Shoemaker Family Foundation
The Shoemaker Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Cambridge, Nebraska. It makes grants to charitable and governmental entities; its 2025 filing lists 15 grants totaling $107,000.
Shoemaker Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Shoemaker Family Foundation gave $107K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Nebraska. 15% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $107,000
- +15.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,133
- +15.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,195,886
- -0.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 15% first-time grantees (2 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Nebraska (97% 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 Shoemaker Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s 2024 filing says to submit a narrative detailing the purpose of the expenditure for the amount requested. It identifies Kristina Witte as the contact and says grants are limited to 501(c)(3) charitable entities or governmental entities. The filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Review Cycle
- None listed on the 2024 filing.
- Deadline
- None listed on the 2024 filing.
- Contact
Application contact: Kristina Witte
Mailing address: 304 Nelson Street, Cambridge, NE 69022
Phone: (308) 697-3395
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Shoemaker Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Economic Development Foundation ($15K). Together the top 10 received $100K.
Grant Size Distribution
66 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 66 grants of 66 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 97% of grant dollars went to recipients in Nebraska and 3% to recipients in Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Shoemaker Family Foundation open to new grantees?
15%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 13 grantees (15%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $13K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 77% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+5%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 96% 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 $75K (2021) to $107K (2025). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $107K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Economic Development Foundation Cambridge, NE | General Support | $15,000 |
| Nebraska Humanities Council Lincoln, NE | General Support | $15,000 |
| Open Sky Policy Institute Lincoln, NE | General Support | $10,000 |
| Nebraska Journalism Trust Omaha, NE | Flatwater Free Press | $10,000 |
| Nebraska Chamber Players Lincoln, NE | Art Spirit | $10,000 |
| Nebraska Appleseed Lincoln, NE | General Support | $10,000 |
| City of Cambridge Cambridge, NE | Main Street Revival Mural | $5,000 |
| Cambridge Public Schools Cambridge, NE | Trap Team | $5,000 |
| Cambridge Public Schools Cambridge, NE | Backpack Program | $5,000 |
| Cambridge Public Schools Cambridge, NE | Washington, DC Trip | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Shoemaker 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 | $1,195,886 | $119,514 | $120,821 | $107,000 | 15 | $110,424 | $112,228 | $115,179 |
| 2024 | $1,197,193 | $121,329 | $102,577 | $92,500 | 15 | $95,570 | $114,322 | $109,902 |
| 2023 | $1,178,441 | $42,401 | $105,550 | $96,000 | 11 | $99,414 | $49,787 | $98,087 |
| 2022 | $1,241,590 | $51,803 | $115,553 | $101,500 | 14 | $105,112 | $46,650 | $98,533 |
| 2021 | $1,305,340 | $214,380 | $83,039 | $75,000 | 11 | $77,673 | $207,781 | $103,036 |
| 2020 | $1,173,999 | $60,653 | $106,482 | $93,500 | 14 | — | $55,181 | $89,472 |
| 2019 | $1,219,828 | $269,786 | $89,704 | $81,500 | 13 | — | $263,041 | $86,541 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Shoemaker Family Foundation 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 September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations and projects in areas including humanities, journalism, arts, community development, education, and social services.
Among its 2025 grantees, the Nebraska Humanities Council describes its mission as helping Nebraskans explore what connects people and makes them human. The Nebraska Journalism Trust describes its mission as uncovering truth, amplifying diverse voices, and enriching life in Nebraska.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave 15 grants totaling $107,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $15,000, with a median of $5,000. Notable grants included $15,000 to the Economic Development Foundation in Cambridge for general support; $15,000 to the Nebraska Humanities Council for general support; and $10,000 each to Open Sky Policy Institute for general support, Nebraska Journalism Trust for Flatwater Free Press, Nebraska Chamber Players for Art Spirit, and Nebraska Appleseed for general support. Cambridge Public Schools received three $5,000 grants for its trap team, backpack program, and Washington, DC trip.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kristina L. Witte as president and director; J. August Shoemaker as secretary and director; William E. Shoemaker as treasurer and director; Kathryn A. Heitmann as vice president and director; and D. Charles Shoemaker as director.
Shoemaker Family Foundation is led by Kristina L. Witte, President & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kristina L. Witte
President & Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
D. Charles Shoemaker
Director
Secretary & Director → Director, 2022
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
J. August Shoemaker
Secretary & Director
Vice President & Director → Secretary & Director, 2022
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kathryn A. Heitmann
Vice President & Director
Director → Vice President & Director, 2022
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William E. Shoemaker
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 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 Shoemaker Family Foundation
How much does Shoemaker Family Foundation give each year?
Shoemaker Family Foundation gave $107K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $93K across 15 grants.
What is Shoemaker Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Shoemaker Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $7,133, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Shoemaker Family Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does Shoemaker Family Foundation give grants?
Shoemaker Family Foundation gives mostly in Nebraska: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Lincoln, NE (7 grants) and Cambridge, NE (6 grants).
Does Shoemaker Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 47% of Shoemaker Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (7 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Shoemaker Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Shoemaker Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Economic Development Foundation ($15,000), Cambridge Public Schools ($15,000 across 3 grants) and Nebraska Humanities Council ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 42% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Shoemaker Family Foundation?
Shoemaker Family Foundation reported $1.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $110K 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 Shoemaker Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations and projects in areas including humanities, journalism, arts, community development, education, and social services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Shoemaker Family Foundation?
The foundation’s 2024 filing says to submit a narrative detailing the purpose of the expenditure for the amount requested. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Shoemaker Family Foundation's EIN?
Shoemaker Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3332899. 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 5, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 8, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 28, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 19, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 11, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 25, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Shoemaker Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/shoemaker-family-foundation-morg_ed2ee2cf77ec44378892534b60afc3f9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363332899_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Shoemaker Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/shoemaker-family-foundation-morg_ed2ee2cf77ec44378892534b60afc3f9},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Shoemaker 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.
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