Shelby Family Foundation
Shelby Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It made 14 grants totaling $40,000 in filing year 2025 to charitable organizations in North Carolina, Florida, and Colorado.
Shelby Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Shelby Family Foundation gave $40K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in North Carolina. 29% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $40,000
- +8.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- -26.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,857
- +46.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $698,805
- +2.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 29% first-time grantees (4 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (57% 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 Shelby Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states on its 2023 filing that it does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. The filing says applications should be written and include evidence of Section 501(c)(3) status; it lists no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: Carole Shelby
Mailing address: 232 Cedar Club Circle, Chapel Hill, NC 27517
Phone: (847) 784-1812
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Shelby Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Homeless Children IRC ($8K). Together the top 10 received $36K.
Grant Size Distribution
92 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 92 grants of 92 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
For filing year 2025, the foundation’s grant dollars were reported as 57% to North Carolina recipients, 30% to Florida recipients, and 12% to Colorado recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Shelby Family Foundation open to new grantees?
29%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 14 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 57% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−3%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 107% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $29K (2020) to $41K (2022). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $40K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Homeless Children IRC Indian River Shores, FL | Charitable | $8,000 |
| Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation Chapel Hill, NC | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Duke - Hardin Family ALS Durham, NC | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina Raleigh, NC | Charitable | $5,000 |
| North Carolina Ballet Raleigh, NC | Charitable | $2,500 |
| Ackland Art Museum Chapel Hill, NC | Charitable | $2,000 |
| Larimer Humane Society Loveland, CO | Charitable | $2,000 |
| Rocky Mountain Raptor Program Fort Collins, CO | Charitable | $2,000 |
| Vero Beach Museum of Art Vero Beach, FL | Charitable | $2,000 |
| Youth Sailing Foundation Vero Beach, FL | Charitable | $2,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Shelby Family 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $698,805 | $63,056 | $49,305 | $40,000 | 14 | $41,300 | $54,705 | $38,633 |
| 2024 | $685,054 | $65,897 | $51,191 | $37,000 | 19 | $37,775 | $19,124 | $40,849 |
| 2023 | $716,729 | $49,533 | $48,171 | $40,000 | 20 | $40,000 | $44,167 | $36,539 |
| 2022 | $715,367 | $38,307 | $50,494 | $41,200 | 21 | $44,655 | $32,468 | $39,713 |
| 2021 | $727,554 | $61,245 | $41,958 | $32,800 | 18 | — | $54,720 | $44,022 |
| 2020 | $708,267 | $16,268 | $37,277 | $29,000 | 19 | — | $11,042 | $36,302 |
| 2019 | $729,276 | $45,318 | $44,160 | $35,770 | 18 | — | $40,138 | $36,169 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Shelby Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $39K 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 included support for arts and cultural organizations, a food bank, a library foundation, organizations serving children, and animal-welfare organizations. Among the grantees, Rocky Mountain Raptor Program describes its mission as caring for and rehabilitating injured birds of prey, releasing them back into the wild, and providing public education and outreach. Off the Hook Arts says it enriches children’s lives through free group music lessons and instruments and presents classical, jazz, and world music performances.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $40,000 through 14 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $8,000, with a median of $2,000. Notable grants included $8,000 to Homeless Children IRC; $5,000 each to Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation, Duke - Hardin Family ALS, and Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina; and $2,500 to North Carolina Ballet. Other listed recipients included Ackland Art Museum, Larimer Humane Society, Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Youth Sailing Foundation, The Cedars Education Program, and Carolina Performing Arts.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Carole Shelby as President/Director, Justin Shelby as Treasurer/Director, and Paige Oiumet as Secretary/Director.
Shelby Family Foundation is led by Carole Shelby, President & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Carole Shelby
President & Director
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Justin Shelby
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paige Oiumet
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2023
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Christian Shelby (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Paige Ouimet (2019–2022) — Secretary & Director
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 Shelby Family Foundation
How much does Shelby Family Foundation give each year?
