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Stifler Family Foundation

Annual Giving
$1.1M

Stifler Family Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $1,131,447 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $46.6 million (2023)
  • Number of Grants: 73 grants (2023)
  • Grant Range: Varies by project (specific amounts not publicly disclosed)
  • Geographic Focus: Massachusetts (particularly Cape Cod region) and Maine, with national reach
  • Application Method: Invitation only - does not accept unsolicited applications

Contact Details

Address: 100 Codman Road, Brookline, MA 02445

Phone: 617-357-9876

Website: https://www.stiflerfamily.org/

Note: The foundation does not have a public application process. Organizations are identified through the foundation's network and strategic partners.

Overview

Established in 2001 by Larry Stifler and Mary McFadden, the Stifler Family Foundation operates on the principles of "gratitude, humility and impact." With assets of $46.6 million and annual giving exceeding $1 million, the foundation supports nonprofit organizations across five key areas: land conservation, education, science, social justice, and the arts. Both founders received scholarships that transformed their lives—Larry attended Calvert, Gilman, and Dartmouth on full scholarships, while Mary earned scholarships to Boston University and paid her way through Suffolk Law School. This background shapes their commitment to providing opportunities for others. The foundation has made over 1,000 grants to date and emphasizes multi-generational involvement, with second-generation family members actively participating in governance and operations. Molly Stifler serves as the foundation's first Director (since 2021), while her sister Haley serves as an advisor.

Funding Priorities

Priority Areas

Environment/Land Conservation

  • Protecting open space and natural resources
  • Coastal conservation and advocacy
  • Community environmental education
  • Youth nature programs
  • Notable partners: Buzzards Bay Coalition, Wareham Land Trust (co-founded by the Stiflers)

Education

  • Providing educational opportunities and scholarships
  • Closing the achievement gap
  • Youth development programs
  • Larry Stifler created the Lawrence T.P. Scholarship Fund in 2004 to provide financial aid to students

Social Justice

  • Police-youth relations and trauma-informed training
  • School-to-prison pipeline prevention
  • Youth advocacy and empowerment
  • Featured partner: Strategies for Youth

Arts

  • Expanding access to music and performing arts
  • Community-based arts programming
  • Making arts accessible beyond traditional venues
  • Featured partner: Celebrity Series of Boston (Arts for All! program)

Science & Research

  • Natural history museums and research facilities
  • Mineral, gem, and meteorite research
  • Featured partner: Maine Mineral & Gem Museum (co-founded by the Stiflers)

Grassroots Organizations

  • Small, solutions-focused organizations with deep community knowledge
  • Organizations demonstrating effective work that need support to scale
  • Capacity building for smaller nonprofits

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the foundation focuses on invitation-only grantmaking to organizations they identify through their network and strategic intermediaries. Organizations outside their established priority areas or geographic focus are unlikely to receive funding.

Governance and Leadership

Larry Stifler (Co-Founder, Trustee): Founded Health Management Resources in 1983, which became the fourth-fastest-growing privately held company in the U.S. in its first five years. Co-founded the Wareham Land Trust and Maine Mineral & Gem Museum. Holds degrees from Dartmouth College and has maintained a lifelong commitment to providing educational opportunities. His philosophy: "Find what you are passionate about and start there; share your time, talents and resources to help others."

Mary McFadden (Co-Founder, Trustee): Distinguished attorney and former Executive Director of the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct. Co-founder of the Wareham Land Trust and Maine Mineral & Gem Museum. Raised over $15 million to protect open space in Wareham, Massachusetts. Graduate of Boston University and Suffolk Law School.

Molly Stifler (Director): Began working with the foundation in 2012 as advisor and project manager, became Director in 2021. Serves on multiple advisory boards addressing social justice, education, youth programs, and environmental issues. Graduated from Dartmouth College (2014). Received compensation of $63,500 in 2023. Joined the Strategies for Youth board in 2019.

Haley Stifler (Advisor): Serves on the Board of Advisors for Wareham Land Trust.

The foundation emphasizes listening to and respecting organizations engaged in direct service work while functioning as outcome-focused decision makers committed to gathering necessary information for effective support.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Stifler Family Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications. Grants are awarded at the discretion of the trustees and through strategic partnerships with intermediary organizations.

