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The Shs Foundation

Annual Giving
$3.4M
Grant Range
$5K - $0.5M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $3,445,000 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $30.7 million (2024)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $5,000 - $515,000
  • Number of Grants: 58 grants (2023)
  • Median Grant: $33,000
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily New York and national; some international giving

Contact Details

Location: Plainview, NY
EIN: 25-6819008

Note: The foundation does not maintain a public website or publish contact information for grant inquiries.

Overview

The SHS Foundation is a private independent foundation established in January 2003 and based in Plainview, New York. With assets of approximately $30.7 million and annual giving of $3.4 million, the foundation focuses primarily on supporting performing arts organizations, particularly dance and theater companies. The foundation is led by Manager Richard E. Feldman and maintains a strategic approach to funding, concentrating on established performing arts institutions primarily in New York and across major U.S. cultural centers, with occasional international giving to locations including Iceland and Tel Aviv. The foundation is particularly known for its significant multi-year support of dance and theater organizations and its partnership with the Doris Duke Foundation on the "Doris Duke/SHS Foundations Award for New Works" commissioning program through the American Dance Festival.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The SHS Foundation operates through a discretionary grantmaking model focused on:

  • Major Performing Arts Support: Grants ranging from $100,000 to $515,000 for established institutions
  • Mid-Level Arts Organizations: Grants of $30,000 to $100,000 for regional and emerging companies
  • Commissioning Partnerships: Co-funding new works through the Doris Duke/SHS Foundations Award
  • Education Initiatives: Selected grants supporting arts education programs

Application Method: By invitation only; the foundation makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Priority Areas

Performing Arts (Primary Focus):

  • Contemporary and modern dance companies
  • Theater companies, particularly Shakespeare and contemporary theater
  • Ballet and classical dance
  • Performance venues and presenting organizations
  • Dance festivals and commissioning programs

Arts Education:

  • Programs connecting performing arts with educational initiatives
  • Youth engagement in dance and theater

Grantmaking and Voluntarism:

  • Supporting the broader philanthropic infrastructure

Geographic Priorities

  • Primary: New York State (particularly New York City and Hudson Valley)
  • Secondary: Oregon, New Jersey, California, Florida, Louisiana
  • International: Iceland, Israel (Tel Aviv)

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly documented, the foundation's grant history shows:

  • No funding for visual arts, museums, or galleries
  • No support for healthcare, social services, or environmental causes
  • No grants to individual artists (funding flows through organizations)
  • Limited support outside the performing arts sector

Governance and Leadership

Key Personnel:

  • Richard E. Feldman - Manager/President: Receives compensation of $433,333 (2024), indicating an active management role in the foundation's operations
  • Luis Miguel Rodriguez Villa - Director: Serves without compensation
  • Sara Throne - Secretary & Director: Serves without compensation

The foundation operates with a small board focused on arts sector expertise and maintains a professional management structure unusual for a foundation of its size.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The SHS Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation makes contributions exclusively to preselected charitable organizations and explicitly does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Organizations are selected through:

  • Trustee and manager discretion
  • Existing relationships within the performing arts sector
  • Board members' knowledge of organizations and their work
  • Identification through the foundation's network in the dance and theater communities

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - the foundation operates on a discretionary basis rather than application cycles.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept applications from the general public.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - funding decisions are made at the discretion of foundation leadership based on ongoing relationships with supported organizations.

Application Success Factors

Since the SHS Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, organizations that have received funding share certain characteristics:

Profile of Funded Organizations:

  • Established performing arts institutions with strong track records
  • Organizations with significant presence in New York's cultural landscape
  • Companies focused on contemporary and modern dance, theater (particularly Shakespeare), and ballet
  • Institutions that demonstrate artistic excellence and innovation
  • Organizations with professional management and strong governance

Recent Grant Recipients (2023) include:

  • Brooklyn Academy of Music ($515,000)
  • Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival ($400,000)
  • American Dance Festival ($300,000)
  • Paul Taylor Dance Company ($300,000)
  • Gibney Dance ($150,000)
  • Theater for a New Audience ($100,000)
  • New York City Ballet ($100,000)
  • The Joyce Theater Foundation ($80,000)

Doris Duke/SHS Foundations Award for New Works recipients include:

  • Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre ("Devotion")
  • Helen Simoneau ("Delicate Power")
  • A.I.M by Kyle Abraham ("An Untitled Love")
  • Abby Z and the New Utility ("Radioactive Practice")
  • Ragamala Dance Company ("The Fires of Varanasi")
  • Sara Juli ("Burnt-Out Wife")
  • Brian Brooks for BODYTRAFFIC
  • Pilobolus ("The Ballad")

Funding Patterns:

  • Multi-year support to core institutions
  • Partnership funding with other major foundations
  • Support for both general operations and specific commissioning projects
  • Preference for organizations with national or international reputations

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Applications: The SHS Foundation operates exclusively through invitation and preselected organizations; do not submit unsolicited proposals
  • Relationship-Driven: Funding decisions are made based on existing relationships and board knowledge of the performing arts sector
  • Performing Arts Focus: Nearly exclusive focus on dance and theater; organizations outside these areas are unlikely to be considered
  • Significant Grant Sizes: With a median grant of $33,000 and grants ranging up to $515,000, the foundation makes substantial commitments to supported organizations
  • New York Concentration: Strong preference for New York-based organizations, particularly those in the New York City metropolitan area and Hudson Valley
  • Established Institutions Preferred: Grant recipients are primarily well-established organizations with professional operations and strong reputations
  • Strategic Partnerships: The foundation engages in co-funding arrangements (e.g., with Doris Duke Foundation) and supports commissioning of new works
  • Limited Number of Grantees: With only 58 grants made in 2023 from $3.4 million, the foundation makes selective but substantial investments in a focused portfolio

References

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