The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation
The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation is a private foundation based in Waltham, Massachusetts. In 2025, it reported 18 grants totaling $369,000 to charitable organizations, with awards supporting activities including education, health, social services, recovery programs, and the arts.
The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation at a glance
In short: The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation gave $369K across 18 grants in 2025 (avg $21K), mostly in Florida. 56% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $369,000
- +70.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 18
- +80.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $20,500
- -5.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $17,500
- Total assets
- $4,967,440
- +7.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 56% first-time grantees (10 of 18, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Florida (62% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- 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 The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation stated on its 2024 filing that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1075 Main Street Suite 200, Waltham, MA 02451
Phone: (617) 723-8525
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Ransom Everglades School ($50K). Together the top 10 received $273K.
Grant Size Distribution
69 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 65 grants of 69 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Florida recipients received 62% of grant dollars, Massachusetts and New York recipients each received 11%, California recipients received 9%, and Pennsylvania recipients received 7%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation open to new grantees?
56%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 10 of 18 grantees (56%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $19K; repeat grants $23K. How we count
Medians: $18K first-time, $18K repeat.
- 28% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 83% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 134% 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 $172K (2020) to $369K (2025). In 2025 it made 18 grants totaling $369K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ransom Everglades School Coconut Grove, FL | To create awareness to help the underserved, protect the endangered and stand up for justice. | $50,000 |
| Make a Wish Southern Florida Foundation Miami, FL | To create life changing wishes for children with critical illnesses | $43,000 |
| Jewish Learning Center Hollywood, FL | To assist the learning center goal to broaden the understanding of judaism | $35,000 |
| Lehrman Community Day School Miami Beach, FL | To provide a dynamic general and judaic curriculum nurturing each childs potential, social confidence and spirituality through engaging experiential opportunities | $25,000 |
| American Israel Democracy Coalition Bryn Mawr, PA | To help jews in israel with food, health care, education and housing | $25,000 |
| Style Saves Inc Miami, FL | To support the organizations mission to provide essential goods and resources to underserved students and their families to increase academic achievement and fostering self confidenceto support the therapeutic programing through the bonds between animals and humans | $20,000 |
| The Sobe Room Inc Miami Beach, FL | To provide a permanent home for recovering alcoholics and other 12 step recovery programsto provide a permanent home for alcoholics anonymous and other recovery programs in Florida | $20,000 |
| Pasadena Community Foundation Beverly Hills, CA | To support the mission to improve and enrich the lives of people including support of fire recovery | $20,000 |
| Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center Sag Harbor, NY | To support the cinema's world class programs and to keep their vision strong of preserving the filmgoing experience | $20,000 |
| Bold Beauty Project Miami, FL | To create change for women by utilizing art at the intersection of beauty and disability | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation?
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 | $4,967,440 | $905,556 | $574,229 | $369,000 | 18 | $498,187 | $829,514 | $373,023 |
| 2024 | $4,636,113 | $238,370 | $420,190 | $216,733 | 10 | $344,014 | $162,686 | $341,748 |
| 2023 | $4,817,933 | $222,326 | $390,902 | $186,733 | 13 | $312,004 | $143,428 | $332,051 |
| 2022 | $4,986,509 | $151,499 | $411,816 | $201,732 | 12 | $329,647 | $102,392 | $380,683 |
| 2021 | $5,246,826 | $491,324 | $423,148 | $218,303 | 16 | — | $410,427 | $352,453 |
| 2020 | $5,178,650 | $176,601 | $387,424 | $171,731 | 16 | — | $87,694 | $324,001 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $373K 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
The available information does not state a foundation mission. Its 2025 grants included support for schools, organizations serving people in need, recovery programs, and cultural organizations. For example, Ransom Everglades School describes its mission as combining academic excellence with students’ physical, cultural, and character development; Falmouth Service Center says its mission is to ease stress, reduce hunger, and improve neighbors’ quality of life. Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center describes work to restore its cinema and provide the community with access to independent, foreign, and documentary films.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $369,000 through 18 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $50,000, with a median of $17,500.
Among the largest reported grants were $50,000 to Ransom Everglades School; $43,000 to Make-A-Wish Southern Florida Foundation; $35,000 to Jewish Learning Center; and $25,000 each to Lehrman Community Day School and American Israel Democracy Coalition. Other notable awards included $20,000 each to Pasadena Community Foundation, The Sobe Room, Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center, and Style Saves, and $15,000 each to Falmouth Service Center and Plum Island Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Wendy Appel and Michael Appel as trustees.
The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; 1 of 2 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michael Appel
Trustee
On filings since 2020
32 hrs/week
$50K (2020) → $135K (2025)
Wendy Appel
Trustee
On filings since 2020
8 hrs/week
$85K (2020) → $0 (2025)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $135K, to Michael Appel (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation
How much does The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation give each year?
The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation gave $369K across 18 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $217K across 10 grants.
What is The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation's typical grant size?
The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $17,500, and its average grant was $20,500, across 18 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation that year got $19K on average.
Where does The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation give grants?
The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation gives mostly in Florida: 62% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (11%) and New York (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Miami, FL (3 grants) and Miami Beach, FL (3 grants).
Does The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 6% of The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 18) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation's largest grantees?
The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Ransom Everglades School ($50,000), Make a Wish Southern Florida Foundation ($43,000) and Jewish Learning Center ($35,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation?
The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation reported $5.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $498K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $373K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a foundation mission. Its 2025 grants included support for schools, organizations serving people in need, recovery programs, and cultural organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation?
The foundation stated on its 2024 filing 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 The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation's EIN?
The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 02-0534424. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Michael & Helen Schaffer 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-michael-and-helen-schaffer-foundation-morg_92d84be36eb74de8b18fb0727f626fd0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_020534424_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Michael \& Helen Schaffer Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-michael-and-helen-schaffer-foundation-morg_92d84be36eb74de8b18fb0727f626fd0},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 The Michael & Helen Schaffer 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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