Tenacre Foundation

Tenacre Foundation operates exclusively as a preselected grantmaker — it does not accept unsolicited proposals and awards all grants at the sole discretion of its trustees. This is the single most important fact for any prospective partner: cold outreach, portal submissions, and LOI campaigns will not work. The path to funding runs entirely through relationship-building, demonstrated mission alignment, and participation in Tenacre's learning ecosystem.

The foundation's giving flows through two distinct pillars. The first — and by far the largest — centers on the Christian Science ecosystem: nursing facilities, camps, schools affiliated with The Mother Church, and residency programs. Organizations in this space have cultivated multi-year, multi-million-dollar relationships with Tenacre. The National Fund for Christian Science Nursing received $27.9M across two grants; The Branch School received $12.4M; Cedars Camps $8M; and fifteen-plus CS nursing facilities received regular operating support. These are institutional partners of long standing who exist within the same religious community.

The second pillar supports secular education equity with genuine conviction — this is not mission drift but a deliberate strategic choice by the trustees. Teach For All has received $15.7M across two grants; KIPP National $4M; CommonLit $4M; Merit America $2.4M; Zearn $1.5M; and Generation USA $877K. These organizations operate nationally or internationally with evidence-based workforce and literacy models. A third, smaller pillar addresses civic and disaster-relief needs: SBP ($10.07M), YMCA Chesapeake ($5.55M), Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras ($5.5M), and Vera Institute of Justice ($2.4M).

For organizations hoping to enter the Tenacre orbit, the Giving Lab — the foundation's participatory learning initiative built around the principles of wholeness, abundance, and unfoldment — is the most visible and accessible entry point. Participating in Giving Lab convenings, subscribing to their newsletter, and engaging meaningfully with the network signals to Tenacre leadership that your organization shares the philanthropic values they care about. Expect a relationship-building horizon of 12-24 months before any funding conversation becomes realistic.

Tenacre's grant portfolio is characterized by a dramatically bimodal distribution. Across 371 recorded grant transactions covering 218 unique awards in the dataset, the median grant is $51,329 while the average reaches $503,943 — a tenfold gap that signals heavy concentration at the top of the portfolio. The largest single grant recorded was $13.3M; the smallest was $20. Grant count per recipient ranges from 1 to 2 cycles covered in the data.

Annual giving has fluctuated significantly. FY2021 was the peak year at $153.9M in total giving, with $119.1M paid out as grants. By FY2022/2023, total giving had compressed to $93.8M — a 39% reduction from the peak. ProPublica's FY2024 data suggests further contraction to approximately $76.3M in charitable disbursements. Assets have correspondingly compressed from $536.9M in FY2020 to $375.7M in FY2022/2023, driven by realized investment losses; net investment income dropped from $51.3M in FY2021 to $23.3M in FY2022/2023. Applicants should calibrate grant-size expectations accordingly for 2025-2026.

Breaking down by program area (estimated from grantee data): - Christian Science ecosystem (nursing facilities, camps, CS schools, residencies, The Mother Church): approximately 60-65% of total grant dollars. The top five recipients — National Fund for CS Nursing ($27.9M), Teach For All ($15.7M), The Branch School ($12.4M), Longyear Museum ($11M), and First Church of Christ Scientist ($10.3M) — account for nearly $77M of the $205.5M dataset total. - Secular education equity: approximately 20-25% of grant dollars. Teach For All, KIPP National, CommonLit, Merit America, Springboard Collaborative, Zearn, Propel America, Generation USA, and African Leadership Foundation all received general operating support. - Civic/community/disaster relief: approximately 10-15%. SBP, YMCA Chesapeake, Boston Youth Symphony, Vera Institute, and Fambul Tok International represent this category.

Geographically, NJ (84 grant records) and CA (50) receive the most activity, followed by NY (35), MA (14), PA (14), DC (11), MO (11), and TX (11). The foundation's geographic focus is listed as NJ, CA, NY.

