FundersDelaware

The Dorothy G Bender Foundation Inc

Wilmington, DE · EIN 52-1406566. Reported 179 grants totalling $2,110,569 to 129 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.

Yesaccepts unsolicited requests
$5,000median grant
$2,110,569granted, 2021-2024
129organizations funded
28%of grantees funded again the next year
$8,728,239assets, latest filing

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. The Dorothy G Bender Foundation Inc did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.

This is the foundation's own statement to the IRS, not our judgement, and it says nothing about whether they have a form, a deadline, or an appetite for new grantees. Treat it as the reason this foundation is worth your research time, not as an invitation. Many small foundations of this kind have no website and no application process -- a letter of inquiry is the normal first step.

How big are its grants?

The median grant is $5,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $2,500 and $10,000; the smallest was $100 and the largest $232,500. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.

Under $1,000
8 grants
$1,000 - $5,000
64 grants
$5,000 - $10,000
55 grants
$10,000 - $25,000
28 grants
$25,000 - $50,000
14 grants
$50,000 - $100,000
6 grants
$100,000 and Up
4 grants

Every organization it funded

This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.

OrganizationLocationTotal receivedGrantsYears fundedLast
Medstar-Georgetown Medical Center IncWashington, DC$232,500112024
Medstar Georgetown University HospitalWashington, DC$200,000112023
The Kennedy CenterWashington, DC$165,000222022
U S Holocaust Memorial MuseumWashington, DC$125,000222022
American UniversityWashington, DC$84,000442024
George Washington UniversityWashington, DC$78,000222022
National Museum of Women in the ArtsWashington, DC$75,000112023
John F Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsWashington, DC$56,000112024
Children's National HospitalWashington, DC$50,000222022
The Jewish Federation of Greater WashingtonBethesda, MD$50,000112023
Georgetown University Medical CtrWashington, DC$43,000112021
Colorectal Cancer AllianceWashington, DC$40,000442024
Johns Hopkins HospitalBaltimore, MD$35,000222022
American Association for the AdvancWashington, DC$25,000112021
Central Fund of IsraelCedarhurst, NY$25,000112023
Friends of Cancer ResearchWashington, DC$25,000332023
Nat'l Museum-Women in the ArtsWashington, DC$25,000112022
National Gallery of ArtWashington, DC$25,000332023
Smithsonian InstitutionWashington, DC$25,000112023
United States Holocaust Memorial MuseumWashington, DC$25,000112024
Zoological Society of the Palm Beaches IncWest Palm Bch, FL$25,000112024
Aspen InstituteWashington, DC$20,500442024
Alzheimers Drug Discovery FoundationNew York, NY$20,000222024
Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County IncGaithersburg, MD$20,000112024
Kuwait-America FoundationWashington, DC$20,000222024
Southern Poverty Law Center IncMontgomery, AL$20,000112024
University of South Florida Foundation IncTampa, FL$20,000112024
Catholic Charities of DCWashington, DC$18,000222022
Washington Hebrew CongregationWashington, DC$18,000112022
National Council for AdoptionAlexandria, VA$17,000442024
Ford's TheatreWashington, DC$15,000112023
Ford's Theatre SocietyWashington, DC$15,000112024
Greater Good CharitiesSeattle, WA$15,000222024
Operation SmileVirginia Beach, VA$15,000112021
The Palm Beach Symphony Society IncWest Palm Beach, FL$15,000112024
WetaArlington, VA$12,500332024
Agamim Classical AcademyEdina, MN$10,000112024
American National Red CrossWashington, DC$10,000222022
Anti Defamation League FoundationNew York, NY$10,000112021
Brem Foundation to Defeat Br CancerSilver Spring, MD$10,000222022
Flamingo Gardens IncDavie, FL$10,000112024
Fords Theatre SocietyWashington, DC$10,000222022
Holy Trinity Catholic ChurchWashington, DC$10,000112022
Make a Wish FoundationPhoenix, AZ$10,000112021
Meridian International CenterWashington, DC$10,000222024
Promise Fund of Florida IncWest Palm Beach, FL$10,000112024
South Florida Wildlife Center IncFt Lauderdale, FL$10,000112024
Usagainstalzheimer'sWashington, DC$10,000222022
Weizmann Institute of ScienceRehovot$10,000112022
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing ArtsVienna, VA$10,000112024
Blair House Restoration FundWashington, DC$8,500332023
Various Organizations 1000 and UnderWashington, DC$8,250112023
Whitman-Walker Clinic IncWashington, DC$8,000222022
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS FdnWashington, DC$7,500222022
New York Center for ChildrenNew York, NY$7,500222022
Smithsonian Portrait GalleryWashington, DC$7,500222022
Trust for National MallWashington, DC$7,500222022
Wilderness Leadership & Learning IWashington, DC$7,500222022
Junior Tennis Champion CenterCollege Park, MD$7,000222022
Mercy Center Foundation USA IncSilver Spring, MD$7,000112022
Signature TheatreArlington, VA$7,000332024
Nantucket Cottage Hospital IncSomerville, MA$6,300112022
Arena StageWashington, DC$6,200332023
White House Historical AssociationWashington, DC$5,500222023
Barbara Bush Foundation for FamilyHouston, TX$5,000112021
Bethesda Community Baseball ClubBethesda, MD$5,000112023
Bradys K9 FundBradenton, FL$5,000112024
Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer IncSilver Spring, MD$5,000112024
Cancer Alliance of Help and HopePalm Beach, FL$5,000112024
Csahm Adhd Foundation for Adhd EducCabin John, MD$5,000112021
Eastern Shore Hockey Ass'nEaston, MD$5,000112022
Explore Childrens Museum of DCWashington, DC$5,000112021
Foundation for Art and Preservation in EmbassiesWashington, DC$5,000222024
Humane Society of Polk County IncWinter Haven, FL$5,000112024
National Center for Missing and ExpAlexandria, VA$5,000112021
Path ForwardArlington, VA$5,000112023
Sasha Bruce YouthworkWashington, DC$5,000112022
Virginia Federation of Humane SocietiesEdinburg, VA$5,000112023
Wolftrap Fdn-for Performing ArtsVienna, VA$5,000112022
Woodrow WilsonWashington, DC$5,000112023
Wrestle Like a Girl IncWashington, DC$5,000112022
Young Women's Association of MissoulaMissoula, MT$5,000112023
Project CreateWashington, DC$4,500222023
Center for Creative ChangeWashington, DC$3,600112024
Care for AlsDenton, MD$3,000112022
Foster & Adoptive Parent Advocacy CenterWashington, DC$3,000222024
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society IncOrlando, FL$3,000112024
Alzheimers Drug Discovery FoundatioNew York, NY$2,500112021
American Committee for the Weismann Institute of ScienceRehovot, Rehovot$2,500112023
American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of SNew York, NY$2,500112024
Chesapeake Bay Foundation IncAnnapolis, MD$2,500112021
Csahm Adhad FoundationBethesda, MD$2,500112023
FapeAlexandria, VA$2,500112021
Humane Rescue AllianceWashington, DC$2,500112023
Junior Tennis Champions CenterCollege Park, MD$2,500112023
Little Lights Urban MinistriesWashington, DC$2,500112024
Lucky Dog Animal RescueArlington, VA$2,500112023
No Kid Hungryshare Our StrengthWashington, DC$2,500112022
Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint GeorgeRoma, Rome$2,500112023
So Others Might EatWashington, DC$2,500112021
Talbot Hospice FondationEaston, MD$2,500112021
Center - Family Services of Plm BchWest Palm Beach, FL$2,000112022
Dog Tag IncWashington, DC$2,000222022
Easter Sealsdc-MD-VaSilver Spring, MD$2,000112021
Hortons Kids IncWashington, DC$2,000112021
Martha's Table IncWashington, DC$2,000112021
Myriad USA IncNew York, NY$2,000112024
Best Friends FoundationWashington, DC$1,500112021
Hillwood EstateWashington, DC$1,500112023
Hillwood Estate Museum & GardensWashington, DC$1,500112024
Leaders in Furthering Education IncLantana, FL$1,500112024
Washington National OperaWashington, DC$1,484112023
Woodland Normanstone Neighborhood aWashington, DC$1,035112021
Arts for the AgingRockville, MD$1,000112021
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of WashingtoWashington, DC$1,000112024
Classic Motor Museum of St MichaelSaint Michaels, MD$1,000112021
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS FoundationWashington, DC$1,000112024
Feeding AmericaChicago, IL$1,000112024
Medecins Sans Frontieres USA IncNew York, NY$1,000112024
National Childrens MuseumWashington, DC$1,000112021
R a C E Fund IncHarrisburg, PA$1,000112024
St Andrews Episcopal SchoolPotomac, MD$1,000112021
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society IncRye Brook, NY$1,000112022
Arts for the Aging-Maryland IncGaithersburg, MD$500112024
Best Friends FoundationChevy Chase, MD$500112024
Iona Senior ServicesWashington, DC$500112024
Volunteers for Honduran Communities IncFalls Church, VA$500112024
March of DimesChesapeake, VA$100112024
Multiple Sclerosis FoundationFt Lauderdale, FL$100112022

