The Shapira Foundation
The Shapira Foundation is a private foundation based in Lake Oswego, Oregon. It supports organizations providing direct resources to improve education and, primarily, the quality of life of disadvantaged families and individuals in the Portland, Oregon area.
The Shapira Foundation at a glance
In short: The Shapira Foundation gave $66K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Oregon. 36% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $66,000
- +8.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +10.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,000
- -1.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,091,979
- -7.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 36% first-time grantees (4 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Oregon (74% 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 The Shapira Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests through a 1–2 page letter of inquiry. The letter should describe the organization and its experience, the proposed project and need, who it will serve and where, how it relates to the foundation’s focus, the amount requested and how funds would be used, and the total project or program budget. Applicants should not submit a full application unless invited. If invited, they may be asked to complete a more detailed application; the foundation may also request a site visit or interview. Approved applicants must sign a grant agreement. Awardees are expected to evaluate their projects and submit annual reporting, with requirements varying by award amount.
- Review Cycle
- The website states that letters of inquiry are due June 30 of the current calendar year; June 30, 2026 has passed. The 2025 filing lists no deadline.
- Deadline
- The website states that letters of inquiry are due June 30 of the current calendar year; June 30, 2026 has passed.
- Contact
Application contact: Cathy Thompson
Mailing address: 16869 65Th Avenue 505, Lake Oswego, OR 97035-7865
Phone: (503) 758-2398
Email: robbt@shapirafoundation.org
Website: https://www.shapirafoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Shapira Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Wheel to Walk Foundation ($10K). Together the top 10 received $56K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($10,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
50 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 50 grants of 50 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation describes its primary service area as the Portland, Oregon area and says its health and human services support includes families throughout the Portland metropolitan area. In 2025, 74% of grant dollars went to recipients in Oregon, 18% to California, and 8% to Washington, DC.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Shapira Foundation open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 11 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 36% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 53% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 71% 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 $35K (2021) to $66K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $66K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $10,000 |
| Wheel to Walk Foundation Portland, OR | To purchase medical and adaptive equipment for children with disabilities. | $10,000 |
| Community Development Projects Inc DBA Project Mercy Poway, CA | To Build Home for Impoverished Family | $7,000 |
| Camp Rosenbaum Fund Portland, OR | Provide life-enhancing opportunities for low income young people through mentoring, camp, and athletic programs. | $5,000 |
| Candlelighters for Children Portland, OR | Support annual family camp weekend to enable families to to build a support network | $5,000 |
| CHP 11-99 Foundation Costa Mesa, CA | To provide scholarships to children of chp employees and support for families of fallen officers | $5,000 |
| Community Transition School Portland, OR | Tuition free private school dedicated to the educational needs of children experiencing homelessness. | $5,000 |
| Merry Heart Children's Camp Portland, OR | The purpose of the grant is to support our youth with heart conditions attend a summer camp dedicated to them | $5,000 |
| Mt Hood Kiwanis Camp Portland, OR | To provide equitable access to programming for individuals with develomental disabilities in the community | $5,000 |
| Un Watch - USA Washington, DC | Further the un watch mission of monitoring the un by the yardstick of its own character. | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Shapira 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 | $1,091,979 | $39,237 | $130,902 | $66,000 | 11 | $66,000 | $34,071 | $92,727 |
| 2024 | $1,183,644 | $504,307 | $131,645 | $60,800 | 10 | $60,800 | $453,545 | $76,380 |
| 2023 | $810,982 | $77,654 | $96,840 | $46,000 | 9 | $46,000 | $72,659 | $59,927 |
| 2022 | $830,168 | $34,749 | $77,706 | $43,000 | 12 | $48,859 | $30,966 | $64,629 |
| 2021 | $873,125 | $73,373 | $70,161 | $34,500 | 8 | $65,490 | $69,852 | $71,035 |
| 2020 | $869,913 | $52,602 | $73,340 | $47,500 | 8 | — | $50,020 | $62,284 |
| 2019 | $890,651 | $45,909 | $66,290 | $41,000 | 9 | — | $40,609 | $62,192 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Shapira Foundation reported a distributable amount of $93K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to support organizations that provide direct resources to improve education and primarily the quality of life of disadvantaged families and individuals in the Portland area. Its stated focus areas include educational opportunities for disadvantaged or disabled people, healthy development for people facing disadvantages or disabilities, and support for children in crisis through Hug Patrol®.
The foundation’s website describes support for children’s programs, education and mentoring, and health and human services addressing needs such as hunger, homelessness, and domestic violence. Grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of supported work: Play It Forward says it works to expand access to music instruction and instruments for students in need; Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp says it empowers people with developmental disabilities through equitable access to outdoor recreation; and Camp Rosenbaum Fund says it provides youth development and citizenship camp for children from low-income housing communities.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $66,000. Grants ranged from $4,000 to $10,000, with a median of $5,000. Notable awards included $10,000 to Wheel to Walk Foundation for medical and adaptive equipment for children with disabilities, $7,000 to Community Development Projects Inc. (Project Mercy) to build a home for an impoverished family, and $5,000 each to Camp Rosenbaum Fund, Candlelighters for Children, Community Transition School, Merry Heart Children’s Camp, Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp, CHP 11-99 Foundation, and UN Watch–USA. Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oregon received $4,000.
The foundation’s website says awards generally range from 2% to 5% of a project or program budget and may support start-up or ongoing work. It says awards are primarily distributed by invitation, while unsolicited letters of inquiry that meet its guidelines will also be considered.
The website says grants are for IRS-designated 501(c)(3) organizations described in IRC 509(a)(1), (2), or (3), and excludes individuals and capital campaigns. The foundation’s 2025 filing additionally lists exclusions for athletic teams, events, debt reduction drives, political organizations, benefit tickets, religious purposes, and lobbying activities.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Anne L. Shapira and Elijahu Shapira as trustees and Cathy Thompson as program director.
The Shapira Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Anne L. Shapira
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elijahu Shapira
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cathy Thompson
Program Director
On filings since 2024
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Robert C. Thompson (2019–2023) — Executive Director
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 The Shapira Foundation
How much does The Shapira Foundation give each year?
The Shapira Foundation gave $66K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $61K across 10 grants.
What is The Shapira Foundation's typical grant size?
The Shapira Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,000, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Shapira Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does The Shapira Foundation give grants?
The Shapira Foundation gives mostly in Oregon: 74% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (18%) and District of Columbia (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Portland, OR (7 grants).
Does The Shapira Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on The Shapira Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are The Shapira Foundation's largest grantees?
The Shapira Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Wheel to Walk Foundation ($10,000), Community Development Projects Inc DBA Project Mercy ($7,000) and Camp Rosenbaum Fund ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($10,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Shapira Foundation?
The Shapira Foundation reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $66K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $93K (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 Shapira Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to support organizations that provide direct resources to improve education and primarily the quality of life of disadvantaged families and individuals in the Portland area. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Shapira Foundation?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests through a 1–2 page letter of inquiry. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Shapira Foundation's EIN?
The Shapira Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 93-1306729. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Shapira Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 23, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 18, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 27, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 10, 2024)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Shapira Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-shapira-foundation-morg_6f0c3ffc20814d248d5b075a5259ffe0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_931306729_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Shapira Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-shapira-foundation-morg_6f0c3ffc20814d248d5b075a5259ffe0},
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 Shapira 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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