Shipley Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- Shipley Foundation funds a broad range of causes including education, medical research, animal welfare and conservation, immigrant and refugee support, veteran and family support, hunger relief, and substance use disorder treatment, with priority given to the United States.
- However, it accepts no unsolicited requests and makes grants only to organisations identified by and known to its directors, so small nonprofits without an existing relationship to the foundation should not plan to approach it directly.
- Of the grants it makes to organisations, about 8 in 10 fall between $20,000 and $250,000, with a median grant of $50,000, so a request in that range reflects typical practice, though the largest grant made was $2,000,000.
- Its giving is heavily relationship-led: 96% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had also funded in the previous two years' filings, showing a strong pattern of continuing existing relationships rather than funding new recipients.
- Given this, the most realistic route for a small charity is to build a genuine connection with a director rather than to submit a formal application.
Overview
Shipley Foundation is a US private foundation based in Boston, MA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Shipley Foundation uses grant-making to improve people’s lives in the United States and abroad, catalysing innovation, building capacity and responding nimbly to need. It names education, medical research, animal welfare and conservation, support for immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, services and support for veterans and their families, hunger relief, and substance use disorder treatment and care among its areas. Its grants go only to organisations identified by and known to the directors. This is a broad set of giving fields delivered through director-led selection of recipient organisations.
Themes
- Education
- Medical research
- Animal welfare and conservation
- Immigrant and refugee support
- Veteran and family support
- Hunger relief
- Substance use treatment
Geographic Focus
Priority: United States.
How to apply
The foundation makes grants only to organisations identified by and known to its directors.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 96% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 275 grants to organisations were $50,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 14%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 1%
- The largest single recipient received 15% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 96% of grant dollars went to organisations Shipley Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 3% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 82 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $50,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Bridge to Turkiye · Dormitories project$1,400,0002024 tax year
- Boston University · Shipley center for digital learning & innovation$1,310,0002024 tax year
- Miami-Dade College Foundation · Support of scholarships and campus food pantries$1,055,0002024 tax year
- Princeton University · For helen shipley hunt fund for practical engineering applictions and graduate alumni annual giving fund$550,0002024 tax year
- Best Friends Animal Society · For shipley dog lodges$493,0862024 tax year
- Catalyst Fund · General support$290,0002024 tax year
- Colorado State University · Support research by dr steven dow on monocyte targeted immunotherapy$275,0002024 tax year
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine · For projects addressing substance use disorder$250,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Elizabeth S Hunt — Director
- Feyza Altindag Shipley — Director
- Jason R Shipley — Director
- Jason R Shipley — Vice President
- Karen L Shipley — Director
- Julia Satti Cosentino — Director
- Thomas P Jalkut — Director
- Julia Satti Cosentino — Clerk
- Richard C Shipley — Director
- Thomas P Jalkut — Treasurer
- Richard C Shipley — President
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $12,607,573 | $10,742,675 | $258,875,393 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $12,190,751 | $10,515,314 | $218,640,313 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $11,640,956 | $9,977,586 | $238,076,940 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
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Applying to Shipley Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required