36 of 129 (28%) 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 28%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.

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.

What kind of organizations it funds

By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 112 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.

Arts & Culture
26 grants
Human Services
15 grants
Education
9 grants
International Affairs
9 grants
Medical Research
9 grants
Animal Welfare
8 grants
Health Care
7 grants
Social Science
6 grants

Giving by year

Tax yearGrantsTotalMedian grant
202151$470,035$5,000
202245$538,900$5,000
202336$521,434$5,000
202447$580,200$5,000

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

Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 75% of this one's giving went to organizations in District of Columbia. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.

District of Columbia
$1.6M
Maryland
$168K
Florida
$112K
Virginia
$87K
New York
$72K
Alabama
$20K
Washington
$15K
Minnesota
$10K

Find more foundations like The Dorothy G Bender Foundation Inc

We email you newly filed foundations whose giving matches your state and cause, as the IRS publishes them. Free.

No spam, unsubscribe in one click. We never sell or share your address.

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 the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.

Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund58 shared recipientsDonor Advised Charitable Giving Inc52 shared recipientsAmerican Online Giving Foundation Inc47 shared recipientsVanguard Charitable Endowment Program42 shared recipientsNational Philanthropic Trust41 shared recipientsMorgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc40 shared recipients

How to approach this foundation

  1. Check you are its size. The median grant is $5,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
  2. Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in District of Columbia.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

Foundations funding arts & culture in District of ColumbiaEvery funder in this group, rankedFoundations funding education in District of ColumbiaEvery funder in this group, rankedFoundations funding international affairs in District of ColumbiaEvery funder in this group, ranked

Where these numbers come from

Everything above is taken from The Dorothy G Bender Foundation Inc's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.

Address of record on the latest return: Foundation Source 501 Silverside Rd, Wilmington, DE, 19809. 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 52-1406566 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this

This is history, not an open call. Foundation returns are published about a year after the tax year ends. Nothing on this page is a deadline. It is a record of who this foundation has actually funded, which is the best available predictor of who it will fund next -- and a much better basis for deciding whether to write to them than a mission statement.

Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email hello@funderscope.com and we will correct it.