Sheena Foundation
Sheena Foundation is a private foundation based in Lakewood, New Jersey. Its 2025 filing describes charitable grants to educational, religious, and charitable organizations exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Sheena Foundation at a glance
In short: Sheena Foundation gave $10K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $518.35), mostly in New Jersey. 65% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $10,367
- -74.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $518
- -74.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $180
- Total assets
- $513,445
- +5.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 65% first-time grantees (13 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (95% 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 Sheena Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing says applications must be submitted in writing and include the uses to which the grant will be placed. No uniform application form is required, and the filing lists no restrictions on awards. Applications are reviewed and grants are made continuously.
- Review Cycle
- None; applications are reviewed and grants are made continuously.
- Deadline
- None; applications are reviewed and grants are made continuously.
- Contact
Application contact: Joshua Beren
Mailing address: 1460 Cedar Row, 1460 Cedar Row, Lakewood, NJ 08701
Phone: (732) 370-1230
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sheena Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cong Bnos Yaakov ($5K). Together the top 10 received $9K.
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, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in New Jersey, 4% to recipients in New York, and 1% to recipients in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Sheena Foundation open to new grantees?
65%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 20 grantees (65%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $596; repeat grants $374. How we count
Medians: $180 first-time, $225 repeat.
- 35% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 64% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 51% 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 (2019–2025). 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 $10K (2025) to $72K (2019). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $10K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cong Bnos Yaakov Lakewood, NJ | Educational | $5,000 |
| Kollel Hora'ah of America Marlboro, NJ | Religious | $1,000 |
| Yeshiva Yesodei Hatorah Lakewood, NJ | Educational | $950 |
| Lakewood Cheder Lakewood, NJ | Educational | $680 |
| Ohr Nosson Lakewood, NJ | Educational | $500 |
| Tashbar of Lakewood Lakewood, NJ | Educational | $400 |
| Friends of Iats Lakewood, NJ | Charitable | $300 |
| Congregation Kol Aryeh Lakewood, NJ | Religious | $225 |
| Chuppa Brooklyn, NY | Charitable | $180 |
| Israel Gives New York, NY | Charitable | $180 |
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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 | $513,445 | $37,408 | $12,134 | $10,367 | 20 | $12,134 | $10,096 | $23,746 |
| 2024 | $488,171 | $72,189 | $41,967 | $40,090 | 20 | $41,967 | $11,990 | $21,458 |
| 2023 | $457,949 | $113,416 | $62,504 | $60,854 | 22 | $60,854 | $5,517 | $20,432 |
| 2022 | $407,037 | $110,679 | $30,031 | $29,081 | 20 | $29,081 | — | $19,862 |
| 2021 | $326,389 | $43,866 | $26,254 | $26,004 | 13 | $25,504 | — | $14,836 |
| 2020 | $308,777 | $47,516 | $51,512 | $51,211 | 12 | — | — | $14,081 |
| 2019 | $312,773 | $44,279 | $72,434 | $71,834 | 24 | — | — | $15,890 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sheena Foundation reported a distributable amount of $24K 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
The foundation’s filing describes its direct charitable activity as making grants to educational, religious, and charitable organizations. Its 2025 grants included educational and religious organizations, as well as charitable organizations.
Among the grantees, Tashbar of Lakewood describes itself as a religious elementary school serving grades K–8, and Bais Medrash L’Torah says it operates a postsecondary school offering advanced Talmudic law courses. Ohr Nosson describes its work as preventing juvenile delinquency, teen crime, and drug use through mentoring, counseling, placement assistance, and remedial reading courses. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $10,367 across 20 grants. Grants ranged from $8 to $5,000, with a median of $180.
The largest reported grants included $5,000 to Cong Bnos Yaakov for educational purposes, $1,000 to Kollel Hora’ah of America for religious purposes, and $950 to Yeshiva Yesodei Hatorah for educational purposes. Other grants included $680 to Lakewood Cheder and $500 to Ohr Nosson, both for educational purposes; $400 to Tashbar of Lakewood for educational purposes; and $300 to Friends of IATS for charitable purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Joshua Beren and Naomi Beren as trustees.
Sheena Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Joshua Beren
Trustee
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Naomi Beren
Trustee
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 Sheena Foundation
How much does Sheena Foundation give each year?
Sheena Foundation gave $10K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $40K across 20 grants.
What is Sheena Foundation's typical grant size?
Sheena Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $180, and its average grant was $518, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sheena Foundation that year got $596 on average.
Where does Sheena Foundation give grants?
Sheena Foundation gives mostly in New Jersey: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Lakewood, NJ (14 grants).
Does Sheena Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 20 grants with a stated purpose on Sheena Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Educational" (9 grants), "Charitable" (7 grants) and "Religious" (3 grants).
Who are Sheena Foundation's largest grantees?
Sheena Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Cong Bnos Yaakov ($5,000), Kollel Hora'ah of America ($1,000) and Yeshiva Yesodei Hatorah ($950), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 67% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Sheena Foundation?
Sheena Foundation reported $513K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $12K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $24K (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 Sheena Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing describes its direct charitable activity as making grants to educational, religious, and charitable organizations. Its 2025 grants included educational and religious organizations, as well as charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sheena Foundation?
The filing says applications must be submitted in writing and include the uses to which the grant will be placed. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Sheena Foundation's EIN?
Sheena Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-7136011. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 13, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 19, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from Sheena 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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