The foundation identifies potential grantees through:

  • Direct outreach and relationship building
  • Strategic partnerships with intermediaries like the Social Innovation Forum
  • Trustee discretion and personal knowledge of effective organizations
  • Site visits and ongoing engagement with potential partners

Organizations interested in learning more can visit the foundation's website contact page at stiflerfamily.org/contact-us, though this does not constitute an application process.

Getting on Their Radar

Social Innovation Forum Partnership: The foundation works closely with the Social Innovation Forum (SIF), which operates a nonprofit marketplace connecting funders with grassroots organizations. SIF identifies passionate nonprofits with demonstrated effectiveness and matches them with funders and in-kind supporters. Organizations selected by SIF receive multi-year comprehensive support including volunteer professional services, consultant support, and potential foundation funding. The foundation has partnered with SIF since at least 2016 and describes their approach as "hands-on and thoughtful."

Demonstrated Track Record: The foundation explicitly seeks "smaller, solutions-focused organizations who truly know their communities" and have demonstrated effective work but need support to scale their impact. Building a strong track record in one of the foundation's priority areas increases the likelihood of being identified through their networks.

Multi-Year Relationship Building: The foundation's approach to Strategies for Youth demonstrates their preference for deepening engagement over time. After meeting SFY through the Social Innovation Forum in 2016, they progressively increased involvement from funding to fundraising development, matching grant campaigns, and eventually board service by Molly Stifler in 2019.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly available, as grants are made through invitation and trustee discretion rather than application cycles.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, so traditional success rate metrics do not apply.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation does not have a public application process.

Application Success Factors

Since the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, alignment factors focus on characteristics that might attract the foundation's attention through their networks:

Organizational Profile They Seek:

  • Small to medium-sized nonprofits with deep community knowledge
  • Organizations with proven effectiveness that need capacity building to scale
  • Grassroots organizations addressing real community needs with innovative solutions
  • Organizations open to multi-year partnerships and relationship building

Values Alignment:

  • Demonstrates gratitude for opportunities and commitment to providing opportunities for others
  • Shows humility and willingness to listen and learn
  • Focuses on measurable impact and outcomes
  • Engages in transparent, outcome-focused decision making
  • Welcomes capacity building support beyond just funding

The Foundation's Approach: The foundation describes its grantmaking as tailored to "meet each partner's specific financial and organizational needs." They emphasize that their support goes far beyond funding to include fundraising development, designing matching grant campaigns, volunteer professional services, and consultants that help organizations streamline operations and focus on their missions.

Geographic Considerations: While the foundation has national reach, they show particular commitment to Massachusetts (especially the Cape Cod region) and Maine, where they maintain significant land holdings and conservation projects.

Sector Priorities: Organizations working at the intersection of multiple priority areas may be particularly appealing. For example, environmental education programs for youth, arts programs addressing social justice, or grassroots science education initiatives align with multiple foundation interests.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: Do not send unsolicited proposals. The foundation identifies partners through trustees' personal networks and strategic intermediaries.

  • Social Innovation Forum Connection: The most documented pathway to foundation support is through the Social Innovation Forum's nonprofit marketplace, which provides a structured introduction process.

  • Multi-Year Partnership Model: The foundation seeks long-term relationships and progressively deepens engagement with organizations, as demonstrated by their support of Strategies for Youth from 2016 onwards.

  • Beyond-Funding Support: The foundation provides comprehensive capacity building including fundraising development, matching campaigns, professional services, and strategic guidance—not just grant checks.

  • Small Organization Focus: Explicitly seeks "smaller, solutions-focused organizations" with demonstrated effectiveness that need support to scale their impact.

  • Values-Driven Grantmaking: The founders' personal stories of scholarship support inform their commitment to gratitude, humility, and impact. Organizations that embody these values and can articulate how opportunities transformed their work may resonate.

  • Geographic Sweet Spot: Massachusetts and Maine organizations, particularly those working in Cape Cod and surrounding regions, appear to receive focused attention given the family's land holdings and community ties in these areas.

References

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