Guardian Community Trust

Name

Guardian Community Trust

Legal name

Guardian Community Trust, Inc.

Website

https://guardiancommunitytrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Needs Trust Administration

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAEAKAG

Guardianship, Conservatorship & Special Needs Trust Services

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Fiduciary, Trust & Estate Advisory

SECONDARYFSAAANAG

Guardianship & Conservatorship Services

Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Trust & Fiduciary Services (Trust Companies, Estate & Custody Trusts)

SECONDARYFSAAANAJ

Special Needs & Supplemental Needs Trust Services

Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Trust & Fiduciary Services (Trust Companies, Estate & Custody Trusts)

Keywords

• Special needs trusts
• Trust administration services
• Pooled trust program
• Disability trust services
• Fiduciary trustee services

Headquarters

HQ city

Andover

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Trust Administration Fees: Fees are charged quarterly based on the principal balance of the trust on the last day of each quarter. For Pooled Trust accounts, fees range from 1.25% to 3.0% annually depending on balance tier. For Individual Special Needs Trusts, fees are 1.25% of principal per year. Professional investment advice and Clinical Relationship Coordinator services are included in trustee fees. Tax preparation is billed at actual cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Guardian Community Trust is a nonprofit trustee that administers Special Needs Trusts for seniors and disabled persons in Massachusetts, including a Pooled Trust program (no age limit) and Individual Special Needs Trusts for persons under 65. The organization manages more than 700–800 active beneficiaries across approximately $60 million in trust assets, supplementing public benefits (Medicaid, SSI, SSDI) with quality-of-life distributions while preserving benefit eligibility. Services include trust administration, investment management via third-party custodians, tax preparation, distributions processing (~300 per week), and Clinical Relationship Coordinator support from licensed social workers.

Product overview

Guardian Community Trust operates as a non-profit trustee organization offering two primary trust programs: the Pooled Trust Program (their flagship offering for seniors and disabled individuals) and Individual Special Needs Trusts (for persons under age 65). Both programs allow beneficiaries to maintain eligibility for public benefits while accessing supplemental funds for quality-of-life needs. The organization provides comprehensive trustee services including trust administration, distributions management, investment handling through third-party custodians, tax preparation, and Clinical Relationship Coordinator support. An affiliated service, Public Guardian Services, provides public guardianship in Massachusetts pilot counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pooled Trust Program Medicaid-exempt pooled trust program (with no age limit) combining funds from multiple beneficiaries under a common master trust instrument while maintaining individual sub-accounts for separate distributions based on each beneficiary's needs. Serves seniors and individuals with disabilities who depend on public benefits, with no application or acceptance fee and no minimum account size.
• Individual Special Needs Trust (SNT) Individual trust program for persons under age 65 that allows disabled individuals to set aside assets while maintaining eligibility for public benefits like Medicaid and SSI, providing supplemental support for personal needs. Fees are 1.25% of principal per year, charged quarterly, with most individual trust services priced below cost.
• Trustee Services Comprehensive professional fiduciary services including trust administration, distributions management, investment management, tax preparation, and clinical relationship coordination for disability trust beneficiaries. Approximately 300 distributions processed per week; annual filings produced for 800+ trusts.
• Clinical Relationship Coordinator Services Licensed social workers assigned to each beneficiary to build relationships, conduct intake visits, gather information about needs and circumstances, and coordinate trust administration with clinical perspectives. Integrated with trustee fees and discussed in weekly Rounds meetings.
• Public Benefits Navigation Assistance understanding and navigating public benefit programs including Medicaid (MassHealth), Medicare, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), homecare, and other benefit programs to help beneficiaries maintain eligibility while accessing supplemental trust funds.
• Public Guardian Services Pilot guardianship and conservatorship services in Massachusetts' Suffolk and Plymouth Counties provided through an affiliated organization, serving as guardian, conservator, or other fiduciary of last resort for up to 160 individuals who are decisionally impaired with no suitable person available.

