Foundations that fund nonprofits in Cambridge, MA
2,430 private foundations reported 4,802 grants to organizations in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on IRS 990-PF returns for tax year 2022 or later, $1.1B in all. 46 of them are based in Cambridge.
Foundations2,430
Based in Cambridge46
Grants on record4,802
Their typical grant$7,500
Rank funders giving in Massachusetts for your nonprofit - free match →
Foundations based in Cambridge
10 of the 46 local foundations that reported grants to Cambridge organizations: profiles in our foundation directory first, then by the number of such grants on their latest return.
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The William & Lia G Poorvu Family Foundation
Cambridge, MA · latest return: tax year 2024- Harvard University - Shorenstein ctr on media, politics & public policy$500,000
- Harvard University - Graduate school of design$250,000
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences - Program support$200,000
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Wagner Foundation
Cambridge, MA · latest return: tax year 2024- Root Capital Inc - Wai evolution & innovation grant$450,000
- Cambridge Community Foundation - General operating support$150,000
- Boston Art Review Inc - General operating support$75,000
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Cambridge Savings Charitable Foundation Inc
Cambridge, MA · latest return: tax year 2025- Just-A-Start Corporation - Exempt purpose$100,000
- Bridges Homeward (Formerly Cambridge Family & Children's Service (Cfcs)) - Exempt purpose$75,250
- Homeowner's Rehab Inc (Hri) - Exempt purpose$35,000
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The Arons Family Foundation
Cambridge, MA · latest return: tax year 2025- Cambridge Public Library Foundation - Support organization's exempt purpose$300
- Cambridge Scholarship Fund - Support organization's exempt purpose$300
- Friends of Mt Auburn Cemetery - Support organization's exempt purpose$300
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Gave $47K in 2024
Robert and Iris Fanger Family Foundation
Cambridge, MA · latest return: tax year 2024- President and Fellow - Unrestricted use$500
- The Cambridge Hornes - Unrestricted use$500
- MIT - Unrestricted use$250
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Stevenson Fam Charitable Tr Stevenson Howard Ttee
Cambridge, MA · latest return: tax year 2024- Harvard University Women's Initiative - Charitable contribution in line with mission$10,000
- Cambridge Center for Adult Education - Charitable contribution in line with mission$5,000
- Mount Auburn Hospital - Charitable contribution in line with mission$3,500
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Akamai Foundation Inc
Cambridge, MA · latest return: tax year 2024- Science Club for Girls Inc - Science Club for Girls' K-12 STEM Education and Mentorship Programs$35,000
- Young Peoples Project Inc - Greater Boston Programming$25,000
- Massachusetts Institute of Tech - MITES Semester (formerly known as MIT Online Science, Technology and Engineering Community, or MOSTEC)$20,000
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The Outreach Foundation
Cambridge, MA · latest return: tax year 2025- Cambridge Comm Foundation - Unrestricted support of organization's charitable objectives/research/benefitting those in need$7,000
- American Repertory Theater - Unrestricted support of organization's charitable objectives/research/benefitting those in need$3,000
- Bridges Homeward - Unrestricted support of organization's charitable objectives/research/benefitting those in need$2,000
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Gave $205K in 2024
Melvoin Foundation
Cambridge, MA · latest return: tax year 2024- Cambridge Community Foundation - Unrestricted$1,000
- Cambridge Insight Meditation Ctr - Unrestricted$1,000
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Probabilistic Computing Foundation Inc
Cambridge, MA · latest return: tax year 2025- Convergent Research - Data and computer sciences; research$9,500,000
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Data and computer sciences; research$650,000
- Science and Technology Futures - Data and computer sciences; research$100,000
Other foundations giving most in Cambridge
Based elsewhere, by the number of grants to Cambridge organizations on their latest return; profiles in our foundation directory first. Each shows its largest grants there.
