The Vela Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation based in Osterville, Massachusetts. Established in 2008, it operates as a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting improved nutrition and wellness for families in eastern Massachusetts through entrepreneurial programs that provide nutrition education and improve access to healthy foods.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$12.3M
+12.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$352K
-1.2% YoY
Grant Count
17
-41.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$21K
+68.6% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: The Vela Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation dedicated to promoting improved nutrition and wellness for families in eastern Massachusetts. The foundation supports entrepreneurial programs that provide nutrition education and improve access to healthy foods.
Primary Focus Areas:
- Education
- Health and public health
- Physical fitness
- Nutrition and obesity prevention
- Agriculture, fishing, and forestry
- Human services
- Food aid and food banks
- Basic and emergency aid
Grantmaking
The foundation has made 106 grants totaling $1.9 million to 51 unique organizations. The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.
Grant Range
$18,000
Average Grant
$18,000
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily supports organizations in Massachusetts, New York, and Florida, which account for 92% of all grants. Grantmaking reaches organizations across five states, including Massachusetts, New York, Florida, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue:
- Total assets (2024): $12,344,747
- Total assets (2023): $11,000,000
- Total assets (2010): $1,600,000
- Annual income (2024): $1,947,270
- Annual income (2023): $4,210,612
Expenses:
- 2024: $600,907
- 2023: $583,000
Investment Income:
- 2024: $217,371 in investment income and dividends
- 2024: $1,699,481 in net gains from sale of non-inventory assets
Liabilities: $0 (2023)
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $12,344,747 | $10,976,448 | $9,189,802 |
| Revenue | $1,947,270 | $4,210,612 | $2,316,419 |
| Expenses | $600,907 | $582,549 | $726,014 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $366,987 | $367,899 | $525,000 |
| Net Investment Income | $1,774,740 | $2,039,900 | $2,220,610 |
| Distributable Amount | $426,118 | $494,547 | $346,797 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
130 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Vela Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Bernadette T. Rehnert – Founding Trustee and principal officer of the foundation. Ms. Rehnert has focused on nutrition education as a fundamental basis for the prevention of chronic diseases. She contributed 10 hours of service without compensation according to recent filings.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| BERNADETTE T REHNERT | TRUSTEE | 10 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
In 2016, the Vela Foundation awarded a one-year grant to the Seafood Nutrition Partnership to fund the "Eating Heart Healthy" program in Boston. The program, developed in partnership with Brigham and Women's Hospital, provides nutrition education to underserved women in affordable-housing communities and YMCAs, with a focus on adopting seafood-rich diets for improved heart health. The grant followed a 2014 site visit by Bernadette Rehnert to the program's pilot at Roxbury Tenants of Harvard.
New $750,000 Grant Offering Available to CO, NM, UT, WY Families\uFFFCSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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