The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Newington, NH EIN: 81-4504844

The Shafmaster Charitable is a private foundation based in Newington, New Hampshire. Its 2024 grants supported organizations and individuals in Maine, Florida, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, including food-security programs, support for foster and adoptive families, and scholarships.

The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation at a glance

In short: The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation gave $148K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $12K), top state Maine. 25% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$147,500
+2.4% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
12
+9.1% vs 2024
Average grant
$12,292
-6.1% vs 2024
Median grant
$7,500
Total assets
$2,222,689
+7.9% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
25% first-time grantees (3 of 12, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Maine (31% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

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

Contact

Mailing address: 158 Shattuck Way, Newington, NH 03801
Phone: (603) 431-3170

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

Who The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Salud Que Transforma USA Inc: $35KSalud Que Transforma USA Inc$35KLocker Project: $25KLocker Project$25KYouth Full Maine: $20KYouth Full Maine$20KGather: $10KGather$10KHaley a Phillips - Scholarship: $8KHaley a Phillips - Scholarship$8KOlivia Melo - Scholarship: $8KOlivia Melo - Scholarship$8KKayla Serafin: $8KKayla Serafin$8KJanciel Martinez: $8KJanciel Martinez$8KJonathan Matombo: $8KJonathan Matombo$8KAva Siegel: $8KAva Siegel$8K

The largest 2025 recipient was Salud Que Transforma USA Inc ($35K). Together the top 10 received $135K.

Grant Size Distribution

42 grants across all recorded years

42<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 42 grants of 42 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in Maine (40%), Florida (28%), New Hampshire (17%), and Massachusetts (16%). The foundation’s reported 2023 direct charitable activities served children in foster care in parts of Vermont and Maine.

Grant Distribution by State

4states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.

Cities

PortsmouthBiddefordPortlandVeniceBangorBradfordExeterHaverhillByfieldNashuaNewbury

Is The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?

25%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 3 of 12 grantees (25%) 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 $8K; repeat grants $14K. How we count

Medians: $8K first-time, $8K repeat.

  • 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+8%). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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

$0$50K$100K$150K5 grants2020 6 grants2021 6 grants2022 7 grants2023 11 grants2024 12 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $100K (2020) to $148K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $148K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Salud Que Transforma USA Inc Venice, FLGeneral Support / Program$35,000
Locker Project Portland, MEGeneral Support / Program$25,000
Youth Full Maine Biddeford, MEGeneral Support / Program$20,000
Gather Portsmouth, NHGeneral Support / Program$10,000
Haley a Phillips - Scholarship Bradford, MAScholarship$7,500
Olivia Melo - Scholarship Haverhill, MAScholarship$7,500
Kayla Serafin Exeter, NHScholarship$7,500
Janciel Martinez Byfield, MAScholarship$7,500
Jonathan Matombo Haverhill, MAScholarship$7,500
Ava Siegel Exeter, NHScholarship$7,500
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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
2025$2,222,689$403,165$357,263$147,50012$359,966$128,165—
2024$2,060,764$332,466$322,652$144,00011$341,609$70,193—
2023$1,781,914$331,769$306,754$134,5007$324,661$60,591—
2022$1,733,946$2,015,000$287,827$137,0006$298,879——
2021$178,267$250,000$254,287$127,0006———
2020$175,673$260,000$257,075$100,0005——$1

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 grants included general support or program grants to organizations working on food security and support for foster, adoptive, and kinship-care families, as well as scholarships to individuals.

Among the grantees, Youth Full Maine describes its work as supporting school food programs in York County in partnership with Good Shepherd Food Bank. The Locker Project says it connects food-insecure children in Maine with nourishing food. Gather describes programs including a pantry market, mobile markets, and meals for children. Step Up Parents says it offers financial assistance and support to New Hampshire relative caregivers. Adoptive & Foster Families of Maine describes providing support services, training, guidance, and resources to adoptive and foster parents and kinship providers.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation made 11 grants totaling $144,000. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $40,000, with a median of $7,500. Notable grants included $40,000 to Salud Que Transforma USA Inc., $30,000 to Youth Full Maine, $25,000 to the Locker Project, and $10,000 to Gather. It also awarded four $7,500 scholarships and grants of $5,000 to Step Up Parents and $2,000 each to the New Hampshire Foster Adoptive Parent Association and Adoptive Foster Families of Maine. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 12 grants totaling $147,500.

In 2023, the foundation reported direct programs providing winter-clothing vouchers for children in foster care in the White River Junction district of Vermont’s Department of Children and Families, and gift cards for children in foster care in Washington and Aroostook counties in Maine. The filing describes these as board-run programs for eligible children, rather than funds provided to government entities to purchase clothing.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Jonathan Shafmaster, Clive Wang, John Paterson, Cristin O'Hara, Jeffrey S. Towers, Becky L. Koch, John B. Emory, Michael Mulligan, and Kathryn L. Biberstein as officers or directors. Paterson is listed as President; Towers as Secretary; Koch as Treasurer; and the others as directors.

The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation is led by John Paterson, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 10 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • John Paterson

    President & Director

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Becky L. Koch

    Treasurer & Director

    Director → Treasurer & Director, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Clive Wang

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Cristin O'Hara

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jeffrey S. Towers

    Secretary & Director

    Director → Secretary & Director, 2021

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • John B. Emory

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jonathan Shafmaster

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Michael Mulligan

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kathryn L. Biberstein

    Director

    On filings since 2021

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jennifer Gray

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (3)
  • Former: Lorraine Beth Hoffman (2020–2023) — Director
  • Former: Evan Brodie (2020) — Former Director
  • Former: Gary Lamphere (2020) — Former Director

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 Shafmaster Charitable Foundation

How much does The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation give each year?

The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation gave $148K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $144K across 11 grants.

What is The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?

The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $12,292, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation that year got $8K on average.

Where does The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation give grants?

The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation's top state is Maine, with 31% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (25%) and Florida (24%). The most frequent recipient cities were Portsmouth, NH (2 grants), Haverhill, MA (2 grants) and Exeter, NH (2 grants).

Does The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 42% of The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (5 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (7 grants).

Who are The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?

The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Salud Que Transforma USA Inc ($35,000), Locker Project ($25,000) and Youth Full Maine ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation?

The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation reported $2.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $403K.

What does The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included general support or program grants to organizations working on food security and support for foster, adoptive, and kinship-care families, as well as scholarships to individuals. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation?

The foundation states that it 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 Shafmaster Charitable Foundation's EIN?

The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-4504844. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated November 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

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 14, 2021)
  2. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 11, 2026)
  3. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-shafmaster-charitable-foundation-morg_fa8b2eaa79b140a68fd19338f9d6ebac

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_814504844_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Shafmaster Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-shafmaster-charitable-foundation-morg_fa8b2eaa79b140a68fd19338f9d6ebac},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-11-02. 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 Shafmaster Charitable 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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