Teeem Inc.

Teeem Inc. is a family-led private foundation established in March 2022 by the Schecter family of Little Falls, New Jersey. The foundation's giving philosophy is inseparable from the TEEEM nonprofit educational program (The Empathy Equality Entrepreneurship Mission), which now operates across 100+ schools in 12 states and 3 countries. This dual-structure is the single most important strategic insight for prospective grant seekers: Teeem Inc. funds organizations that are already embedded as "pod partners" in the TEEEM educational ecosystem — and almost exclusively so.

The foundation's humanitarian portfolio mirrors the work of its school-based program partners. Supported organizations work in international development, clean water access, women's empowerment, refugee services, and education for underserved communities. In fiscal year 2022, Teeem Inc. distributed $314,103 across approximately 12 grants to sustaining partners. Known recipients include the Georgie Badiel Foundation (water infrastructure in Burkina Faso), The GRACE Project (education), the International Rescue Committee, and ACT. These awards are characterized as "sustaining contributions," signaling an emphasis on long-term, repeating relationships rather than one-time project grants.

All three officers — President Jarret Schecter (a former photojournalist turned philanthropist), Treasurer Marvin Schecter, and Secretary Darrow Schecter — serve without compensation, reflecting a highly personal, mission-driven giving culture. There is no grants manager, no online portal, no published RFP cycle, and no grants page on the foundation website. Funding decisions are made entirely within the Schecter family, informed by the TEEEM program staff.

First-time applicants arriving via cold outreach are unlikely to succeed. The entry pathway is relationship-driven: organizations must become visible to the Schecter family through the TEEEM educational ecosystem. Groups in the foundation's geographic priority zones — Sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, Eastern Europe, South Asia, and Native American communities in South Dakota — with clear educational engagement potential are best positioned. The foundation appears especially aligned with organizations led by or supporting women social entrepreneurs from the developing world. The recommended strategy is a 12-24 month relationship arc beginning with a TEEEM pod partnership and culminating in a direct philanthropic conversation with Jarret Schecter.

Teeem Inc. launched with negligible assets — just $70,000 — and made only a symbolic $150 grant in 2021. That changed dramatically in fiscal year 2022, when the foundation received $10.2 million in contributions, pushing assets to $8.7 million after distributions. As of the most recent IRS Business Master File, assets stand at $24.3 million — a 2.8x increase in roughly 24 months. This rapid capitalization, driven by Schecter family contributions, signals a foundation in active build-out mode rather than a mature, steady-state grantmaker.

In fiscal year 2022 — the most complete data set available — Teeem Inc. paid $314,103 in grants and reported total giving of $378,702. The roughly $64,600 gap between grants paid and total giving may reflect program-related expenses or in-kind support to TEEEM's operational programs. Based on third-party analysis of the 2022-2023 990 filings (Hinchilla), individual grants range from $3,000 to $70,000, with a median award of approximately $21,000. The foundation makes approximately 12 grants per year.

The grantee portfolio follows a tiered structure. Core anchor partners — such as The GRACE Project ($52,000 in 2023) and Georgie Badiel Foundation ($40,000 in 2023) — receive larger, multi-year sustaining grants. Secondary partners receive awards in the $10,000–$25,000 range (the International Rescue Committee and ACT each received $10,000 in 2023). This tiering suggests a deliberate strategy: concentrate meaningful funding with a small cohort of trusted partners while sustaining a broader pod partner network at lower levels.

With $24.3M in assets, the 5% minimum distribution requirement implies an annualized grantmaking budget of at least $1.2 million — significantly above the $378,702 distributed in 2022. As the foundation matures and fulfills its IRS distribution obligations, annual grant totals are likely to grow substantially. Organizations that establish pod partnerships now may benefit from larger awards in future cycles. Geographically, grants have flowed to organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa (Burkina Faso, Kenya, Uganda), Central America (Honduras, Peru, Ecuador), Eastern Europe (Ukraine), South Asia (Afghanistan, Cambodia), and domestic sites including South Dakota (Lakota communities) and New Jersey.

The five foundations sharing an asset range closest to Teeem Inc. (~$24.3M) are all classified as Philanthropy & Grantmaking private foundations, but they differ significantly in structure, focus, and public accessibility.

