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Phillip And Susan Ragon Foundation

Annual Giving
$0.5M
Grant Range
$20K - $200.0M

Phillip And Susan Ragon Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: Approximately $500,000 annually (excluding major institutional gifts)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $20,000 average grant size for smaller awards; major gifts of $50-200 million to primary institutional partners
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily Boston area, with limited international giving (Colombia)

Contact Details

Address: Cambridge, MA
Phone: 617-225-3001
Website: None
Email: Not publicly available

Note: This foundation does not maintain a public website or email contact for grant inquiries.

Overview

Established in 2003, the Phillip and Susan Ragon Foundation is a private foundation serving as the charitable vehicle for tech billionaire Phillip (Terry) Ragon, founder and CEO of InterSystems, and his wife Susan, who serves as Vice President of Finance, Administration and Recruitment at InterSystems. The foundation operates with an exceptionally lean structure, with Phillip and Susan Ragon as the only officers, neither taking a salary. The couple signed The Giving Pledge in 2017, committing to donate at least half their wealth to philanthropic causes. From 2018 to 2022, the foundation distributed $213 million, with virtually 100% going to grants. Their philanthropy is heavily concentrated on major institutional partnerships, with 98% of funding from 2018-2022 directed to Massachusetts General Hospital (75%) and MIT (23%). The foundation focuses on health research (particularly HIV/AIDS vaccine development), education, religious institutions, and Boston community organizations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation operates two distinct funding streams:

Major Institutional Partnerships (multi-million dollar commitments):

  • Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard: $100 million (2009) + $200 million endowment (2019) + approximately $400 million for HIV cure research (2024)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Over $50 million in cumulative gifts

Community Grants (invitation only):

  • Typical grant size: $20,000
  • Annual community grantmaking: Approximately $500,000 (varies significantly based on major gifts in any given year)
  • Application method: Invitation only / preselected organizations

In fiscal year 2022, the foundation made only $400,000 in grants to three organizations: Cambridge Community Foundation, Archdiocese of Boston, and Camp Harbor View. From 2018 to 2022, the foundation made only 17 grants to eight organizations.

Priority Areas

Health: Primary focus on HIV/AIDS research and vaccine development through the Ragon Institute. Also supports Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

Education: Strong support for MIT (Phillip Ragon's alma mater), Instituto San Pablo Apostol Carrera (a religious school in Bogotá, Colombia—stemming from Terry Ragon's year as a high school student there).

Community Services: John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, Boys and Girls Club in Boston, Camp Harbor View Foundation, Project Place Gatehouse, Charles River Conservancy, Cambridge Community Foundation.

Religious Organizations: Archdiocese of Boston, St. Peters Parish, St. Mary of the Sacred Heart Church, Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not publicly disclose exclusions, but their grantmaking pattern reveals:

  • Organizations outside the Boston area (with rare exceptions like their Colombian school project)
  • Organizations without existing connections to the Ragons or their institutional affiliations
  • Any cause areas outside their core focus on health research, education, community services, and religious institutions

Governance and Leadership

Phillip T. (Terry) Ragon - President and Trustee

  • Founder and CEO of InterSystems (established 1978), a health database management services company headquartered in Cambridge, MA
  • MIT graduate (Bachelor's degree in Physics, 1971)
  • Board positions: MIT Corporation (governing body of MIT), Massachusetts General Hospital Board of Trustees (since 2014), Trustee of Mass General Brigham Health System, Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows, Advisory Board of MIT Jameel Clinic
  • Giving Pledge signatory (2017)
  • The Ragons wrote in their Giving Pledge letter that research generated in the Boston area was the "fulcrum" with which they could change the world

Susan M. Ragon - Vice President and Trustee

  • Vice President of Finance, Administration and Recruitment at InterSystems
  • Co-signatory of the Giving Pledge

The foundation has no additional staff. Neither Phillip nor Susan Ragon takes a salary from the foundation.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The foundation explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

The foundation's grantmaking is primarily directed through:

  1. Major institutional partnerships where the Ragons have board representation or personal connections (Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT)
  2. Invitation-only grants to Boston-area organizations
  3. Causes with personal significance to the Ragons (such as the Colombian school connected to Terry Ragon's high school experience)

Getting on Their Radar

Organizations connected to Phillip Ragon's extensive board network may be best positioned for consideration:

  • Massachusetts General Hospital ecosystem: Organizations affiliated with Mass General or Mass General Brigham may gain attention through Phillip Ragon's trustee role since 2014
  • MIT network: Organizations connected to MIT, where Phillip Ragon serves on the MIT Corporation and is an alumnus
  • Harvard Medical School connections: Organizations linked to Harvard Medical School, where Phillip Ragon is on the Board of Fellows

The foundation shows strong preference for organizations where they can provide multi-year support and build long-term partnerships. From 2018-2022, they made only 17 grants to just eight organizations, indicating a highly concentrated, relationship-based approach to philanthropy.

Given the foundation's extremely lean operations and lack of public presence, cold outreach is unlikely to be successful.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. The foundation does not publish information about grant cycles or decision timeframes.

Success Rates

Not applicable. The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable due to invitation-only model.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation does not accept applications, the following insights relate to their demonstrated grantmaking patterns:

Institutional Affiliation Matters Most: 98% of the foundation's $213 million in distributions from 2018-2022 went to just two institutions where Phillip Ragon has deep personal ties—Mass General (where he's been a trustee since 2014) and MIT (his alma mater). Organizations must have strong institutional connections to these partners.

Personal Connection is Essential: The Ragons' support for a school in Bogotá, Colombia stems directly from Terry Ragon's year there as a high school student. Their 2024 commitment of approximately $400 million to HIV cure research followed a trip to South Africa where they witnessed the AIDS crisis. Personal experiences and connections drive their philanthropy.

Geographic Concentration: All but one recipient from 2018-2022 was Boston-based. The foundation clearly prioritizes their local community.

Long-Term Partnership Over Transactional Grants: The foundation makes very few grants (only 17 over five years to eight organizations), suggesting they prefer sustained, deep partnerships rather than spreading funding broadly.

Mission Alignment with Health Research and Education: The Ragons stated that research generated in the Boston area was the "fulcrum" with which they could change the world. Organizations advancing breakthrough health research (particularly immunology and vaccine development) or educational opportunity align with their core values.

Lean Operations Valued: The foundation operates with no staff beyond the two trustees and dedicates essentially 100% of qualified distributions to grants rather than administrative costs. This suggests appreciation for organizational efficiency.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process exists—this foundation exclusively funds preselected organizations, making traditional grant seeking ineffective
  • Institutional connections are paramount—organizations must have ties to Mass General, MIT, Harvard Medical School, or other institutions where Phillip Ragon serves on boards
  • Think decades, not grants—the foundation made only 17 grants over five years; they seek long-term partnerships, not one-time funding relationships
  • Boston-area focus is nearly absolute—with rare exceptions, grantees must serve the Boston community
  • Personal significance drives major gifts—the Ragons' largest commitments stem from personal experiences (witnessing AIDS crisis, attending MIT, living in Colombia)
  • Health research, particularly immunology and vaccine development, represents their transformational giving—organizations in this space that can demonstrate breakthrough potential may align with their primary mission
  • Building relationships through board networks is the only viable pathway—without existing connections to the Ragons' extensive institutional affiliations, funding opportunities are essentially nonexistent

References

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