Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation supports organizations and issues that attract the attention of Cabot-Wellington family members. Grantmaking initiatives include culture and humanities, education and youth, conservation and environment, and health and human services.
IP TAKE: Grant seekers should keep in mind that the foundation’s purpose is to educate and inspire “the descendants of Tom and Virginia Cabot.” Getting noticed by one of these family members should be grant seekers’ top priority. Overall, this is not an accessible funder unless you attract the family’s attention and your invited proposal gains such familial support.
PROFILE: Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation was founded in 1992 and is one of the several grantmaking organizations established by Godfrey Lowell Cabot and his descendants. It seeks to “benefit mankind through the practice of responsible philanthropy,” and, significantly, it was created to be “an important tool for teaching future generations of Cabot-Wellingtons to be effective and innovative givers.” The foundation gives in four key areas: culture and humanities, education and youth, conservation and environment, and health and human services.
Grants for K-12 and Higher Education
The foundation’s education support includes both grants for K-12 and grants for higher education. These prioritize educational opportunities for women and girls, and disadvantaged and underserved populations worldwide. Past education grantees include Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, REACH Prep, Greenwich Academy, Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center, Inc., and Brunswick School.
Grants for Arts, Culture and Arts Education
Wellington Cabot’s arts grantmaking is broad and in the past has included grants for arts education, as well as grants for film, grants for creative writing, and grants for visual arts. The foundation also provides support for libraries and museums. Past arts grantees include Careyes Foundation, Art Explorers, Inc., Imbali Visual Literacy Project, Kartemquin Educational Films, PDX Contemporary Ballet, and Fractured Atlas Productions.
Grants for Global Development
The foundation is quiet about what it looks for in its global grantmaking. Its website is sparse; however, its past international grantmaking patterns reveal a tendency to make grants for global health and support organizations that address human services, education, and youth. For instance, Cabot has supported organizations focused on women’s and girls’ empowerment in Africa. It has also supported children’s education in developing countries. Past grantees include Water is Life Kenya, American Friends of ZanaAfrica, EcoViva, and Collateral Repair Project. It has made international grants in India, Jordan, Myanmar, Palestinian territories, Kenya, Lebanon, and Thailand.
Grants for Public Health
The foundation’s past public-health giving is rather broad and has gone to support domestic violence, healthy living, access to healthcare, and emergency shelter organizations. Cabot undertakes public health giving through its Health and Human Services category. However, sometimes Cabot also makes grants through its Conservation and Environment category. Past public health grantees include Clackamas Rotary Foundation, Comprehensive Alcoholism Rehabilitation Programs, Lahey Clinic Foundation, LifeFlight Foundation, and Hesperian Foundation.
Grants for the Environment
Cabot does not offer detailed explanations as to the types of conservation organizations it supports. Its annual reports indicate an interest in land and freshwater conservation.
Grants for Environmental Conservation and Justice
Past grantees in this regard include Nature and Culture International, which received funding for its work protecting and conserving endangered ecosystems and cultures in Latin America; and the Conservation Lands Foundation, which received funding for its Youth Engagement Program.
Grants for Marine and Freshwater Conservation
Past marine and freshwater conservation grantees include Lake Champlain Inc., which received funding for its work protecting, restoring and revitalizing Lake Champlain; and Stroud Water Research Center, which received a grant toward an endowment for the Watershed Restoration Group.
Important Grant Details:
Cabot grants vary widely, from $500 to over $200,000; however, the most common grant amount is $10,000. Cabot divides its grants relatively evenly between small, mid-sized, and large organizations. To learn more about the foundation’s grantees, explore its latest annual report. Overall, it offers discretionary grants, matching grants, and what the foundation calls, jimmie grants.
The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals and grant applications are by invitation only. Also, groups invited to apply must gain the support of a Cabot family member in order for the application to be officially accepted.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
CONTACT:
Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation
22 Batterymarch Street, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02109
Executive Director: Joan Whelton
Tel. 617-451-1744
Fax 857-239-9724
