The Phyllis & Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 31-1485041 · since 1996rappaportfoundation.org·Massachusetts·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$10.7M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$1,000 to $250k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$7,500

Typical grant (median)

31 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

The Phyllis & Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected organisations, so there is no open application route; an approach would depend on an existing relationship or invitation.
Its funding centres on public policy fellowships, neurodegenerative disease and mental illness research carried out through teaching hospital partnerships, contemporary art and music, and educational opportunities for Boston-based students and the educators who inspire them, so fit is narrow and specific to these themes.
A modest request is realistic: half of its 69 grants to organisations were $10,000 or less, and about 8 in 10 fall between $1,000 and $250,000, though one grant reached as high as $9,100,000.
Giving appears strongly relationship-led, with 98% of its grant dollars going to organisations already funded in the previous two years, meaning new applicants are competing for only a small share of available funding.
No geographic focus is stated, though its filings show grants mainly in Massachusetts.

Overview

The Phyllis & Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation is a US private foundation based in Burlington, MA.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The foundation supports emerging leaders in public policy, medical research and the arts. Its public-policy fellowships give graduate and law students and public officials experience working with state and local policymakers. In medical research it funds promising young scientists working on neurodegenerative disease and mental illness through partnerships with teaching hospitals. It also supports emerging contemporary artists and composers, and provides educational opportunities for Boston-based students and the educators who inspire them, including summer internships and grants to innovative educators. Its approach centres on developing talent through institutional partnerships, fellowships, prizes and programme support, with resources intended to strengthen recipients’ careers and encourage innovative thinking, productive dialogue and creative alliances.

Themes

Public policy leadership
Neurodegenerative disease research
Mental illness research
Contemporary art and music
Educational opportunities

Geographic Focus

No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Massachusetts.

How to apply

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 98% 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 69 grants to organisations were $10,000 or less.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Massachusetts99%

California<1%

Ohio<1%

Illinois<1%

New York<1%

Colorado<1%

3 other states: <1%

The largest single recipient received 66% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 98% of grant dollars went to organisations The Phyllis & Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
<1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

31 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $7,500

How much do they typically give?

Share of 31 grants in tax year 2024 by size

Under $1k3%

$1k–$2.5k6%

$2.5k–$5k29%

$5k–$10k23%

$10k–$25k16%

$25k–$50k3%

$50k–$100k3%

$100k–$250k6%

$250k–$500k3%

$500k–$1M3%

$1M and over3%

Median $7,500 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Massachusetts General Hospital · Medical support
$9,100,0002024 tax year
McLean Hospital · Medical support
$768,7332024 tax year
Alzheimers Disease Research Foundation · Medical support
$250,0002024 tax year
Valedictorian Project · Education support
$228,0002024 tax year
Harvard University · Medical support
$116,0002024 tax year
Boston College · Education support
$50,0002024 tax year
deCordova Museum · Education support
$38,3722024 tax year
Massachusetts General Hospital · Medical support
$15,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Janelle Cioffi — Director
Timothy Medlock — Executive Director
Jon Rappaport — Trustee
James W Rappaport — Trustee
Phyllis E Rappaport — Trustee

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$813,164	$537,005	$48,041,997	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$3,867,354	$2,973,112	$120,536,845	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$11,842,507	$10,690,605	$125,459,471	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.