The Tepper Foundation

The Tepper Foundation operates on a strictly invitation-only basis — the single most important fact for any prospective grantee to internalize. Founded in 1996 by hedge fund manager David A. Tepper and now led day-to-day by Randi Tepper as CEO, the foundation has grown from a focused education and hunger-relief vehicle into a $744 million philanthropic operation distributing $87 million annually. All administrative functions flow through Appaloosa Management's Short Hills, New Jersey offices (51 JFK Parkway).

The giving philosophy centers on what the foundation calls "filling critical gaps in philanthropic giving." In practice, this means the Tepper Foundation gravitates toward organizations with demonstrated track records and deep community trust — it does not fund startups or proof-of-concept work. Every entry in the top-50 grantee list received funding specifically for "General Support," signaling a strong preference for unrestricted giving to trusted partners over restricted programmatic grants.

The foundation favors organizations matching a specific profile: strong operational leadership, measurable outcomes, multi-funder financial models, and authentic community feedback integration. Their five published evaluation criteria — solution and impact, critical needs gap, leadership and capacity, financial sustainability, stakeholder support — should be treated as a checklist for any initial relationship-building conversation.

Geographic focus shapes the opportunity set in important ways. New Jersey receives disproportionate attention, with 106 of 238 tracked grants concentrated there — more than double the next geography (New York, 43 grants). NJ-based nonprofits in food security, housing, legal services, or community economic mobility have a structurally stronger entry point. Nationally, the foundation co-invests through major intermediaries: Blue Meridian Partners received a combined $68.7 million across two grants, Robin Hood Foundation received $1.95 million, and The Greenlight Fund received $600,000 — signaling that the best route for national organizations runs through these trusted field partners.

The relationship progression for invited grantees typically runs: alignment visibility in peer networks → introductory meeting with program staff → exploration of organizational fit → invited proposal reviewed on a rolling basis. First-time applicants should not submit cold proposals — they will not be considered. The actionable entry point is building genuine relationships within the NJ nonprofit ecosystem and among the foundation's existing grantee network.

The Tepper Foundation's giving trajectory reveals one of the most dramatic growth curves in American family philanthropy. Annual grants paid climbed from $12.5 million in FY2018 to $41.2 million in FY2019, dropped to $25.5 million in FY2020 (likely reflecting COVID caution), then jumped to $58.5 million in FY2021, $65.3 million in FY2022, and exceeded $87 million in 2024 — a 600%+ increase over six years. Total assets tracked in the DB reached $704.8 million for FY2022/2023, and the foundation's current reported asset figure is $744 million, reflecting continued growth from Appaloosa Management's returns. In FY2023, the foundation received $193 million in new contributions from David Tepper — a signal of his accelerating philanthropic commitment.

From the resolved grant database (85 individually sized records across 238 total grants), the median grant is $50,000 and the average is $300,262, but the distribution is heavily skewed. Individual grant sizes range from $1,000 at the low end to $12.3 million at the top. The outlier in the data is a combined $68.7 million to Blue Meridian Partners across two grants — representing 55% of the $123.8 million tracked in the full database. Excluding this co-investment, the effective average for all other grantees is approximately $230,000.

Practical grant tiers emerge from the data: - Flagship co-investments (Blue Meridian-tier): $10M–$70M for trusted national intermediaries and pooled funds - Anchor grantees: $1M–$3M — Carnegie Mellon University ($2.05M), Robin Hood Foundation ($1.95M), Upstream USA ($1.68M), World Central Kitchen ($1.65M), Anti-Defamation League ($3M) - Core partners: $250,000–$1M — regional food banks, Jewish community organizations, NJ-based nonprofits (Community Food Bank of NJ at $1.25M total) - Community grants: $50,000–$200,000 — local NJ organizations, legal services, smaller food banks

Geographically: New Jersey leads at 44% of grant volume (106 grants), followed by New York (18%, 43 grants), North Carolina (10%, 24 grants), Washington DC (6%, 15 grants), and Florida (3%, 8 grants). Thematically, food security and hunger relief accounts for roughly 15-20% of grant count; Jewish community support (security, identity, advocacy) at 15-20%; pro-democracy and civil rights at 10%; legal services and housing at 8%; and nonprofit capacity building at 5%.

