The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes
The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes is a private foundation based in Somerville, Massachusetts. In 2025, it made 89 grants totaling $458,500 to charitable organizations, including recipients working in historic preservation, landscape heritage, science and education, and design education.
The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes at a glance
In short: The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes gave $459K across 89 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Ohio. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $458,500
- +110.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 89
- +23.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,152
- +70.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $3,933,418
- -3.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Ohio (60% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes
- 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: 211 Tremont St Unit 5, Somerville, MA 02143
Phone: (617) 225-2401
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Friends of Mendelsohn ($250K). Together the top 10 received $381K.
Grant Size Distribution
328 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 323 grants of 328 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio (60%), Massachusetts (15%), and Washington, DC (13%). Recipients in New York received 6% and those in Illinois received 3%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 89 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes gives
- 78% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 83% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 179% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $63K (2020) to $459K (2025). In 2025 it made 89 grants totaling $459K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Friends of Mendelsohn Cleveland, OH | Annual Fund | $250,000 |
| Cleveland Museum of Natural History Cleveland, OH | Shafran Planetarium | $25,000 |
| The Cultural Landscape Foundation Washington, DC | Annual Fund | $25,000 |
| The Cultural Landscape Foundation Washington, DC | The Landscape Prize | $25,000 |
| Boston Architectural College Boston, MA | Bac Exhibition Program | $10,000 |
| Chicago Mobile Makers Chicago, IL | Annual Fund | $10,000 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | Annual Fund | $8,500 |
| Dana Farber Cancer Institute Inc Brookline, MA | Leukemia Research and CCL | $5,000 |
| The Cultural Landscape Foundation Washington, DC | Soak It up Conference | $5,000 |
| ACLU Foundation New York, NY | Annual Fund | $2,500 |
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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 | $3,933,418 | $341,353 | $475,120 | $458,500 | 89 | $458,760 | $329,113 | $256,770 |
| 2024 | $4,067,185 | $176,192 | $234,553 | $218,005 | 72 | $218,059 | $164,877 | $243,226 |
| 2023 | $4,125,546 | $181,771 | $231,796 | $219,710 | 89 | $219,799 | $171,788 | $218,044 |
| 2022 | $4,175,571 | $115,674 | $266,418 | $250,134 | 50 | $250,234 | $104,787 | $223,217 |
| 2021 | $4,326,315 | $161,468 | $137,355 | $126,441 | 28 | $126,491 | $151,525 | $247,379 |
| 2020 | $4,302,202 | $48,857 | $70,460 | $63,000 | 15 | — | $48,507 | $214,591 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes reported a distributable amount of $257K 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 include support for organizations working in architecture and design, cultural landscapes, natural history, science, education, cancer research, and civil liberties.
Among its grantees, Friends of Mendelsohn describes its mission as preserving, restoring, and maintaining architect Eric Mendelsohn’s Park Synagogue and making the property accessible to the public. The Cultural Landscape Foundation says it connects people to places and educates and engages the public about shared landscape heritage. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History says it uses science and education to inspire a passion for nature, protect natural diversity, foster health, and support a sustainable future. Boston Architectural College describes its commitment to design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities. Chicago Mobile Makers says it provides design-focused skill-building programming to empower youth as advocates and change-makers in their communities.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 89 grants totaling $458,500. Grants ranged from $250 to $250,000, with a median grant of $1,000. The largest listed award was $250,000 to Friends of Mendelsohn for its annual fund. Other notable grants included $25,000 to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for its Shafran Planetarium; two $25,000 grants to the Cultural Landscape Foundation, for its annual fund and The Landscape Prize; $10,000 to Boston Architectural College for its exhibition program; and $10,000 to Chicago Mobile Makers for its annual fund.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Joan Shafran is president and director. Rob Haimes is treasurer and director.
The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes is led by Joan Shafran, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Joan Shafran
President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Rob Haimes
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes
How much does The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes give each year?
The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes gave $459K across 89 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $218K across 72 grants.
What is The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes's typical grant size?
The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $5,152, across 89 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes give grants?
The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes gives mostly in Ohio: 60% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (15%) and District of Columbia (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (15 grants), Boston, MA (14 grants), Washington, DC (9 grants) and Cambridge, MA (6 grants).
Does The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes give general operating support?
Yes: 83% of The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (74 of 89) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes's largest grantees?
The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes's largest 2025 grantees include Friends of Mendelsohn ($250,000), The Cultural Landscape Foundation ($55,000 across 3 grants) and Cleveland Museum of Natural History ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 72% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes?
The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes reported $3.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $459K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $257K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in architecture and design, cultural landscapes, natural history, science, education, cancer research, and civil liberties. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes?
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 The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes's EIN?
The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 01-0850218. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 5, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 9, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 3, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-joan-shafran-and-rob-haimes-morg_9891b477989e42bba5538b95c491247c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_010850218_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-joan-shafran-and-rob-haimes-morg_9891b477989e42bba5538b95c491247c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. 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 The Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes'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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