Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund

Private foundation · Grantmaker Needham, MA EIN: 04-6043588

The Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund is a private foundation based in Needham, Massachusetts. It reports making contributions to charitable, educational, medical, and religious organizations.

Key facts about Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund

In short: Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund gave $184K across 15 grants in 2024 (avg $12K), mostly in Massachusetts. 0% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
04-6043588
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$184,100
Grants made (2024)
15
Average grant
$12,273
Median grant
$5,000
New grantees (estimate)
0% first-time grantees (0 of 15, 2024)
Total assets
$3,958,276
Primary geography
Massachusetts (78% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$4.0M

-1.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$184K

-39.9% YoY

Grant Count

15

-16.7% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$12K

-27.9% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund reported a distributable amount of $338K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund open to new grantees?

0%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 0 of 15 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. How we count

  • 93% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving fell 43% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 54% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The funder states that it contributes to charitable, educational, medical, and religious organizations. Its 2024 grants included organizations whose stated missions illustrate some of the work supported. Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston says it works to sustain and enrich Jewish life in the Greater Boston community and coordinate Jewish communal services. Brandeis University describes its work as advancing the humanities, arts, and sciences and providing a broad liberal arts education. Yad Chessed Fund says it provides emergency financial assistance and guidance to Jewish individuals experiencing financial distress and food insecurity. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions, not stated missions of the funder.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the funder reported 15 grants totaling $184,100. Individual grants ranged from $1,000 to $60,000, with a median of $5,000. Among the listed grants, the largest were $60,000 to Combined Jewish Philanthropies in Boston and $53,000 to Brandeis University in Waltham. Other listed grants included $10,000 each to the Anti-Defamation League, Brothers for Life, Yad Chessed, and Hillel International; and $5,500 to Gann Academy.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, 78% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts, 11% to New York, 5% to Washington, and 5% to Washington, DC.

Grant Distribution by State

6states

Share of all 15 itemized 2024 grant dollars.

Cities

BostonNew YorkWalthamJamaica PlainRoslindaleSeattleEvanstonNorth WalthamWashingtonBrightonAuburndaleCambridgeSan Diego

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$100K$200K$300K$400K22 grants202017 grants202114 grants202218 grants202315 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $179K (2022) to $322K (2021). In 2024 it made 15 grants totaling $184K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Combined Jewish Philanthropies: $60KCombined Jewish Philanthropies$60KBrandeis University: $53KBrandeis University$53KAnti-Defamation League: $10KAnti-Defamation League$10KBrothers for Life: $10KBrothers for Life$10KYad Chessed: $10KYad Chessed$10KHillel International: $10KHillel International$10KGann Academy: $6KGann Academy$6KHebrew Senior Life: $5KHebrew Senior Life$5KItrek: $5KItrek$5KBirthright Israel Foundation: $5KBirthright Israel Foundation$5K

The largest 2024 recipient was Combined Jewish Philanthropies ($60K). Together the top 10 received $174K.

Grant Size Distribution

86 grants across all recorded years

76<$50K7$50–100K3$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 76 grants of 86 (88%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Combined Jewish Philanthropies Boston, MACharitable$60,000
Brandeis University Waltham, MAEducational$53,000
Anti-Defamation League New York, NYCharitable$10,000
Brothers for Life Seattle, WACharitable$10,000
Yad Chessed North Waltham, MACharitable$10,000
Hillel International Washington, DCCharitable$10,000
Gann Academy Waltham, MAEducational$5,500
Hebrew Senior Life Roslindale, MACharitable$5,000
Itrek New York, NYCharitable$5,000
Birthright Israel Foundation New York, NYCharitable$5,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grant sum Grant count
2024 $3,958,276 $170,275 $211,479 $184,100 15
2023 $3,999,480 $1,360,929 $329,899 $306,435 18
2022 $2,968,450 $154,823 $221,020 $179,100 14
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$500K$1M$1.5M20202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$3,958,276$3,999,480$2,968,450
Revenue$170,275$1,360,929$154,823
Expenses$211,479$329,899$221,020
Qualifying Distributions$184,100$301,435$179,100
Net Investment Income$142,896$1,332,465$112,903
Distributable Amount$338,039$282,576$335,352

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Bram Shapiro, Joseph Michelson, and Aron Ain as trustees.

Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund's 2024 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Aron Ain

    Trustee As Req.

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Bram Shapiro

    Trustee As Req.

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Joseph Michelson

    Trustee As Req.

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Mailing address: 32 Kearney Road, Needham, MA 02494
Phone: (781) 455-6900

Frequently asked questions about Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund

How much does Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund give each year?

Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund gave $184K across 15 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $306K across 18 grants.

What is Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund's typical grant size?

Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $12,273, across 15 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund give grants?

Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund gives mostly in Massachusetts: 78% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (11%) and Washington (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (4 grants), New York, NY (4 grants) and Waltham, MA (2 grants).

Does Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund give general operating support?

Not in 2024: none of the 15 grants with a stated purpose on Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (12 grants).

Who are Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund's largest grantees?

Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund's largest 2024 grantees include Combined Jewish Philanthropies ($60,000), Brandeis University ($53,000) and Anti-Defamation League ($10,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 67% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund?

Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund reported $4.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $184K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $338K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund fund?

The funder states that it contributes to charitable, educational, medical, and religious organizations. Its 2024 grants included organizations whose stated missions illustrate some of the work supported. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund?

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund's EIN?

Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6043588. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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