Teeem Inc. is the most distinctively branded foundation in this peer group. Unlike the Plangere, Holt Catania, Wolfe, and Lappin foundations — which appear to operate as traditional family foundations without public-facing programs — Teeem Inc. has built an operational educational nonprofit that creates a natural relationship pipeline for grant candidates. This dual structure makes Teeem Inc. simultaneously more navigable (there is a visible ecosystem with named staff and public events) and more restricted (funding flows almost exclusively within that ecosystem).

The Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation in Massachusetts is notable among peers as a named foundation with a defined mission focused on Jewish identity and Israel education, suggesting some peer foundations do develop thematic identities over time. Teeem Inc.'s international humanitarian focus and youth-centered social entrepreneurship model, combined with its exceptional asset growth trajectory (from $70K to $24.3M in under 3 years), set it apart from the typical family foundation in this asset tier.

The TEEEM ecosystem has been notably active across 2024-2025. In May 2025, the organization announced a milestone expansion to 100+ partner schools — a tripling of its K-12 program footprint — with growth extending into international sites. That same month, TEEEM students completed a Spring Break humanitarian mission to Honduras, deepening engagement with Central American partner organizations already in the grantee pipeline. In September 2025, TEEEM student volunteers traveled to North Carolina to rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Helene, marking the ecosystem's first documented domestic disaster-relief service project and potentially presaging a new domestic grantmaking category.

In October 2025, Bergen Record and NJ.com featured TEEEM's Ridgewood chapter in a piece titled "Global Citizenship Lives in Ridgewood," reflecting increasing regional media attention for the program. The most significant network announcement came November 13, 2025 (World Kindness Day): TEEEM announced expansion to 10 communities worldwide, with Holy Name Medical Center joining as a healthcare partner alongside new relationships in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and West Virginia. This is the first explicit healthcare system partnership in the TEEEM ecosystem and may signal health equity as an emerging grantmaking priority for the private foundation arm.

No formal leadership changes have been reported at Teeem Inc. Jarret, Marvin, and Darrow Schecter remain as President, Treasurer, and Secretary respectively, all uncompensated. The foundation has not issued a standalone press release or public grantmaking announcement in 2025-2026, consistent with its low-profile, invitation-only model. The 2023 and 2024 990 filings are not yet reflected in the Granted database; given the foundation's $24.3M asset base and 5% distribution requirement, they may reveal significantly increased grant totals.

The most critical fact for any grant seeker is that Teeem Inc. does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation's Granted profile is marked "preselected only" with no published application instructions, no grant portal, and no open RFPs. Cold outreach to the foundation address (150 Clove Road, Suite 701, Little Falls, NJ 07424), phone (973-808-9500), or the main TEEEM email (info@teeem.org) is unlikely to produce a funding conversation.

The only proven pathway to Teeem Inc. funding runs through the TEEEM educational program. Organizations that become pod partners — nonprofits that TEEEM students fundraise for, engage with virtually, and sometimes visit in the field — enter the foundation's consideration set organically. Current pod partners include Georgie Badiel Foundation, Nyaka, The GRACE Project, One Spirit, Bridges 2030, and the Ridgewood Cambodia Project. All are known to have received foundation grants.

To pursue a pod partnership, contact Ali Kuemmer (ali@teeem.org) or Taylor D'Alessio (taylor@teeem.org) directly. Frame the initial conversation entirely around student programming value — not funding. Describe what high school students can contribute to your mission: fundraising campaigns, virtual presentations from your field staff, service-learning curricula, or student travel opportunities to your sites.

Attend TEEEM's signature annual events: A Taste of TEEEM (annual fundraising dinner) and the Leadership Symposium (typically held in spring). These gatherings are where Jarret Schecter and the broader Schecter family convene with partners, and a face-to-face introduction is significantly more valuable than written outreach.

Alignment language matters considerably. TEEEM's core vocabulary — empathy, social entrepreneurship, global citizenship, measurable community impact — should permeate all communications. Organizations supporting women social entrepreneurs from the developing world are especially well-positioned, as this theme recurs throughout the partner network.

Once a pod partnership is established (typically one full academic year), request a direct conversation with Jarret Schecter about foundation support. Come prepared with audited financials, a one-page program summary, and a specific funding ask in the $10,000–$70,000 range. Expect recurring annual support rather than a one-time award — existing grantees receive sustaining contributions. Do not expect a formal deadline, portal, or committee review process.