Shearman Foundation
The Shearman Foundation is a private foundation based in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Its 2026 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Louisiana.
Shearman Foundation at a glance
In short: Shearman Foundation gave $296K across 49 grants in 2026 (avg $6K), mostly in Louisiana. 20% of 2026 grantees were new. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2026)
- $295,813
- -0.3% vs 2025
- Grants made (2026)
- 49
- +28.9% vs 2025
- Average grant
- $6,037
- -22.7% vs 2025
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $3,439,462
- -3.2% vs 2025
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (10 of 49, 2026)
- Primary geography
- Louisiana (88% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Shearman Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 3266, Lake Charles, LA 70602
Phone: (337) 660-8487
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Shearman Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2026
The largest 2026 recipient was St Nicholas Center ($65K). Together the top 10 received $204K.
Grant Size Distribution
212 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 200 grants of 212 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2026, 88% of grant dollars went to recipients in Louisiana. The remaining reported shares were Florida (3%), Massachusetts (3%), Colorado (2%), and Virginia (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 49 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Shearman Foundation open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2026
In 2026, 10 of 49 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $900 first-time, $4K repeat.
- 53% of 2026 grantees were also funded in 2025. Method
- Giving fell 30% from 2023 to 2026. Method
- In 2026 it paid out 67% 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 (2021–2026). 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 2021 to 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $296K (2026) to $507K (2024). In 2026 it made 49 grants totaling $296K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| St Nicholas Center Lake Charles, LA | Donation | $65,000 |
| Community Foundation of SWLA Lake Charles, LA | Donation | $27,713 |
| Imperial Calcasieu Museum Lake Charles, LA | Donation | $25,000 |
| St Louis Catholic High School Lake Charles, LA | Donation | $20,000 |
| McNeese Athletic Lake Charles, LA | Donation | $19,500 |
| Camp Hardtner Polluck, LA | Donation | $10,000 |
| McNeese Univ Foundation Lake Charles, LA | Donation | $10,000 |
| Polo for Life Inc Wellinton, FL | Donation | $10,000 |
| Wheaton College Norton, MA | Donation | $10,000 |
| Oberlin Girls Basketball Oberlin, LA | Donation | $7,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Shearman Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $3,439,462 | $232,444 | $344,455 | $295,813 | 49 | $343,673 | $183,802 | $513,593 |
| 2025 | $3,551,473 | $164,142 | $404,727 | $296,850 | 38 | $402,901 | $56,265 | $498,785 |
| 2024 | $3,792,058 | $229,329 | $604,783 | $506,715 | 49 | $602,093 | $131,261 | $466,443 |
| 2023 | $4,167,512 | $196,195 | $423,776 | $421,083 | 43 | $423,568 | $193,543 | $435,690 |
| 2022 | $4,398,136 | $222,853 | $467,373 | $455,750 | 33 | $467,373 | $211,230 | $498,800 |
| 2021 | $4,639,613 | $1,169,511 | $342,812 | $335,752 | 37 | — | $162,451 | $412,701 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Shearman Foundation reported a distributable amount of $514K for 2026 — 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 or formal focus areas are provided. The 2026 grants show support for organizations working in different areas. For example, Imperial Calcasieu Museum describes its mission as promoting and educating about the arts and history of Southwest Louisiana; CARC describes services for people with intellectual and physical disabilities in Southwest Louisiana; and Lake Charles Symphony describes its work as providing cultural enrichment and promoting music education and appreciation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2026, the foundation reported 49 grants totaling $295,813. Individual grants ranged from $100 to $65,000, with a median of $2,500. Among the largest were $65,000 to St Nicholas Center, $27,713 to Community Foundation of SWLA, $25,000 to Imperial Calcasieu Museum, $20,000 to St Louis Catholic High School, and $19,500 to McNeese Athletic. Each was listed with the purpose “DONATION.” Other 2026 recipients included Wheaton College ($10,000), Polo For Life Inc ($10,000), and Ukraine Focus ($5,000).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2026 filing lists Thomas B Shearman III, Susan Cook, Thad Cook, Thaddeus Stakely Cook, and Isabella Shearman as trustees.
Shearman Foundation's 2026 filing lists 5 officers; none of the 5 officers listed in 2026 report compensation.
Officers on the 2026 filing
Isabella Shearman
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Cook
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thad Cook
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thaddeus Stakely Cook
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas B Shearman III
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2026. "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 Shearman Foundation
How much does Shearman Foundation give each year?
Shearman Foundation gave $296K across 49 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $297K across 38 grants.
What is Shearman Foundation's typical grant size?
Shearman Foundation's median grant in 2026 was $2,500, and its average grant was $6,037, across 49 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Shearman Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Shearman Foundation give grants?
Shearman Foundation gives mostly in Louisiana: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Lake Charles, LA (29 grants), Fisher Island, NY (5 grants), Sulphur, LA (2 grants) and Dequincy, LA (2 grants).
Does Shearman Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2026: none of the 49 grants with a stated purpose on Shearman Foundation's 2026 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Donation" (49 grants).
Who are Shearman Foundation's largest grantees?
Shearman Foundation's largest 2026 grantees include St Nicholas Center ($65,000), Community Foundation of SWLA ($27,713) and Imperial Calcasieu Museum ($25,000), according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2026 grant dollars.
How large is Shearman Foundation?
Shearman Foundation reported $3.4M in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $344K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $514K (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 Shearman Foundation fund?
No mission statement or formal focus areas are provided. The 2026 grants show support for organizations working in different areas. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Shearman Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Shearman Foundation's EIN?
Shearman Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 72-0920599. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2026.
Does Shearman Foundation 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS July 28, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Shearman Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Shearman Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/shearman-foundation-morg_8d6c3c2f977249e390229d43244d8f46
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_720920599_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Shearman Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/shearman-foundation-morg_8d6c3c2f977249e390229d43244d8f46},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Shearman 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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