Tapper Charitable Foundation

Quick Stats

Total Assets: $18.5 million (FY 2024)
Annual Grantmaking: $1.59 million (FY 2024)
Foundation Type: Private Family Foundation
Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed (known award: $10,000)
Geographic Focus: Central Massachusetts (Worcester area), Cape Cod region

Contact Details

Address: 509 Falmouth Road, Mashpee, MA 02649 Phone: (508) 477-9300 Website: www.tapperfoundation.org (currently unavailable) EIN: 04-2700063

Overview

The Tapper Charitable Foundation was established in June 1980 as a private family foundation serving Massachusetts communities. With total assets of $18.5 million as of fiscal year 2024, the foundation distributed approximately $1.59 million in charitable grants, representing 90.7% of its total annual expenses. The foundation is governed by family members including Albert Tapper, Lynne Tapper, Eve Tapper, Jill Tapper, and Jay Tapper, all of whom serve as trustees without compensation, demonstrating the family's personal commitment to their philanthropic mission.

The foundation operates as a traditional private family foundation with a focus on Central Massachusetts communities, particularly the Worcester area, while maintaining its administrative base in Mashpee on Cape Cod. Unlike many foundations, the Tapper Charitable Foundation appears to maintain a low public profile, with limited publicly available information about specific grant programs or funding priorities. Available evidence suggests the foundation has a strong interest in supporting the Jewish community in Central Massachusetts and operates primarily through partnerships with established charitable organizations rather than through an open application process.

Funding Priorities

Known Funding Areas

Jewish Community Support: The foundation has demonstrated significant commitment to supporting the Jewish community in Central Massachusetts, most notably through a $100,000 endowment to the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts to establish the annual Tapper Charitable Foundation Righteous Gentile Award, which provides $10,000 annually to honorees who have made meaningful contributions to communities outside their own heritage and faith.

Geographic Focus: The foundation's grantmaking appears concentrated in the Worcester area of Central Massachusetts, with administrative operations based in Mashpee on Cape Cod.

Application Process

No Public Application Process: The Tapper Charitable Foundation does not appear to maintain a public grant application process. As a private family foundation, grants are likely awarded through trustee discretion, invitation, or through partnerships with established charitable organizations. The foundation's website (www.tapperfoundation.org) is currently unavailable, which may indicate the foundation does not actively solicit public applications.

Partnership Model: Based on available information, the foundation appears to prefer working through established charitable intermediaries, such as the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts, rather than accepting direct applications from individual nonprofits.

Governance and Leadership

The foundation is governed by five family member trustees:

Albert Tapper
Lynne Tapper
Eve Tapper
Jill Tapper
Jay Tapper

All trustees serve without compensation, indicating strong family engagement in the foundation's philanthropic mission. The foundation has demonstrated financial stability and consistent grantmaking, with charitable distributions consistently representing 85-98% of total expenses across recent fiscal years.

Financial Information

Recent Financial Summary (Fiscal Year Ending June 2024)

Total Assets: $18.5 million
Annual Revenue: $2.37 million
Annual Expenses: $1.75 million
Charitable Disbursements: $1.59 million (90.7% of expenses)
Net Income: $614,152

Revenue Sources (2024)

Sales of Assets: $1.44 million (61.2%)
Dividends: $606,486 (25.6%)
Other Income: $312,582 (13.2%)
Contributions: $0

The foundation is self-sustaining through investment income and does not accept outside contributions, which is typical for private family foundations.

Known Grants and Initiatives

Tapper Charitable Foundation Righteous Gentile Award

In 2022, the foundation established this annual award through a $100,000 endowment to the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts. The award recognizes a "righteous gentile" in the Central Massachusetts region who has made meaningful and substantial contributions to the betterment of communities outside their own heritage and faith. Each year's honoree receives $10,000.

Inaugural Recipient (2022): Worcester Police Chief Steven Sargent, who was honored for his community contributions and donated his award to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Manny 267 Foundation.

Steven Schimmel, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts, noted the Federation was "grateful to the Tapper Family and the Tapper Charitable Foundation for entrusting Jewish Federation to oversee this award."

Getting on Their Radar

While specific strategies for approaching this foundation are limited due to the lack of a public application process, potential grant seekers might consider:

Work Through Established Partners: The foundation's partnership with the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts suggests they prefer working through established charitable intermediaries. Organizations seeking funding might explore whether there are relevant community foundations or federated giving organizations that already have relationships with the Tapper family.

Geographic Alignment: Focus on Central Massachusetts (Worcester area) appears important to the foundation's mission, despite its Mashpee location.

Direct Inquiry: Organizations whose mission strongly aligns with the foundation's known interests (Jewish community support, Central Massachusetts focus) might consider a respectful direct inquiry via phone at (508) 477-9300, though be prepared that the foundation may not accept unsolicited proposals.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Private family foundation: The Tapper Charitable Foundation operates as a traditional private family foundation without a public grant application process, making it unlikely to be accessible to most grant seekers through standard application procedures.
Strong commitment to Jewish community: The foundation's most publicly visible grantmaking activity centers on supporting the Jewish community in Central Massachusetts through partnership with the Jewish Federation.
Partnership approach: Rather than making numerous small grants, the foundation appears to prefer strategic partnerships with established organizations, such as the $100,000 endowment for the Righteous Gentile Award.
Geographic focus: While based in Mashpee, the foundation's known grantmaking activity concentrates on the Worcester/Central Massachusetts region.
Financial stability: With $18.5 million in assets and consistent annual distributions of approximately $1.6 million, the foundation demonstrates strong financial health and commitment to grantmaking.
Limited public presence: The foundation maintains minimal public-facing information, which is characteristic of many private family foundations that do not seek public grant applications.
Family governance: With all five trustees being family members serving without compensation, grant decisions likely reflect the family's personal philanthropic values and relationships.

References

ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Tapper Charitable Foundation (EIN 04-2700063) https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/42700063 Accessed: November 17, 2025
Cause IQ - Tapper Charitable Foundation Profile https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/tapper-charitable-foundation,042700063/ Accessed: November 17, 2025
GuideStar - Tapper Charitable Foundation Profile https://www.guidestar.org/profile/04-2700063 Accessed: November 17, 2025
Jewish Ledger - "Worcester police chief receives inaugural 'Righteous Gentile' award" http://www.jewishledger.com/2022/06/worcester-police-chief-receives-inaugural-righteous-gentile-award/ Published: June 2022, Accessed: November 17, 2025
Worcester, MA Patch - Tapper Charitable Foundation Righteous Gentile Award Announcement https://patch.com/massachusetts/worcester/ep/1963572 Accessed: November 17, 2025

Note: Information about this foundation is limited due to its private nature and lack of public grant application processes. This overview is compiled from publicly available tax filings, database listings, and news reports. Organizations seeking funding should be aware that this foundation likely does not accept unsolicited grant applications.