Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation
The Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation is a private foundation based in Boston, Massachusetts, established in 1959. It supports efforts to improve criminal and juvenile justice, with stated priorities that include research, offender reintegration, crime prevention, and advocacy addressing the needs of offenders.
Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation at a glance
In short: Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation gave $972K across 73 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), mostly in Massachusetts. 26% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $971,660
- +6.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 73
- -1.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $13,310
- +7.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $13,630,186
- +7.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (18 of 70, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (96% 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 Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation
- Review Cycle
- The foundation’s website says requests are due no later than February 1, with funding decisions made no later than May 31, unless otherwise advised.
- Deadline
- The foundation’s website says requests are due no later than February 1, with funding decisions made no later than May…
- Contact
Application contact: Thomas E Coury Gardiner Howland Sha
Mailing address: 355 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
Phone: (781) 366-1215
Website: https://shawfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation
Who Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Community Resources for Justice ($70K). Together the top 10 received $288K.
Grant Size Distribution
361 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 356 grants of 361 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation states that its research, analysis, and journalism priority concerns improving the administration of justice in Massachusetts. Its 2025 grant dollars were distributed primarily in Massachusetts: 96% went to recipients in the state, while 1% each went to Pennsylvania, Vermont, and California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 73 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 18 of 70 grantees (26%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $14K repeat.
- 60% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−12%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 83% 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 $864K (2020) to $1.1M (2022). In 2025 it made 73 grants totaling $972K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Community Resources for Justice Boston, MA | Support for the greater boston coming home offender resource directory. | $70,000 |
| Prisoners Legal Services Boston, MA | Support for the Prison Brutality Legal Advocacy Project. | $30,000 |
| Worcester Common Ground Worcester, MA | Support for the Worcester County Coming Home Directory. | $30,000 |
| Center for Law Brain and Behavior Boston, MA | Support for the Emerging Adult Offender Project. | $25,000 |
| Citizens for Juvenile Justice Boston, MA | Support for the Statewide Juvenile Justice Reform Initiative. | $25,000 |
| Mass Inc Boston, MA | Support for the Criminal Justice Reform Research Initiative. | $22,500 |
| Clark University Worcester, MA | Support for the Larc Prison Education Initiative. | $20,000 |
| Emerson College Boston, MA | Support for the Prison Education Initiative. | $20,000 |
| Massachusetts Community Action Network Dorchester, MA | Support for the Community Criminal Justice Reform Project. | $20,000 |
| New England Innocence Project Cambridge, MA | Support for Legal Advocacy for Wrongfully Convicted Individuals. | $20,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $13,630,186 | $2,373,112 | $1,391,295 | $971,660 | 73 | $1,183,665 | $2,204,726 | $1,432,454 |
| 2024 | $12,648,369 | $1,615,295 | $1,296,411 | $913,242 | 74 | $1,140,790 | $1,372,973 | $1,267,284 |
| 2023 | $12,329,485 | $1,220,657 | $1,337,386 | $962,681 | 65 | $1,183,871 | $1,033,142 | $1,193,969 |
| 2022 | $12,446,214 | $1,648,356 | $1,499,068 | $1,103,623 | 83 | $1,320,353 | $1,496,140 | $1,305,341 |
| 2021 | $12,296,926 | $1,513,992 | $1,297,148 | $908,065 | 66 | — | $1,366,728 | $1,146,892 |
| 2020 | $12,080,082 | $1,588,518 | $1,224,500 | $863,966 | 68 | — | $1,456,864 | $1,088,599 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation 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 September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated purpose is to improve criminal and juvenile justice systems. It prioritizes research, analysis, and journalism on justice issues; innovative reintegration approaches for adults and juveniles leaving correctional or detention facilities; effective inter-agency and community collaboration for crime prevention; and advocacy, public education, and training addressing offenders’ legal, social, and rehabilitative needs.
Its 2025 grants illustrate support for a range of justice-related organizations and projects. Community Resources for Justice received support for a Greater Boston offender resource directory; Citizens for Juvenile Justice received support for a statewide juvenile justice reform initiative; and the New England Innocence Project received support for legal advocacy for wrongfully convicted individuals. These grantees describe their own missions respectively as advancing policy and delivering individualized services to promote safety, justice, and inclusion; advocating for juvenile justice reform in Massachusetts; and correcting and preventing wrongful convictions while supporting people freed after wrongful incarceration. Other 2025 awards supported prison education, offender re-entry, and juvenile offender initiatives.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 73 grants totaling $971,660. Grant amounts ranged from $1,500 to $70,000, with a median grant of $10,000. The largest awards included $70,000 to Community Resources for Justice for the Greater Boston Coming Home Offender Resource Directory; $30,000 each to Prisoners Legal Services for the Prison Brutality Legal Advocacy Project and Worcester Common Ground for the Worcester County Coming Home Directory; and $25,000 each to the Center for Law, Brain and Behavior for the Emerging Adult Offender Project and Citizens for Juvenile Justice for a statewide reform initiative.
The foundation offers start-up support for new and innovative projects, generally limited to three successive years; project support for initiatives with demonstrated success and potential for replication; and general operating support. The website describes project support as reviewed year to year.
Applicants are asked to telephone the foundation to discuss their ideas before submitting written material. If appropriate, the foundation may request a concept paper describing the organization, proposed use of funds, preliminary budget, and evidence of tax-exempt status. After reviewing it, the foundation determines whether a full proposal is needed. Full proposals should explain the proposed work, its importance and relevance to the foundation’s priorities, the applicant’s qualifications, methodology, measures of success, and requested duration of support. Requested attachments include a cover sheet, board and staff information, completed budget forms, an IRS determination letter, and the most recent audit and completed Form 990. The foundation accepts the Associated Grantmakers Common Proposal Format. Its filing states that organizations must deal with crime prevention and the rehabilitation of criminals.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Thomas E. Coury as executive director and Benjamin J. Williams Jr., Theodore E. Ober, and Peter P. Brown as trustees.
Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation is led by Thomas E. Coury, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 4 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Thomas E. Coury
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$163K (2020) → $163K (2025)
Benjamin J. Williams Jr.
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Peter P. Brown
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Theodore E. Ober
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $163K, to Thomas E Coury (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation
How much does Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation give each year?
Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation gave $972K across 73 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $913K across 74 grants.
What is Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation's typical grant size?
Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $13,310, across 73 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation give grants?
Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (21 grants), Cambridge, MA (8 grants), Worcester, MA (5 grants) and Jamaica Plain, MA (5 grants).
Does Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 73 grants with a stated purpose on Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation's largest grantees?
Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Community Resources for Justice ($70,000), Citizens for Juvenile Justice ($30,000 across 2 grants) and Prisoners Legal Services ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 13% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation?
Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation reported $13.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.2M 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 Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated purpose is to improve criminal and juvenile justice systems. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation?
Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check shawfoundation.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation's EIN?
Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6111826. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/gardiner-howland-shaw-foundation-morg_374f54c48054482ba4592d0518efe2d1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_046111826_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/gardiner-howland-shaw-foundation-morg_374f54c48054482ba4592d0518efe2d1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation'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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