Among religion-coded private foundations with comparable asset bases, Tenacre stands out for its annual disbursement volume and its unusual dual mandate spanning denominational infrastructure and secular education equity.

Tenacre distributes grants at roughly 25% of assets annually in peak years — an unusually high payout rate that reflects both its operating foundation status and its large contribution-based revenue (not purely investment income). Among this peer set, it is the only foundation to make nine-figure grants while simultaneously funding secular education at scale. Harvest Foundation is the most accessible peer for unsolicited applicants, accepting letters of inquiry for organizations in its Virginia geographic focus. Tenacre's transaction volume — 108 awards in FY2023 — also far exceeds most peers in the Religion NTEE category.

The most significant recent pattern is a sustained contraction in annual grant volume. Giving declined from $153.9M in FY2021 to $93.8M in FY2022/2023 and an estimated $76.3M in FY2024 per ProPublica data — a cumulative 50% reduction from the peak. This reflects portfolio compression driven by investment losses: net investment income fell from $51.3M in FY2021 to $23.3M in FY2022/2023, and total assets dropped from $536.9M in FY2020 to $375.7M. Contribution revenue, which fluctuates substantially year to year ($130M in FY2019, $65M in FY2023), also contributes to the variability.

On the programmatic side, the Giving Lab initiative is the most visible new development. Positioned as a participatory learning space with a podcast series covering Wholeness, Abundance, Unfoldment, and Hospitality as thematic lenses, it signals Tenacre's interest in convening a broader network of organizations around its philanthropic philosophy rather than operating purely as a closed grantmaker.

The 2025-2026 nursing education calendar is active, with courses at the School of Christian Science Nursing running October 13-31, 2025, November 3 - December 19, 2025, and January 12 - March 13, 2026 — evidence of continued investment in the core nursing ministry workforce pipeline.

Leadership is stable. Michael A. Fisher has served as Trustee/President/CEO continuously across three 990 filings, with compensation rising from $253K to $275K. William H. Bell (VP-Philanthropy & CPO) and Caroleen M. Scholet (VP-CSN & COO) have similarly maintained consistent roles. No public announcements of leadership transitions or major strategic pivots have appeared in 2025-2026 coverage.

Because Tenacre operates exclusively as a preselected grantmaker, standard grant-seeking tactics — researching RFP timelines, submitting LOIs, tracking application portals — are categorically irrelevant. The following tips are specific to how this particular funder actually makes decisions:

Enter the Giving Lab network. The Giving Lab (tenacre.org/giving-lab) is the foundation's publicly accessible convening space. Organizations that participate in Giving Lab events, subscribe to the newsletter, and engage meaningfully with the podcast series and thematic content are positioning themselves to be known to Tenacre leadership. This is the closest thing to an open door this foundation offers.

Build a relationship with William H. Bell. As VP-Philanthropy & CPO, Bell is the senior officer most directly responsible for external grantmaking. Track where he speaks or convenes (education equity forums, philanthropy networks, CS community events). A warm introduction through a mutual connection is worth more than any proposal document.

Know which pillar you occupy. Christian Science-affiliated organizations (nursing facilities, camps, CS schools, residencies) should emphasize alignment with The Mother Church's mission and standards of CS nursing care. Secular education organizations should demonstrate national or international reach, evidence-based outcomes, and economic mobility focus — the profile of Tenacre's existing education equity grantees.

Use Giving Lab language authentically. When describing your work, the concepts of recognizing inherent wholeness, discovering abundance, and nurturing conditions for natural unfoldment are frameworks Tenacre's leadership genuinely uses. Organizations that can engage this language credibly — not as mimicry but as genuine alignment — will resonate.

Calibrate expectations for 2025-2026. With giving contracting from $154M to ~$76M over three years, competition for discretionary dollars among preselected partners is increasing. Prioritize depth of relationship over breadth of outreach.

Do not call the main line for grant inquiries. The number (609-921-8900) routes to nursing and residential intake, not philanthropy. There is no grants portal. Unsolicited contact about funding will not move your organization forward.