA FOUNDATION INC (6663-S01) | BURLINGTON, VT | $8,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION INC | BOSTON, MA | $7,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HOWARDCENTER INC DBA HOWARD CENTER INC | BURLINGTON, VT | $7,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| INTERVALE CENTER INC | BURLINGTON, VT | $7,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| VERMONT YOUTH CONSERVATION CORPS INC | RICHMOND, VT | $7,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| VERMONT RIVER CONSERVANCY INC | MONTPELIER, VT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| VERMONT WORKS FOR WOMEN INC | WINOOSKI, VT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LUND FAMILY CENTER INC | BURLINGTON, VT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NORTHEAST ORGANIC FARMING ASSOCIATION OF VERMONT | RICHMOND, VT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| STEPS TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INC | BURLINGTON, VT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ADIRONDACK FOUNDATION - ESSEX COMMUNITY FUND | LAKE PLACID, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HOMESHARE VERMONT INC | SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LAKESIDE PRESCHOOL DBA LAKESIDE SCHOOL AT BLACK | ESSEX, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| COMMON ROOTS INC | SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT | $4,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| OTTER CREEK AUDUBON SOCIETY | MIDDLEBURY, VT | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| VERMONT PUBLIC CO | COLCHESTER, VT | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| VERMONT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | MIDDLEBURY, VT | $48,500 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Planned Parenthood Northern New England | Colchester, VT | $12,500 | 2024 | General Support |
| Greater Burlington YMCA | Burlington, VT | $10,000 | 2024 | General Support |
| Spectrum | Burlington, VT | $10,000 | 2024 | General Support |
| COMMITTEE ON TEMPORARY SHELTER | BURLINGTON, VT | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LAKESIDE SCHOOL | ESSEX, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Champlain College | Burlington, VT | $10,000 | 2024 | General Support |
| STERN CENTER FOR LANGUAGE AND LEARNING | WILLISTON, VT | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SARA HOLBROOK COMMUNITY CENTER | BURLINGTON, VT | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ADIRONDACK LAND TRUST | KEENE, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HELPING OVERCOME POVERTY'S EFFECTS | Middlebury, VT | $10,000 | 2024 | General Support |
| John Graham Center | Vergennes, VT | $10,000 | 2024 | General Support |
| SHELBURNE FARMS | SHELBURNE, VT | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| RESOURCE | Williston, VT | $10,000 | 2024 | General Support |
| Prevent Child Abuse - VT | Montpelier, VT | $7,500 | 2024 | General Support |
| NOFA - VT | Richmond, VT | $7,500 | 2024 | General Support |
| KIDSAFE COLLABORATIVE INC | BURLINGTON, VT | $6,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ADIRONDACK MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION | SARANAC LAKE, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION | Boston, MA | $5,000 | 2024 | General Support |
| INTERVALE CENTER | BURLINGTON, VT | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
THE JOHN W GRAHAM EMERGENCY SHELTER AND SERVICES
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ADIRONDACK FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ADDISON COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION GROUP INC DBA HOPE
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF THE NORTH COUNTRY NY INC
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
STERN CENTER FOR LANGUARD & LEARNING
$8,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE INC
$8,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PREVENT CHILD ABUSE-VERMONT
$8,000GENERAL SUPPORT
GREATER BURLINGTON YMCA FOUNDATION INC (6663-S01)
$8,000GENERAL SUPPORT
HOWARDCENTER INC DBA HOWARD CENTER INC
$7,500GENERAL SUPPORT
VERMONT RIVER CONSERVANCY INC
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ADIRONDACK FOUNDATION - ESSEX COMMUNITY FUND
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
HOMESHARE VERMONT INC
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
LAKESIDE PRESCHOOL DBA LAKESIDE SCHOOL AT BLACK
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
COMMON ROOTS INC
$4,000GENERAL SUPPORT
OTTER CREEK AUDUBON SOCIETY
$2,500GENERAL SUPPORT
VERMONT PUBLIC CO
$2,500GENERAL SUPPORT
Greater Burlington YMCA
$10,000General Support
LAKESIDE SCHOOL
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
Champlain College
$10,000General Support
SARA HOLBROOK COMMUNITY CENTER
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
HELPING OVERCOME POVERTY'S EFFECTS
$10,000General Support
John Graham Center
$10,000General Support
Prevent Child Abuse - VT
$7,500General Support
KIDSAFE COLLABORATIVE INC
$6,000GENERAL SUPPORT