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Silent Partner Grants
Founded in 2016 by Gregory Chapman, Silent Partner Grants is a California-based private foundation whose public footprint is limited to required IRS...
Silent Partner Grants
Founded in 2016 by Gregory Chapman, Silent Partner Grants is a California-based private foundation whose public footprint is limited to required IRS disclosures. Chapman serves as President and CEO, with a small board that includes Melissa Cerny, Jason Beccaris, Nicholas Ghiselli, and Phil Baker. The foundation's grantmaking is modest in volume but concentrated. It made 18 grants in its latest available filing year, with the David Lynch Foundation — which promotes Transcendental Meditation in schools, military settings, and trauma-recovery programs — as a disclosed recipient. The foundation maintains a balance sheet beyond its grantmaking accounts, holding commercial properties at 2638 Seaman Avenue in El Monte, California and 826 East Main Street in Frankfort, Kentucky, alongside a portfolio of corporate stocks and bonds. This asset mix creates a self-perpetuating capital base that can fund distributions without requiring annual contributions. Total assets exceeded $51 million as of 2022 (per public tax filings). The foundation does not publish a website, does not operate a LinkedIn presence, and has no known investment staff beyond its board officers. Its commercial real estate in two states — a retail property in a Los Angeles County suburb and another in Kentucky's capital — implies a direct-owned approach to a portion of its endowment, a structural choice that differs from the fully outsourced OCIO model common among private foundations of this size. What distinguishes Silent Partner Grants is its opacity. Most private foundations of $50 million or more maintain at least a basic web presence outlining program areas, and many publish annual reports or grant guidelines. This foundation discloses nothing beyond what Form 990-PF requires — no stated mission, no grant application portal, no thematic focus areas.
General information
Firm type
Private Foundation
Year founded
2016
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
San Marino
Corporate office
San Marino, CA, United States
Principals
Gregory Chapman
President and CEO
Melissa Cerny
Officer
Jason Beccaris
Board Member
Nicholas Ghiselli
Board Member
Phil Baker
Board Member
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who makes grant decisions at Silent Partner Grants?
Gregory Chapman, as President and CEO, is the named executive. The board includes Melissa Cerny, Jason Beccaris, Nicholas Ghiselli, and Phil Baker. Given the foundation's low headcount and absence of disclosed program officers, grant decisions are almost certainly made by Chapman and the board rather than through a delegated professional staff process.
Why does Silent Partner Grants have no public website or contact information?
Private foundations are not required by law to maintain a website. Silent Partner Grants fulfills its public disclosure obligations entirely through IRS Form 990-PF filings, which report assets, grantees, and board members but nothing about programmatic intent. This minimal disclosure posture often reflects a family office mentality where there is no desire for external grantee outreach, fundraising, or reputational branding.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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