Tamaasus
Tamaasus is a private foundation based in Melville, New York. Its charitable activities include poetry exchanges, workshops and translations, as well as collaborative residencies for international poets.
Tamaasus at a glance
In short: Tamaasus gave $49K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $48,745
- -28.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- -28.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,437
- -0.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $852
- Total assets
- $42,526
- -6.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New York (67% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Tamaasus
- 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: 58 South Service Road Suite 170, Melville, NY 11747
Phone: (646) 213-5100
Website: https://www.tamaas.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Tamaasus funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Marraketch Girls Dormitory ($15K). Together the top 10 received $44K.
Grant Size Distribution
102 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 100 grants of 102 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that 67% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York and 33% to recipients with an unspecified state. Listed recipients include organizations and individuals in New York, as well as Marraketch Girls Dormitory, whose location is not provided.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
Cities
How Tamaasus gives
- 10% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 56% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $49K (2025) to $207K (2023). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $49K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Marraketch Girls Dormitory | Charity | $15,400 |
| Malvika Jolly Brooklyn, NY | Honorarium for Art Project | $10,533 |
| Megan O'Connell Melville, NY | Honorarium for Art Project | $5,190 |
| Sean Gullette Melville, NY | Honorarium for Art Project | $5,000 |
| Lucia Hinojosa Melville, NY | Honorarium for Art Project | $2,500 |
| Teresa Ross Tellechea Melville, NY | Honorarium for Art Project | $1,488 |
| Mizna Melville, NY | Charity | $1,085 |
| Matthew Kohn Melville, NY | Honorarium for Art Project | $1,000 |
| Ugly Duckling Presse Melville, NY | Arts & Education | $1,000 |
| The Brooklyn Youth Choir Melville, NY | Arts & Education | $1,000 |
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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 | $42,526 | $140,966 | $88,006 | $48,745 | 20 | $48,745 | $47,480 | $907 |
| 2024 | $45,483 | $218,504 | $106,705 | $68,500 | 28 | $68,500 | $86,975 | — |
| 2023 | $27,721 | $316,866 | $238,703 | $207,206 | 27 | $207,206 | $124,784 | $558 |
| 2022 | $79,341 | $308,811 | $127,198 | $111,195 | 26 | $111,195 | $131,285 | $586 |
| 2021 | $32,077 | $223,232 | $133,305 | $121,153 | 1 | $129,843 | $93,903 | — |
| 2020 | $19,627 | $203,167 | $186,228 | $168,918 | 1 | — | $6,487 | $987 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Tamaasus reported a distributable amount of $907 for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Tamaas says it encourages artists and creative thinkers to move beyond the role of witness and supports collaborative engagement with social issues through the arts. Its website describes a focus on “Earth Arts Justice” and on work intended to redistribute inequalities of power across disciplines.
Examples of supported work include arts and publishing. An individual recipient says its mission is to produce art and publish books by emerging, international and forgotten artists and writers. The Brooklyn Youth Choir also received support for arts and education. The filing lists honoraria for art projects and charitable support among grant purposes.
Grantmaking
In 2025, Tamaasus reported 20 grants totaling $48,745. Grants ranged from $65 to $15,400, with a median of $852. Listed grants included $15,400 to Marraketch Girls Dormitory for charity; $10,533 to an individual recipient for an art-project honorarium; $5,190 and $5,000 to individual recipients for art-project honoraria; and $1,000 each to an individual recipient and the Brooklyn Youth Choir for arts and education.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Sarah Riggs as president and Wendy Riggs as treasurer.
Tamaasus is led by Sarah Riggs, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sarah Riggs
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Wendy Riggs
Treasurer
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 Tamaasus
How much does Tamaasus give each year?
Tamaasus gave $49K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $69K across 28 grants.
What is Tamaasus's typical grant size?
Tamaasus's median grant in 2025 was $852, and its average grant was $2,437, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Tamaasus give grants?
Tamaasus gives mostly in New York: 67% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Melville, NY (16 grants) and Brooklyn, NY (2 grants).
Does Tamaasus give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 20 grants with a stated purpose on Tamaasus's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Honorarium for Art Project" (11 grants), "Charity" (6 grants) and "Arts & Education" (3 grants).
Who are Tamaasus's largest grantees?
Tamaasus's largest 2025 grantees include Marraketch Girls Dormitory ($15,400), Malvika Jolly ($10,533) and Megan O'Connell ($5,190), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 64% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Tamaasus?
Tamaasus reported $43K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $49K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $907 (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Tamaasus fund?
Tamaas says it encourages artists and creative thinkers to move beyond the role of witness and supports collaborative engagement with social issues through the arts. Its website describes a focus on “Earth Arts Justice” and on work intended to redistribute inequalities of power across disciplines. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Tamaasus?
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 ↑
What is Tamaasus's EIN?
Tamaasus's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-4189683. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Tamaasus 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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