2022 Report on Foundation Activities

In 2022, the Foundation made grants totaling about $1.7 million, growing its giving by approximately 30% from the previous year and increasing the number of community-based grantees by almost 50%.

2021 Report on Foundation Activities
In 2021, the Foundation made grants totaling about $1.3 million, growing its giving by more than 70% from the previous year and doubling the total number of organizations that received support in its community-based and institutional support categories. Read More..

Remembering Carl Shapiro
In life, Carl J. Shapiro found his strength in his love for family and in his passion for business, and with his success, he embraced a responsibility and a desire to help others less fortunate. Read More..

2019-2020 Report on Foundation Activities
In 2019 and 2020, the Foundation continued its support in areas of historic interest and piloted grants in a few new areas as well. Read More..

2015 - 2018 Report on Foundation Activities
In the years 2015 through 2018, the Foundation focused on fulfilling its commitments for capital projects and making a limited number of grants aligned with its strategic initiatives. Over this time period, grants totaled $29,076, 325. In each year, the vast majority of grant funds went to several health, education and cultural institutions in Boston that had received multi-year pledges from the Foundation for capital projects. Read More..

Linda Waintrup Named President

In 2015, Linda Waintrup, one of the three daughters of Carl and Ruth Shapiro, became President of the Foundation.  Together with the other Trustees, Linda is guiding the Foundation through a transitional time to assess its past work, decide on priorities and determine future directions.  Grant making, while currently on a restricted budget, has resumed.

Remebering Ronny Zinner
It is with great sadness that the Foundation announces the loss of its President, Rhonda S. Zinner.  While Ronny’s vision and thoughtful stewardship will be sorely missed, her legacy of social justice and personal empowerment will continue to inspire the Foundation and its work. Read More..

2013 Report on Foundation Activities
In 2013, the Foundation made grants for both capital projects and its community-based Strategic Initiatives. The capital grants were not new, but represented payments of multi-year pledges made to several health, education and cultural institutions in the Boston area. The community-based grants were new and were the result of competitive applications submitted in response to RFPs developed for each Initiative area. Read More..

2012 Report on Foundation Activities
In 2012, the Foundation continued both its capital and community-based grant making, fulfilling pledges made to large institutions and making some new grants to smaller organizations. It completed its 4-year commitment to its College Scholarship Initiative, celebrating the graduation success of all 18 of the Shapiro Family Scholars. Read More..

2011 Report on Foundation Activities
2011 Report on Foundation Activities
In 2011, the Shapiro Family Foundation was pleased to resume its grant making in all areas in which it was active prior to the disruption brought on by the Madoff investment fraud.  As promised, it maintained its commitments to multi-year grantees while offering new grants to community-based organizations through three strategic grant initiatives.  In addition, it continued its support for students in its College Scholarship Initiative. Read More..

Ruth Shapiro
In the fall of 2012 the Foundation lost the quiet inspiration and generous benevolence of its co-founder, Ruth Shapiro, when she passed away at the age of 95. Read More..

2010 Report on Foundation Activities
In 2010, the Shapiro Family Foundation continued to face the financial challenges that had presented themselves in 2009.  Staying the same course it had adopted last year, the Foundation maintained its pledge to fulfill all previous commitments to its nonprofit grantees and made special efforts to assist its community-based grantees with support “beyond the grant”. Read More..

2009 Report on Foundation Activities
The year 2009 presented special challenges to the Shapiro Family Foundation. Having suffered a significant loss of its assets to the fraudulent investment practices of Bernard Madoff in late 2008, the Foundation suspended all new grant making activities in 2009. However, in the face of this difficult circumstance, it made two commitments to its grantees: 1) It would continue to pay on all current grant agreements; and 2) It would undertake special efforts to reach out to its community-based grantees to offer support “beyond the grant”. Read More..