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Amazonsmile Foundation
Seattle, WA · latest return: tax year 2023- Union of Concerned Scientists Inc - General support$8,333
- Universidad Simon Bolivar Alumni Association of America Inc - General support$3,345
- Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Inc - General support$1,509
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The Simons Foundation Inc
New York, NY · latest return: tax year 2024- Harvard University - Nsf-Simons center for mathematical and statistical analysis of biology$1,250,000
- Harvard University - Ultra-Quantum matter$1,119,152
- Harvard University - Nsf-Simons center for mathematical and statistical analysis of biology$1,000,000
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Gave $156.2M in 2024
Fidelity Foundation
Boston, MA · latest return: tax year 2024- Global Arts Live - Endowment$1,000,000
- Charles River Conservancy Inc - Other$150,000
- Cambridge Housing Authority - Resident Services - Programming$125,000
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Gave $6.3B in 2024
Gates Foundation
Seattle, WA · latest return: tax year 2024- Gates Medical Research Institute - Enterics, diagnostics, genomics & epidemiology; malaria; maternal, newborn, child nutrition and health;…$276,581,817
- Gates Medical Research Institute - General operating support - in kind$15,584,196
- President and Fellows of Harvard College - U.s. economic mobility & opportunity$8,000,000
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Gave $19M in 2025
Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation
Wakefield, MA · latest return: tax year 2025- Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital - Cambridge - Exempt purpose$100,000
- Just-A-Start Corporation - Exempt purpose$50,000
- Homeowner's Rehab Inc - Exempt purpose$10,000
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Gave $89M in 2024
Alfred P Sloan Foundation
New York, NY · latest return: tax year 2024- Convergent Research - To make mathematics more reliable, searchable, understandable, and accessible by developing open source…$1,030,788
- Harvard University - To enable the safe analysis of private data by expanding both an open-source library of software tools as…$875,419
- National Bureau of Economic Research Inc - To support over 50 programs with thousands of in-person and online participants at the annual nber summer…$468,000
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Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Houston, TX · latest return: tax year 2024- Massachusetts Institute of Technology - To support j-pal north america, including by funding landmark randomized evaluations, expanding the capacity…$3,500,000
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology - To support the abdul latif jameel poverty action lab north america in its work to generate randomized…$3,000,000
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology - To construct a cyclotron facility and procuring the installation of the first 30 mev proton beam within the…$1,500,000
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Gave $38.2M in 2024
Cummings Foundation Grants Inc (Fka Oneworld Boston Inc)
Woburn, MA · latest return: tax year 2024- Harvard University-Sro Outside - Education$2,100,000
- Science Club for Girls - Education$85,000
- Cambridge Economic Opportunity - Human Services$77,000
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Gave $622.6M in 2024
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Princeton, NJ · latest return: tax year 2024- Harvard University - Gun policy research: uncovering fundamental information on the problem of gun violence, with a focus on how…$998,532
- Harvard University - Mapping environmental health risks to drive sustainable, local ways to address pollution hotspots, allowing…$894,489
- Harvard University - Coordinating a multipartner initiative to increase the demand for climate-specific interventions to advance…$856,932
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Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation
Palo Alto, CA · latest return: tax year 2024- Broad Institute Inc - In support of a unique technology platform and associated resources that supports immersive educational…$20,000,000
- Smithsonian Institution - To support the construction of a prototype radio-telescope dish for the next-generation event horizon…$3,400,000
- Smithsonian Institution - To support development of ultrafast laser data link technology that will enable millimeter-wave astronomy…$2,000,000
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Gave $50.6M in 2024
Liberty Mutual Foundation Inc
Boston, MA · latest return: tax year 2024- Bridges Homeward - Using permanency to improve housing outcomes for homeless and at-risk young adults$300,000
- The Loop Lab - Mass A/V supertrack: audio/visual youth workforce development initiative$300,000
- Breakthrough Greater Boston - Operating support for btgbs ten-year student pathway$120,000
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Gave $3.6M in 2025
Ploughshares Foundation
Highland Park, IL · latest return: tax year 2025- Unitarian Universalist Service Committee - $20,000 for climate crisis$60,000
- First Parish in Cambridge - $30,000 for tuesday meals endowment; $20,000 for first parish$50,000
- Cambridge Community Foundation - $10,000 for rise up cambridge$35,000
