Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding
Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding is a private foundation based in Austin, Texas. Its 2025 filing lists “Intercultural Understanding” as a restriction on awards and describes direct charitable activities supporting interfaith understanding, dialogue-based peacebuilding, and leadership training.
Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding at a glance
In short: Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding gave $99K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Texas. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $98,823
- +9.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,201
- +9.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $2,468,977
- +6.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (4 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (56% 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 Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding
- How to Apply
-
The filing says to contact Christa Pandey with a detailed letter describing the purpose and scope of the grant request. It lists no deadlines and states that awards are restricted to Intercultural Understanding.
- Contact
Application contact: Christa Pandey
Mailing address: Pobox 92558, Austin, TX 78709
Phone: (512) 288-8727
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was iACT ($10K). Together the top 10 received $67K.
Grant Size Distribution
95 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 95 grants of 95 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, recipients in Texas received 56% of grant dollars, followed by recipients in New York and the District of Columbia at 10% each, and Montana and California at 8% each.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 19 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 79% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 22% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 86% 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 $60K (2020) to $99K (2025). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $99K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| iACT Austin, TX | Various programs to bring people of different faiths together visiting other faiths congregations dialogue etc. | $10,000 |
| Karuna Center f Peacebuilding Greenfied, TX | International and domestic peace initiatives through structured dialogue | $7,500 |
| Central Asia Institute Bozeman, MT | Bringing education to girls and women in the high Himalayas | $7,500 |
| Yes Berkeley, CA | Teaching leadership skills to people from different walks of life and ethnicities through JAM workshops to create a more harmonious work and neighborhood environment. | $7,500 |
| Multicultural Refugee Coalition Austin, TX | Integrating refugees from different countries through language agricultural and sewing skills. | $6,000 |
| Lifeworks Austin, TX | Transitioning foster youth from foster care to independent housing and life skills. | $6,000 |
| Caritas of Austin Austin, TX | Finding housing for homeless persons | $6,000 |
| Shanti Bhavan Childrens Project Bellevue, WA | Residential schools for underprivileged children in India | $6,000 |
| Austin Classical Guitar Society Austin, TX | Giving guitar lessons and ensemble performances to underprivileged and incarcerated youth. | $5,000 |
| Doctors without Borders New York, NY | General support for medical help in war zones | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation reported 19 grants in 2025, 19 in 2024, and 17 in 2023.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,468,977 | $143,612 | $107,594 | $98,823 | 19 | $98,823 | $21,718 | $115,091 |
| 2024 | $2,328,021 | $133,810 | $92,912 | $90,238 | 19 | $90,238 | $31,917 | $107,594 |
| 2023 | $2,096,033 | $248,259 | $90,946 | $88,735 | 17 | $88,735 | $25,203 | $92,226 |
| 2022 | $1,793,608 | $102,802 | $83,264 | $80,684 | 21 | $80,684 | $14,008 | $90,283 |
| 2021 | $2,128,677 | $292,934 | $72,817 | $70,811 | 19 | $72,817 | $10,799 | $82,579 |
| 2020 | $1,613,919 | $12,009 | $62,316 | $60,125 | 21 | — | $9,818 | $72,164 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding reported a distributable amount of $115K 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 2025 filing describes direct charitable activities that include bringing leaders from different walks of life together for training sessions, building interfaith understanding through visits to religious services and dialogue, and supporting dialogue-based domestic and international peacebuilding.
Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in areas including education, homelessness services, refugee and immigrant support, youth programs, humanitarian response, and public education. For example, Central Asia Institute describes its mission as advancing education and livelihood skills, especially for girls and women in remote mountainous regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. Caritas of Austin says it provides a home and tailored services to prevent and end homelessness. World Central Kitchen describes its work as providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 19 grants totaling $98,823. Grants ranged from $2,323 to $10,000, with a median grant of $5,000.
Among its 2025 grants were $10,000 to iACT for interfaith initiatives; $7,500 each to Karuna Center for Peacebuilding for dialogue-based peace initiatives, Central Asia Institute for education for girls and women, and YES for leadership workshops; and $6,000 each to Multicultural Refugee Coalition, Lifeworks, Caritas of Austin, and Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project. Other listed grants included $5,000 each to Austin Classical Guitar Society, Doctors Without Borders, World Central Kitchen, and the International Rescue Committee.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Christa Pandey as president, Raghvendra K Pandey as treasurer, Katherine D Oldmixon as vice president, and Ruby Kishan and Sandeep Kishan as trustees.
Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding is led by Christa Pandey, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Christa Pandey
President
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ruby Kishan
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sandeep Kishan
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Katherine D Oldmixon
Vice President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Raghvendra K Pandey (2021–2025) — Treasurer · Filing note: Deceased 525
- Former: R K Pandey (2020) — Treasurer
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 Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding
How much does Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding give each year?
Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding gave $99K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $90K across 19 grants.
What is Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding's typical grant size?
Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $5,201, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding that year got $3K on average.
Where does Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding give grants?
Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding gives mostly in Texas: 56% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (10%) and District of Columbia (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Austin, TX (7 grants), New York, NY (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding give general operating support?
Occasionally: 5% of Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding's largest grantees?
Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding's largest 2025 grantees include iACT ($10,000), Karuna Center f Peacebuilding ($7,500) and Central Asia Institute ($7,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 25% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding?
Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding reported $2.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $99K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $115K (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 Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding fund?
The foundation’s 2025 filing describes direct charitable activities that include bringing leaders from different walks of life together for training sessions, building interfaith understanding through visits to religious services and dialogue, and supporting dialogue-based domestic and international peacebuilding. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding?
The filing says to contact Christa Pandey with a detailed letter describing the purpose and scope of the grant request. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding's EIN?
Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-3365638. 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 27, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/shanti-foundation-for-intercultural-understanding-morg_dff59ed703384c869512fabed0f38aa0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_273365638_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/shanti-foundation-for-intercultural-understanding-morg_dff59ed703384c869512fabed0f38aa0},
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 Shanti Foundation for Intercultural Understanding'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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