The Davis Family Charitable Foundation concentrates major gifts in the Boston area, prioritizing direct service nonprofits that address homelessness, youth development, local journalism, and neighborhood cultural institutions. They make substantial, multi-year or repeat gifts to a small set of organizations rather than many one-off grants, while also supporting at least one large international child-welfare charity. Their giving signals an interest in strengthening civic infrastructure and basic needs in Greater Boston alongside selective national philanthropy.
The Davis Family Charitable Foundation Jonathan G Davis Et Al Ttee gives some of its largest and most repeated gifts to Boston institutions that address daily needs and civic life. Heading Home appears in the recent grants list in 2023, 2024, and 2025 at $275,000 each year, while Boys & Girls Clubs Boston received $290,000 in both 2023 and 2024. Those patterns point to a foundation that favors sustained support for organizations serving children, families, and neighborhood stability rather than scattered one-off awards. Its grantmaking also reaches beyond direct service into local journalism, cultural institutions, and Jewish communal organizations. Wbur Boston received $265,000 in 2023, $260,000 in 2024, and $250,000 in 2025. Coolidge Corner Theater Foundation Inc was funded in 2023 and 2024, and Combined Jewish Philanthropies received gifts in 2023 and 2024. The foundation also made a notable international gift to Save the Children Federation, showing that most of its portfolio is local while some support extends to humanitarian and child-welfare work outside Massachusetts.
A clear theme in the foundation’s recent giving is homelessness and housing stabilization. Heading Home received $275,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Pine Street Inn was awarded $100,000 in 2023. Family Aid Boston Inc also appears multiple times, with gifts of $100,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Youth development is another recurring area. Boys & Girls Clubs Boston received $290,000 in both 2023 and 2024, and Brandeis University was funded in 2023, 2024, and 2025, including grants of $160,000, $125,000, and $125,000. Health-related support shows up through Boston Childrens Hospital, which received $143,000 in 2023 and $70,000 in 2025, along with Cambridge Health Alliance Foundation, funded in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation also supported WBUR Boston for public media and journalism in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Typical grants cluster around a moderate-to-large range, with p25 at $5,000, a median of $20,000, and p75 at $73,750. The recent grants list shows repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, indicating a pattern of ongoing relationships rather than isolated gifts. Grantmaking is by invitation only, and the foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. It provides direct grants to well-managed, high-performing nonprofits, including both general operating and program support.
$2.2M
$37.4M
$5.1M
$3.3M
Most grants fall between $5K and $74K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$74K
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small number of repeat grantees—primarily Boston-based nonprofits—with occasional large gifts to national/international organizations; emphasis on multi-grant relationships rather than broad, small-dollar distribution.
Notable grantees: Heading Home, WBUR Boston, Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, Save the Children Federation, Coolidge Corner Theater Foundation
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly U.S.-based, and 72% of grants go to recipients in Massachusetts, the foundation’s headquarters state. The largest concentration of recipient cities in the recent grants list is Boston, followed by nearby communities such as Brookline, Waltham, and Malden. Outside Massachusetts, Fairfield, Connecticut appears in the list through Save the Children Federation. The foundation’s stated geography is regional, with some support also directed to New England and national efforts.
No. Its general grantmaking is by invitation only, and the foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited proposals. The active program descriptions repeat that grants go to well-managed, high-performing nonprofits aligned with its focus areas.
The typical grant size distribution is p25 $5,000, median $20,000, and p75 $73,750. Recent awards include several much larger recurring gifts, such as $275,000 to Heading Home and $290,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs Boston.
Recent grants show repeated support for Boston-area nonprofits working in homelessness services, youth development, public media, health care, and community institutions. Examples include Heading Home, Boys & Girls Clubs Boston, WBUR Boston, Boston Childrens Hospital, and Combined Jewish Philanthropies.
The giving is mostly local and Massachusetts-based: 72% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and the foundation’s geographic scope is regional. Recent grants are concentrated in Boston and nearby Massachusetts cities, with a smaller number outside the state, including Fairfield, Connecticut.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HEADING HOME | BOSTON, MA | $275,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| WBUR BOSTON | BOSTON, MA | $250,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| SAVE THE CHILDREN FEDERATION | FAIRFIELD, CT | $150,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY | WALTHAM, MA | $125,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| FAMILY AID BOSTON INC | BOSTON, MA | $100,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER | BOSTON, MA | $75,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE FOUNDATION | MALDEN, MA | $75,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| BOSTON CHILDRENS HOSPITAL | BOSTON, MA | $70,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS BOSTON | BOSTON, MA | $61,272 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| JVS | BOSTON, MA | $60,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| LAKE SUNAPEE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION | SUNAPEE, NH | $60,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF MASSACHUSETTS | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| PROJECT BREAD | EAST BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| CHILDREN'S SERVICES OF ROXBURY | ROXBURY, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| PINE STREET INN | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| COMBINED JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| OUR CHILDREN'S TRUST | EUGENE, OR | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| KIDS IN NEED OF DEFENSE (KIND) | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| IRC'S CENTER FOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY | SAN DIEGO, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| THE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS | BOSTON, MA | $30,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| BOSTON COMMUMITY PEDIATRICS | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| BOSTON HARBOR NOW | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| SPOONFULS | NEWTON, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| FRANCISCAN CHILDREN'S | BRIGHTON, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| THE GREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| BOTTOM LINE | BROOKLYN, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| ENGLISH FOR NEW BOSTONIANS | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| GREATER BOSTON LEGAL SERVICES | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| NEIGHBORHOOD VILLAGES INC | BOSTON, MA | $20,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| THE BROOKLINE CENTER FOR COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH | BROOKLINE, MA | $20,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| BOSTON FOUNDATION | BOSTON, MA | $20,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| EMERALD NECKLACE CONSERVANCY | BOSTON, MA | $16,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| THE COREY C GRIFFIN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | BRAINTREE, MA | $15,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| TEMPLE ISRAEL | BOSTON, MA | $15,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| EMERSON HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION | CONCORD, MA | $15,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| BREAKTIME UNITED INC | BOSTON, MA | $15,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| THE WANG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INC | BOSTON, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICE | WALTHAM, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| FRIENDS OF DANA-FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE | BOSTON, MA | $9,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| T OF L INC | PITTSBURGH, PA | $8,334 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| COOLIDGE CORNER THEATER FOUNDATION INC | BROOKLINE, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| THE PARK SCHOOL | BROOKLINE, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| SOCIAL INNOVATION FORUM | BOSTON, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| WESTOVER SCHOOL | MIDDLEBURY, CT | $3,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
| JCC GREATER BOSTON | NEWTON, MA | $2,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE GIFT |
FAMILY AID BOSTON INC
$100,000CHARITABLE GIFT
CHARITABLE GIFT
BOSTON CHILDRENS HOSPITAL
$70,000CHARITABLE GIFT
LAKE SUNAPEE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION
$60,000CHARITABLE GIFT
BOSTON COMMUMITY PEDIATRICS
$25,000CHARITABLE GIFT
BOTTOM LINE
$25,000CHARITABLE GIFT
NEIGHBORHOOD VILLAGES INC
$20,000CHARITABLE GIFT
TEMPLE ISRAEL
$15,000CHARITABLE GIFT
FRIENDS OF DANA-FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE
$9,000CHARITABLE GIFT
JCC GREATER BOSTON
$2,500CHARITABLE GIFT