Dart Foundation
Mason, MI · EIN 38-2849841. Reported 119 grants totalling $10.9M to 75 recipients across tax years 2020-2023. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Dart Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $29,755. Half of everything it gave fell between $15,000 and $50,000; the smallest was $1,500 and the largest $1,500,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Impression 5 Science Center | Lansing, MI | $2,400,500 | 10 | 3 | 2022 |
| Columbia University | New York, NY | $1,800,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Child and Family Charities | Lansing, MI | $750,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lansing Public Media Authority | Lansing, MI | $625,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Lansing | Lansing, MI | $500,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Potter Park Zoological Society | Lansing, MI | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Mclaren Greater Lansing Foundation | Lansing, MI | $350,000 | 2 | 1 | 2020 |
| Highfields Inc | Onondaga, MI | $305,000 | 7 | 4 | 2023 |
| Hospice of Lansing | Lansing, MI | $300,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI | $280,900 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| Cristo Rey Community Center | Lansing, MI | $265,840 | 14 | 3 | 2023 |
| Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Inc | Sarasota, FL | $210,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Mid-Michigan Recovery Services | Lansing, MI | $160,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters Michigan Capital Region Inc | Lansing, MI | $130,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lansing School District | Lansing, MI | $125,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| CASA of Talbot County Inc | Easton, MD | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Capital Area Humane Society | Lansing, MI | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Feeding America Kentucky's Heartland Inc | Elizabethtown, KY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| North Texas Food Bank | Plano, TX | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Reach Studio Art Center | Lansing, MI | $70,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lodi House | Lodi, CA | $67,500 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Rush Ministries Inc | Thomaston, GA | $65,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Magic Valley | Twin Falls, ID | $53,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Cunningham Children's Home of Urbana Il | Urbana, IL | $52,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| A Kid's Place of Tampa Bay Inc | Brandon, FL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Abba's Tables Incorporated | Ada, OK | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Anderson Animal Shelter Dba Anderson Humane | South Elgin, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Clare House Inc | Lancaster, PA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Common Ground Ministries | Waxahachie, TX | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Feeding America Riverside and San Bernardino Counties | Riverside, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of Joshua House Foundation Inc | Lutz, FL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Greater Chicago Food Depository | Chicago, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Haven House | East Lansing, MI | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Helping Mamas Inc | Norcross, GA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Minnie's Food Pantry | Plano, TX | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Public Action to Deliver Shelter Inc | Aurora, IL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rockdale County Emergency Relief Fund Inc | Conyers, GA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Wloc Clothes for Kids Inc | Horse Cave, KY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Hospice of the Piedmont Inc | High Point, NC | $48,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Thomaston Hospice Foundation Inc | Thomaston, GA | $47,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mississippi First | Jackson, MS | $46,300 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central Georgia | Madison, GA | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Hart County Schools | Munfordville, KY | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Borrowed Hearts Owensboro | Owensboro, KY | $42,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Brandywine Valley SPCA | West Chester, PA | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kristi House Inc | Miami, FL | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Foundation for Rush | Meridian, MS | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Corona-Norco Settlement House | Corona, CA | $29,755 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| A Child's Voice Child Advocacy Center Inc | Social Circle, GA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse Inc | Delray Beach, FL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Childnet Inc | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Lodi Boys and Girls Club | Lodi, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Project Sister Family Services | Pomona, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Nemours Foundation | Jacksonville, FL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Night Ministry | Chicago, IL | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Caverna Independent Schools | Cave City, KY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Mercy Health Foundation Ada | Ada, OK | $17,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Water Street Ministries | Lancaster, PA | $17,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Crisis Nursery | Urbana, IL | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Edgewood Village Nonprofit Housing Corporation | East Lansing, MI | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Rockdale Coalition for Children and Families Inc | Conyers, GA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| United Food Bank and Services of Plant City Inc | Plant City, FL | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Vna Health Care | Aurora, IL | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Lake County Crisis Center for the Prevention & Treatment of Domestic Violen | Zion, IL | $13,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Waxahachie Care Services | Waxahachie, TX | $12,150 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| All Faiths Food Bank Inc | Sarasota, FL | $10,500 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Mayors' Feed the Hungry Program Inc | Sarasota, FL | $10,500 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Salvation Army - Sarasota County | Sarasota, FL | $10,500 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Community Action Council of Lewis Mason & Thurston Counties | Lacey, WA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Randolph County Family Crisis Center Inc | Asheboro, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta | Chamblee, GA | $5,850 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Capital Region Housing Collaborative | Lansing, MI | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Homewood Science Center | Homewood, IL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Pontotoc Animal Welfare Society | Ada, OK | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Huron Pines Resource Conservation and Development Council Inc | Gaylord, MI | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
13 of 75 (17%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 26%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Columbia University
General operating support for the Dart Center for Journalism. - Child and Family Charities
Facility expansion and improvement grant. - Lansing Public Media Authority
Upgrades to the Ovation's sound system. - Impression 5 Science Center
Science Center exhibit support. - Michigan State University
Disability awareness funding. - Mclaren Greater Lansing Foundation
Grant will be utilized towards the new state-of-the-art hospital campus in Lansing.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 83 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 42 | $1,192,296 | $15,348 |
| 2021 | 30 | $3,510,699 | $38,750 |
| 2022 | 25 | $3,288,300 | $50,000 |
| 2023 | 22 | $2,930,000 | $50,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
63% of its giving went to organizations in Michigan. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $29,755. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Michigan.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Dart Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 500 Hogsback Rd, Mason, MI, 48854. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 38-2849841 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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