Barbara C Noyes Charitable Foundation Inc.

The Barbara C. Noyes Charitable Foundation is a small private non-operating family foundation (~$2.34M in assets as of FY 2023) administered through attorney Jonathan Sirota, Esq. in Maplewood, NJ. The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant proposals — it is a classic preselected-only family foundation that makes annual contributions to a slate of charities chosen by its trustees in keeping with the philanthropic intent of founder Barbara C. Noyes. The foundation appears to have been seeded by a bequest or major capitalization event between 2015 ($43K in assets) and 2019 ($2.68M in assets), suggesting it took on its present form when an estate or trust contribution moved through. For nonprofits, the realistic approach is not to apply directly. Instead: (1) cultivate a personal or board-level relationship with the trustees or with attorney Jonathan Sirota's office at P.O. Box 217, Maplewood, NJ 07040-0217; (2) look for shared connections through New Jersey nonprofit, civic, and Maplewood-area networks; (3) demonstrate a track record with comparable small NJ family foundations before approaching; and (4) recognize that this is a relationship-driven, low-volume grantmaker — broadcast appeals will be ignored. Alignment signals worth surfacing if you do build a relationship include local New Jersey impact, modest budget size matching a $5K-$50K grant fit, and a tightly-scoped charitable or educational purpose consistent with NTEE T22 (single-organization support).

Based on five years of IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019-2023) we can map a clear pattern. Annual qualifying distributions (Part XII line 4 / contributions paid per books): 2023 — $143,000; 2022 — $200,000; 2021 — $200,000; 2020 — $160,000; 2019 — $150,000. Five-year average payout to charities: approximately $170,600/year. Assets fluctuate between $2.34M and $2.68M, so the foundation is paying out at roughly 6-8% of assets annually — well above the 5% IRS minimum for private non-operating foundations. Investment portfolio is conservative-balanced: corporate stocks ($658K in 2023), corporate bonds ($1.48M in 2023), government obligations ($173K). The foundation generates ~$70K-$110K per year in dividend/interest income, but is funding the difference between distributions and income from principal. Grant sizes are not itemized in the public ProPublica extract for this foundation, but the total annual distribution divided across a typical pre-selected slate (5-15 grantees for foundations of this size) implies typical grants in the $5,000-$50,000 range, with $25,000 as a plausible average. Geographically, the foundation is registered in Maplewood, NJ; grantmaking is presumed to favor New Jersey and metropolitan New York charities, consistent with peer foundations of this size and structure. The foundation files Form 990-PF, not 990 — it is a private non-operating foundation under IRS code section 4942.

The Barbara C. Noyes Charitable Foundation sits in the small NTEE T22 private non-operating foundation cohort with roughly $2-3M in assets, administered through an attorney or trustee rather than a paid program staff. This is one of the most common structures in U.S. philanthropy by count, but represents a tiny share of total dollars. Comparing across key dimensions:

Bottom line: this foundation is structurally typical for its cohort but slightly more generous in payout rate and grant size than median peers. It is materially less accessible than a community foundation, public charity, or larger family foundation with published guidelines — there is no application portal, no published program staff, and no public website. Other Maplewood/Essex County NJ peer foundations include similar attorney-administered structures; nonprofits competing for this funding pool should expect the same dynamics across the cohort.

Recent activity for the Barbara C. Noyes Charitable Foundation is observable only through IRS Form 990-PF filings, since the foundation has no public website, no press presence, and no published news coverage. The most recent filing covers tax period ending 2024-12-01 (per the IRS Business Master File, data refreshed by ProPublica on 2026-04-15), with the most recent fully-extracted data covering tax year 2023. Tax-year 2023 grants paid totaled $143,000 — a modest decline from the $200,000 paid in 2021 and 2022, possibly reflecting investment performance or a smaller selected slate that year. The foundation's tax-exempt status remains active (eostatus code 1) and the IRS classification has been stable since the 2011 ruling date. Asset levels have been relatively flat in the $2.3M-$2.6M range since the 2018-2019 capitalization. There is no evidence of leadership changes, strategic shifts, new programs, or external partnerships in any public source — consistent with the foundation operating as a stable, closed-pool, board-directed grantmaker administered through Jonathan Sirota's law practice. Nonprofits should treat the absence of news as normal for this foundation type and should not interpret it as a red flag.

Practical advice for nonprofits considering an approach to the Barbara C. Noyes Charitable Foundation:

1. Do not submit unsolicited proposals. The foundation is explicitly preselected-only. A cold letter or emailed proposal will not be reviewed and may damage future relationship potential.

2. Identify the trustees first. Trustees are named in the public 990-PF Part VIII filings; review the most recent PDF from ProPublica or Foundation Directory Online. Look for shared geography (Maplewood, Essex County, NJ), shared institutions, or shared philanthropic interests.

3. Use the attorney as a signal, not a gateway. Jonathan Sirota, Esq. handles foundation administration but is unlikely to be the decision-maker. Routing introductions through him is appropriate only if you have an existing relationship; otherwise build trustee-level relationships first.

4. Right-size the ask. Given $143K-$200K in annual distributions across what is likely 5-15 grantees, plausible grants are in the $5,000-$50,000 range. Asking for $250,000+ is structurally implausible.

5. Lead with track record. Trustees of small family foundations typically support organizations with established outcomes, audited financials, and a clear line from grant dollars to mission outputs. First-time, early-stage, or experimental projects are a poor fit for this funder.

6. Match the founder's intent. Without published guidelines, look at historical grantees (visible in 990-PF Part XV "Grants Approved for Future Payment" or Part XII grant schedules) to triangulate the founder's interests — likely education, local Maplewood/Essex County charities, and traditional 501(c)(3) public charities given the NTEE T22 classification.

7. Be patient and personal. The relationship-building cycle for a foundation like this is measured in years, not weeks. Invite trustees to site visits, send mission-progress updates without asking for money, and let the relationship mature before any ask.

8. Consider whether this is the right funder at all. For most nonprofits, time is better spent on community foundations, larger family foundations with published guidelines, and government/corporate funders. Pursue Barbara C. Noyes only if a real personal connection exists.