Blue Dor Foundation
Blue Dor Foundation is a private foundation based in Deerfield, Illinois. In 2025, it reported giving $117,700 through 16 grants to charitable organizations, including organizations working in areas such as literacy, family support, health care, and community services.
Blue Dor Foundation at a glance
In short: Blue Dor Foundation gave $118K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Illinois. 25% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $117,700
- +23.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +23.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,356
- +0.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,321,473
- +2.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 25% first-time grantees (4 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (64% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Blue Dor Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1635 Tall Tree Lane, Deerfield, IL 60015
Phone: (312) 613-6012
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Blue Dor Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Families Helping Families ($15K). Together the top 10 received $95K.
Grant Size Distribution
69 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 69 grants of 69 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois (64%), California (17%), Colorado (11%), and Missouri (8%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Blue Dor Foundation open to new grantees?
25%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 16 grantees (25%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 31% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 121% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $71K (2020) to $118K (2025). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $118K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Families Helping Families Gurnee, IL | To Further the Mission of the Organization | $15,000 |
| Givewell Aka Clear Fund Oakland, CA | Givewell is a nonprofit dedicated to finding outstanding giving opportunities and publishing the full details of our analysis to help donors decide where to give. | $15,000 |
| Gratitude Generation Deerfield, IL | To further the mission of the organization to create more grateful, happy, healthy children who will grow into contributing adults and improve the lives of people around them | $15,000 |
| Camp for All Kids St. Louis, MO | To Further the Mission of the Organization | $10,000 |
| Direct Giving Lab Deerfield, IL | To further the mission of the organization to help connect donors with local families in need. | $10,000 |
| Reading Power Inc Lake Forest, IL | To Further the Mission of the Organization | $10,000 |
| Brave Space Alliance Chicago, IL | To further the mission of the organization dedicated to creating and providing affirming, culturally competent, for-us by-us resources, programming, and services for lgbtq+ individuals on the south and west sides of the city | $5,000 |
| Chicago Women's Health Center Chicago, IL | The futher the mission of the organization to help provide woment and trans people access to health care and education | $5,000 |
| Howard Brown Health Chicago, IL | To Further the Mission of the Organization | $5,000 |
| Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Chicago, IL | To further the mission of the organization to help empower the immigrant community in Illinois. | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Blue Dor Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,321,473 | $157,585 | $125,847 | $117,700 | 16 | $117,700 | $150,402 | $97,313 |
| 2024 | $1,289,735 | $69,384 | $99,410 | $95,000 | 13 | $95,000 | $69,359 | $89,646 |
| 2023 | $1,319,761 | $2,534 | $87,983 | $85,000 | 10 | $85,000 | $315,486 | $71,257 |
| 2022 | $1,405,210 | $10,422 | $94,731 | $90,000 | 15 | $90,000 | $9,432 | $76,332 |
| 2021 | $1,489,519 | $107,737 | $108,960 | $101,000 | 15 | $101,000 | $104,370 | $88,537 |
| 2020 | $1,490,742 | $845,697 | $75,069 | $71,000 | 12 | — | $411,380 | $36,099 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Blue Dor Foundation reported a distributable amount of $97K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Gratitude Generation describes its work as educating children about social needs and providing opportunities to serve at-risk populations. Reading Power describes its mission as accelerating children’s literacy learning and developing a love of reading and writing. Families Helping Families of Illinois says it provides housing, mentoring, and resources to families facing homelessness.
Other 2025 grantees describe work in community services, health care, social justice, and bicycle reuse. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 16 grants totaling $117,700. Grant amounts ranged from $1,800 to $15,000, with a median of $5,000.
Among its largest 2025 grants were $15,000 each to Families Helping Families, GiveWell (also known as Clear Fund), and Gratitude Generation; and $10,000 each to Camp for All Kids, Direct Giving Lab, and Reading Power. Other listed recipients included Brave Space Alliance, Chicago Women’s Health Center, Howard Brown Health, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Tides Foundation, and Working Bikes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Joel M Blau as president and director; Susan Blau as vice president and director; Jason M Blau as treasurer and director; Jamie M Lash as secretary and director; and Diana M Blau and Bradley A Lash as directors.
Blue Dor Foundation is led by Joel M. Blau, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Joel M. Blau
President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bradley A. Lash
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Diana M. Blau
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jamie M. Lash
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jason M. Blau
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Blau
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Blue Dor Foundation
How much does Blue Dor Foundation give each year?
Blue Dor Foundation gave $118K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $95K across 13 grants.
What is Blue Dor Foundation's typical grant size?
Blue Dor Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $7,356, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Blue Dor Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does Blue Dor Foundation give grants?
Blue Dor Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 64% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (17%) and Colorado (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (5 grants), Deerfield, IL (2 grants) and Denver, CO (2 grants).
Does Blue Dor Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Blue Dor Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Further the Mission of the Organization" (7 grants).
Who are Blue Dor Foundation's largest grantees?
Blue Dor Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Families Helping Families ($15,000), Givewell Aka Clear Fund ($15,000) and Gratitude Generation ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Blue Dor Foundation?
Blue Dor Foundation reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $118K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $97K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Blue Dor Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Gratitude Generation describes its work as educating children about social needs and providing opportunities to serve at-risk populations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Blue Dor Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Blue Dor Foundation's EIN?
Blue Dor Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-2911360. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Blue Dor Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Blue Dor Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Blue Dor Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/blue-dor-foundation-morg_62f2d7cb2b864f22a2595931f84d1012
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_812911360_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Blue Dor Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/blue-dor-foundation-morg_62f2d7cb2b864f22a2595931f84d1012},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Blue Dor Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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