Van Sloun Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Van Sloun Foundation supports education, health, community development, and causes related to the environment, including those related to water and land, and animal and wildlife work that relates to domestic animals.
IP TAKE: Van Sloun is not an accessible or transparent grantmaker, as it does not maintain a website or outline priorities for its grantmaking. It does consider unsolicited proposals, but Grantseekers will want to reach out with a letter of inquiry to request a full application. The foundation is small, so it may take a while to get a response should you contact them. This is a tough nut to crack.
Van Sloun does not give specific geographic locations for its grantmaking, but it appears to prioritize funding local and regional nonprofits located in its home state of Massachusetts. However, this funder has also awarded some grants to NGOs located in New York, Maine, Kentucky, Connecticut, and Minnesota, among others. While it supports smaller organizations within its geographic scope, it tends to prioritize larger organizations beyond Massachusetts.
PROFILE: The Van Sloun Foundation was established in 1992 by the late Neil Van Sloun, who owned a successful plant nursery in Westport, Massachusetts, and was formerly president of the New England Nursery Association and Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association. Based in Marion, MA, the foundation is now led by Van Sloun’s nephew, Joseph Van Sloun. This funder maintains a low profile and does not have a website or articulate its aims or initiatives, but appears to prefer a broad approach to its grantmaking. Tax filings suggest that the foundation’s grants are directed toward organizations working in the areas of education, health, human services, and environmental issues.
Grants for Public Health, Housing and Community Development
Van Sloun does not appear to have dedicated grantmaking programs; however, tax filings suggest that community development and public health are funding priorities. Past grantees in this area include Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Foundation, Perkins School for the Blind, Camp Sunshine at Sebago Lake, and Cerebral Palsy Council of Greater New Bedford. While the foundation does not impose explicit geographic restrictions on its grantmaking, it prioritizes nonprofits located in its home state of Massachusetts. However, this funder has also invested in NGOs located beyond Massachusetts, such as New York, Maine, Kentucky, Connecticut, and Minnesota. While Van Sloun does not appear to award grants to nonprofits located across the entire United States, there appears some geographic variety in its grantmaking.
Grants for Environment, Animal Welfare and Wildlife
The foundation does not award a large number of conservation or wildlife grants each year. Past grantees include the Westport River Watershed Alliance, Ducks Unlimited, Morris Animal Foundation, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and the Minnesota Land Trust. Van Sloun does not state explicit geographic locations, but it tends to prioritize funding local and regional nonprofits located in its home state of Massachusetts. However, this funder has also awarded grants to NGOs located in New York, Maine, Kentucky, Connecticut, and Minnesota, among others. While it supports smaller organizations within its geographic scope, it tends to prioritize larger organizations beyond Massachusetts.
Grants for Higher Education
The Van Sloun Foundation has supported a broad variety of higher education institutions in the past. Its grantees include the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Minnesota, Frontier Nursing University in Kentucky, Bowdoin College, and Alice Lloyd College.
Important Grant Details:
Van Sloun’s grants range from about $1,000 to $35,000. Grantseekers may review the foundation’s past tax filings for more information on its past grantmaking habits.
The Van Sloun Foundation funds primarily, but not exclusively, in its home state of Massachusetts and in Minnesota, where Joseph Van Sloun resides.
The Van Sloun Foundation accepts unsolicited requests for funding. Grantseekers may submit a letter of inquiry addressed to Joseph Van Sloun at 3527 Jidana Lane, Minnetonka,MN 55345.
Grantseekers may contact Joseph Van Sloun at 952-938-6088 for further inquiries.
PEOPLE:
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CONTACT:
Van Sloun Foundation
Attn: Joseph Van Sloun
PO Box 576
Marion, MA 02738
(508) 748-1665
