The Shanahan Family Charitable logo

The Shanahan Family Charitable

Private foundation · Grantmaker Pasadena, CA EIN: 20-7267377 Website

The Shanahan Family Charitable is a private foundation based in Pasadena, California. Its 2024 filing reports 47 grants totaling $18,755,533, supporting organizations that include colleges, research institutes, hospitals, and education and media organizations.

The Shanahan Family Charitable at a glance

In short: The Shanahan Family Charitable gave $18.8M across 47 grants in 2024 (avg $399K), top state California. 19% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$18,755,533
+6.4% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
47
+17.5% vs 2023
Average grant
$399,054
-9.4% vs 2023
Median grant
$100,000
Total assets
$439,456,028
+4.9% vs 2023
New grantees (estimate)
19% first-time grantees (9 of 47, 2024)
Primary geography
California (24% 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 The Shanahan Family Charitable

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

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

Contact

Mailing address: 150 S Los Robles Ave Ste 860, Pasadena, CA 91101
Phone: (626) 568-0915

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

Who The Shanahan Family Charitable funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundati: $2.7MAlzheimer's Drug DiscoveryFoundati$2.7MHarvey Mudd College: $2.1MHarvey Mudd College$2.1MAllen Institute: $2.1MAllen Institute$2.1MChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia: $1.7MChildren's Hospital ofPhiladelphia$1.7MAlzheimer's Disease Data Initiative: $1.6MAlzheimer's Disease DataInitiative$1.6MIndependent Media Initiative: $1.2MIndependent Media Initiative$1.2MCobbs Creek Restoration and Comm Fd: $1.2MCobbs Creek Restoration andComm Fd$1.2MTufts University: $910KTufts University$910KUniversity of Pennsylvania: $700KUniversity of Pennsylvania$700KSt Margaret's Episcopal School: $450KSt Margaret's Episcopal School$450K

The largest 2024 recipient was Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundati ($2.7M). Together the top 10 received $14.6M.

Grant Size Distribution

190 grants across all recorded years

52<$50K29$50–100K38$100–250K33$250–500K16$500K–1M22$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 52 grants of 190 (27%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2024 grant dollars were distributed among recipients in California (24%), Pennsylvania (24%), Washington (20%), New York (15%), and Texas (8%). The largest listed grants also included awards to organizations in Massachusetts, including $910,116 to Tufts University.

Grant Distribution by State

18states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 47 itemized grants.

Cities

PhiladelphiaLos AngelesMediaClaremontWashingtonNew YorkAustinNewtown SquareBostonBrooklynDana PointOrangeRadnorSalisburyStanfordLafayetteLivermoreMedfordSeattleBerkeley

Is The Shanahan Family Charitable open to new grantees?

19%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 9 of 47 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $18K; repeat grants $489K. How we count

Medians: $7K first-time, $225K repeat.

  • 77% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving grew 224% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 94% 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 (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$5M$10M$15M$20M24 grants2020 26 grants2021 53 grants2022 40 grants2023 47 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $2.9M (2020) to $19.7M (2022). In 2024 it made 47 grants totaling $18.8M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundati New York, NYGeneral Purpose$2,676,667
Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CAGeneral Purpose$2,136,524
Allen Institute Seattle, WAGeneral Purpose$2,110,308
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PAGeneral Purpose$1,663,332
Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative Kirkland, WAGeneral Purpose$1,550,000
Independent Media Initiative Austin, TXGeneral Purpose$1,200,000
Cobbs Creek Restoration and Comm Fd Conshohocken, PAGeneral Purpose$1,184,571
Tufts University Medford, MAGeneral Purpose$910,116
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PAGeneral Purpose$700,000
St Margaret's Episcopal School San Juan Capistrano, CAGeneral Purpose$450,000
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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$439,456,028$24,863,436$23,539,806$18,755,53347$19,908,416$22,714,146$21,155,759
2023$418,792,137$25,396,820$8,889,213$17,626,73640$18,758,806$22,720,279$19,219,441
2022$382,158,548$13,697,435$31,345,919$19,661,61153$20,811,971$12,377,017$19,412,455
2021$474,422,660$5,045,547$26,306,324$5,789,24826$6,403,208$4,677,566$3,198,103
2020$421,143,239$340,572,424$2,890,013$2,942,02124—$5,586,765$2,392,652

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Shanahan Family Charitable reported a distributable amount of $21.2M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Harvey Mudd College says it educates engineers, scientists, and mathematicians alongside study in the humanities, social sciences, and arts. The Allen Institute describes its mission as advancing bioscience and knowledge to improve human health through open science and foundational research. The Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative says it brings together partners to help dementia researchers share data, tools, and findings and accelerate progress toward diagnostics, treatments, and cures. Independent Media Initiative says it supports online creators who share educational content on social media.

Other 2024 grantees include the Ocean Institute, which describes its work as providing ocean and maritime history learning experiences for children, and Last Mile Education Fund, which says it addresses financial-support gaps for low-income, underrepresented students nearing graduation in technology and engineering fields.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation made 47 grants totaling $18,755,533. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $2,676,667, with a median of $100,000. The largest listed awards included $2,676,667 to Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, $2,136,524 to Harvey Mudd College, $2,110,308 to Allen Institute, $1,663,332 to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and $1,550,000 to Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative. The filing lists the purposes of these grants as general purpose.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Capital Bank Trust Company as trustee.

The Shanahan Family Charitable's only listed officer is Capital Bank Trust Company, Trustee on every filing since 2020 (compensated).

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Capital Bank Trust Company

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    $51K (2020) → $437K (2024)

Former officers (1)
  • Former: Robert Michael Shanahan (2020) — Trustee

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.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

Capital Bank Trust Company — Trustee: $437KCapital Bank Trust…Trustee$437K

The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $437K, to Capital Bank Trust Company (Trustee).

Frequently asked questions about The Shanahan Family Charitable

How much does The Shanahan Family Charitable give each year?

The Shanahan Family Charitable gave $18.8M across 47 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $17.6M across 40 grants.

What is The Shanahan Family Charitable's typical grant size?

The Shanahan Family Charitable's median grant in 2024 was $100,000, and its average grant was $399,054, across 47 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Shanahan Family Charitable that year got $18K on average.

Where does The Shanahan Family Charitable give grants?

The Shanahan Family Charitable's top state is California, with 24% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Pennsylvania (24%) and Washington (20%). The most frequent recipient cities were Philadelphia, PA (6 grants), Austin, TX (3 grants), New York, NY (2 grants) and Los Angeles, CA (2 grants).

Does The Shanahan Family Charitable give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The Shanahan Family Charitable's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (47 of 47) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Shanahan Family Charitable's largest grantees?

The Shanahan Family Charitable's largest 2024 grantees include Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundati ($2,676,667), Harvey Mudd College ($2,136,524) and Allen Institute ($2,110,308), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Shanahan Family Charitable?

The Shanahan Family Charitable reported $439.5M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $19.9M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $21.2M (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 The Shanahan Family Charitable fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Harvey Mudd College says it educates engineers, scientists, and mathematicians alongside study in the humanities, social sciences, and arts. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Shanahan Family Charitable?

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it 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 The Shanahan Family Charitable's EIN?

The Shanahan Family Charitable's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-7267377. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does The Shanahan Family Charitable 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 October 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). The Shanahan Family Charitable funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-shanahan-family-charitable-morg_3e1cd4b3705f4dff9637560b061b32e9

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_207267377_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Shanahan Family Charitable funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-shanahan-family-charitable-morg_3e1cd4b3705f4dff9637560b061b32e9},
  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 The Shanahan Family Charitable'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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