Quantifiable outcome

• No application or acceptance fee — unlike any other pooled trust program in Massachusetts
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wilmington Trust Company (subsidiary of M&T Bank)coreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary custodian for almost all pooled trust program assets. Funds are held in a money market account and in conservatively-managed mutual funds (primarily short-term bond funds) through omnibus positions. M&T Bank also provides Community Trust with a cash account used for distributions.
• Duffield Financial GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoutique investment advisory group located in Concord, MA, that specializes in mutual fund investments. Provides investment advice for individual trust assets and for pooled trust assets held at FSC Securities. Reviews and assigns investment objectives for each individual trust based on relevant beneficiary facts and circumstances.
• Korbey Lague, PLLPcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCPA firm located in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, that handles tax return preparation for all of Community Trust's 800+ trusts annually. Prepares Grantor Letters for grantor trusts and Form 1041 / Massachusetts Form 2 for complex trusts.
• Fiduciary Technology PartnerscoreTechnology or IntegrationConnecticut-based company that provides sophisticated trust administration software. Handles financial accounting, records of transactions, and production of statements for approximately 90 nonprofit foundations with over $50B in assets.
• Johnson O'Connor Feron & Carucci, LLPminorOthersMid-sized accounting firm located in Wakefield, Massachusetts, that conducts annual audits of Community Trust's trust operations.
• Anthony & DodgeminorOthersSmall accounting firm located in Hamilton, Massachusetts, that produces Community Trust's Annual Financial Reports.
• Massachusetts Guardianship Policy InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three affiliates of Community Trust focused on the public guardianship mission. Meets regularly to consider policies and plan strategies for advocacy, and sponsors educational events to present new ideas and bring public attention to guardianship policy changes needed in Massachusetts.
• Center for Guardianship ExcellencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and education component of Community Trust. Develops specific goals, solicits proposals, and oversees research projects to advance the guardianship mission. Provides education, training, and clinical support to guardians, volunteers, family, and those in need of advance directives.
• Public Guardian ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate providing public guardianship and conservatorship services to Massachusetts residents in Suffolk and Plymouth Counties as a pilot project, serving as guardian, conservator, or other fiduciary of last resort for those who are decisionally impaired with no suitable person available. Headquartered in Braintree, Massachusetts. Presently may serve up to 160 individuals with a long-range plan to expand statewide.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Disability Institute: National nonprofit focused on financial education and asset development for people with disabilities, including pooled trust and ABLE account programs. Comparable mission and beneficiary overlap with Guardian Community Trust.
• PLAN of Massachusetts: A Massachusetts-based pooled special needs trust administrator serving individuals with disabilities in the same state. Most direct geographic competitor with overlapping beneficiary profile and service model.
• Commonwealth Community Trust: Nonprofit pooled special needs trust administrator offering similar pooled trust services to individuals with disabilities across multiple states. Closely comparable in mission, structure, and product offering to Guardian Community Trust.

Regional players

• MassAbility (Massachusetts Disability Advocacy): Massachusetts-based disability advocacy and services organization that overlaps with Guardian Community Trust on beneficiary referrals and public benefits navigation. Comparable regional Massachusetts focus.
• Easterseals Massachusetts: Massachusetts-based affiliate of Easterseals providing disability services and serving as a referral source for special needs planning, with mission alignment to Guardian Community Trust's disabled beneficiary base.

Emerging players

• ABLE National Resource Center: National resource center coordinating state ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) programs, which serve as a partial alternative to pooled special needs trusts for disabled beneficiaries. Indirectly competitive on beneficiary asset allocation.

Broad incumbents

• The Arc of the United States: The national disability advocacy organization operates pooled trust programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in multiple states. Directly comparable to Guardian Community Trust's pooled special needs trust model and beneficiary mission.
• Citizens Bank Special Needs Trust: Regional bank with special needs trust capabilities serving the Northeast, including Massachusetts. Overlaps with Guardian Community Trust on referral-driven individual SNT mandates and elder law relationships.
• Wells Fargo Special Needs Trust Services: Bank-affiliated special needs trust administrator providing pooled and individual trust services to beneficiaries nationwide. Competes with Guardian Community Trust for attorney referrals and complex individual SNT mandates.
• Fidelity Special Needs Trust Services: Fidelity offers special needs trust administration through its broader wealth management platform, targeting the same disability and senior planning market as Guardian Community Trust but with national scale and brand recognition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/guardian-community-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Guardian Community Trust