Shaw Brothers Family Foundation Inc.

The Shaw Brothers Family Foundation is a tightly held, family-led private foundation rooted in the Gorham, Maine construction and farming community. Founded in 2015–2016 by brothers Jonathan (Jon) and Daniel (Dan) Shaw — principals of Shaw Brothers Construction — the foundation was explicitly created to "share the success of Shaw Brothers Construction by giving back to the community." Its deeper mission, stated on the foundation's affiliated Shaw Cherry Hill Farm website, is to preserve the 256-acre Gorham farmland and support organizations reflecting the founders' "traditional conservative values without social activism."

This ideological framing is the single most important piece of intelligence for grant seekers: it is not coded language but a stated qualifier. Organizations engaged in social justice advocacy, progressive policy campaigns, or issue-based activism will not align. The natural fit is organizations serving children, supporting local agricultural and recreational activity, strengthening civic infrastructure, and delivering health and human services in Cumberland County, Maine.

The foundation operates entirely as an invite-only grantmaker — confirmed by the foundation's own records and multiple independent grant aggregators. There is no public application portal, no published LOI process, and no grant calendar. All 88 recorded grants were made through trustee-initiated relationships. The five trustees — Jon Shaw, Dan Shaw, Donna K. Shaw, Jacqueline M. Joyce, and Thomas B. Biegel (all uncompensated) — are embedded in the Gorham, Westbrook, and Windham civic community.

For first-time seekers, the path to funding runs entirely through relationship, not application. The most productive approach is to: (1) establish genuine presence in Cumberland County community events connected to Shaw Cherry Hill Farm, the Rotary Club of Westbrook-Gorham (a documented multi-year grantee), or Gorham youth programs; (2) create organic opportunities for trustees to encounter your organization's work; and (3) cultivate an introduction from a community member with an existing trustee relationship.

The foundation strongly favors general operating support — nearly every grant in the historical record carries that designation — indicating a trust-based giving model. First-time grants to community organizations typically range from $250 to $5,000, with larger multi-year commitments following demonstrated alignment and personal trustee familiarity. Major institutional relationships (Maine Medical Center, Lifeflight Foundation) represent the ceiling of giving at $200,000+ per cycle and reflect deep personal connections rather than anything a new applicant can replicate in a first approach.

The Shaw Brothers Family Foundation's grantmaking data reveals a sharply bimodal distribution: a small number of large institutional partnerships and a long tail of modest community grants. Across 88 recorded grants totaling $1,214,234, the average is $13,798 — but this figure is heavily skewed by a dominant anchor relationship.

Maine Medical Center is by far the largest recipient, receiving $800,000 across 4 grants (65.9% of all recorded giving). Lifeflight Foundation received $150,000 across 3 grants, and American Red Cross received $50,000 across 2 grants. Together these three healthcare-affiliated recipients account for approximately $1,000,000 — roughly 82% of total dollars — while representing only ~9 of 88 grants. Stripping out these three, the remaining 79+ grants total roughly $214,000, with a true median community grant of $1,000 (the foundation's own stated median) and individual awards ranging from $89 to $36,000.

The largest community grant is $36,000 to Windham Neighbors Helping Neighbors (4 grants), followed by Camp Sunshine at Sebago Lake ($25,000 / 3 grants), Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine (~$40,000 combined across multiple records), and St. Joseph's College ($20,000 / 1 grant). Below $5,000, the grants fragment into local civic texture: Gorham Snogoers ($5,500 / 4 grants), Maine Historical Society ($5,000 / 2 grants), Pine Tree Society ($4,900 / 4 grants), Cressey Road United Methodist ($4,000 / 2 grants).

Geographically, 84 of 88 grants (95%) went to Maine organizations, with heavy concentration in Cumberland County — Gorham, Windham, Westbrook, and the Greater Portland area. The 4 non-Maine grants (2 DC, 1 GA, 1 MA) reflect national chapter affiliations.

Annual giving has grown steadily every year on record: $184,603 (FY2019), $335,066 (FY2020), $365,028 (FY2021), $437,599 (FY2022), $570,583 (FY2023). FY2024 disbursements of $293,912 were lower — likely a transition year following the $14.95M asset infusion that brought net assets to $29M. With this capital base, the IRS-required 5% minimum distribution rises to roughly $1.45M annually, suggesting the foundation must significantly expand grantmaking in FY2025–FY2026. By program area: healthcare dominates at ~82% of total dollars, followed by human services/community at ~8%, education at ~5%, youth/recreation at ~3%, and agriculture/environment at ~2%.