The following table compares The Tepper Foundation to its four closest asset-matched peers, all within the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category with assets in the $730M–$760M range:

Note: Annual giving figures for peer foundations are not publicly available in the DB; only The Tepper Foundation's giving of $87M (2024) could be confirmed. Peer giving rates typically run 5-7% of assets.

The Tepper Foundation distinguishes itself from its asset-matched peers in two critical dimensions. First, giving velocity: at $87 million annually on $744 million in assets, the foundation disburses roughly 12% of assets per year — more than double the 5% IRS minimum payout, and far exceeding what peers at similar asset levels typically distribute. Second, thematic breadth: while most similarly-sized family foundations concentrate on one or two domains, Tepper operates six distinct portfolios simultaneously, spanning food security through climate resilience to Jewish community security. This combination of high payout and multi-portfolio scope makes The Tepper Foundation unusual among its asset peers and significantly more active as a grant-making institution.

The most significant 2025 announcement came in June, when the foundation committed over $10 million to all 10 food banks serving North and South Carolina — described as the largest single philanthropic commitment in the foundation's history. This followed a February 2025 announcement of $1.5 million in annual Carolinas food bank grants, a 15% increase over the prior year, continuing a multi-year pattern of escalating regional food infrastructure investment.

On September 30, 2025, the foundation's Security Fund distributed $8.75 million to Jewish Federations of North America to protect young Jewish children at preschools, day camps, and after-school programs and to fund interfaith bridge-building. Randi Tepper stated: "The Security Fund is continuing to provide a critical service for Jewish spaces across the United States." With this grant, the Security Fund — launched in November 2023 — has now committed $23.1 million in total, distributing to over 100 federations across 39 U.S. states and Canada.

In August 2025, the foundation and Carolina Panthers jointly funded 38,000+ backpacks with school supplies for the 2025-26 school year through Classroom Central, the largest contribution in that organization's history. Separately, a job posting in May 2025 for a Portfolio Manager, Family Philanthropy signals internal capacity building in a potentially new program area.

Looking back to 2024: total grants exceeded $87 million — the highest annual total in the foundation's 29-year history. Since 1996, the foundation has distributed more than $425 million cumulatively.

Because the Tepper Foundation accepts no unsolicited applications, the conventional grant-writing playbook does not apply. What follows is strategy specific to this funder.

Build proximity through trusted co-investors. The foundation's largest strategic relationship — $68.7 million to Blue Meridian Partners — signals how Tepper finds and trusts organizations. Blue Meridian, Robin Hood Foundation, The Greenlight Fund, and Upstream USA are all major Tepper grantees who also serve as field validators. If your organization has been vetted by, participated in a cohort with, or is known to any of these intermediaries, lead with that connection in any outreach. A warm introduction from a current Tepper grantee carries disproportionate weight.

New Jersey organizations have a structural advantage. With 106 of 238 tracked grants flowing to NJ-based nonprofits, organizations serving New Jersey communities are the foundation's core constituency. NJ nonprofits in food security, eviction prevention, community legal services, or Jewish community programs should prioritize this funder. Visibility in the NJ philanthropic ecosystem — through the NJ Council of Nonprofits, NJ Philanthropy Network convenings, or the NJ Council of County Colleges network (a current Tepper grantee) — increases the likelihood of a staff member becoming aware of your work.

Use the five published criteria as a proposal template. Even before receiving an invitation, structure all organizational materials around the foundation's five evaluation criteria: (1) solution and impact with credible growth pathways, (2) critical needs gap among underserved communities, (3) leadership and execution capacity, (4) financial sustainability via blended public and private funding, and (5) stakeholder support with community feedback integration. These criteria appear verbatim at tepperfoundation.org/grantmaking/ and should shape how you tell your organizational story.

No overhead restrictions for nonprofits. Unlike many private foundations, Tepper imposes no overhead or indirect cost cap for nonprofit grantees — only a 10% administrative cap for universities. Full indirect cost recovery is appropriate in any budgets submitted.

Outreach pathway. The contact form at tepperfoundation.org/contact/ and email at office@tepperfoundations.org are the only public access points. A brief (under 300 words) introductory message naming: (1) your specific portfolio alignment, (2) a concrete community outcome with a number, (3) any existing network connections, and (4) a request for a 30-minute introductory call is the appropriate first step. Do not send a full proposal or case for support as an initial contact.

Timing. Proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis with no fixed deadline cycle. Avoid August for outreach. Monitor the foundation's email newsletter for new program announcements, particularly in Family Philanthropy.