Shepherds - a Family Foundation
Shepherds - a Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Wayzata, Minnesota. Its 2025 filing reports 22 grants totaling $1,999,834, with awards to organizations in several states.
Shepherds - a Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Shepherds - a Family Foundation gave $2.0M across 22 grants in 2025 (avg $91K), top state Wyoming. 14% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,999,834
- +24.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 22
- -8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $90,902
- +36.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $65,000
- Total assets
- $105,806,213
- +234.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 14% first-time grantees (3 of 22, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Wyoming (42% 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 Shepherds - a Family 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 950 East Wayzata Boulevard 104, Wayzata, MN 55391
Phone: (307) 733-7457
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Shepherds - a Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Wonderfolk ($325K). Together the top 10 received $1.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
95 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $50–100K range: 35 grants of 95 (37%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Wyoming accounted for 42% of grant dollars, Oregon 16%, New Mexico 8%, Idaho 7%, and Utah 5%. The listed grants also included recipients in Minnesota, Montana, and Washington.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Shepherds - a Family Foundation open to new grantees?
14%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 22 grantees (14%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $88K; repeat grants $91K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $70K repeat.
- 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 61% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 41% 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 $802K (2020) to $3.0M (2021). In 2025 it made 22 grants totaling $2.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wonderfolk Portland, OR | General Fund | $325,000 |
| Spread the Love Commission Jackson, WY | General Fund | $226,667 |
| Children's Learning Center of Jackson WY Jackson, WY | General Fund | $200,000 |
| Channel 72 Inc Taos, NM | General Fund | $165,000 |
| Hammer Residences Wayzata, MN | General Fund | $100,000 |
| Snake River Fund Jackson, WY | General Fund | $100,000 |
| Teton County Search and Rescue Foundation Jackson, WY | General Fund | $100,000 |
| Teton Regional Land Trust Driggs, ID | General Fund | $100,000 |
| Carving the Future Jackson, WY | General Fund | $90,000 |
| Big Sky Youth Empower Project Bozeman, MT | General Fund | $70,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Shepherds - a Family 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 | $105,806,213 | $77,662,641 | $3,462,568 | $1,999,834 | 22 | $2,137,070 | $33,392,823 | $5,172,882 |
| 2024 | $31,606,140 | $2,501,445 | $1,994,145 | $1,603,333 | 24 | $1,654,061 | $2,194,361 | $1,837,272 |
| 2023 | $31,098,840 | $6,139,338 | $1,308,141 | $966,000 | 12 | $1,004,157 | $5,881,078 | $1,433,942 |
| 2022 | $26,267,643 | $691,616 | $1,651,827 | $1,240,000 | 14 | $1,278,434 | $456,223 | $1,399,237 |
| 2021 | $27,227,854 | $9,873,182 | $3,253,703 | $2,993,334 | 23 | $3,030,089 | $9,633,580 | $1,339,257 |
| 2020 | $20,608,375 | $1,551,277 | $1,009,972 | $802,000 | 11 | — | $1,387,130 | $1,120,113 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Shepherds - a Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $5.2M 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 included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Wonderfolk says it develops diverse young leaders through leadership opportunities and community engagement. Spread the Love Commission says it serves people experiencing housing insecurity through advocacy, outreach, and essential supplies. Hammer Residences says it provides people with intellectual and other disabilities the opportunity to experience life to its fullest.
Other 2025 grantees describe work in land conservation, watershed stewardship, youth snowboarding and skateboarding, BMX racing, and literacy services. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not stated focus areas of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 22 grants totaling $1,999,834. Grant amounts ranged from $13,667 to $325,000, with a median of $65,000. The largest awards included $325,000 to Wonderfolk, $226,667 to Spread the Love Commission, $200,000 to Children’s Learning Center of Jackson WY, and $165,000 to Channel 72 Inc. The listed purposes for these grants were “general fund.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jill Needham Mithun as president, Becanaan McMillon as treasurer, and Shade Willie McMillon as an officer.
Shepherds - a Family Foundation is led by Jill Needham Mithun, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jill Needham Mithun
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Becanaan McMillon
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shade Willie McMillon
Officer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Lewis Mithun (2020–2022) — Secretary
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 Shepherds - a Family Foundation
How much does Shepherds - a Family Foundation give each year?
Shepherds - a Family Foundation gave $2.0M across 22 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.6M across 24 grants.
What is Shepherds - a Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Shepherds - a Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $65,000, and its average grant was $90,902, across 22 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Shepherds - a Family Foundation that year got $88K on average.
Where does Shepherds - a Family Foundation give grants?
Shepherds - a Family Foundation's top state is Wyoming, with 42% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Oregon (16%) and New Mexico (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Jackson, WY (8 grants) and Driggs, ID (2 grants).
Does Shepherds - a Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Shepherds - a Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (22 of 22) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Shepherds - a Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Shepherds - a Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Wonderfolk ($325,000), Spread the Love Commission ($226,667) and Children's Learning Center of Jackson WY ($200,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Shepherds - a Family Foundation?
Shepherds - a Family Foundation reported $105.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $5.2M (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 Shepherds - a Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Wonderfolk says it develops diverse young leaders through leadership opportunities and community engagement. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Shepherds - a Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Shepherds - a Family Foundation's EIN?
Shepherds - a Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-3839311. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Shepherds - a Family 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 19, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 25, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 27, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 11, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Shepherds - a Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/shepherds-a-family-foundation-morg_66512d664adc4be387cd64bc449be519
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_473839311_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Shepherds - a Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/shepherds-a-family-foundation-morg_66512d664adc4be387cd64bc449be519},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Shepherds - a Family 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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