The Jon and Mary Shirley Foundation makes a small number of large, targeted grants focused on capital and project support for elite independent education, major visual-arts institutions, and civic leadership initiatives. Their giving is national rather than local, favoring transformational gifts (e.g., campus construction, major exhibitions/projects) and substantial multi-grant commitments to select organizations. The foundation appears to combine place-based philanthropists’ interests in arts patronage with strategic investments in education and public leadership.
A defining feature of The Jon and Mary Shirley Foundation C/O Jerold T Everard is its willingness to make large, targeted grants for capital projects and project-specific work rather than broad, diffuse support. One of the clearest examples is the multiyear financing of The Hill School Office of Advancement in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, including funding for construction of the Shirley Quadrivium Center. The foundation also backs major visual-arts institutions through sizable commitments to the Calder Foundation and the Seattle Art Museum, including support tied to exhibitions, projects, and membership or event activity. In civic leadership, it has funded the Barack Obama Foundation and the Brennan Center for Justice. Its recent grants show a pattern of focused, high-dollar support to a relatively small set of organizations, with repeated commitments to the same recipients over multiple years. The mix of education, arts, and public affairs gives a clear picture of a funder that favors strategic, named initiatives and institutional projects over widely dispersed small grants.
Capital support for independent education is a consistent thread. The foundation gave The Hill School Office of Advancement $600,000 in 2025, combining annual giving with $500,000 for construction of the Shirley Quadrivium Center. In the arts, it supported the Calder Foundation with $415,405 in 2025, including $100,000 for the Mountains and Clouds project, and earlier gave $300,000 in 2023 for general support. Seattle-based arts institutions also appear repeatedly: Seattle Art Museum received $248,438 in 2025 for Calder’s Mountains expenses, contributors circles, strategic opportunity funding, sponsorship, and fellowship-related items. Civic and public-policy work shows up as well, with a $500,000 grant to the Barack Obama Foundation for general support and $50,000 to the Brennan Center for Justice for general support.
Typical grants are substantial: p25 is $10,000, the median is $25,000, and p75 is $50,000, but recent awards reach far above that range for construction, exhibitions, and pledge payments. The pattern is highly repeat-oriented; several recipients receive support in multiple years, including The Hill School Office of Advancement, Calder Foundation, Seattle Art Museum, New York Presbyterian Fund, and United Way of King County. The foundation is a regular funder and also funds individuals, while the recent record shows installment-style payments and designated grants alongside general support. The grant list suggests a small-number, high-commitment approach rather than broad open application funding.
$9.7M
$31.6M
$7.9M
$9.9M
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Jon and Mary Shirley Foundation C/O Jerold T Everard.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 204 | $17.9M | 99.5% |
| 2 |
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Very concentrated portfolio: few but large grants, repeated support to select institutions, mix of one-time capital/project gifts and unrestricted/general support. National scope rather than broad grant distribution.
Notable grantees: The Hill School (Office of Advancement), Calder Foundation, Barack Obama Foundation
Grant dollars land most often in New York, but the record is national overall. Seattle is a major recipient city, with grants to United Way of King County, Seattle Art Museum, Henry Gallery Association Uw, Henry Gallery Association, Artist Trust, and Cascade Public Media. New York City also appears repeatedly through Calder Foundation, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Presbyterian Fund, and the Brennan Center for Justice. Other recurring recipient locations include Pottstown, Chicago, and Baltimore, showing a mix of arts, education, health, and civic organizations across several major U.S. metros. The recipient-country distribution is overwhelmingly U.S.-based, with one grant in the UK.
The recent record shows support for independent schools, visual-arts institutions, civic and policy organizations, health-related groups, and community-serving nonprofits. Examples include The Hill School Office of Advancement, Calder Foundation, Seattle Art Museum, New York Presbyterian Fund, and the Brennan Center for Justice.
The foundation’s typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $50,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent grants also include much larger awards, such as $500,000 for school construction and $415,405 for arts support.
Yes. The record shows multi-year support to several organizations, including The Hill School Office of Advancement, Calder Foundation, Seattle Art Museum, New York Presbyterian Fund, and United Way of King County. Some of these include pledge-payment structures over multiple years.
