The Kaplen Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The Kaplen Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and operates by invitation only, so cold applications are not the way in; relationship-building or an existing connection to the foundation is likely to matter.
- Its giving is heavily relationship-led in practice, as 99% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had also funded in the two prior filings, so new applicants face a genuinely difficult path.
- Typical grants fall between $500 and $100,000, covering about 8 in 10 of its 281 grants, but the median grant is just $1,000 and half of its 281 grants were $1,000 or less, so a modest request is the realistic norm even though occasional much larger grants occur.
- The foundation funds a broad mix of recipients including health organisations and foundations, Jewish community organisations, a university, a theatre company, social-service providers, religious institutions, educational and cultural organisations, and local community groups, with no single field standing out as its focus.
- No geographic focus is formally stated, though the filings show most grant dollars going to organisations in New Jersey and New York; given the invitation-only approach and lack of an unsolicited-request channel, small nonprofits without an existing relationship to the foundation should not expect to apply directly.
Overview
The Kaplen Foundation is a US private foundation based in Tenafly, NJ.
What they fund
Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation’s filed grants are recorded as general support rather than tied to named purposes. The largest kinds of recipients include health organisations and foundations, Jewish community organisations, a university, a theatre company and social-service providers. The grants also reach religious institutions, educational and cultural organisations, health and disability services, and local community groups. The recipient mix is broad, with no single field identifiable from the stated grant purposes. Most of the recorded grant dollars went to organisations in New Jersey and New York, with additional recipients across other states.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in New Jersey and New York.
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 99% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 281 grants to organisations were $1,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: <1%
- The largest single recipient received 21% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 99% of grant dollars went to organisations The Kaplen Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 8% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 95 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $1,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Dominican University · General support$1,100,0002024 tax year
- Kaplen JCC on the Palisades · General support$826,0002024 tax year
- Temple Sinai of Bergen County · General support$665,0962024 tax year
- Adler Aphasia Center · General support$501,8002024 tax year
- Jewish Federation Of Northern NJ · General support$500,8502024 tax year
- Jewish Home Foundation · General support$401,1002024 tax year
- Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative · General support$375,0002024 tax year
- Englewood Health Foundation · General support$320,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- James Tate — Trustee
- Peter G Tate — Trustee
- Nancy Sutherland — Secretary
- Margaret Kaplen — President
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $8,574,476 | $7,939,553 | $73,342,629 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $8,464,826 | $7,961,676 | $72,064,161 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $6,342,284 | $5,586,443 | $70,676,482 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
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At a glance
Applying to The Kaplen Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Tenafly, NJ
Applying to The Kaplen Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Tenafly, NJ