The Poss Family Foundation concentrates large, targeted gifts to a small number of organizations that use arts and creative practice to serve young people and advance educational equity. Most grants support theatre, youth arts programs, and arts‑driven research or engagement, with at least one high-profile grant to a math equity organization, suggesting an interest in both creative youth development and educational justice. The grantees are primarily mission‑driven nonprofits that operate in the youth/education and cultural sectors, likely with a regional focus around Boston.
Concentrated giving: a small portfolio of very large grants (five gifts totaling $2M) to a handful of mission-aligned organizations rather than many small awards; appears to favor multi-year or capacity-building investments in a few core grantees.
The Poss Family Foundation C/o Dr Ellen M Poss gives large, targeted grants to a small set of organizations working where arts, youth development, and educational equity overlap. In 2024, its biggest award went to The Yard, followed by major support for the Center for Arts Design & Social Research and The Algebra Project Inc, showing a pattern of substantial gifts to organizations with distinct creative and educational missions. The foundation also backed The Theatre Offensive and The Young People's Theatre Project, reinforcing a clear interest in performance-based work with young people and communities. Its grantmaking reaches beyond a single discipline: alongside theatre and arts education, it supports arts-driven research and math equity. The recent grants list points to a donor that favors focused, high-dollar support rather than broad dispersal across many recipients. The grantees are mainly mission-driven nonprofits operating in arts, education, and social justice spaces, with several based in Massachusetts and others elsewhere in the United States.
In arts and creative practice, the foundation supported The Yard with $550,000 and The Theatre Offensive with $250,000, tying theatre and performance to charitable purpose. It also gave $200,000 to The Young People's Theatre Project, extending that pattern into youth-facing arts work outside Massachusetts. Educational equity appears as a separate thread: The Algebra Project Inc received $500,000, indicating support for math access as part of the foundation's giving. Another area is arts-based research and social practice, reflected in a $500,000 grant to the Center for Arts Design & Social Research. The portfolio also includes smaller grants to media and advocacy organizations, such as Wgbh Educational Foundation and Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, suggesting attention to cultural expression and public-facing work.
Typical grants are sizeable: the 25th percentile is $20,000, the median is $112,500, and the 75th percentile is $312,500. That spread shows a mix of smaller awards and very large commitments, with several six-figure grants in the 2024 list. The foundation appears to make one-off awards rather than repeated grants to the same recipients in the data provided, and the record shows no grants to individuals or program-related investments. The legal name indicates a family foundation structure, and the grants are described as support to promote charitable purpose rather than as a formal application-based program.
$2M
$0
$162K
$2.2M
Most grants fall between $20K and $313K, with a median of $113K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$113K
75th Percentile
$313K
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Notable grantees: The Yard, Center for Arts Design & Social Research, The Algebra Project, Inc., The Theatre Offensive, The Young People's Theatre Project
Grant recipients are entirely U.S.-based in the recent data, with 12 grants and 100% of them going to U.S. organizations. Massachusetts receives the largest share by grant count, accounting for 58% of grants. Recent recipient locations include Chilmark, Wayland, Boston, Oak Bluffs, Brookline, Cambridge, New York, Brooklyn, Halliday, Callaway, and Portland. The pattern suggests a strong Massachusetts concentration with additional support reaching New York, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Oregon.
Recent grants show support for arts and theatre organizations, arts and design research, math equity, youth arts, and related advocacy. Examples include The Yard, The Theatre Offensive, The Young People's Theatre Project, The Algebra Project Inc, and the Center for Arts Design & Social Research.
The foundation's grant-size distribution is relatively large: the 25th percentile is $20,000, the median grant is $112,500, and the 75th percentile is $312,500. The 2024 list also includes multiple awards at $500,000 and above.
Massachusetts is the top state by grant count, with 58% of grants going to recipients in the state. Recent Massachusetts recipients include organizations in Boston, Wayland, Chilmark, Oak Bluffs, Brookline, and Cambridge.
Yes. The recent grants include recipients in Oregon, New York, North Dakota, and Minnesota, including The Young People's Theatre Project in Portland, People's Rights Fund in New York, Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance in Halliday, and Honor the Earth in Callaway.
The recent grant list shows a small number of recipients receiving substantial individual awards rather than many repeated awards to the same organizations. The data provided includes 12 grants across 12 named recipients in 2024.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MORGAN STANLEY GLOBAL IMPACT FUNDING TRUST | NEW YORK, NY | $1,429,998 | 2026 | PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| CENTER FOR ARTS - DESIGN AND SOCIAL RESEARCH | WAYLAND, MA | $450,000 | 2026 | PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| NEW YORK LIVE ARTS | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2026 | PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| MORGAN STANLEY GLOBAL IMPACT FUNDING TRUST | NEW YORK, NY | $37,959 | 2026 | PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| NEW YORK LIVE ARTS | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| MORGAN STANLEY GLOBAL IMPACT FUNDING TRUST | NEW YORK, NY | $1,191 | 2026 | PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| NEW YORK LIVE ARTS | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| NEW YORK LIVE ARTS | NEW YORK, NY | $151,215 | 2025 | PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| NEW YORK LIVE ARTS | NEW YORK, NY | $20,100 | 2025 | PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| HOSPICE & PALLIATIVE CARE OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD | VINEYARD HAVEN, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| THE YARD | CHILMARK, MA | $550,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| THE ALGEBRA PROJECT INC | WAYLAND, MA | $500,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| CENTER FOR ARTS DESIGN & SOCIAL RESEARCH | WAYLAND, MA | $500,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| CENTER FOR ARTS DESIGN & SOCIAL RESEARCH | WAYLAND, MA | $480,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| THE THEATRE OFFENSIVE | BOSTON, MA | $250,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S THEATRE PROJECT | PORTLAND, OR | $200,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| MARTHAS VINEYARD COMMUNITY SERVICES | OAK BLUFFS, MA | $125,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| PEOPLE'S RIGHTS FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| INDIGENOUS MEDIA FREEDOM ALLIANCE | HALLIDAY, ND | $40,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| LAKAI ARTS INC | BOSTON, MA | $20,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| CULLEN THEM | BROOKLYN, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE. |
| HONOR THE EARTH | CALLAWAY, MN | $20,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE. |
| THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR | WAYLAND, MA | $10,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| WGBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | BOSTON, MA | $3,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| OUR BODIES OURSELVES | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $500 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
MORGAN STANLEY GLOBAL IMPACT FUNDING TRUST
$1,429,998PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE
CENTER FOR ARTS - DESIGN AND SOCIAL RESEARCH
$450,000PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE
MORGAN STANLEY GLOBAL IMPACT FUNDING TRUST
$37,959PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE
MORGAN STANLEY GLOBAL IMPACT FUNDING TRUST
$1,191PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE
HOSPICE & PALLIATIVE CARE OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD
$10,000PROMOTE CHARITABLE PURPOSE
THE ALGEBRA PROJECT INC
$500,000TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE
CENTER FOR ARTS DESIGN & SOCIAL RESEARCH
$500,000TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE
CENTER FOR ARTS DESIGN & SOCIAL RESEARCH
$480,000TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE
THE THEATRE OFFENSIVE
$250,000TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE
THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S THEATRE PROJECT
$200,000TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE
PEOPLE'S RIGHTS FUND
$100,000TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE
LAKAI ARTS INC
$20,000TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE
CULLEN THEM
$20,000TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE.
THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR
$10,000TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE
OUR BODIES OURSELVES
$500TO PROMOTE ITS CHARITABLE PURPOSE