Schechter Foundation
The Schechter Foundation is a private foundation based in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. It reports grantmaking of $27,859 across 13 grants in 2024 and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
Schechter Foundation at a glance
- Total assets
- $1,870,224
- +2.7% vs 2024
- Revenue (2025)
- $49,653
- +31.6% vs 2024
- Qualifying distributions (2025)
- $27,025
- -3.0% vs 2024
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Schechter Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 60 Kensington Cir, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-2624
Phone: (617) 821-2370
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Schechter Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
65 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 65 grants of 65 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The listed 2024 grantees are based in Brighton and Boston, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. These grant locations do not establish a stated geographic focus for the foundation.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Is Schechter Foundation open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 13 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $729 repeat.
- 69% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 223% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 61% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $9K (2021) to $48K (2023). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $28K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish Family and Childrens Service Waltham, MA | General Support and Holocaust Services | $15,000 |
| 2 Life Communities Brighton, MA | General support | $2,500 |
| 2Life Communities Brighton, MA | General Support | $2,500 |
| Greenlight Fund Boston, MA | General support | $1,880 |
| Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters Waltham, MA | General support | $1,800 |
| Media Matters For America Washington, DC | General support | $1,200 |
| New England Friends of March of the Living Sharon, MA | General Support | $1,000 |
| American Jewish Committee of NE New York, NY | General support | $729 |
| ACLU New York, NY | General support | $600 |
| ProPublica San Francisco, CA | General support | $260 |
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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 | $1,870,224 | $49,653 | — | — | — | $27,025 | $49,653 | $44,609 |
| 2024 | $1,820,571 | $37,740 | $27,859 | $27,859 | 13 | $27,859 | $37,740 | $48,837 |
| 2023 | $1,810,690 | $21,468 | $48,158 | $48,158 | 21 | $48,158 | $21,468 | $40,707 |
| 2022 | $1,837,380 | $110,545 | $21,429 | $21,429 | 18 | $21,429 | $110,545 | $38,707 |
| 2021 | $1,748,264 | $102,056 | $9,398 | $8,615 | 13 | $8,615 | $101,273 | $32,055 |
| 2020 | $1,655,606 | $186,481 | $46,285 | $45,418 | 10 | — | $185,614 | $30,717 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Schechter Foundation reported a distributable amount of $45K 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 2024 grantees include organizations working in areas such as affordable housing and services for seniors, support for children and families in high-poverty urban areas, media monitoring, and military-affairs research. These are the grantees’ stated activities, not a stated focus-area list for the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation gave $27,859 through 13 grants, an average of about $2,143 per grant. Examples include $2,500 to 2LIFE COMMUNITIES INC, whose mission is to build and operate housing for low-income seniors and offer services that enhance independence and dignity; $1,880 to GREENLIGHT FUND INC, which describes its work as identifying critical needs in high-poverty urban areas and bringing innovative programs to those communities; $1,200 to MEDIA MATTERS FOR AMERICA, which says it monitors, analyzes, and corrects conservative misinformation in U.S. media; and $240 to the INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR INC, which describes its work as advancing understanding of military affairs through research, analysis, and education.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists David Schechter and Gail Schechter as trustees.
Schechter Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David Schechter
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Gail Schechter
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 Schechter Foundation
How large is Schechter Foundation?
Schechter Foundation reported $1.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $27K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $45K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Schechter Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grantees include organizations working in areas such as affordable housing and services for seniors, support for children and families in high-poverty urban areas, media monitoring, and military-affairs research. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Schechter Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 ↑
Where does Schechter Foundation make grants?
The listed 2024 grantees are based in Brighton and Boston, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. These grant locations do not establish a stated geographic focus for the foundation.
What is Schechter Foundation's EIN?
Schechter Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6855905. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Schechter Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 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 October 29, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 19, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 2, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Figures come from Schechter 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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