Sam Shine Foundation Inc.

Sam Shine Foundation is a highly concentrated, relationship-driven private foundation that operates exclusively through preselected partnerships — it explicitly does not accept unsolicited grant applications (IRS 990 confirms `preselected_only`, with `application_instructions` marked as none). Founded in 1995 by Sam M. Shine (1933–2019), the builder of Samtec Inc. (a global electronics connector manufacturer headquartered in New Albany, Indiana), the foundation carries a personal conservation legacy deeply rooted in Southern Indiana landscapes. Since Sam Shine's passing, his family (Betty S. Shine, John B. Shine) and Board Chair Phillip D. Beaman have continued to steward the mission alongside Executive Director CJ Jackson, who has led the foundation professionally since at least FY2020 (consistent annual compensation of $125,000).

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on long-term ecological impact: acquiring, protecting, and restoring native wildlife habitats in unique land and water ecosystems. Its portfolio skews heavily toward Indiana-based land trusts and conservation organizations (11 of 16 recorded grants by count), with secondary presence in Florida and Virginia. The grantee list reads as a curated conservation network — Sycamore Land Trust, River Heritage Conservancy, and Central Indiana Land Trust represent multi-year relationships with recurring awards, not transactional one-time grants.

First-time applicants must understand there is no formal application portal, no published RFP cycle, and no deadline calendar. The path to funding is relationship-first. The foundation values demonstrated conservation capacity — not grant-writing polish — and favors organizations with specific, place-based expertise in Indiana's native ecosystems. Alignment language that resonates includes: "native wildlife habitat," "ecological restoration," "unique lands and waters," and "long-term conservation preservation."

The typical relationship progression appears to be: informal introduction through a shared partner organization → exploratory contact with CJ Jackson (cj@samshinefoundation.org) or Director of Forest Programs Allen → site visit at the applicant's conservation lands → first modest grant ($1,000–$68,000 range) → multi-year general operating support at larger amounts. Organizations with prior connections to existing Sam Shine grantees — particularly Sycamore Land Trust, which has the most publicly documented legacy relationship with Sam Shine personally — are best positioned to earn a credible introduction.

Sam Shine Foundation's grant portfolio is concentrated and high-impact. Based on 16 recorded grants totaling $4,946,210 in the available grantee dataset, the average grant is $309,138 and the median is approximately $267,750 (per foundation profile). The range spans from $1,115 (Oak Heritage Conservancy) to $1,000,005 (The Nature Conservancy), though the practical operating grant range falls between $25,000 and $931,500 for most recipients.

The top three recipients account for $3,504,238 — 71% of total recorded giving — illustrating extreme portfolio concentration: Nokuse Education Inc. (FL, $1,394,233 across 2 grants), River Heritage Conservancy (IN, $1,110,000 across 2 grants), and The Nature Conservancy ($1,000,005 across 2 grants). Sycamore Land Trust's single grant of $931,500 for land acquisition in Beanblossom Creek watershed further illustrates the foundation's appetite for transformational, place-specific conservation investments.

Annual giving has grown significantly with endowment expansion: $839,298 (FY2020), $2,882,763 (FY2021), $3,999,416 (FY2022), $3,401,932 (FY2023). The FY2024 giving figure has not yet been filed, but assets reached $135,889,622. At the IRS-mandated 5% minimum distribution, the foundation has capacity to deploy approximately $6.8M annually — well above its recent $3.4M average — suggesting potential for portfolio growth.

Geographically, Indiana dominates at 69% of grant count (11 of 16). Florida accounts for 2 grants (including the large Nokuse relationship), Virginia 2, and Maine 1. By purpose type, 100% of all 16 recorded grants are classified as "GENERAL" support — the foundation exclusively gives unrestricted operating funds, not restricted project grants. This is a material advantage for recipient organizations and signals that the foundation prioritizes organizational trust over programmatic control.

All recorded grants are for conservation and environmental preservation purposes; there is no diversification into education, human services, arts, or other areas. This single-sector focus has remained consistent across available data from FY2012 through FY2023.

The peer group below consists of private foundations with total assets in the $135–136M range, all classified under NTEE major category T (Philanthropy & Grantmaking), selected from the foundation's own peer dataset. Direct giving data for peers is not publicly available; Sam Shine is the only foundation in this group with disclosed recent giving figures.

