Harry Chapin Foundation

The Harry Chapin Foundation (HCF) was formed following the car accident death of Grammy Award winning recording artist Harry Chapin in 1981 with help from his former manager Ken Kragen and a donation of $150,000 from fellow musician Kenny Rogers. HCF promotes programs and initiatives that support food security, ending hunger, and various youth art and music programs. Grants are limited to nonprofit organizations within the areas of arts-in-education, community education, and agricultural and environmental programs. 1 2 3

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3), Private Foundation
Issue Areas: Environmental Policy
Website: www.harrychapinfoundation.org
Formation:

1981

Executive Director:

Mike Grayeh

Location: Huntington, NY View on map
Tax ID: 52-122785

Contents

    Associated Organizations

    Harry Chapin Foundation is a partner of WHY Hunger (WH), co-founded by Chapin with William Ayres in 1975, and Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Food Bank (LIC) founded in 1980. 1 LIC states its goals as improving food security for families, sponsoring programs that help families achieve self-sufficiency and educating the public about the root causes of hunger. 4

    WHY Hunger supports community organizations that advance social, environmental, racial and economic equal outcomes as well as an end to hunger while advocating the establishment of a right to nutritious food. Grantee organizations include those who advocated for race or ethnicity-based assistance including Afroresistance Inc. (funded by Black Migrant Power Fund), Black Farmers Fund, and Black Sustainability Inc., and those advocating system change such as Resist Inc. The organization was co-founded with William Ayres. a well-known New York radio personality and a founding member of National Association of Hunger Organizations and the National Jobs for All Coalition. 5 6 7 8 9 10

    Activities

    Harry Chapin Foundation sponsored its 44th Annual Harry Chapin Memorial Run Against Hunger in October of 2024 with proceeds intended to fight hunger in New York and internationally. HCF on Facebook thanked Warner Music Group, Warner Chappell, and Rhino Records for spotlighting Why Hunger on the 50th anniversary of “Cat’s in the Cradle” and announced sponsorship of a performance by the Harry Chapin Band in support of Long Island Cares in July of 2024. 11

    Grantmaking

    HCF announced a grant award to Women, Food and Agriculture Network in support of their ‘Harvesting Our Potential’ program that operates a mentorship program for inexperienced farmers. 12

    Harry Chapin Foundation is a grantor to Adopt-A-Native-Elder (A.N.E.) that delivers food, medical supplies, and firewood to elders living on the Navajo Reservation. 13 14

    HCF makes grants to Community Word Project, a creative arts-in-education group that serves underserved communities. 15 16

    The organization provides grants to Cornerstone Schools, a Detroit, Michigan group that prepares children for higher education and careers. 17 18

    HCF makes grants to America’s Grow-a-Row, a New Jersey-based grower of fresh produce that is donated to low-income communities in the northeastern United States. The organization depends on donations and volunteer labor to plant and harvest their crops. 19

    People

    Singer-songwriter Harry Chapin died in an automobile accident in 1981; Harry Chapin Foundation was founded by his family following his death. He was a Grammy Award winner and became a member of the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011. He was instrumental in the creation of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977 and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. 20 21 22

    Sandra Chapin, Harry Chapin’s widow, is chairperson and author of the poem that was put to music to become Harry Chapin’s number one hit “Cat’s in the Cradle.” Josh Chapin, Chapin’s son, is a board member and a freelance writer. 23 24

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. Admin. “Forty Years Later We’re Still Talking about Harry Chapin – Long Island Cares: The Harry Chapin Food Bank.” Long Island Cares | The Harry Chapin Food Bank, May 9, 2022. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://www.licares.org/news/paule-pachters-blog/forty-years-later-were-still-talking-about-harry-chapin/.
    2. “Harry Chapin Foundation.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/company/harrychapinfoundation/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGu7tZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHcq-uFTTjSFYLCluKOSa4wc-ZO9amonAQX6apF6sJHK4YVd2euEi7ItjIw_aem_zFMz9yfT4tcBzNhXtY73ng.
    3. Editor. “When in Doubt, Do Something.” Harry Chapin Foundation. Accessed November 25, 2024. https://harrychapinfoundation.org/home/.
    4. “About Us – Long Island Cares: The Harry Chapin Food Bank.” Long Island Cares | The Harry Chapin Food Bank, September 5, 2024. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://www.licares.org/who-we-are/about-us/.
    5. “Our Mission: Whyhunger: Fighting Hunger & Poverty.” WhyHunger, October 14, 2020. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://whyhunger.org/who-we-are/our-mission/.
    6. “Home: Afro Resistance.” AfroResistance. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://www.afroresistance.org/.
    7. Black Farmer Fund. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://blackfarmerfund.org/.
    8. “About.” RESIST, November 14, 2020. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://resist.org/about/#history.
    9. “Board & Staff.” WhyHunger, September 24, 2024. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://whyhunger.org/who-we-are/board-staff/.
    10. “Why Hunger” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990) 2023. Part II, Lines 2, 3, 4, 23.
    11. “Harry Chapmin Foundation.” Facebook. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/harrychapinfoundation.
    12. YouTube. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6F8y87SoiU.
    13. [1] Editor. “Adopt a Native Elder.” Harry Chapin Foundation, March 1, 2018. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://harrychapinfoundation.org/programs/gallery-adopt-a-native-elder/.
    14. “Home.” Anelder. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://anelder.org/.
    15. Editor. “Community Word Project.” Harry Chapin Foundation, April 1, 2018. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://harrychapinfoundation.org/programs/community-word-project/.
    16. Fitzgerald, Dylan. “Word Project – NYC.” Community, November 14, 2024. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://communitywordproject.org/.
    17. Editor. “Cornerstone Schools.” Harry Chapin Foundation, April 1, 2018. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://harrychapinfoundation.org/programs/cornerstone-schools/.
    18. Cornerstone Schools, March 26, 2024. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://cornerstoneschools.org/.
    19. “Our Mission: America’s Grow-a-Row.” a, November 11, 2024. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://americasgrowarow.org/our-mission/.
    20. Editor. “More on Harry.” Harry Chapin Foundation. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://harrychapinfoundation.org/more-on-harry/.
    21. “Harry Chapin: Artist.” Artist | GRAMMY.com. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://www.grammy.com/artists/harry-chapin/876.
    22. “Grammy Hall of Fame: Hall of Fame Artists.” GRAMMY Hall Of Fame | Hall of Fame Artists | GRAMMY.com. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#c.
    23. [1] “The Number Ones: Harry Chapin’s ‘Cat’s in the Cradle.’” Stereogum, March 17, 2021. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://www.stereogum.com/2048070/the-number-ones-harry-chapins-cats-in-the-cradle/columns/the-number-ones/.
    24. Josh Chapin – Board member – the harry chapin foundation. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-chapin-1543b585.