OUR FOUNDING STORY

“You see, idealism detached from action is just a dream. But idealism allied with pragmatism, with rolling up your sleeves and making the world bend a bit, is very exciting. It’s very real.”

— Bono

Tiffanie DeBartolo and Scott Schumaker started the ShineMaker Foundation in hopes that they could help make the world a better place; working with others everyday to make it bend bit by bit.

Dreams can change histories and songs can alter destinies…

Originally brought together by love, compassion and the belief that music can change the world, they shared their vision with long-time friend and musician Race Solimine and in 2015 ShineMaker came to life. Rooted in love and human connection, the ShineMaker Foundation works to help materialize dreams of positive change into reality.

Areas of Focus

Education
Community Outreach
Human Rights
Gender Equality
Animal Welfare
Environmental Conservation

Our Mission

The mission of the ShineMaker Foundation is to support and elevate people and organizations that explore innovative ideas and create solutions in education, social outreach, human rights, gender equality, animal welfare and environmental preservation.

Core Values

Together we have defined and developed our organizational values. They guide every aspect of our operations as well as our interactions with our supporters, our beneficiaries, and the general public. Check out ShineMaker’s six core values below

Our Core Values

Inclusiveness

LOVE IS THE ANSWER. The ShineMaker foundation’s broad mission emerged from a belief in social change through globally minded, local actions. Our organization was established to make the world a better place by bringing together a multitude of voices, respecting each other and helping all who are vulnerable.The ShineMaker Foundation offers support without restrictions based on gender, race, religion, age, background, nationality, et cetera. We consider inclusion to be a fundamental human right.

Trust + Transparency

First and foremost we listen. We are committed to bringing an open mind, respect, honesty and passion to our partnerships, the communities and individuals we serve, our work relationships and our lives. Transparency and clear communication between our staff, partners and grantees not only allows for more effective grant making and collaboration, but also provides us with continuous opportunities for learning.

Tangible Collaboration

Working together is fundamental for achieving impact. While we work closely with other foundations and subject matter experts to learn best practices and leverage resources, we encourage and help facilitate meaningful connections between our collaborators, other relevant organizations and projects. We are deeply committed to fostering positive outcomes for the projects, programs and people we work with.

Bold Risk Taking

Risk-taking leads to innovation. In addition to creating opportunities in areas where support from traditional foundations and government agencies might not be accessible, we also set the stage for visionaries to take risks to explore what might be. We look for organizations and individuals that demonstrate creativity and out of the box thinking. We value boldness and innovation over success.

Adaptability

If there is one constant, it’s that things change. Strategies which work now may not work in the future. That’s why we remain adaptable and flexible, continually assessing the needs of our grantees and their communities to ensure we can tailor our efforts to affect the best results possible for many years to come

Impact Beyond Numbers

Making one person’s life infinitely better means we’ve succeeded. We tailor our assessment practices to create space for thoughtful reflection and evaluate the various elements of each project, which helps inform the ShineMaker Foundation’s policies and practices. As independent media advocates, our support of in-depth, balanced, ethical and compelling reporting/storytelling is central to both our mission and understanding of the world.