Sam Shine stands apart from its asset peers in three critical ways. First, it operates with an unusually specific programmatic mandate — native land and water habitat conservation — rather than the broad grantmaking typical of similarly sized private foundations. Second, it is governed by the founding family with a small professional staff (one salaried Executive Director at $125K/year, zero compensation for all directors), keeping overhead minimal and decision-making close to the founding family's conservation values. Third, with a ~2.5% effective payout rate in FY2023 ($3.4M giving on $135.9M in assets), the foundation appears to be operating below the IRS-required 5% minimum distribution threshold, which either means qualifying distributions include non-grant expenditures or annual giving will need to increase in coming years — a potential opportunity for well-positioned grantees.

The most significant recent grant announcement came in September 2025 when the Indiana Native Plant Society (INPS) publicly acknowledged receiving a multi-year (three-year) grant from Sam Shine Foundation structured with a matching requirement — INPS had to raise matching funds before the grant was released. This challenge-grant structure is a departure from the foundation's standard unrestricted operating support model and suggests the foundation may be piloting new grant mechanisms. The grant funded a Program Facilitator position to build a community science rare plant monitoring program in partnership with the Indiana Plant Conservation Alliance and Indiana Natural Heritage Data Center — representing the foundation's first publicly documented grant to a plant-focused membership organization.

On the communications front, the foundation's LinkedIn account has been active in early 2025, featuring wildlife photography from its conservation lands and conservation storytelling content. This signals deliberate mission-communications investment and growing public profile for what has historically been a very private foundation.

Financially, FY2024 assets reached $135,889,622 (up from $131M in FY2023) on $6,017,089 in revenue — a quieter year following FY2023's exceptional $18.6M revenue. No FY2024 grant data has been filed as of early 2026. Leadership appears fully stable: CJ Jackson has been Executive Director across at least five consecutive 990 filings, and family directors Betty S. Shine and John B. Shine remain on the board alongside Board Chair Phillip D. Beaman.

Sam Shine Foundation is among Indiana conservation philanthropy's most relationship-dependent funders. Because it explicitly preselects grantees and accepts no unsolicited applications, the conventional grant-writing toolkit is largely irrelevant here. Success requires a relationship strategy, not an application strategy.

Entry point: The most effective path is through existing grantee networks. Sycamore Land Trust, River Heritage Conservancy, Central Indiana Land Trust, and Conservation Law Center are all active Sam Shine grantees. Attending Indiana Land Trust Alliance convenings, Indiana Wildlife Federation events, or Sycamore Land Trust fundraisers — wherever foundation staff participate — is the practical first step. Executive Director CJ Jackson (cj@samshinefoundation.org) and Director of Forest Programs Allen (allen@samshinefoundation.org) are the key staff contacts.

Relationship timeline: Budget a minimum 12–18 months of relationship-building before any formal grant discussion. The pattern in the grantee data is clear: Oak Heritage Conservancy started at $1,115; Woodie Wheaton Land Trust at $68,357; Central Indiana Land Trust at $248,000 across two grants. New entrants come in modestly and scale over time.

Alignment language: Use the foundation's own mission language verbatim — "native wildlife habitats," "unique lands and waters," "long-term conservation and restoration," "native ecosystems." Avoid generic sustainability, ESG, or capacity-building language unless directly tied to land protection outcomes. Quantify everything in acres protected, species supported, and if possible, CO2 sequestration equivalents — the foundation uses these metrics publicly.

What to avoid: Never pitch a time-limited project without a long-term stewardship plan — "long-term" is literally in the foundation's mission statement. Never request restricted program funding for a single campaign; all 16 recorded grants were for general operating support. Do not reference organizational development, technology, or communications as primary activities; the foundation funds land and habitat, not organizational infrastructure.

Site visits are essential: Foundation staff, including the Director of Forest Programs, are field-oriented. Inviting CJ Jackson or Allen to visit your conservation lands is the single highest-leverage relationship move available. The foundation operates its own preserve in Monroe County, Indiana, indicating staff have direct conservation field experience and will evaluate organizations through a practitioner lens.