Shelby Family Foundation gave $40K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $37K across 19 grants.
What is Shelby Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Shelby Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,857, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Shelby Family Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Shelby Family Foundation give grants?
Shelby Family Foundation gives mostly in North Carolina: 57% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Florida (30%) and Colorado (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chapel Hill, NC (5 grants), Raleigh, NC (2 grants), Vero Beach, FL (2 grants) and Fort Collins, CO (2 grants).
Does Shelby Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on Shelby Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (14 grants).
Who are Shelby Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Shelby Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Homeless Children IRC ($8,000), Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation ($5,000) and Duke - Hardin Family ALS ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 45% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Shelby Family Foundation?
Shelby Family Foundation reported $699K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $41K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $39K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Shelby Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for arts and cultural organizations, a food bank, a library foundation, organizations serving children, and animal-welfare organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Shelby Family Foundation?
The foundation states on its 2023 filing that it does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Shelby Family Foundation's EIN?
Shelby Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4055432. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Shelby Family 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 21, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS December 6, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 23, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 6, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 5, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 8, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work Shelby Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Shelby Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
Enterprise Holdings Foundation
Saint Louis, MO
The Enterprise Holdings Foundation supports charitable and educational nonprofits in communities where Enterprise Mobility operates, focusing on health, education, arts, and disaster relief; applicants must be actively supported by an Enterprise Mobility team member, spouse, or domestic partner. Giving varies widely: it reported 9,499 grants in 2024, but its 2025 filing showed one grant of $101.4 million, so that amount is not a typical award. Applications are accepted at any time through eligible Enterprise-affiliated applicants; the Foundation does not limit giving to preselected organizations.
Assets
$594.3M
Grants
1
Total Given
$101.4M
Gannett Foundation Inc
New York, NY
Gannett Foundation’s 2025 grants supported a range of organizations, with listed awards generally between $1,500 and $2,500, though the available figures do not establish a typical grant size or geographic focus. The foundation has wound down: its 2026 filing reports no grants or assets, and no current application process or acceptance of unsolicited requests is stated.
Assets
—
Grants
32
Total Given
$65K
Community Foundation of Northern Colorado
Fort Collins, CO
The Community Foundation of Northern Colorado supports nonprofits addressing regional needs—including housing, water, and mental health—in Larimer County and Eastern Colorado, with Community Fund grants focused on Berthoud, Estes Valley, Fort Collins, and Loveland. Its competitive grants typically range from $2,500–$5,000 for Community Grants and average about $20,000 for Intersections Grants; full Intersections applications are by invitation, while Community Grants use a single-step application.
Assets
$244.7M
Grants
268
Total Given
$16.0M
Triangle Community Foundation Inc
Durham, NC
The foundation supports nonprofits in cultural arts, education and youth, nonprofit capacity building, and sustainable communities, with grants also benefiting fields such as health, conservation, and human services. Its 2025 grants had a median of $20,000 and ranged from about $5,000 to $1.39 million; it primarily serves Durham, Orange, Wake, and Chatham Counties in North Carolina. It accepts applications for competitive discretionary programs during open grant cycles; donor-advised fund grants are also made.
Assets
$335.8M
Grants
599
Total Given
$26.7M
Otter Cares Foundation
Fort Collins, CO
Assets
$9.7M
Grants
490
Total Given
$693K
Colorado Gives Foundation
Arvada, CO
Colorado Gives Foundation funds nonprofits serving Jefferson County in areas including food security, early care and education, workforce development, housing, health and convenient neighborhoods; it also offers statewide nonprofit capacity-building support. Typical giving varies widely: its 2024 median grant was $17,814, while Thriving Jeffco Responsive Grant awards ranged from $2,500 to $100,000. It accepts applications through listed grant opportunities, but whether it accepts unsolicited requests is not stated.
Assets
$527.1M
Grants
2,211
Total Given
$91.0M
More similar funders
More Funders in North Carolina
The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from Shelby Family 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.
Shelby Family Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?