David & Fela Shapell Family Foundation
The David & Fela Shapell Family Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1967 and granted charitable status in December 1968. Based in Los Angeles, California, the foundation is led by the Shapell family and operates as an independent foundation focused on philanthropic giving across multiple sectors and geographic regions.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$60.3M
-3.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$3.4M
-70.1% YoY
Grant Count
9
-18.2% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$376K
-63.5% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's stated purpose is to promote charitable, educational, literary, and scientific research. Primary funding areas include:
- Higher education
- Jewish agencies and temples
- Holocaust remembrance and education
- Jewish higher education
- Support for Israeli institutions
- Educational and scientific research initiatives
Grantmaking
The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Grantmaking operates through trustee discretion without formal grant programs or published application cycles. The foundation is invitation-only.
Grant Range
$175 to $7,000,000
How to Apply
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation supports initiatives across multiple U.S. locations, with significant presence in:
- California (primary focus, including Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Northridge, Reseda)
- New York (including Fresh Meadows, Cedarhurst, Rochester)
- Washington D.C.
- Minnesota
- Israel-based institutions
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (2024):
- Total assets: $60,276,854
- Total revenues: $1,834,769
- Total expenses: $3,867,116
- Number of employees: 1
Assets & Revenue (2023):
- Total assets: $62,304,101
- Total income: $16,289,781
- Total giving: $11,323,000
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $60,276,854 | $62,304,101 | $72,864,298 |
| Revenue | $1,834,769 | $1,169,537 | $3,092,297 |
| Expenses | $3,867,116 | $11,723,579 | $5,342,469 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $3,383,150 | $11,323,650 | $4,858,825 |
| Net Investment Income | $1,447,876 | $1,103,564 | $851,982 |
| Distributable Amount | $3,191,839 | $3,081,655 | $3,489,409 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 9 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
80 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Key personnel include:
- Rochelle Shapell – President
- Benjamin Shapell – Secretary
- Irvin N. Shapell – Treasurer
- David Shapell – Vice President and Assistant Secretary
All leadership members serve on a voluntary basis without compensation. The foundation continues to be led by David Shapell's three children following his passing in 2015.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| BENJAMIN SHAPELL | SECRETARY | 1 | — |
| ROCHELLE SHAPELL | PRESIDENT | 1 | — |
| IRVIN N SHAPELL | TREASURER | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
**July 2024:** Yad Vashem inaugurated the David and Fela Shapell Family Collections Center as part of the new Moshal Shoah Legacy Campus on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem, with the President of the State of Israel in attendance.
Yad Vashem Inaugurates the New Moshal Shoah Legacy Campus and David and Fela**Ongoing Support:** The foundation established the David Shapell Z"L Married Couples Fellows program at Darche Noam, supporting Jewish educational initiatives.
Announcing the 1st David Shapell Z\u201DL Married Couples Fellows \u2013\**Historical Major Gift:** The foundation donated $15 million to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013.
**Israel Defense Forces Support:** Between 2002–2013, the foundation donated $2,626,371 to Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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