The Chirag Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker Carlisle, MA EIN: 04-6902382 Website

The Chirag Foundation is a private foundation established in 1999 and incorporated in Massachusetts. Based in Carlisle, MA, the foundation moves resources to community-led organizations striving to achieve racial and wealth equity through advocacy, economic development, and direct-service programs. Since its inception, the foundation has provided organizations with over $5 million in grants.

Key facts about The Chirag Foundation

EIN: 04-6902382
Latest 990 filing: Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024): $577,673
Grants made (2024): 13
Average grant: $44,436
Median grant: $40,000
New grantees (estimate): 31% first-time grantees (4 of 13, 2024)
Total assets: $14,355,894
Primary geography: Massachusetts (38% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
How to apply: The foundation accepts Letters of Inquiry (LOI) from interested organizations. 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.

Who The Chirag Foundation funds

By grant dollars, the top recipient states for The Chirag Foundation's 13 itemized 2024 grants were Massachusetts (38%), Virginia (17%) and California (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (3 grants). None of its 13 grants with a stated purpose were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Various" (10 grants).

Is The Chirag Foundation open to new grantees?

31%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 4 of 13 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $48K; repeat grants $43K. How we count

Medians: $39K first-time, $40K repeat.

54% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−2%). Method
In 2024 it paid out 92% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method

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

Next steps with The Chirag Foundation

How to evaluate The Chirag Foundation as a funder
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Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$14.4M

+6.6% YoY

Annual Giving

$578K

-45.2% YoY

Grant Count

+0.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$44K

-45.2% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Chirag Foundation reported a distributable amount of $629K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

Primary funding focus areas include:

Education
Workforce development
Affordable housing
Anti-domestic violence
Food security

The foundation is drawn to grant partners that are demographically reflective of the populations they serve, collaborative, and eager to create systemic change. The foundation recognizes that each community has its own strengths and needs, and program success or impact must be defined and measured with that consideration.

Grantmaking

Grant Range

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How to Apply

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations located in the United States and North India.

Grant Distribution by State

Massachusetts $221K (38%)

Virginia $98K (17%)

California $76K (13%)

New York $75K (13%)

Louisiana $40K (7%)

All other $68K (12%)

Share of all 13 itemized 2024 grant dollars.

States

California District of Columbia Illinois Louisiana Massachusetts New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Virginia

Cities

BostonFairfaxLowellNew YorkBrooklynCambridgeAndoverCanoga ParkCarlisleJamacia PlainLawrenceNew OrleansPittsburghRoxburyActonChicagoDracutEast BostonFreeholdJackson Heights

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of 2024:

Total assets: $14,355,894
Total giving: $577,673

As of 2023:

Total assets: $13,467,502
Total revenues: $1,673,518
Total expenses: $1,106,570
Total grants, contributions, etc.: $1,313,064
Investment income and dividends: $163,536

Tax Status:

501(c)(3) private foundation
Tax-exempt since February 2001
EIN: 04-6902382
No liabilities reported (2023)

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$14,355,894	$13,467,502	$13,051,376
Revenue	$2,058,558	$1,673,518	$2,595,535
Expenses	$650,149	$1,106,570	$733,938
Qualifying Distributions	$577,673	$1,054,236	$639,470
Net Investment Income	$752,376	$308,120	$1,678,837
Distributable Amount	$629,014	$596,254	$620,473

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

February 28, 2026 IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

73 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Pardada Pardadi Educational Society ($98,000), Idea ($65,000), The Akshayapatra Foundation ($61,157).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
PARDADA PARDADI EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY Fairfax, VA	TO SPONSOR GIRLS EDUCATION AND WOMEN'S HEALTH & HYGIENE (EXPENDITURE RESPONSIBILITY GRANT)	$98,000
IDEA Boston, MA	VARIOUS	$65,000
THE AKSHAYAPATRA FOUNDATION Canoga Park, CA	SPONSOR NUTRITIOUS MEALS TO CHILDREN STUDYING IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS AND GOVERNMENT-AIDED SCHOOLS. (EXPENDITURE RESPONSIBILITY GRANT)	$61,157
BOSTON HIGHER EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTER Boston, MA	VARIOUS	$60,000
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF GREATER LWOELL Lowell, MA	VARIOUS	$50,000
SAKHI FOR SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN New York, NY	VARIOUS	$45,000
OPERATION RESTORATION New Orleans, LA	VARIOUS	$40,000
RESILIENT NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT Pittsburgh, PA	VARIOUS	$35,000
NAV SRISHTI	ENHANCE THE CAPACITIES AND SKILLS OF UNDERPRIVILEGED AND MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, ESPECIALLY WOMENAND CHILDREN SO THAT THEY COULD BECOME SELF-DEPENDENT AND LIVE A DIGNIFIED AND RESPECTFUL LIFE.(EXPENDITURE RESPONSIBILITY GRANT)	$32,516
NEIGHBORHOOD VILLAGES Jamacia Plain, MA	VARIOUS	$30,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Trustees:

Anil Singhal – Co-Founder & CEO of NetScout Systems. He has provided strategic direction and technical leadership to the company since founding it in 1984. Anil has earned recognition for his entrepreneurial success, including the TiE Boston Lifetime Achievement Award (2013), Enterprise Bank's George L. Duncan Award of Excellence (2013), and Ernst & Young's New England Entrepreneur of the Year (1997). He holds a BSEE from BITS, Pilani, India and an MS in Computer Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Abha Singhal – Her career includes finance and accounting roles in Massachusetts-based high tech companies, including Wang Labs. Since retiring, she devotes her time to community service and foundation activities. Abha is currently on the Board of the Carlisle Council on Aging, a member of Hestia Funds, and part of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts' Council. She holds a BS in Economics from Delhi University and an MBA with a major in Accounting from University of Lowell, MA.

The Singhals have been married for 40 years and have two daughters, Priyanka and Nikita.

Compensation Overview

No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.

From 2024 IRS filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
Anil Singhal	Trustee	1	—
Abha Singhal	Trustee	1	—

Recent Activity

Recent developments and announcements

2024

In 2024, the foundation supported 14 organizations with an average gift size of $44,000 and maintained 11 multi-year partnerships. The foundation has demonstrated consistent grant-making activity with recent grants documented in its 2024 tax filings.

Chirag Foundation Graduate Fellowship in Computer Science

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Chirag Foundation fund?

The foundation's mission is to support organizations striving to achieve equal opportunity through the core tenet of education. The foundation seeks to support individuals, communities, and institutions through monetary resources, targeted investments, and thought partnership to make meaningful change in society. Primary funding focus areas include: • Education • Workforce development • Affordable housing • Anti-domestic violence • Food security The foundation is drawn to grant partners that ar…

How do I apply for a grant from The Chirag Foundation?

The foundation accepts Letters of Inquiry (LOI) from interested organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

Where does The Chirag Foundation make grants?

The foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations located in the United States and North India.

What size grants does The Chirag Foundation award?

In 2024, The Chirag Foundation awarded 13 grants totaling $578K — an average of about $44K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is The Chirag Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Chirag Foundation reported a distributable amount of $629K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.