General Information
What is your mission?
The Turkish Philanthropic Fund (TPF) helps donors realize their philanthropic goals to meet community needs in the US and in Turkey. Through TPF, donors in the United States not only support their local causes in the US but also contribute to a charity in Turkey. We strive to create long-lasting social change in our communities through supporting high-impact organizations.
Is TPF affiliated with a religious or government organization? TPF is a non-governmental organization and is completely non-denominational. In addition, TPF supports organizations that have no political or religious affiliations.
Where did the idea of TPF come from?
In 2006, TPF's founder, Haldun Tashman, started to look for a vehicle to send funds to his hometown, Bolu. His search brought together leaders (Mustafa Abadan, Ozlenen Kalav, Erinch Ozada, and Haluk Soykan) from the Turkish-American community, which resulted in a passionate and ambitious project: starting a foundation to send tax-deductible contributions to Turkey while having the means to support local causes in the United States.
After a feasibility study and a detailed research TPF was established as an independent public charity in February 2007 and has adopted the community foundation model. TPF became an official 501(c)(3) public charity in January 2008.
What is the power of modeling the organization after community foundations?
The community foundation model was chosen for its flexibility. Community foundations foundations democratize philanthropy, in that everyone, those of substantial and modest means alike, can participate in giving back to their community.
When you use a community foundation for your contributions, you don’t really give to that foundation, but give through them. That means that your funds at the TPF can be transformed into either an education for hundreds of kids, an opportunity for hundreds of disabled people or a chance for many women to contribute to their very own societies.
