The Sherman Foundation
The Sherman Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. In its 2024 filing, it reported 10 charitable grants totaling $574,603 to organizations in Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina.
The Sherman Foundation at a glance
In short: The Sherman Foundation gave $575K across 10 grants in 2024 (avg $57K), mostly in Texas. 60% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $574,603
- -14.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 10
- +11.1% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $57,460
- -22.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $9,275
- Total assets
- $76,524,112
- +12.3% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 60% first-time grantees (6 of 10, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (97% 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 Sherman 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: 7502 Shadyvilla Ln, Houston, TX 77055
Phone: (281) 556-5628
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Sherman Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was The Methodist Hospital Foundation ($400K). Together the top 10 received $575K.
Grant Size Distribution
63 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 44 grants of 63 (70%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 97% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 2% to recipients in Louisiana, and 1% to recipients in North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Sherman Foundation open to new grantees?
60%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 6 of 10 grantees (60%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $135K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $65K repeat.
- 30% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+7%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 408% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $537K (2021) to $819K (2020). In 2024 it made 10 grants totaling $575K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Methodist Hospital Foundation Houston, TX | Charity | $400,000 |
| Restore Texas Ministries Huntsville, TX | Charity | $75,000 |
| Bernardo Volunteer Fire Cat Spring, TX | Charity | $55,353 |
| Columbia Hill Cemetery Assoc Columbia, LA | Charity | $10,000 |
| St Mark Lutheran Houston, TX | Charity | $10,000 |
| University of NC Greensboro (In Kind) Greensboro, NC | Charity | $8,550 |
| CCFA Columbus, TX | Charity | $7,500 |
| Columbus Comm Hospital Columbus, TX | Charity | $6,200 |
| Salvation Army Columbus CO Safford, TX | Charity | $1,000 |
| St Roch Church Alleyton, TX | Charity | $1,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $76,524,112 | $560,700 | $574,903 | $574,603 | 10 | $574,903 | $141,062 |
| 2023 | $68,158,810 | — | $668,000 | $668,000 | 9 | $668,000 | $138,135 |
| 2022 | $70,091,953 | — | $649,450 | $649,450 | 12 | $649,450 | $123,563 |
| 2021 | $70,741,403 | $21 | $537,000 | $537,000 | 15 | $537,000 | $115,463 |
| 2020 | $71,277,678 | $25 | $818,540 | $818,540 | 17 | — | $117,451 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Sherman Foundation reported a distributable amount of $141K 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
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants included support for a hospital foundation, a ministry, a volunteer fire organization, a cemetery association, a church, a university, and other charitable organizations. Restore Texas Ministries describes its mission as taking in homeless men and training them in life skills and skilled labor, while providing transportation, housing, and living expenses until they find permanent work and housing. That organization received $75,000 from the foundation in 2024.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 10 grants totaling $574,603. The grants ranged from $1,000 to $400,000, with a median grant of $9,275. The largest awards were $400,000 to The Methodist Hospital Foundation in Houston, $75,000 to Restore Texas Ministries in Huntsville, and $55,353 to Bernardo Volunteer Fire in Cat Spring. Each grant was listed for “Charity.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Jim Sherman and Kathryn Sherman as trustees.
The Sherman Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Jim Sherman
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kathryn Sherman
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Sherman Foundation
How much does The Sherman Foundation give each year?
The Sherman Foundation gave $575K across 10 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $668K across 9 grants.
What is The Sherman Foundation's typical grant size?
The Sherman Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $9,275, and its average grant was $57,460, across 10 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Sherman Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does The Sherman Foundation give grants?
The Sherman Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (2 grants) and Columbus, TX (2 grants).
Does The Sherman Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on The Sherman Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charity" (10 grants).
Who are The Sherman Foundation's largest grantees?
The Sherman Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include The Methodist Hospital Foundation ($400,000), Restore Texas Ministries ($75,000) and Bernardo Volunteer Fire ($55,353), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 92% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Sherman Foundation?
The Sherman Foundation reported $76.5M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $575K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $141K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Sherman Foundation fund?
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants included support for a hospital foundation, a ministry, a volunteer fire organization, a cemetery association, a church, a university, and other charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Sherman 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 Sherman Foundation's EIN?
The Sherman Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-2136222. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Sherman 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Sherman Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-sherman-foundation-morg_2c0bc3ac14be4a8d9793aa111ba5ba79
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_912136222_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Sherman Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-sherman-foundation-morg_2c0bc3ac14be4a8d9793aa111ba5ba79},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Sherman 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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