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Tansy Charitable Foundation

Annual Giving
$32.0M
Grant Range
$0K - $15.5M

Tansy Charitable Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $32,000,000 (2023); $39,000,000 (2024)
  • Total Assets: $1,200,000,000 (end of 2024)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $300 - $15,500,000
  • Most Common Grant Size: $1,000,000
  • Geographic Focus: International and national
  • Application Process: No public application process; preselected organizations only

Contact Details

Address: 535 W End Ave # 18, New York City, NY 10024-3206
Phone: 212-478-0263
Website: None
Email: Not publicly available

The foundation has no website, no LinkedIn presence, and operates with extremely low overhead. It has never had a single employee on the books.

Overview

The Tansy Charitable Foundation was established in 2009 as the philanthropic vehicle of Eric Wepsic, a hedge fund executive and former member of D.E. Shaw & Co.'s executive board. With total assets of $1.2 billion as of end of 2024, Tansy has emerged as a significant but highly discreet grantmaker. The foundation distributed $32 million in grants in 2023 and $39 million in 2024. Tansy is characterized by its "stealth philanthropy" approach, maintaining an exceptionally low public profile with no website, minimal communications, and no staff. The foundation typically makes fewer than ten grants annually, but its grants are usually in the millions and feature multi-year commitments to a small portfolio of trusted partner organizations. The foundation's approach echoes best practices that philanthropy advocates encourage: large, unrestricted awards sustained over many years to highly effective organizations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Tansy does not operate formal grant programs. Instead, it provides large, unrestricted grants to a carefully selected portfolio of organizations, typically on a multi-year basis.

Priority Areas

Tax filings and grant history indicate the foundation focuses on four main areas:

Global Development & Health: The foundation prioritizes organizations working internationally to improve the lives of marginalized people in less-developed areas of the world.

  • Recent major recipients include Partners in Health (received $7 million in 2023, $10 million in 2024, with annual support dating back to 2017), The Carter Center (received $5 million in 2023, $7 million in 2024, with at least $1 million annually for twelve consecutive years), and Community Partners International (received $2.5 million in 2023)

Effective Altruism: In 2023, Tansy made its first grant to GiveWell ($15.5 million), expanding to $17 million in 2024, signaling potential increased interest in evidence-based, cost-effective global health interventions.

Higher Education in STEM: The foundation has provided millions in ongoing support to the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation (received $2 million in 2023, with at least $6.45 million in total grants over the years), which awards graduate fellowships to promising graduate students in science and technology. This connection is personal: Eric Wepsic was a Hertz Fellow in 1992.

Democracy: Tax filings indicate democracy-related work as a funding priority, though specific grantees in this area are not prominently featured in public records.

What They Don't Fund

The foundation has explicitly stated it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Governance and Leadership

Eric Wepsic (Founder and Trustee): A native of Boston and graduate of Harvard University where he majored in mathematics, Wepsic initially intended to pursue a career in academia but was recruited by D.E. Shaw & Co. in 1994. He continues to serve on D.E. Shaw's executive board. Now in his mid-50s and newly retired, Wepsic maintains an extremely low public profile. His wealth was once reported to top $9 billion. Wepsic was a Hertz Fellow in 1992, which informs his ongoing support for STEM education. He has not responded to media requests for comment about his philanthropic work.

The foundation operates with no staff, suggesting decisions are made directly by Wepsic or a small board of trustees, though detailed governance information is not publicly available.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

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

Grants are awarded through trustee discretion to organizations with which the foundation has pre-existing relationships or knowledge. Given the foundation's approach of providing multi-year support to a small portfolio of grantees, new organizations are rarely added to the funding roster.

Getting on Their Radar

Given the foundation's extremely low profile and explicit policy against unsolicited applications, there are very limited pathways for new organizations to receive consideration:

Connection to Eric Wepsic: Direct personal or professional connections to the founder would be the most direct pathway, though Wepsic maintains significant privacy.

Connection to Past Grantees: Relationships with organizations currently funded by Tansy (Partners in Health, The Carter Center, GiveWell, Hertz Foundation, Community Partners International) might provide indirect pathways for introduction.

D.E. Shaw Network: Given Wepsic's long tenure with D.E. Shaw & Co., connections through that network might provide access.

Evidence-Based Effectiveness: The 2023 grant to GiveWell suggests Wepsic may be interested in organizations with strong evidence of cost-effectiveness and impact, particularly in global health and development.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. The foundation operates on its own internal timeline for identifying and supporting organizations.

Success Rates

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept applications or unsolicited requests.

Application Success Factors

Since Tansy does not accept applications, traditional success factors do not apply. However, analysis of the foundation's grantmaking patterns reveals what attracts Tansy's support:

Long-term, Trusted Partnerships: Tansy provides sustained, multi-year support to organizations it trusts. Partners in Health has received funding since 2017, and The Carter Center has received at least $1 million annually for twelve consecutive years. Once an organization enters Tansy's portfolio, support tends to be substantial and enduring.

Unrestricted Funding Approach: The foundation provides large, unrestricted grants that give recipient organizations maximum flexibility. This suggests Tansy values organizational leadership and trusts grantees to deploy funds where they will have greatest impact.

Focus on Effectiveness: The addition of GiveWell to Tansy's portfolio in 2023 signals interest in evidence-based, cost-effective interventions, particularly in global health and development.

International Health & Development Impact: The majority of Tansy's grants support organizations working internationally to improve health outcomes and living conditions for marginalized populations in less-developed regions.

STEM Education Excellence: Support for the Hertz Foundation reflects commitment to advancing scientific and technological innovation through supporting exceptional graduate students.

Low Overhead Recipients: Organizations in Tansy's portfolio tend to be operationally focused with strong track records of impact.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications and only funds preselected organizations. Traditional grant seeking will not be successful.

  • Ultra-High-Value Partnership: For the handful of organizations Tansy supports, the relationship is exceptionally valuable—grants are typically in the millions, unrestricted, and sustained over many years.

  • Small, Focused Portfolio: Tansy makes fewer than ten grants annually, with most common grant size of $1 million and a preference for long-term partnerships over numerous small grants.

  • Evidence of Effectiveness Matters: The 2023 investment in GiveWell suggests increasing interest in data-driven, cost-effective approaches to global development and health.

  • Personal Connection to STEM: Eric Wepsic's background as a Hertz Fellow and mathematician informs ongoing support for STEM graduate education.

  • Extreme Privacy: Unlike many major foundations, Tansy maintains no public presence, has no staff, and does not engage in public communications about its work. This "stealth philanthropy" approach means limited information is available.

  • Alignment with Best Practices: Despite its opacity, Tansy's approach—large, unrestricted, multi-year grants to trusted partners—aligns with what many philanthropy experts recommend as most effective.

References

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