The foundation gives nationally, with New York as the top state by grant count. Seattle is also prominent in the recent grants list, along with New York City, Pottstown, Chicago, and Baltimore.
Yes. The foundation is marked as funding individuals, and the recent grants include artist-related support through organizations such as Artist Trust and the International Sculpture Center, which is tied to a student achievement exhibition award.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
| 1 |
| $12K |
0.5% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CALDER FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $4,300,000 | 2026 | Mountains and Clouds Project |
| SEATTLE ART MUSEUM | SEATTLE, WA | $2,850,000 | 2026 | $250,000 for Ai Weiwei 2025 exhibition support; $100,000 for Contributors Circles 2024-2025; $2,500,000 for Connect Art to Life pledge pmt 1 of 4 |
| THE HILL SCHOOL OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT | POTTSTOWN, PA | $600,000 | 2026 | $100,000 for Annual Giving - The Hill Fund; $500,000 for Construction of the Shirley Quadrivium Center |
| UNITED WAY OF KING COUNTY | SEATTLE, WA | $300,000 | 2026 | 2025 pledge pmt 1 of 5 plus add'l for CSN |
| Henry Gallery Association Henry Art Gallery | Seattle, WA | $100,000 | 2026 | Pledge pmt 3 of 3 |
| AMERICARES FOUNDATION | STAMFORD, CT | $100,000 | 2026 | December matching gift challenge |
| WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $85,000 | 2026 | $50,000 for Calder Exhibition Support; $35,000 for FY25 Chairman's Council |
| Hirshhorn Museum&SculptureGarden | Boston, MA | $75,000 | 2026 | $25,000 for Annual Spring Luncheon support; $50,000 for NY Gala Vice Chair table |
| THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART | NEW YORK, NY | $75,000 | 2026 | $50,000 for Chairman's Council for FY '25 ending June 30; $25,000 In Honor of Glenn Lowry |
| National Gallery of Art | Landover, MD | $70,000 | 2026 | $50,000 for Collectors Committee anniversary gift; $20,000 for Collectors Committee renewal: Jon & Kim |
| SEATTLE AQUARIUM | SEATTLE, WA | $65,000 | 2026 | $15,000 for General support; $50,000 for One Ocean Campaign pledge pmt 2 of 5 |
| Cascade Public Media | Seattle, WA | $60,000 | 2026 | $10,000 for General support; $50,000 for Pledge pmt 4 of 6 |
| TATE AMERICAS FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $55,000 | 2026 | $10,000 for Artists Dinner Gift towards Ghost & Spirit; $45,000 for Trustee Contribution / NA Acquisitions Cmte '24-'25 |
| DIA ART FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $55,000 | 2026 | $25,000 for Leadership Council renewal |
| CARE USA | MERRIFIELD, VA | $50,000 | 2026 | President Fund |
| Leukemia & Lymphoma Society | Wellington, FL | $50,000 | 2026 | Maria Salas-Shirley Stride Against Strive |
| Benaroya Hall Attn Donor Relations | Seattle, WA | $50,000 | 2026 | Robert Rauschenberg piece resinstallation |
| CARE | Atlanta, GA | $50,000 | 2026 | General support |
| INTERNATIONAL ARTS AND ARTISTS | WASHINGTON DC, DC | $50,000 | 2026 | General support |
| VETSAID | FALLS CHURCH, VA | $50,000 | 2026 | General support |
| KNKX | TACOMA, WA | $50,000 | 2026 | Pledge pmt 3 of 3 |
| NATIONAL REDISTRICTING FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON DC, DC | $50,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SEATTLE TIMES FUND FOR THE NEEDY | SEATTLE, WA | $50,000 | 2026 | General support |
| ARTIST TRUST | SEATTLE, WA | $35,000 | 2026 | 2025 Artist Trust Auction support |
| SWEDISH MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION | SEATTLE, WA | $25,000 | 2026 | For the Geriatric Care Fund, pledge pmt 4 of 4 |
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | Director's Fund 2025-2026 Membership |
| University of Washington Foundation | Seattle, WA | $25,000 | 2026 | Pledge pmt 2 of 4 Stan Herring, Sports Institute |
| Friends of Waterfront Park | Seattle, WA | $25,000 | 2026 | Campaign for Waterfront Park |
| INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE CENTER | Pittsburgh, PA | $25,000 | 2026 | 2026 Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award |
