The Jack and Kathy Shields Family Foundation

What The Jack and Kathy Shields Family Foundation does

The Jack and Kathy Shields Family Foundation is a private family foundation established in 2020 and headquartered in Duxbury, Massachusetts. It was created by Jack and Kathy Shields following their healthcare careers, with the mission of supporting nonprofit organizations that respond to the urgent needs of struggling families in communities across Massachusetts and Florida. The foundation operates an invitation-only grantmaking model; it does not accept unsolicited applications, instead identifying and inviting selected nonprofits to apply after internal research. Grantees span more than 30 organizations focused on food security, youth development, family services, community support, education, veterans services, and related causes (e.g., Boys & Girls Club of Metro South, About Fresh, Community Servings, Coastal Foodshed, Boston Area Gleaners, Smith College, BC High, Tampa Bay Watch, and House of Possibilities).

The foundation is governed by a board of trustees (Jack Shields, Kathy Shields, Fallon Shields, and Jack Yunits), advised by board advisors Gerard Nadeau, Paul Leonard, and Shannon West, and run day-to-day by a single Director, Mary Kramer. As a grantmaking entity rather than a product or services company, it has no proprietary technology, no commercial revenue model, and no disclosed software, AI, or data products; its operating model is direct outreach and research leading to invited grant applications and direct grant distribution to partner nonprofits. There are no publicly disclosed financial figures (endowment size, grants paid, or 990 filings), no funding rounds, no acquisitions, and no M&A or restructuring events in the provided source material.

Name

The Jack and Kathy Shields Family Foundation

Legal name

The Jack and Kathy Shields Family Foundation

Website

https://shieldsfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Jack and Kathy Shields Family Foundation is a private family foundation established in 2020 and headquartered in Duxbury, Massachusetts, that provides invitation-only grants to nonprofit organizations supporting struggling families in Massachusetts and Florida communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Family foundation grantmaking
• Charitable nonprofit funding
• Community development grants
• Philanthropic humanitarian giving
• Food security youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Duxbury

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grantmaking: As a private family foundation, the organization distributes charitable grants to selected nonprofit organizations that improve the lives of struggling families in Massachusetts and Florida communities. The foundation uses its endowment and charitable resources to fund operational grants to partner nonprofits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Jack and Kathy Shields Family Foundation provides operational grant funding to selected nonprofit organizations that serve struggling families and individuals in Massachusetts and Florida communities, with a focus on food security, youth development, family support, and community services. Grants are issued through an invitation-only process after extensive research, and the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications or funding inquiries.

Product overview

The Jack and Kathy Shields Family Foundation is a charitable organization, not a technology product company. It does not offer products or services in the traditional sense. The foundation supports nonprofit organizations that respond to urgent needs of individuals in communities in Massachusetts and Florida, focusing on improving the lives of struggling families. The foundation is a new and emerging entity that does not accept unsolicited applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Invitation-Only Charitable Grants Program

Named customers29 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Direct peers

• Yawkey Foundation: Family foundation with explicit dual focus on Massachusetts and Florida communities serving youth and families; directly comparable given the identical MA/FL geographic footprint and family-services mission.
• The Klarman Family Foundation: Boston-based family foundation focused on strengthening democracy, education, and humanitarian aid; comparable as another Massachusetts-rooted family foundation with a focused mission and similar operational scale.
• Barr Foundation: Boston-based private family foundation supporting climate, arts, and education; directly comparable as a regional Massachusetts family foundation of similar operational model and governance style.
• Flatley Foundation: Massachusetts-based family foundation focused on housing, special needs, and family support; highly comparable as a small-to-mid sized family foundation with a similar beneficiary profile (struggling families, services for people with disabilities).
• The Highstead Foundation: New England-based small family foundation focused on land conservation and community well-being; comparable as a small New England family foundation with a focused mission and lean staff structure.

Broad incumbents

• The Kresge Foundation: Large national private foundation funding nonprofits addressing health, human services, and community development; relevant as a benchmark for the family foundation space but operating at substantially greater scale.
• Boston Foundation: Greater Boston's community foundation, much larger in scale but operating in the same Massachusetts geography with grants to nonprofits addressing family and community needs; relevant as a broader regional incumbent the Shields Foundation may complement or be benchmarked against.

Emerging players

• New Profit: Boston-based venture philanthropy firm funding social entrepreneurs; comparable as a Massachusetts-rooted philanthropic organization that supports innovative nonprofits, though operating under a venture-style model versus a traditional grantmaking one.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shields-family-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Jack and Kathy Shields Family Foundation