Shafer Family Charitable Trust
Shafer Family Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including organizations serving seniors, supporting churches and fire services, and providing community and cultural programs.
Shafer Family Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: Shafer Family Charitable Trust gave $78K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Pennsylvania. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $78,000
- -3.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- -4.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,900
- +1.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,000
- Total assets
- $1,429,026
- +0.2% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (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.
How to apply to Shafer Family Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 588 Riverwoods Way, Bethlehem, PA 18018-6356
Phone: (610) 751-8059
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Shafer Family Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Masonic Charities Fund ($10K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $59K.
Grant Size Distribution
106 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 106 grants of 106 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Shafer Family Charitable Trust gives
- 95% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+7%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 218% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $65K (2020) to $81K (2024). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $78K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Children's Home of Easton Easton, PA | For Purpose of Compassionate Care FD | $8,000 |
| Albrightsville Volunteer Fire CO Albrightsville, PA | For Support of Fire Services | $7,000 |
| Epworth United Methodist Church Bethlehem, PA | For Church Assistance Programs | $6,000 |
| Masonic Charities Fund Elizabethtown, PA | For Purpose of Compassionate Care FD | $5,000 |
| Masonic Charities Fund Elizabethtown, PA | For Compassionate Care Fund | $5,000 |
| St John's Lutheran Church Nazareth, PA | For Church Assistance Programs | $5,000 |
| The State Theatre Easton, PA | For Community Theatre Programs | $5,000 |
| Moravian Village of Bethlehem Bethlehem, PA | For Senior Assistance Programs | $5,000 |
| Visiting Nurse Assoc of Bethlehem Bethlehem, PA | For Purpose of Senior Care Programs | $5,000 |
| Lehigh Valley Zoo Schnecksville, PA | For Purpose of Zoo Programs | $4,000 |
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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 | $1,429,026 | $93,474 | $90,708 | $78,000 | 20 | $79,525 | $65,470 | $36,458 |
| 2024 | $1,426,260 | $84,323 | $92,266 | $80,500 | 21 | $82,000 | $67,651 | $36,293 |
| 2023 | $1,434,203 | $131,954 | $76,384 | $71,000 | 23 | $73,278 | $38,996 | $68,711 |
| 2022 | $1,378,633 | $-17,684 | $92,170 | $73,000 | 21 | $78,716 | $25,844 | $75,182 |
| 2021 | $1,488,484 | $299,951 | $85,230 | $72,000 | 21 | $78,212 | $293,275 | $81,428 |
| 2020 | $1,273,827 | $33,123 | $76,502 | $65,000 | 21 | — | $26,967 | $71,980 |
| 2019 | $1,317,941 | $52,688 | $82,812 | $70,000 | 1 | — | $37,991 | $71,529 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Shafer Family Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $36K 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 show support for organizations with varied activities. For example, Moravian Village of Bethlehem describes itself as a continuing care community with health care and rehabilitation services, independent living apartments, and cottages. Meals on Wheels Inc describes its mission as providing meal delivery to seniors and adult day program participants. Other supported organizations describe work in areas including fire services, church assistance, community theatre, nursing education, recreation and therapies, and music and educational outreach.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $78,000 through 20 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $8,000, with a median grant of $4,000.
Among its largest reported 2025 grants were $8,000 to Children’s Home of Easton for its “Compassionate Care FD”; $7,000 to Albrightsville Volunteer Fire Co for fire services; and $6,000 to Epworth United Methodist Church for church assistance programs. It also gave $5,000 each to Masonic Charities Fund, St John’s Lutheran Church, The State Theatre, Moravian Village of Bethlehem, and Visiting Nurse Association of Bethlehem. Meals on Wheels received $4,000. Other 2025 recipients included Special Recreation Services Inc and Equi-Librium Inc, each receiving $2,000, and Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra and Project of Easton Inc, each receiving $1,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Linda L Shafer, Dolores E Shafer, Bruce B Shafer, and Susan E Bartholomew as trustees.
Shafer Family Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 4 officers; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bruce B. Shafer
Trustee
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Dolores E. Shafer
Trustee
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Linda L. Shafer
Trustee
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Susan E. Bartholomew
Trustee
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Truist Bank (2021–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Branch Banking and Trust Co (2019–2020) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Shafer Family Charitable Trust
How much does Shafer Family Charitable Trust give each year?
Shafer Family Charitable Trust gave $78K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $81K across 21 grants.
What is Shafer Family Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
Shafer Family Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $4,000, and its average grant was $3,900, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Shafer Family Charitable Trust give grants?
Shafer Family Charitable Trust gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Bethlehem, PA (6 grants), Easton, PA (3 grants), Elizabethtown, PA (2 grants) and Nazareth, PA (2 grants).
Does Shafer Family Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 20 grants with a stated purpose on Shafer Family Charitable Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "For Church Assistance Programs" (3 grants).
Who are Shafer Family Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
Shafer Family Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Masonic Charities Fund ($10,000 across 2 grants), Children's Home of Easton ($8,000) and Albrightsville Volunteer Fire CO ($7,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Shafer Family Charitable Trust?
Shafer Family Charitable Trust reported $1.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $80K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $36K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Shafer Family Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations with varied activities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Shafer Family Charitable Trust?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Shafer Family Charitable Trust's EIN?
Shafer Family Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-6952392. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Shafer Family Charitable Trust 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 7, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 7, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 27, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 25, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 1, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 5, 2024)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Shafer Family Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/shafer-family-charitable-trust-morg_d3b00f807ccc4705b9d69e4c5efcc659
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_236952392_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Shafer Family Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/shafer-family-charitable-trust-morg_d3b00f807ccc4705b9d69e4c5efcc659},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Shafer Family Charitable Trust'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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