The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan
The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan is a private foundation based in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Founded in 1962, it primarily supports independent private middle and high schools in the Baltimore area, with a secondary focus on cultural arts organizations in Baltimore.
The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan at a glance
In short: The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan gave $857K across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $30K), mostly in Maryland. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $857,325
- -3.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- +26.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $29,563
- -23.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $16,409,056
- -1.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (8 of 26, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Maryland (100% 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 Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan
- How to Apply
-
The 2025 filing says the initial approach should be by letter, with one copy of the proposal, and identifies Jessica Schram as the contact. The website provides the application requirements described above.
- Review Cycle
- The 2025 filing lists February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1 as application deadlines. The February, May, and August 2026 dates have passed; November 1, 2026 is the next listed date.
- Deadline
- The 2025 filing lists February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1 as application deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Ms Jessica Schram
Mailing address: 11350 Mccormick Road Suite 704, Executive Plaza Ii, Hunt Valley, MD 21031
Phone: (410) 771-0475
Website: https://sheridanfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Walters Art Museum ($125K). Together the top 10 received $596K.
Organizations only. It also paid 3 grants to individuals ($90,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
112 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 90 grants of 112 (80%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website identifies Baltimore City and Baltimore County as its service area for independent middle and high schools and says it has historically supported cultural arts institutions in Baltimore City. The 2025 filing says grants are generally restricted to the Greater Baltimore area. All grant dollars in filing year 2025 went to recipients in Maryland.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 26 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $45K. How we count
Medians: $750 first-time, $35K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 35% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% 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 (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 $635K (2022) to $972K (2023). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $857K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Walters Art Museum Baltimore, MD | General Support | $125,000 |
| Baltimore Museum of Art Baltimore, MD | General Support | $125,000 |
| Archbishop Curley High School Baltimore, MD | General Support | $100,000 |
| The Boys' Latin School of Maryland Baltimore, MD | Financial Aid for Students | $35,000 |
| Calvert School Baltimore, MD | Financial Aid for Students | $35,000 |
| Garrison Forest School Owings Mills, MD | Financial Aid for Students | $35,000 |
| Gilman School Baltimore, MD | Financial Aid for Students | $35,000 |
| McDonogh School Owings Mills, MD | Financial Aid for Students | $35,000 |
| 3 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $90,000 |
| The St Paul's Schools Brooklandville, MD | Financial Aid for Students | $35,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan?
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 | $16,409,056 | $852,991 | $1,134,538 | $857,325 | 29 | $1,068,586 | $793,063 | $1,088,043 |
| 2024 | $16,713,068 | $1,879,406 | $1,157,305 | $885,575 | 23 | $1,073,707 | $1,823,433 | $1,020,252 |
| 2023 | $16,062,505 | $1,152,848 | $1,239,949 | $972,325 | 26 | $1,172,832 | $1,098,682 | $954,046 |
| 2022 | $16,124,494 | $610,738 | $897,211 | $634,575 | 17 | $834,285 | $555,534 | $982,197 |
| 2021 | $16,330,281 | $1,667,112 | $955,310 | $713,274 | 17 | $878,972 | $1,613,197 | $1,066,546 |
| 2020 | $15,618,220 | $990,329 | $966,186 | $736,036 | 17 | — | $935,219 | $902,426 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan reported a distributable amount of $1.1M 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 primary focus is supporting independent private middle and high schools in the Baltimore area; its secondary focus is supporting cultural arts organizations in Baltimore. Its website lists examples of school grants for scholarship support, building improvements, technology and equipment, and vehicles. For cultural arts organizations, examples include building improvements, websites and software, school education programs, and exhibit support.
The foundation’s 2025 grants included general support for the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walters Art Museum, and financial aid for students at several schools. Grantee descriptions illustrate the range of organizations supported: the Baltimore Museum of Art says it connects art to Baltimore and Baltimore to the world, while Garrison Forest School describes its mission as preparing students to thrive in a changing world. An individual recipient Country School says it cultivates intellectual curiosity and leadership among girls and young women; The Park School of Baltimore describes a focus on inquiry, collaborative learning, and respect for individual differences.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 29 grants totaling $857,325. Grants ranged from $75 to $125,000, with a median of $25,000. The largest grants were $125,000 each to the Walters Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art, both for general support, and $100,000 to Archbishop Curley High School for general support. The foundation also awarded $35,000 each for student financial aid to several schools, including Calvert School, Garrison Forest School, Gilman School, McDonogh School, an individual recipient Country School, and The Park School of Baltimore.
The foundation’s website says an organization that receives a grant is not normally eligible for another grant for four years. It is currently not considering applications from schools or cultural arts institutions with which it has not engaged in recent years. Applicants must be 501(c)(3) organizations. The website requests an organizational history and community role, a detailed program description, a program cost breakdown and information about other intended funding sources for partial requests, and proof of tax-exempt status. For requests of $20,000 or more, it also requests audited financial statements for the past three fiscal years and the current-year operating budget, with further financial information requested in specified circumstances. The 2025 filing says grants are not made to individuals and no loans are provided.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jessica S. Schram as president, John B. Sinclair as vice president, Scott A. Wieler as secretary, and Ellen Dew as treasurer. Trustees listed on that filing are Anne Lawrence Deering, Mary H. DeKuyper, Stephanie McCormick, and John F. Cavanaugh.
The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan is led by Jessica S. Schram, President since 2024 (on filings since 2020); 6 of 8 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jessica S. Schram
President
Treasurer → Vice President, 2022
Vice President → President, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$3K (2020) → $101K (2025)
Anne Lawrence Deering
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$3K (2020) → $3K (2025)
Mary H. Dekuyper
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$3K (2020) → $4K (2025)
Stephanie McCormick
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John F. Cavanaugh
Trustee
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ellen Dew
Treasurer
Trustee → Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$2K (2020) → $4K (2025)
John B. Sinclair
Vice President
President → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$70K (2020) → $4K (2025)
Scott A. Wieler
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$3K (2020) → $4K (2025)
Former officers (1)
- Former: Philip D. English (2020–2021) — Vice President
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 $101K, to Jessica S Schram (President). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan
How much does The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan give each year?
The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan gave $857K across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $886K across 23 grants.
What is The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan's typical grant size?
The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $29,563, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan that year got $7K on average.
Where does The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan give grants?
The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan gives mostly in Maryland: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Baltimore, MD (14 grants) and Owings Mills, MD (3 grants).
Does The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan give general operating support?
Yes: 48% of The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 29) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Financial Aid for Students" (15 grants).
Who are The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan's largest grantees?
The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan's largest 2025 grantees include The Walters Art Museum ($125,000), Baltimore Museum of Art ($125,000) and Archbishop Curley High School ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 3 grants to individuals ($90,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan?
The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan reported $16.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.1M (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 Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan fund?
The foundation’s stated primary focus is supporting independent private middle and high schools in the Baltimore area; its secondary focus is supporting cultural arts organizations in Baltimore. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan?
The 2025 filing says the initial approach should be by letter, with one copy of the proposal, and identifies Jessica Schram as the contact. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan's EIN?
The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-6075270. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 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 July 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-thomas-b-and-elizabeth-m-sheridan-morg_4f7f5cffc02445d5ae06f4af77650c73
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_526075270_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-thomas-b-and-elizabeth-m-sheridan-morg_4f7f5cffc02445d5ae06f4af77650c73},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Thomas B and Elizabeth M Sheridan'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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