What Harry Chapin Foundation does

The Harry Chapin Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1981 in Huntington, New York, following the death of singer-songwriter Harry Chapin. It operates as a small grant-making foundation (1-10 employees) that awards funding to U.S. nonprofit organizations across three focus areas: agricultural and environmental programs (302 grants to date), arts-in-education programs (240 grants), and community education programs (265 grants). Since inception, the foundation has awarded 807 grants totaling $2,894,942.36 to 430 distinct nonprofit organizations, with individual grants generally capped at $10,000 and an average award of $2,450 in 2025.

The foundation's business model is philanthropic distribution: it raises funds through individual donations, planned giving (beneficiary designations, bequests, charitable gift annuities, appreciated securities), and donor gift tiers ($50-$500 commemorative tiers), then redistributes those funds via a competitive grant application process reviewed by a board that meets three times annually. It also operates Harry Chapin Radio, a streaming service featuring exclusive and unreleased Chapin music, interviews, and a listener call-in hotline. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the largest single donation in its history was a $250,000 estate gift from Patricia LoTurco in February 2026. Governance is provided by a Board of Directors led by Chairperson Sandra Chapin (Harry Chapin's widow), with Josh Chapin (Harry's son) as a director and Mike Grayeb serving as President and Executive Director.

Name

Harry Chapin Foundation

Legal name

Harry Chapin Foundation

Website

https://harrychapinfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Harry Chapin Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that awards small grants to U.S. nonprofit organizations focused on agricultural/environmental programs, arts-in-education, and community education, having distributed 807 grants totaling $2.89M to 430 nonprofits since 1981.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Grant-Making Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Nonprofit grant-making
• Hunger relief philanthropy
• Arts-in-education grants
• Community education funding
• Planned giving programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The foundation receives donations from individuals, including a historic $250,000 donation from Patricia LoTurco's estate. Donors are a major source of support, with various gift tiers available.
2. Planned Giving: The foundation accepts planned gifts including beneficiary designations on life insurance and retirement accounts, bequests in wills or trusts, appreciated securities, and charitable gift annuities.
3. Grants to Nonprofits: The foundation makes grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in the U.S. focused on agricultural and environmental programs, arts-in-education, and community education. Since inception, 807 grants totaling $2,894,942.36 have been awarded to 430 nonprofit organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Harry Chapin Foundation is a 501(c)(3) grant-making nonprofit that awards small-dollar grants (typically capped at $10,000) to U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations operating agricultural and environmental programs, arts-in-education programs, and community education programs that help people become self-sufficient. It supports these grantees with revenue raised through individual donations, planned giving, and donor tribute gift tiers, and additionally operates Harry Chapin Radio, an online music streaming service featuring exclusive and unreleased Harry Chapin recordings.

Product overview

The Harry Chapin Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that continues the humanitarian legacy of singer-songwriter Harry Chapin. The foundation's primary activities include grant-making to nonprofit organizations in three focus areas: Agricultural & Environmental programs, Arts-In-Education programs, and Community Education programs. The foundation also operates Harry Chapin Radio, an online streaming service featuring exclusive and unreleased Harry Chapin music content. To date, the foundation has awarded 807 grants totaling $2,894,942.36 to 430 nonprofit organizations across the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Small-Dollar Grants to 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
• Planned Giving Program
• Donor Tribute Gift Tiers
• Harry Chapin Radio

Quantifiable outcome

• 807 grants totaling $2,894,942.36 awarded to 430 nonprofits since 1981
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WhyHunger (formerly World Hunger Year)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1981Co-founded by Harry Chapin to address the root causes of hunger and poverty and build grassroots movements for food justice globally. The foundation continues to support this organization as part of Chapin's humanitarian legacy.
• Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Regional Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1980Founded by Harry Chapin in 1980, Long Island Cares serves as the regional food bank for Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York. The foundation maintains a close relationship with this organization, which was led for 17 years by Paule Pachter before his appointment to the foundation's board.
• Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe largest hunger-relief nonprofit in its region, named in Harry Chapin's honor. Continues Chapin's mission of fighting hunger in Florida communities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Long Island Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving Long Island with grantmaking to local nonprofits. Comparable in scale, geographic focus, and grantmaking model, though operating in a defined region rather than nationally.

Direct peers

• Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida: Largest hunger-relief nonprofit in its region, named in honor of Harry Chapin. Operates in the same hunger-relief space as the foundation and is one of its core partner organizations.
• MusiCares (Recording Academy): Music-industry charitable organization providing financial assistance and humanitarian aid to musicians. Comparable to Harry Chapin Foundation's music-legacy-driven charitable mission and grassroots nonprofit grantmaking.
• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: Celebrity-anchored charitable program focused on childhood literacy through book gifting. Similar small-grant/programmatic model and legacy-driven donor engagement, though with broader program scale.
• Bob Woodruff Foundation: Family-founded nonprofit that funds programs for veterans and their families. Similar small private foundation model, celebrity-anchored branding, and focus on grassroots community-based grantmaking.
• Farm Aid: Nonprofit focused on family farm agriculture and food systems, founded by Willie Nelson in 1985. Highly comparable to the foundation's Agricultural & Environmental grantmaking pillar and similarly celebrity-anchored.
• American Farmland Trust: National nonprofit dedicated to preserving farmland and promoting sustainable agriculture. Directly aligned with the foundation's Agricultural & Environmental programmatic pillar and small-grant support of grassroots organizations.
• WhyHunger: Hunger-relief nonprofit co-founded by Harry Chapin in 1981 that addresses root causes of hunger and supports grassroots food justice. Directly aligned with the foundation's mission and a current grantee/strategic partner.
• Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank: Regional food bank founded by Harry Chapin in 1980 serving Nassau and Suffolk counties. A core strategic partner of the foundation with overlapping hunger-relief focus and shared New York base.

Broad incumbents

• Elton John AIDS Foundation: Music-icon-founded foundation providing large-scale grants for HIV/AIDS programs globally. Comparable legacy-and-celebrity-driven philanthropic model, but with a much larger endowment and global single-cause focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses7 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/harrychapinfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harrychapinfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Harry Chapin Foundation