The SHS Foundation
The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation (SHSF), listed as The SHS Foundation, is a private foundation based in Plainview, New York. Launched in 2019, it invests in solutions to expand equitable access to public services and support accountability for abuse of authority.
The SHS Foundation at a glance
In short: The SHS Foundation gave $6.7M across 72 grants in 2025 (avg $93K), mostly in New York. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $6,665,000
- +92.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 72
- +7.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $92,569
- +79.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $34,299,509
- +11.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (15 of 72, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (95% 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 SHS Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: Co Mjsm - PO Box 331, Plainview, NY 11803
Phone: (631) 423-1208
Website: https://shs.foundation
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The SHS Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival ($2.0M). Together the top 10 received $3.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
327 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 160 grants of 327 (49%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York. The remaining reported shares were Florida 2%, California 2%, and New Jersey 1%; Louisiana was listed at 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 72 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The SHS Foundation open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 15 of 72 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $37K; repeat grants $107K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $50K repeat.
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 29% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 328% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $2.9M (2020) to $6.7M (2025). In 2025 it made 72 grants totaling $6.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Garrison, NY | The Arts | $2,000,000 |
| Paul Taylor Dance Company New York, NY | The Arts | $320,000 |
| American Dance Festival New York, NY | The Arts | $300,000 |
| Brooklyn Academy of Music Brooklyn, NY | The Arts | $300,000 |
| Tectonic Theatre Project New York, NY | The Arts | $200,000 |
| Theater for a New Audience Brooklyn, NY | The Arts | $200,000 |
| National Black Theatre Workshop New York, NY | The Arts | $150,000 |
| People's Theatre Project Inc New York, NY | The Arts | $150,000 |
| Ballet Hispanico New York, NY | The Arts | $125,000 |
| Abraham in Motion Flushing, NY | The Arts | $120,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The SHS 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 | $34,299,509 | $18,531,359 | $7,418,408 | $6,665,000 | 72 | $6,665,000 | $8,465,228 | $2,030,143 |
| 2024 | $30,697,090 | $1,892,370 | $4,125,953 | $3,455,000 | 67 | $3,455,000 | $1,686,605 | $1,808,855 |
| 2023 | $32,914,593 | $1,769,760 | $3,945,944 | $3,445,000 | 58 | $3,445,000 | $1,630,015 | $1,769,362 |
| 2022 | $35,036,579 | $17,337,363 | $5,669,024 | $5,170,000 | 66 | $5,170,000 | $7,126,033 | $1,552,224 |
| 2021 | $30,541,820 | $4,189,534 | $4,767,435 | $4,228,200 | 64 | $4,228,200 | $3,967,558 | $1,709,400 |
| 2020 | $31,124,100 | $1,468,546 | $3,488,001 | $2,940,000 | 56 | — | $1,236,614 | $1,660,232 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The SHS Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.0M 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
SHSF states that it invests in solutions that expand equitable access to public services and support accountability for abuse of authority. Its projects and partnerships have addressed transportation access, higher education and financial aid, immigration, and civil liberties. The foundation says its Civic Mapping Initiative identifies transit opportunities, and its sex-trafficking research prompted state and federal investigations.
The foundation also makes direct investments in nonprofits. Its 2025 filing identifies the purposes of its largest listed grants as “the arts.” Examples from 2024 include $400,000 to Brooklyn Academy of Music and $350,000 to American Dance Festival. The grantees describe their own missions: BAM says it supports artistic experimentation and champions inclusion and accessibility; American Dance Festival says it supports the creation and presentation of modern dance and seeks to build audiences for the art form. Other 2024 recipients included Arthur Aviles Typical Theatre, whose stated mission is to provide a Bronx space for women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ community members to experience or create art, and Harlem Stage, which says it supports artists of color and makes performances accessible to audiences.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, SHSF reported 72 grants totaling $6,665,000. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $2,000,000, with a median of $50,000. The largest listed award was $2,000,000 to Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Other large awards included $320,000 to Paul Taylor Dance Company; $300,000 each to American Dance Festival and Brooklyn Academy of Music; and $200,000 each to Tectonic Theatre Project and Theater for a New Audience.
SHSF states that it requires grant recipients to pursue media coverage and op-ed placement. Its website also describes direct investments in the nonprofit sector.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Abigail Seldin is identified as SHSF’s CEO. The officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing are Richard E. Feldman, manager; Luis Miguel Rodriguez Villa, director; and Sara Throne, secretary and director.
The SHS Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Luis Miguel Rodriguez Villa
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Sara Throne
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Richard E. Feldman
Manager
On filings since 2020
35 hrs/week
$300K (2020) → $400K (2025)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $400K, to Richard E Feldman (Manager).
Frequently asked questions about The SHS Foundation
How much does The SHS Foundation give each year?
The SHS Foundation gave $6.7M across 72 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $3.5M across 67 grants.
What is The SHS Foundation's typical grant size?
The SHS Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $92,569, across 72 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The SHS Foundation that year got $37K on average.
Where does The SHS Foundation give grants?
The SHS Foundation gives mostly in New York: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (45 grants), Brooklyn, NY (6 grants), Miami Beach, FL (2 grants) and Long Island City, NY (2 grants).
Does The SHS Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 4% of The SHS Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 72) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "The Arts" (69 grants).
Who are The SHS Foundation's largest grantees?
The SHS Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival ($2,000,000), Paul Taylor Dance Company ($320,000) and American Dance Festival ($300,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The SHS Foundation?
The SHS Foundation reported $34.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $6.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.0M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The SHS Foundation fund?
SHSF states that it invests in solutions that expand equitable access to public services and support accountability for abuse of authority. Its projects and partnerships have addressed transportation access, higher education and financial aid, immigration, and civil liberties. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The SHS Foundation?
The foundation 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 SHS Foundation's EIN?
The SHS Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 25-6819008. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The SHS 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The SHS Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The SHS Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-shs-foundation-morg_509066648c3d4043902f51233f75eb4d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_256819008_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The SHS Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-shs-foundation-morg_509066648c3d4043902f51233f75eb4d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 SHS 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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