The five peer foundations in the database share a similar asset band (~$29M) and the same NTEE category (T — Philanthropy & Grantmaking), but differ substantially in geography, focus, and accessibility.

Shaw Brothers stands out among this cohort as the only foundation with a documented hyper-local focus — 95% of grants go to a single county in Maine — and the only one with a publicly stated values filter ("traditional conservative values without social activism"). Schlumberger Foundation, by contrast, runs a well-known open competitive fellowship program (Faculty for the Future) and actively solicits applications from women in STEM globally. For Maine-based nonprofits serving children, health, or community infrastructure in Cumberland County, Shaw Brothers has no meaningful peer in this asset class — its giving is uniquely concentrated in one community, creating a dominant-funder dynamic in that ecosystem. The foundation's rapid asset growth (from $1.7M in 2015 to $29M in 2024) also distinguishes it from its asset-matched peers as one of the fastest-growing private foundations in its cohort.

The most significant recent development is the massive capital infusion recorded in FY2024: a $14,950,685 contribution that nearly tripled net assets from $13.6M to $29M in a single fiscal year. This is the largest single-year asset jump in the foundation's history and dramatically reshapes its future grantmaking capacity. The source of this contribution is not publicly identified in the 990-PF filing, but it likely reflects a major Shaw family business transaction or estate planning event.

In June 2026, the foundation made headlines in Cumberland County by announcing a $100,000 dollar-for-dollar matching challenge for the Windham Historical Society's restoration of the 1833 Town Hall — a brick structure in downtown Windham — timed to the nation's 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026. Dan and Jon Shaw are personally pictured in the Windham Eagle announcement. Donors of $5,000 or more receive permanent recognition plaques. This is the first documented instance of the foundation making a public matching challenge, suggesting increased community visibility and a willingness to co-invest with civic organizations on landmark projects.

No leadership changes have been detected. All five trustees (Jon Shaw, Dan Shaw, Donna K. Shaw, Jacqueline M. Joyce, Thomas B. Biegel) have appeared consistently across multiple IRS filings. The foundation filed its most recent Form 990-PF on March 20, 2026, covering FY2024 data. No new programs or public grant application process has been announced as of June 2026.

Because the Shaw Brothers Family Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, conventional grant-writing advice is largely irrelevant. The following tips are specific to this funder's actual operating model.

Start with community presence, not outreach. Jon and Dan Shaw are active in the Gorham, Windham, and Westbrook community. They attend local events, support youth sports (Gorham Youth Baseball and Softball appears in the grantee list), and are involved in agricultural and snowmobile organizations. Organizations that are genuinely embedded in this community — not those that parachute in to seek funding — are the ones trustees encounter and eventually invite.

Shaw Cherry Hill Farm is the front door. The foundation's primary project is the 256-acre farm on Route 25 in Gorham, which hosts trails for walking, riding, and snowmobiling. Events at the farm provide the clearest organic opportunity to meet the Shaws and demonstrate community alignment. Volunteer, attend, or sponsor farm events before making any funding approach.

Align language to stated values explicitly. The foundation's mission includes the phrase "traditional conservative values without social activism." In any communications, emphasize local roots, community tradition, direct service to families and children, and long-term Maine impact. Avoid language common in mission-driven nonprofit circles — terms like "equity," "advocacy," "systemic change," or "social justice" will read as disqualifying to this funder.

Health and human services organizations have the clearest pathway. Maine Medical Center and Lifeflight Foundation received a combined $950,000 — the foundation's deepest relationships are with healthcare institutions serving Cumberland County. Health-adjacent organizations (children's hospitals, emergency services, disability services, hospice) are well-positioned to seek introductions through hospital development offices or community health coalitions.

Start small and multi-year. Windham Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Gorham Snogoers, and Pine Tree Society all received 3–4 repeat grants over multiple years, growing incrementally. A first grant of $500–$2,500 is more realistic than a large ask. Demonstrate gratitude, accountability, and renewed alignment each cycle to grow the relationship.

Contact point is Tom Biegel, not the Shaw brothers directly. The foundation's IRS contact is listed as "% Tom Biegel" at 341 Mosher Rd, Gorham, ME 04038, phone (207) 222-8108. For any formal inquiry, Biegel is the appropriate first point of contact on the administrative side.