James B Tafel Foundation
The James B Tafel Foundation is a private foundation based in Cary, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports 34 grants totaling $230,475 to organizations in several states.
James B Tafel Foundation at a glance
In short: James B Tafel Foundation gave $230K across 34 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), top state California. 12% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $230,475
- +18.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 34
- +13.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,779
- +4.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $1,019,873
- -14.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 12% first-time grantees (4 of 34, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (30% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to James B Tafel Foundation
- Contact
Application contact: Ida May Tafel
Mailing address: PO Box 895, Cary, IL 60013
Phone: (847) 462-0322
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who James B Tafel Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Curebound Inc ($55K). Together the top 10 received $203K.
Grant Size Distribution
184 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 177 grants of 184 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars were distributed among recipients in several states. The largest shares went to California (30%), Illinois (21%), Florida (19%), Maryland (13%), and Tennessee (11%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 34 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is James B Tafel Foundation open to new grantees?
12%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 34 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $863 repeat.
- 68% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 103% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $185K (2023) to $307K (2021). In 2025 it made 34 grants totaling $230K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Curebound Inc San Diego, CA | Charitable | $55,000 |
| Spark Ventures Chicago, IL | Charitable | $35,000 |
| Global Communities Bethesda, MD | Charitable | $30,000 |
| Bethesda Hospital Foundation Boynton Beach, FL | Medical | $25,000 |
| Tennessee Golf Foundation Franklin, TN | Charitable | $25,000 |
| Amerson Music Ministries Corona, CA | Religious | $10,000 |
| Cary Fire Department Cary, IL | Charitable | $7,500 |
| Alzheimer's Association Southfield, MI | Medical | $5,000 |
| Boynton Beach Fire Department Boynton Beach, FL | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Burnham Ministry Boca Raton, FL | Religious | $5,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,019,873 | $69,105 | $235,823 | $230,475 | 34 | $231,350 | $68,230 | $223,596 |
| 2024 | $1,186,591 | $254,642 | $196,588 | $194,050 | 30 | $194,875 | $253,817 | $197,275 |
| 2023 | $1,128,537 | $61,741 | $186,666 | $184,755 | 37 | $185,580 | $60,916 | $173,733 |
| 2022 | $1,253,462 | $18,509 | $251,874 | $249,790 | 40 | $250,597 | $17,701 | $193,450 |
| 2021 | $1,486,827 | $33,453 | $308,926 | $306,710 | 43 | — | $32,645 | $201,792 |
| 2020 | $1,762,300 | $19,660 | $217,722 | $211,050 | 41 | — | $18,890 | $185,720 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, James B Tafel Foundation reported a distributable amount of $224K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations whose missions span areas such as cancer research, health and human services, youth and veteran golf programs, and religious outreach. For example, CUREBOUND says it funds innovative and collaborative cancer research in San Diego, while Spark Ventures says it supports children in under-resourced communities with education, nutrition, healthcare, and other opportunities.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 34 grants totaling $230,475. Grant amounts ranged from $200 to $55,000, with a median of $1,000. Giving totaled $194,050 across 30 grants in 2024 and $184,755 across 37 grants in 2023.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $55,000 to CUREBOUND, $35,000 to Spark Ventures, $30,000 to Global Communities, and $25,000 each to Bethesda Hospital Foundation and Tennessee Golf Foundation. Other reported grants included $10,000 to Amerson Music Ministries, $7,500 to Cary Fire Department, and $3,000 to Pioneer Center for Human Services.
The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Its filing says requests should be made in writing and that contributions are limited to organizations described in IRC Section 170(c). The filing lists Ida May Tafel as the person to contact about requests.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Ida May Tafel, Julie K Tafel-Klaus, and James B Tafel Jr as trustees.
James B Tafel Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ida May Tafel
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
James B. Tafel Jr.
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Julie K. Tafel-Klaus
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about James B Tafel Foundation
How much does James B Tafel Foundation give each year?
James B Tafel Foundation gave $230K across 34 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $194K across 30 grants.
What is James B Tafel Foundation's typical grant size?
James B Tafel Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $6,779, across 34 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from James B Tafel Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does James B Tafel Foundation give grants?
James B Tafel Foundation's top state is California, with 30% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Illinois (21%) and Florida (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boynton Beach, FL (4 grants), Chicago, IL (2 grants), Cary, IL (2 grants) and Boca Raton, FL (2 grants).
Does James B Tafel Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 34 grants with a stated purpose on James B Tafel Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (22 grants), "Religious" (6 grants) and "Medical" (3 grants).
Who are James B Tafel Foundation's largest grantees?
James B Tafel Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Curebound Inc ($55,000), Spark Ventures ($35,000) and Global Communities ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is James B Tafel Foundation?
James B Tafel Foundation reported $1.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $231K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $224K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does James B Tafel Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations whose missions span areas such as cancer research, health and human services, youth and veteran golf programs, and religious outreach. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from James B Tafel Foundation?
James B Tafel Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is James B Tafel Foundation's EIN?
James B Tafel Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3475140. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 27, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 2, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 4, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). James B Tafel Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/james-b-tafel-foundation-morg_909b86f8ddc9471392e963744f564a97
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363475140_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{James B Tafel Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/james-b-tafel-foundation-morg_909b86f8ddc9471392e963744f564a97},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from James B Tafel Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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