The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin
The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin is a private foundation based in Fort Collins, Colorado. Its 2025 filing reports 15 grants totaling $22,600 to organizations and individuals, including food assistance, education, arts, and other recipients.
The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin at a glance
In short: The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin gave $23K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), top state District of Columbia. 80% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $22,600
- +2.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +25.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,507
- -17.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $311,742
- -0.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 80% first-time grantees (12 of 15, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (22% 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 Stephen and Barbara Sherwin
- 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: 6220 Tilden Street, Fort Collins, CO 80528
Phone: (202) 387-5075
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was North County Food Bank ($3K). Together the top 10 received $19K.
Grant Size Distribution
49 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 49 grants of 49 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington, DC (22%), Colorado (20%), Oregon (18%), Utah (13%), and New York (9%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin open to new grantees?
80%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 15 grantees (80%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 0% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+0%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 111% 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 $19K (2023) to $27K (2020). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $23K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| North County Food Bank Wheeler, OR | Unrestricted | $3,000 |
| World Central Kitchen Washington, DC | Unrestricted | $3,000 |
| Sandra Shappell Teacher at Colorado Early College Fort Collins, CO | Education | $2,500 |
| Project Say Something Florence, AL | Unrestricted | $2,000 |
| Granite Education Foundation Salt Lake City, UT | Annual Campaign-Food Assistance | $2,000 |
| So Others Might Eat Washington, DC | Unrestricted | $2,000 |
| Rocio Barragan Artist Nehalem, OR | The Arts | $1,000 |
| Colorado Public Radio Centennial, CO | Unrestricted | $1,000 |
| Girl Scouts Heart of Hudson Montgomery, NY | Fund Her Success | $1,000 |
| The Colorado State University Foundation Fort Collins, CO | Formula SAE Infastructure Internal Combustion | $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 | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $311,742 | $25,355 | $25,419 | $22,600 | 15 | $22,600 | $25,113 | $20,386 |
| 2024 | $311,744 | $29,911 | $24,403 | $22,000 | 12 | $22,000 | $25,109 | $19,891 |
| 2023 | $306,943 | $22,932 | $21,216 | $19,000 | 10 | $19,000 | $22,778 | $19,149 |
| 2022 | $305,301 | $89,928 | $24,694 | $22,630 | 6 | $22,630 | $14,688 | $21,277 |
| 2021 | $239,565 | $272,130 | $24,756 | $23,000 | 6 | — | $19,710 | $9,979 |
| 2020 | $95,880 | $23,316 | $27,814 | $26,500 | 9 | — | $23,141 | $7,930 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin reported a distributable amount of $20K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for food assistance, education, the arts, and other purposes.
The grantees describe a range of activities. North County Food Bank says it provides food, clothing, and other support to people in need in North Tillamook County. World Central Kitchen says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. Project Say Something says it works to confront anti-Black systems and ideologies, promote reproductive justice, and fight patriarchal violence through education, community empowerment, and advocacy. Granite Education Foundation says it works to reduce barriers to learning and increase access to opportunities for students and educators in the Granite School District.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 15 grants totaling $22,600. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $3,000, with a median of $1,000.
Notable 2025 grants included $3,000 each to North County Food Bank and World Central Kitchen; $2,500 to Sandra Shappell, teacher at Colorado Early College, for education; $2,000 each to Project Say Something, Granite Education Foundation, and So Others Might Eat; and $1,000 each to Rocio Barragan and Lyris Hung for the arts.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jeffrey M. Sherwin as director, president, and treasurer; Debra Suarino Sherwin as vice president and secretary; and Andrew Sherwin as director.
The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Andrew Sherwin
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey M. Sherwin
Director, Pr & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Debra Suarino Sherwin
Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
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 Stephen and Barbara Sherwin
How much does The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin give each year?
The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin gave $23K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $22K across 12 grants.
What is The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin's typical grant size?
The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,507, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin give grants?
The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin's top state is District of Columbia, with 22% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Colorado (20%) and Oregon (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (2 grants), Fort Collins, CO (2 grants) and Salt Lake City, UT (2 grants).
Does The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin give general operating support?
Yes: 53% of The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (8 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "The Arts" (3 grants).
Who are The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin's largest grantees?
The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin's largest 2025 grantees include North County Food Bank ($3,000), World Central Kitchen ($3,000) and Sandra Shappell Teacher at Colorado Early College ($2,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin?
The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin reported $312K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $23K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $20K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for food assistance, education, the arts, and other purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin?
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 Stephen and Barbara Sherwin's EIN?
The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-1655939. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 2, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 31, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 22, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 21, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 3, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 4, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Figures come from The Stephen and Barbara Sherwin'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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