Bruce and Cynthia Sherman
Bruce and Cynthia Sherman is a private foundation based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations and individual recipients, including support for education, cancer research, health care, and the Sherman Prize.
Bruce and Cynthia Sherman at a glance
In short: Bruce and Cynthia Sherman gave $819K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $58K), top state Massachusetts. 17% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $818,700
- -27.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- -33.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $58,479
- +8.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $18,000
- Total assets
- $29,050,708
- +10.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (2 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (43% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Bruce and Cynthia Sherman
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: Co Eag 505 S Flagler Dr Suite 900, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Phone: (239) 331-7373
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Bruce and Cynthia Sherman funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was WGBH Educational Foundation ($250K). Together the top 10 received $593K.
Organizations only. It also paid 3 grants to individuals ($225,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
98 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 68 grants of 98 (69%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts (43%), Connecticut (15%), Virginia (12%), Maryland (12%), and North Carolina (12%). Listed recipients were also located in Florida, New York, and Georgia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Bruce and Cynthia Sherman open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 12 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $163K; repeat grants $49K. How we count
Medians: $163K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 47% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 74% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $781K (2021) to $1.5M (2022). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $819K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| WGBH Educational Foundation Boston, MA | General | $250,000 |
| The Nagen Project Bloomfield, CT | General | $121,500 |
| Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Alexandria, VA | General | $100,000 |
| Israel Baseball Americas Inc Baltimore, MD | General | $100,000 |
| 3 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $225,000 |
| Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America New York, NY | Medical | $11,000 |
| Pap Corps Deerfield Beach, FL | General | $5,000 |
| American Cancer Society Inc Atlanta, GA | Medical | $2,000 |
| Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation Boca Raton, FL | General | $1,250 |
| Boca Rio Foundation Boca Raton, FL | General | $1,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation reported 14 grants in 2025, 21 in 2024, and 23 in 2023.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $29,050,708 | $3,968,581 | $1,126,455 | $818,700 | 14 | $1,050,108 | $3,875,108 | $1,413,125 |
| 2024 | $26,208,582 | $3,923,555 | $1,508,098 | $1,136,110 | 21 | $1,460,573 | $3,847,043 | $1,278,945 |
| 2023 | $23,793,125 | $2,484,682 | $1,142,040 | $812,500 | 23 | $1,122,330 | $2,372,690 | $1,178,563 |
| 2022 | $22,450,483 | $95,044 | $1,699,975 | $1,536,250 | 16 | $1,678,932 | $287,675 | $1,191,011 |
| 2021 | $24,092,727 | $243,487 | $1,075,634 | $780,915 | 24 | $1,045,309 | $213,162 | $1,370,009 |
| 2020 | $24,887,561 | $962,087 | $1,598,230 | $1,158,100 | 16 | — | $946,732 | $1,340,030 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bruce and Cynthia Sherman reported a distributable amount of $1.4M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s own filing does not state a mission. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations whose stated work includes educational programming, scholarships, and opposing antisemitism, as well as cancer research, care for people affected by Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and hospital services. The filing also lists grants to individual recipients for the Sherman Prize.
WGBH Educational Foundation describes its work as providing programs and services that educate, inspire, and entertain. The Horatio Alger Association says it provides scholarships to promising high school students and promotes the opportunities of the free enterprise system. The Nagen Project describes work addressing antisemitism through education, research, legal action, and strategic communication. Israel Baseball Americas says it works to develop and promote baseball in Israel. These are descriptions of the grantees’ missions, not stated priorities of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 14 grants totaling $818,700. Awards ranged from $950 to $250,000, with a median grant of $18,000. Its largest listed grants were $250,000 to WGBH Educational Foundation, $121,500 to The Nagen Project, and $100,000 each to the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans and Israel Baseball Americas. It also reported $100,000 grants to two individual recipients in connection with the Sherman Prize.
Other listed 2025 grants included $11,000 to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, $5,000 to the Papanicolaou Corps for Cancer Research, $2,000 to the American Cancer Society, $1,250 to Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation, and $1,000 to Boca Rio Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Bruce S. Sherman as president, Cynthia L. Sherman as treasurer, and Daniel Sherman as clerk.
Bruce and Cynthia Sherman is led by Bruce S. Sherman, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bruce S. Sherman
President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cynthia L. Sherman
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Sherman
Clerk
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Bruce and Cynthia Sherman
How much does Bruce and Cynthia Sherman give each year?
Bruce and Cynthia Sherman gave $819K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.1M across 21 grants.
What is Bruce and Cynthia Sherman's typical grant size?
Bruce and Cynthia Sherman's median grant in 2025 was $18,000, and its average grant was $58,479, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Bruce and Cynthia Sherman that year got $163K on average.
Where does Bruce and Cynthia Sherman give grants?
Bruce and Cynthia Sherman's top state is Massachusetts, with 43% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Connecticut (15%) and Virginia (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (2 grants) and Boca Raton, FL (2 grants).
Does Bruce and Cynthia Sherman give general operating support?
Yes: 64% of Bruce and Cynthia Sherman's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (9 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Sherman Prize Award Winner" (3 grants).
Who are Bruce and Cynthia Sherman's largest grantees?
Bruce and Cynthia Sherman's largest 2025 grantees include WGBH Educational Foundation ($250,000), The Nagen Project ($121,500) and Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 3 grants to individuals ($225,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 58% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bruce and Cynthia Sherman?
Bruce and Cynthia Sherman reported $29.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.4M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Bruce and Cynthia Sherman fund?
The foundation’s own filing does not state a mission. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bruce and Cynthia Sherman?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Bruce and Cynthia Sherman's EIN?
Bruce and Cynthia Sherman's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 05-0629744. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Bruce and Cynthia Sherman accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 4, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 30, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bruce and Cynthia Sherman funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bruce-and-cynthia-sherman-morg_041612c2f9004eaabf2b97e0ec6a8e14
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_050629744_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bruce and Cynthia Sherman funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bruce-and-cynthia-sherman-morg_041612c2f9004eaabf2b97e0ec6a8e14},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Bruce and Cynthia Sherman's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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