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Gave $625M in 2024
The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
Menlo Park, CA · latest return: tax year 2024- Icivics Inc - For implementation of the educating for american democracy roadmap$750,000
- Center for Effective Philanthropy Inc - For general operating support$500,000
- Harvard University - For a political economy conference$500,000
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Barr Foundation
Boston, MA · latest return: tax year 2024- (896) World Music Inc - To participate in barr's cultural evolution grants program$1,000,000
- (669) Prx Inc - To support strategic planning$500,000
- (897) World Music Inc - To invest risk capital in organizational and artistic leadership$360,000
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The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation
Palo Alto, CA · latest return: tax year 2024- Convergent Research Inc - To provide support for scientific focused research$8,000,000
- Convergent Research Inc - To provide support for scientific focused research$8,000,000
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology - To support mit's plasma science and fusion center$6,000,000
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Gave $31.3M in 2024
The Commonwealth Fund
New York, NY · latest return: tax year 2024- President and Fellows of Harvard College - The Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Minority Health Policy at Harvard University, 2025-26$850,000
- President and Fellows of Harvard College - Winding Down the Maintenance-of-Eligibility Requirement for Medicaid: Impacts on Low-Income Adults in Four…$321,565
- Institute for Healthcare Improvement - Supporting Health Care Delivery Organizations to Accelerate Decarbonization, Phase 2$179,913
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The Pfizer Foundation Inc
New York, NY · latest return: tax year 2024- President & Fellows of Harvard College - Matching gifts$9,241
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Matching gifts$7,599
- Union of Concerned Scientists Inc - Matching gifts$3,042
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Gave $174.4M in 2024
Carnegie Corporation of New York
New York, NY · latest return: tax year 2024- President and Fellows of Harvard College - For support of an initiative to reinvigorate civic education in America$1,170,000
- President and Fellows of Harvard College - For core support of Opportunity Insights$875,000
- iCivics Inc - For core support for the CivXNow Coalition$625,000
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Gave $844.7M in 2024
The Ford Foundation
New York, NY · latest return: tax year 2024- President and Fellows of Harvard College - For the university consortium on afro-latin american studies: building networks of knowledge production with…$666,800
- Center for Effective Philanthropy - General support$450,000
- President and Fellows of Harvard College - Core support to the center for labor and a just economy program at harvard law school for research, teaching…$362,500
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Gave $350M in 2024
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Los Altos, CA · latest return: tax year 2024- Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Environment and Science$836,048
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Environment and Science$574,646
- Asian University for Women (AUW) Support Foundation - Special Initiatives$400,000
Match your nonprofit against every funder giving in Massachusetts →
Cambridge organizations several of these foundations fund
Organizations in Cambridge that received grants from two or more of the foundations above, on the same returns.
| Organization | Funders | Grants total |
|---|---|---|
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | 14 | $44,169,833 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 12 | $50,147,787 |
| Broad Institute | 7 | $25,057,804 |
| American Academy of Arts and Sciences | 7 | $731,500 |
| Charles River Conservancy Inc | 7 | $220,538 |
| Young People's Project | 6 | $590,031 |
| Union of Concerned Scientists Inc | 6 | $262,951 |
| Cambridge Community Foundation | 6 | $221,556 |
| Breakthrough Greater Boston | 6 | $195,544 |
| Enroot Inc | 6 | $94,531 |
How to use this list
A foundation is listed because its own latest tax return itemizes grants to organizations with a Cambridge, MA address. Local foundations often give mostly close to home and are usually the most realistic first prospects for a small nonprofit; large national foundations listed here may fund only a few institutions in the city. Their typical grant is the middle of the funders' own typical grants across everything they fund. Open a profile for all of a funder's grants and any application instructions.
Of these 2,430 foundations, 592 describe how to apply on their latest return; many others give only to organizations they already know. A badge such as Gave $1.2M in 2024 repeats what the latest return reports; it does not mean the foundation is accepting proposals now.
Facts on this page come from the foundation's own IRS Form 990-PF filings as published by the IRS. Grantvello does not know whether a foundation is accepting proposals right now: a past grant is not an open opportunity. Always confirm current guidelines with the funder before applying.