Robert and Virginia Shiller Foundation

BELMONT, MA EIN: 46-0538779

The Robert and Virginia Shiller Foundation is a private family foundation established by Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller and clinical psychologist Virginia Shiller. Based in Belmont, Massachusetts, the foundation operates as an invitation-only funder that makes discretionary grants to preselected charitable organizations without accepting unsolicited applications.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

Annual Giving

$603K

+24.2% YoY

Grant Count

14

+100.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$43K

-37.9% YoY

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation does not specify formal subject areas of focus but has demonstrated support across education, philanthropy, voluntarism and grantmaking, and human services. For the Shillers, sharing their wealth and supporting social programs is described as "a core part of their life philosophy," though the foundation is noted as "still evolving" in its mission and focus.

Grantmaking

The foundation makes discretionary grants to preselected organizations and does not operate formal grant programs.

Grant Range

$1,000–$350,000

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation funds projects across numerous U.S. cities and states, with emphasis on Connecticut and the Northeast. Geographic reach includes Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, DC. The foundation has also made grants internationally in London and Oxford.

Grant Distribution by State

20states
+12 more states

Cities

ANN ARBORARLINGTONBOONEBOSTONBREWSTERCAMBRIDGECASCOCHICAGOCLARKSBURGDALLASFAIRFIELDFAIRFILEDFEDERAL WAYHAMDENHAMILTONHARTFORDIRVINGKALAMAZOOKENNESAWKISSIMMEE

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Assets & Revenue (2024):

  • Total assets: $14,509,954
  • Total giving: $602,500
  • Total revenues: $986,001
  • Total expenses: $678,512

Assets & Revenue (2023):

  • Total assets: $14,202,465
  • Total revenues: $2,963,061
  • Total expenses: $512,237

Investment Performance:

  • Investment income and dividends (2024): $542,614 (19.7% increase from 2023)

The foundation maintains a giving rate of approximately 4.2% of assets.

Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$0.275$0.55$0.8250000000000001$1.120202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
Distributable Amount

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$151K$301K$452K$603K30 grants202051 grants202143 grants20227 grants202314 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

WETA$350KYALE-NEW HAVEN HOSPITAL$100KPROPUBLICA$50KGOOD FOOD INSTITUTE$30KAMERICAN FOUNDATION$25KPLAYERS PHILANTHROPY FUND$25KMASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE …$5KCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF …$5KHAMDEN HALL COUNTRY DAY …$3KHOLE IN THE WALL GANG$3K

Grant Size Distribution

144 grants across all recorded years

136<$50K2$50–100K4$100–250K2$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for .

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The foundation is managed by trustees Robert Shiller, Virginia Shiller, and Derek Shiller, who all serve without compensation.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
ROBERT SHILLERTRUSTEE0.5
VIRGINIA SHILLERTRUSTEE0.5
DEREK SHILLERTRUSTEE0.5

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Related Funders

Similar funders by location and focus area

Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.

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