| Pebble Beach Company Foundation | Carmel Valley, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | In memory of Erick Shirley |
| Hopewell Fund Attn Lockbock Department | Melville, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | Vote Forward Education Fund |
| FARESTART | SEATTLE, WA | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Art 21 Inc co Development Office | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | Art21 Archive project support |
| THE RONALD COASE INSTITUTE | ST LOUIS, MO | $25,000 | 2026 | General support |
| TACOMA ART MUSEUM | TACOMA, WA | $15,000 | 2026 | Director's Circle membership renewal |
| INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF MOMA | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2026 | 2024-25 Annual Dues / Additional contribution |
| STORM KING ART CENTER | NEW WINDSOR, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | General support |
| Rwanda Girls Initiative | Medina, WA | $10,000 | 2026 | General support |
| Climate Solutions | Seattle, WA | $10,000 | 2026 | General support |
| Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art | Bentonville, AR | $10,000 | 2026 | General support |
| The Piston Foundation | Greenwich, CT | $10,000 | 2026 | General support |
| SEATTLE UNIVERSITY | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2026 | For SUPAC |
| Pacific Historic Parks Corporate Office | Waipahu, HI | $10,000 | 2026 | General support |
| Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health | Villanova, PA | $10,000 | 2026 | General support |
| PRATT FINE ARTS CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $7,500 | 2026 | 2025-26 Jon & Mary Shirley Scholarship in Glass |
| ProPublica | New York, NY | $5,000 | 2026 | General support |
| Seatle Art Cars | Seattle, WA | $4,500 | 2026 | Seattle Artcars |
| STONY BROOK FOUNDATION | EAST HAMPTON, NY | $3,000 | 2026 | Pollock-Krasner House Member |
| Petersen Automotive Museum | Los Angeles, CA | $1,420 | 2026 | Jon Shirley 2025 renewal tax-deductible portion |
| SPECIAL OLYMPICS | SEATTLE, WA | $500 | 2026 | General support |
CALDER FOUNDATION
$4,300,000Mountains and Clouds Project
$250,000 for Ai Weiwei 2025 exhibition support; $100,000 for Contributors Circles 2024-2025; $2,500,000 for Connect Art to Life pledge pmt 1 of 4
$100,000 for Annual Giving - The Hill Fund; $500,000 for Construction of the Shirley Quadrivium Center
Pledge pmt 3 of 3
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
$85,000$50,000 for Calder Exhibition Support; $35,000 for FY25 Chairman's Council
Hirshhorn Museum&SculptureGarden
$75,000$25,000 for Annual Spring Luncheon support; $50,000 for NY Gala Vice Chair table
$50,000 for Chairman's Council for FY '25 ending June 30; $25,000 In Honor of Glenn Lowry
$50,000 for Collectors Committee anniversary gift; $20,000 for Collectors Committee renewal: Jon & Kim
$15,000 for General support; $50,000 for One Ocean Campaign pledge pmt 2 of 5
Cascade Public Media
$60,000$10,000 for General support; $50,000 for Pledge pmt 4 of 6
$10,000 for Artists Dinner Gift towards Ghost & Spirit; $45,000 for Trustee Contribution / NA Acquisitions Cmte '24-'25
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
$50,000Maria Salas-Shirley Stride Against Strive
Benaroya Hall Attn Donor Relations
$50,000Robert Rauschenberg piece resinstallation
INTERNATIONAL ARTS AND ARTISTS
$50,000General support
VETSAID
$50,000General support
For the Geriatric Care Fund, pledge pmt 4 of 4
Pledge pmt 2 of 4 Stan Herring, Sports Institute
INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE CENTER
$25,0002026 Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award
Hopewell Fund Attn Lockbock Department
$25,000Vote Forward Education Fund
THE RONALD COASE INSTITUTE
$25,000General support
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
$10,000General support
The Piston Foundation
$10,000General support
Pacific Historic Parks Corporate Office
$10,000General support
Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health
$10,000General support
Seatle Art Cars
$4,500Seattle Artcars