Blue Hills Foundation Inc.

Blue Hills Foundation is fundamentally different from most grantmaking foundations. As a private operating foundation since 1982, it conducts direct charitable activities — specifically land conservation and management — rather than distributing grants. Over a 12-year period (2011-2023), the foundation paid only $2,500 in external grants (a single award in 2023 to a Vermont recipient), while spending $700,000+ on direct conservation operations.

The foundation is a Lovejoy family enterprise. Philip W. Lovejoy serves as President, Lisa Lovejoy as Treasurer, G. Montgomery Lovejoy III as Secretary, and Henry W. Lovejoy as a Director. All officers receive zero compensation. Additional directors include academic experts like John Aber and Matthew D. Tarr, PhD, suggesting the foundation values scientific guidance in its conservation approach.

For organizations seeking partnership rather than grant funding, the approach should center on complementary conservation goals. The foundation's 7,854 acres span northeast Strafford to southern Barnstead, with parcels in Alton, Farmington, and New Durham. Its conservation easements are held by New England Forestry Foundation and Bear-Paw Regional Greenways, with conservation agreements through the Society for the Protection of NH Forests. Organizations already partnering with these land trusts have the most natural entry point.

First-time outreach should be directed to Philip W. Lovejoy at 617-293-4110 (note: this is a Boston-area number, not local NH). The foundation's website blocks automated access, so phone contact is the primary channel. Proposals should demonstrate direct alignment with the foundation's core mission areas: land preservation, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, or forest health in Strafford and Belknap Counties.

Blue Hills Foundation operates primarily through direct expenditures rather than grantmaking. Total charitable giving (operating expenses) averaged approximately $63,700 per year over the most recent decade (2013-2023), with significant year-to-year variation:

• 2023: $148,324 in operating expenses, $2,500 in grants paid, $5.3M revenue, $15.2M assets
• 2022: $86,847 in operating expenses, $0 in grants, $402K revenue, $8.5M assets
• 2021: $158,601 in operating expenses, $0 in grants, $64K revenue, $8.2M assets
• 2020: $95,334 in operating expenses, $0 in grants, $906K revenue, $8.3M assets
• 2019: $19,535 in operating expenses, $0 in grants, $183K revenue, $7.5M assets

The foundation's asset trajectory is remarkable — growing from $5.9M in 2011 to $16.1M in 2023, a 173% increase. The most dramatic jump occurred between 2022 ($8.5M) and 2023 ($15.2M), coinciding with $5.3M in revenue. This likely reflects a major land acquisition or gift.

Revenue is highly variable and appears driven by periodic land gifts or investment gains rather than recurring income. Years with high revenue ($5.3M in 2023, $1.2M in 2011, $906K in 2020, $798K in 2015) likely correspond to land donation events.

The single known external grant — $2,500 to a Vermont organization in 2023 — represents 1.7% of that year's total giving. For practical purposes, this foundation does not make grants. Its charitable activity is the direct management and conservation of its 7,854-acre land holding.

Blue Hills Foundation operates in a unique niche as a family-controlled private operating foundation focused on direct land conservation. True peers are scarce, but these NH-region conservation organizations provide useful comparison points:

Blue Hills Foundation stands apart from these peers in three ways. First, it is a private operating foundation, meaning it directly manages conservation land rather than funding others' conservation work. Second, it is entirely family-governed with no public membership or donor base. Third, its per-acre operational spending ($19/acre in 2023) is modest compared to larger land trusts, reflecting a low-intervention management philosophy supplemented by selective timber harvests and rotational grazing.

Recent activity from Blue Hills Foundation centers on its evolving land management practices rather than grantmaking. The foundation's inclusion on the New Hampshire Carbon Registry (updated March 2025) signals its growing engagement with carbon sequestration as a conservation strategy, complementing its traditional focus on wildlife habitat and watershed protection.

The foundation's most notable recent financial event was the near-doubling of assets from $8.5M in 2022 to $15.2M in 2023, accompanied by $5.3M in revenue. While the specific source has not been publicly disclosed, the magnitude and the foundation's history suggest a major land gift or acquisition. This would be consistent with the foundation's pattern of periodic large-scale land additions — similar revenue spikes occurred in 2011 ($1.2M), 2015 ($798K), and 2020 ($906K).

The foundation's sustainable agriculture program — intensive rotational grazing of approximately 50 head of cattle — represents a relatively new initiative guided by a 2012 University of New Hampshire study. This diversification into active agricultural land management alongside forest conservation suggests the foundation is expanding its definition of land stewardship.

No leadership changes have been reported; the Lovejoy family continues to serve in all officer positions with zero compensation. The board's inclusion of Matthew D. Tarr, PhD (a UNH wildlife specialist) and John Aber (an ecosystem ecologist) indicates continued academic collaboration on management decisions.

Blue Hills Foundation does not accept grant applications. This is a private operating foundation that conducts direct conservation activities on its own 7,854-acre land holding. In 12 years of available filings (2011-2023), it made exactly one external grant ($2,500 in 2023). Organizations seeking funding should look elsewhere.

However, for organizations seeking conservation partnerships (not funding), here are targeted strategies:

Alignment is everything. The foundation cares about three things: (1) land conservation in Strafford and Belknap Counties, NH, (2) forest health and carbon sequestration, and (3) watershed protection for the Big River and Little River systems. Proposals outside these areas will not resonate.

Work through existing partners. Bear-Paw Regional Greenways and New England Forestry Foundation hold conservation easements on BHF lands. The Society for the Protection of NH Forests has conservation agreements. These organizations are the most credible intermediaries for any engagement with Blue Hills Foundation.

Academic collaboration may be the best entry point. The board includes Matthew D. Tarr, PhD (wildlife science) and John Aber (ecosystem ecology). Research proposals involving the foundation's 7,854 acres — wildlife surveys, carbon measurement, forest ecology studies — could find receptive audiences.

Contact Philip W. Lovejoy directly. The foundation has no public email or application portal. The only known contact is phone: 617-293-4110. Be concise — this is a family foundation with no staff.

Timing considerations. The foundation's fiscal year aligns with the calendar year. Its $5.3M revenue spike in 2023 suggests it may be in an active acquisition phase — conservation partners with adjacent or complementary land holdings could find this a strategic moment for outreach.