Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation
The Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation is a private foundation based in Walla Walla, Washington. In filing year 2025, it gave 26 grants totaling $434,492; all reported grant dollars went to recipients in Washington.
Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation at a glance
In short: Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation gave $434K across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in Washington. 28% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $434,492
- +8.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 26
- +23.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $16,711
- -12.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,650
- Total assets
- $1,744,413
- -11.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 28% first-time grantees (7 of 25, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Washington (100% 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 Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2024 filing says to submit a written request to Gary Houser. The filing lists no deadline (N/A) and states that preferential consideration is given to civic and charitable organizations in Garfield, Asotin, Columbia, or Walla counties in Washington.
- Contact
Application contact: Gary Houser
Mailing address: 56 Lewis Rd, Pomeroy, WA 99347
Phone: (509) 525-0220
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was City of Pomeroy ($67K). Together the top 10 received $353K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($10,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
105 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 97 grants of 105 (92%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All reported 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Washington. The foundation’s 2024 filing identifies organizations in Garfield, Asotin, Columbia, and Walla counties as receiving preferential consideration.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation open to new grantees?
28%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 25 grantees (28%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $22K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $16K repeat.
- 72% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+17%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 99% 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 $324K (2020) to $434K (2025). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $434K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City of Pomeroy Pomeroy, WA | General Operations | $67,174 |
| Garfield County Hospital Pomeroy, WA | General Operations | $49,424 |
| Spinners Club Pomeroy, WA | General Operations | $42,500 |
| Pomeroy School District Pomeroy, WA | General Operations | $41,541 |
| Washingon State Univ Foundation Pullman, WA | General Operations | $40,000 |
| Senior Round Table Pomeroy, WA | General Operations | $35,000 |
| Garfield County Pomeroy, WA | General Operations | $25,762 |
| Pataha Flour Mill Pomeroy, WA | General Operations | $20,000 |
| Pomeroy Community Center Pomeroy, WA | General Operations | $16,391 |
| Pomeroy Assist Pomeroy, WA | General Operations | $15,000 |
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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 | $1,744,413 | $311,758 | $528,444 | $434,492 | 26 | $436,787 | $220,101 | $439,238 |
| 2024 | $1,961,099 | $473,780 | $498,347 | $400,385 | 21 | $400,990 | $376,423 | $397,089 |
| 2023 | $1,966,106 | $547,421 | $424,712 | $326,465 | 17 | $327,049 | $449,758 | $358,759 |
| 2022 | $1,843,397 | $203,692 | $476,555 | $371,951 | 24 | $372,614 | $119,751 | $366,084 |
| 2021 | $2,116,523 | $510,068 | $495,718 | $405,737 | 17 | $406,394 | $440,744 | $792,307 |
| 2020 | $2,102,173 | $321,348 | $410,407 | $323,966 | 25 | — | $272,538 | $318,662 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation reported a distributable amount of $439K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included general operating support for civic, charitable, educational, health, and community organizations.
Among the organizations it supported in 2025, Pomeroy Community Connection describes its mission as administering programs related to childcare, early learning, education, health and safety, youth development, access to higher education, and community well-being. Touchet Valley Soccer describes its mission as promoting soccer for youth teams and players. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 26 grants totaling $434,492. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $67,174, with a median of $10,650. Its largest reported grants included $67,174 to the City of Pomeroy, $49,424 to Garfield County Hospital, $42,500 to Spinners Club, $41,541 to Pomeroy School District, and $40,000 to Washington State University Foundation; each was listed for general operations. It also gave $5,000 to Pomeroy Community Connection and $3,000 to Touchet Valley Soccer.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists James Hayner, Andrew Houser, and Gary Houser as trustees.
Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; all 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Andrew Houser
Trustee
On filings since 2020
$5K (2020) → $20K (2025)
Gary Houser
Trustee
On filings since 2020
$45K (2020) → $30K (2025)
James Hayner
Trustee
On filings since 2020
$27K (2020) → $27K (2025)
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 $30K, to Gary Houser (Trustee). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation
How much does Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation give each year?
Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation gave $434K across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $400K across 21 grants.
What is Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation's typical grant size?
Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,650, and its average grant was $16,711, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation give grants?
Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation gives mostly in Washington: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Pomeroy, WA (20 grants) and Walla Walla, WA (2 grants).
Does Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 96% of Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (25 of 26) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation's largest grantees?
Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include City of Pomeroy ($67,174), Garfield County Hospital ($49,424) and Spinners Club ($42,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($10,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation?
Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $437K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $439K (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 Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included general operating support for civic, charitable, educational, health, and community organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation?
The 2024 filing says to submit a written request to Gary Houser. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation's EIN?
Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-1708510. 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 9, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 10, 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 April 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 17, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Harold & Helen Shepherd Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 7, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/harold-and-helen-shepherd-foundation-morg_344dc9cb6c844601b96e6db8492df19b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_911708510_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Harold \& Helen Shepherd Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/harold-and-helen-shepherd-foundation-morg_344dc9cb6c844601b96e6db8492df19b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-07. 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 Harold & Helen Shepherd 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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