The Shens Foundation
The Shens Foundation is a private foundation based in Saratoga, California. It reported 15 charitable grants totaling $83,567 in its 2025 filing.
The Shens Foundation at a glance
In short: The Shens Foundation gave $84K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $83,567
- +176.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +200.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,571
- -7.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $646,217
- -7.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (79% 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 Shens 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: 20680 Leonard Rd, Saratoga, CA 95070
Phone: (408) 892-1341
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Shens Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was JIK ($21K). Together the top 10 received $76K.
Grant Size Distribution
31 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 31 grants of 31 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 79% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 16% to New York, 4% to North Carolina, and 1% to Washington; less than 1% went to Texas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
How The Shens Foundation gives
- 33% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 73% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 88% 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 (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 $30K (2024) to $84K (2025). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $84K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| JIK Manhattan Beach, CA | Contribution to Charitable Organization. | $21,000 |
| Montalvo Arts Center Saratoga, CA | Contribution to Charitable Organization. | $10,160 |
| US Sichuan Chungoing General Association Inc Flushing, NY | Contribution to Charitable Organization. | $10,000 |
| Elk Grove Chinese Association Elk Grove, CA | Contribution to Charitable Organization. | $10,000 |
| San Jose Korean Presbyterian Church Sunnyvale, CA | Contribution to Charitable Organization. | $8,400 |
| West Valley-Mission Foundation Saratoga, CA | Contribution to Charitable Organization. | $4,000 |
| UNICEF USA New York, NY | Contribution to Charitable Organization. | $3,137 |
| Asian Liver Center Fund Stanford, CA | Contribution to Charitable Organization. | $3,000 |
| International Society for Children with Cancer Irvine, CA | Contribution to Charitable Organization. | $3,000 |
| Asian American for Better Community Cupertino, CA | Contribution to Charitable Organization. | $3,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Shens 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 | $646,217 | $31,418 | $86,653 | $83,567 | 15 | $85,109 | $29,874 | $97,151 |
| 2024 | $700,651 | $12,296 | $35,726 | $30,217 | 5 | $30,217 | $15,639 | $100,798 |
| 2023 | $718,215 | $17,647 | $38,862 | $38,625 | 3 | $38,625 | $17,853 | $72,865 |
| 2022 | $739,430 | $28,053 | $50,925 | $48,400 | 3 | $48,400 | $28,053 | $69,687 |
| 2021 | $762,302 | $23,865 | $39,014 | $35,133 | 5 | $35,133 | $23,865 | $82,550 |
| 2020 | $776,027 | $14,621 | $55,001 | $52,175 | 5 | — | $16,045 | $50,552 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Shens Foundation reported a distributable amount of $97K 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
The filing lists contributions to charitable organizations but does not state a mission. The 2025 grantees included education, arts, community, religious, health, and international organizations. For example, the Saratoga High School Foundation says its mission is to enhance the educational environment for more than 1,300 students through projects such as technology, campus beautification, and facilities renovations. The Gates Foundation describes its own mission as creating opportunities for people to live healthy, productive lives, including through work to reduce disease and poverty and prevent infectious diseases.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 15 grants totaling $83,567. Grants ranged from $370 to $21,000, with a median grant of $3,000. Notable grants included $21,000 to JIK, $10,160 to Montalvo Arts Center, $10,000 each to US Sichuan Chungoing General Association Inc. and Elk Grove Chinese Association, and $8,400 to San Jose Korean Presbyterian Church. Other listed recipients included West Valley-Mission Foundation ($4,000), UNICEF USA ($3,137), and Saratoga High School Foundation ($3,000).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists James Zhi-Fang Shen as CEO, Henry Arthur Shen as secretary, and Anna Shen as CFO.
The Shens Foundation is led by James Zhi-Fang Shen, CEO on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
James Zhi-Fang Shen
CEO
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Anna Shen
CFO
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Henry Arthur Shen
Secretary
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 Shens Foundation
How much does The Shens Foundation give each year?
The Shens Foundation gave $84K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $30K across 5 grants.
What is The Shens Foundation's typical grant size?
The Shens Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $5,571, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Shens Foundation give grants?
The Shens Foundation gives mostly in California: 79% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were Saratoga, CA (3 grants).
Does The Shens Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 15 grants with a stated purpose on The Shens Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Contribution to Charitable Organization." (15 grants).
Who are The Shens Foundation's largest grantees?
The Shens Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include JIK ($21,000), Montalvo Arts Center ($10,160) and US Sichuan Chungoing General Association Inc ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 49% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Shens Foundation?
The Shens Foundation reported $646K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $85K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $97K (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 Shens Foundation fund?
The filing lists contributions to charitable organizations but does not state a mission. The 2025 grantees included education, arts, community, religious, health, and international organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Shens 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 Shens Foundation's EIN?
The Shens Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-4447833. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Shens 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 16, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 13, 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 May 7, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 1, 2026)
Live grants for the work The Shens Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Shens Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Shens Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-shens-foundation-morg_119220da1b864180b0a0d395c3a6338b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_274447833_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Shens Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-shens-foundation-morg_119220da1b864180b0a0d395c3a6338b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Shens 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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