The Connecticut State Capitol

Form 990-PFTax year 2025EIN 83-1183294

Cornelia Bessie Memorial Foundation

A private foundation in West Hartford, CT. Its return for tax year 2025 lists 30 grants and $286,800 paid in grants.

Tax year 2025 (period ending May 31, 2026), read from the IRS e-file on Nov 11, 2026. Returns reach the IRS 5 to 18 months after the year they describe.

How to apply

Preselected only

The return checks the box saying the foundation gives only to preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Assets and giving by year

7 returns on file
Grants paid by tax year. The latest year is in blue.
  • Tax year 2025

    $286,800

    Grants listed
    30
    Assets, end of year
    $5,985,677
  • Tax year 2024

    $340,100

    Grants listed
    29
    Assets, end of year
    $6,062,245
  • Tax year 2023

    $324,000

    Grants listed
    27
    Assets, end of year
    $6,209,072
  • Tax year 2022

    $339,000

    Grants listed
    25
    Assets, end of year
    $6,697,203
  • Tax year 2021

    $136,400

    Grants listed
    10
    Assets, end of year
    $6,901,964
  • Tax year 2020

    $220,000

    Grants listed
    12
    Assets, end of year
    $6,679,568
  • Tax year 2019

    $5,000

    Grants listed
    1
    Assets, end of year
    $3,629,785

Grants paid in 2025

30 grants, largest first

As listed on the return.

  1. Friends of the Lymes Senior Center IncOld Lyme, CT

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $25,000
  2. Valley Shore YMCA WestbrookWestbrook, CT

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $20,000
  3. CareAtlanta, GA

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $15,000
  4. Doctors Without Borders USA IncNew York, NY

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $15,000
  5. World Central KitchenWashington, DC

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $15,000
  6. Zara Manzur FoundationMystic, CT

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $15,000
  7. Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Congregation (puuc)Peterborough, NH

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $13,000
  8. Classical UprisingPortland, ME

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $12,600
  9. Equality Health CenterConcord, NH

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $10,000
  10. House of BreadDayton, OH

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $10,000
  11. Leeway Foundation IncNew Haven, CT

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $10,000
  12. Peterborough Folk Music SocietyPeterborough, NH

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $10,000
  13. Ray of Light Farm IncEast Haddam, CT

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $10,000
  14. Tri Town Youth Services Bureau IncDeep River, CT

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $10,000
  15. Woodshed ArtsChapel Hill, NC

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $10,000
  16. Harris Center for Conservation Education IncHancock, NH

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $9,000
  17. Common Cause Education FundWashington, DC

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $7,500
  18. Food Bank for New York CityBronx, NY

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $7,500
  19. New England Musicians Resource FundArlington, MA

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $7,500
  20. Peterborough Human Services Fund (aka Peterborough Food Pantry)Peterborough, NH

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $7,500
  21. Words Without BordersBrooklyn, NY

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $7,500
  22. Apocalyptic Artists EnsembleBrooklyn, NY

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $5,000
  23. Chester Community CoalitionChester, PA

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $5,000
  24. Community Music CenterSan Francisco, CA

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $5,000
  25. Hartford Interval House IncHartford, CT

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $5,000
  26. Hunts Point Alliance for ChildrenBronx, NY

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $5,000
  27. Keene Chamber Orchestra IncKeene, NH

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $5,000
  28. Literacy Volunteers of Greater HartfordHartford, CT

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $5,000
  29. Flying Gravity CircusWilton, NH

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $2,700
  30. Festival Celebration Choir Inc (FCC)Albany, NY

    Current use for charitable purposes

    $2,000

Where the money goes

By cause: grants to organizations we matched to the IRS list of exempt organizations, by their category.

  1. Human services4 grants $47,50026% of the total
  2. Arts and culture6 grants $45,30025% of the total
  3. International aid3 grants $37,50021% of the total
  4. Youth development2 grants $15,0008% of the total
  5. Food and agriculture1 grant $10,0006% of the total
  6. Environment1 grant $9,0005% of the total
  7. 2 other causes2 grants $15,0008% of the total

By State

Grants to organizations with a US address, latest year.

  1. Connecticut8 grants $100,000
  2. New Hampshire7 grants $57,200
  3. New York6 grants $42,000
  4. District of Columbia2 grants $22,500
  5. Georgia1 grant $15,000
  6. Maine1 grant $12,600
  7. North Carolina1 grant $10,000
  8. Ohio1 grant $10,000
  9. Massachusetts1 grant $7,500
  10. California1 grant $5,000

Officers, directors and trustees

3 people as filed

As filed on the return, with average hours per week and pay from the foundation.

  • Therese DavidsonTRUSTEE Hours 15Pay $23,720
  • Chase Wilson RoeperTRUSTEE Hours 15Pay $23,720
  • Ned ManuelTRUSTEE Hours 15Pay $11,860

The return

More foundations

Similar foundations

Same main cause (human services), giving between a quarter and four times this foundation’s where possible, nearby first.

  1. Howard & Bess Chapman Charitable CorpWest Hartford, CT 13 grants Accepts applications $158,050 giving
  2. Blum Shapiro Foundation IncWest Hartford, CT 57 grants Accepts applications $117,980 giving
  3. Bennack Polan Foundation A57121005New Canaan, CT 14 grants Preselected only $289,000 giving
  4. Dime Bank Foundation IncNorwich, CT 71 grants Accepts applications $282,206 giving
  5. Wayne Eisenbaum Charitable FoundatiOld Saybrook, CT 18 grants Preselected only $300,000 giving