Short Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Kansas City, MO EIN: 81-0874804

Short Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Kansas City, Missouri. It reported 12 grants totaling $146,750 in filing year 2024, primarily to organizations in Missouri.

Short Family Foundation at a glance

In short: Short Family Foundation gave $147K across 12 grants in 2024 (avg $12K), mostly in Missouri. 50% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$146,750
-23.6% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
12
-57.1% vs 2023
Average grant
$12,229
+78.3% vs 2023
Median grant
$2,625
Total assets
$2,095,544
+19.4% vs 2023
New grantees (estimate)
50% first-time grantees (6 of 12, 2024; small sample)
Primary geography
Missouri (95% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to Short Family Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Contact

Mailing address: 5629 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO 64113
Phone: (816) 210-4437

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Short Family Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

St Lukes Foundation: $50KSt Lukes Foundation$50KThe Summit Church: $36KThe Summit Church$36KEnglewood Arts: $25KEnglewood Arts$25KKauffman Center for Performing Arts: $15KKauffman Center for PerformingArts$15KCompass Elementary: $10KCompass Elementary$10KAnswering the Call: $3KAnswering the Call$3KGift of Life: $3KGift of Life$3KLee's Summit Parks & Rec: $2KLee's Summit Parks & Rec$2KSt Michael the Archangel: $2KSt Michael the Archangel$2KKyles Gift: $1KKyles Gift$1K

The largest 2024 recipient was St Lukes Foundation ($50K). Together the top 10 received $145K.

Grant Size Distribution

106 grants across all recorded years

105<$50K1$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 105 grants of 106 (99%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in Missouri, 3% to recipients in Kansas, and 2% to recipients in Virginia.

Grant Distribution by State

16states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.

Cities

Kansas CityLees SummitNew YorkWashingtonKingsvilleMontgomeryDallasOverland ParkRoanokeSt. LouisChicagoColumbiaFairfieldIndependenceLa JollaNewarkArlingtonAtlantaBrooklynHarpers Ferry

Is Short Family Foundation open to new grantees?

50%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 6 of 12 grantees (50%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $14K. How we count

Medians: $1K first-time, $9K repeat.

  • 50% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−5%). Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 112% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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

$0$50K$100K$150K$200K21 grants2020 24 grants2021 21 grants2022 28 grants2023 12 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $147K (2024) to $192K (2023). In 2024 it made 12 grants totaling $147K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
St Lukes Foundation Kansas City, MOProgram Funding for Organization Activities$50,000
The Summit Church Lees Summit, MOProgram Funding for Organization Activities$36,000
Englewood Arts Independence, MOProgram Funding for Organization Activities$25,000
Kauffman Center for Performing Arts Kansas City, MOProgram Funding for Organization Activities$15,000
Compass Elementary Kansas City, MOProgram Funding for Organization Activities$10,000
Answering the Call Roanoke, VAProgram Funding for Organization Activities$2,750
Gift of Life Overland Park, KSProgram Funding for Organization Activities$2,500
Lee's Summit Parks & Rec Lees Summit, MOProgram Funding for Organization Activitiies$1,500
St Michael the Archangel Leawood, KSProgram Funding for Organization Activities$1,500
Kyles Gift Lees Summit, MOProgram Funding for Organization Activities$1,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2024$2,095,544$492,029$151,105$146,75012$146,750$492,029$131,356
2023$1,754,620$97,159$199,698$192,04228$192,042$97,159$101,485
2022$1,857,159$139,767$165,747$162,51721$162,517$152,787$116,497
2021$1,883,139$65,161$157,212$154,24024$154,240$65,161$133,739
2020$1,975,190$63,413$192,298$189,00021—$63,413$116,878

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Short Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $131K for 2024 — 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 2024 grantees include organizations with varied missions. For example, Englewood Arts describes its work as supporting community development through incentives, public art, arts programming, philanthropy, and outreach. Youth Ambassadors describes its program as empowering underserved teenagers through life and job skills, creative expression, and adult mentorship. These are grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $146,750. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $50,000, with a median of $2,625. The largest grants included $50,000 to St. Luke’s Foundation, $36,000 to The Summit Church, $25,000 to Englewood Arts, $15,000 to Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, and $10,000 to Compass Elementary. The filing lists program funding for organization activities as the purpose of these grants.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists:

  • Benjamin D. Short — President
  • Alexander M. Short — Vice President
  • Janet M. Short — Secretary
  • Phillip D. Short — Treasurer

Short Family Foundation is led by Benjamin D. Short, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Benjamin D. Short

    President

    On filings since 2020

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Alexander M. Short

    Vice President

    On filings since 2020

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Janet M. Short

    Secretary

    On filings since 2020

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Phillip D. Short

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Short Family Foundation

How much does Short Family Foundation give each year?

Short Family Foundation gave $147K across 12 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $192K across 28 grants.

What is Short Family Foundation's typical grant size?

Short Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $2,625, and its average grant was $12,229, across 12 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Short Family Foundation that year got $11K on average.

Where does Short Family Foundation give grants?

Short Family Foundation gives mostly in Missouri: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Kansas City, MO (4 grants) and Lees Summit, MO (4 grants).

Does Short Family Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2024: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on Short Family Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Funding for Organization Activities" (11 grants).

Who are Short Family Foundation's largest grantees?

Short Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include St Lukes Foundation ($50,000), The Summit Church ($36,000) and Englewood Arts ($25,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 76% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is Short Family Foundation?

Short Family Foundation reported $2.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $147K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $131K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Short Family Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grantees include organizations with varied missions. For example, Englewood Arts describes its work as supporting community development through incentives, public art, arts programming, philanthropy, and outreach. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Short Family Foundation?

The foundation 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 Short Family Foundation's EIN?

Short Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-0874804. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does Short 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

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Short Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/short-family-foundation-morg_309ace8bbc3c4048ae0b7468ebd76472

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_810874804_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Short Family Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/short-family-foundation-morg_309ace8bbc3c4048ae0b7468ebd76472},
  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 Short 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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