David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation
The David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation is a private foundation based in an individual recipient City, Utah. It supports qualified 501(c)(3) organizations working in areas including vision and eye care, children’s services, drunk-driving prevention and education, historic preservation, elder advocacy, and environmental conservation, with a primary emphasis on activities in Utah.
David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation at a glance
In short: David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation gave $1.7M across 69 grants in 2024 (avg $25K), mostly in Utah. 20% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,700,270
- -0.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 69
- +1.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $24,642
- -1.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $40,653,583
- +2.3% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (14 of 69, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Utah (86% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s 2024 filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Its website describes a letter-of-inquiry process followed by a formal application for organizations invited to proceed, and says organizations may apply once per calendar year. Website guidelines exclude grants to individuals and nonqualified agencies, multi-year commitments, research, staff funding, and capital campaigns or new building construction, with stated exceptions for historic-building preservation and certain exhibit costs. The website also says it does not fund overhead expenses, administrative salaries, political organizations, or candidates.
- Review Cycle
- The website listed August 2, 2026, as the letter-of-inquiry deadline and August 30, 2026, as the formal application deadline for its Fall 2026 cycle. Both dates have passed.
- Deadline
- The website listed August 2, 2026, as the letter-of-inquiry deadline and August 30, 2026, as the formal application…
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 2437, Salt Lake City, UT 84110
Phone: (801) 359-0751
Website: https://www.dkjmemorial.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation
Who David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Madeleine Choir School ($200K). Together the top 10 received $812K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($20,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
343 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 284 grants of 343 (83%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website says it primarily funds organizations conducting activities in Utah, while allowing distributions to qualifying organizations providing services outside the state. In 2024, 86% of grant dollars went to recipients in Utah; other recipient states listed were the District of Columbia (5%), Virginia (3%), Arizona (2%), and California (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 69 itemized grants.
Cities
Is David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 14 of 69 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $28K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $17K repeat.
- 52% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+13%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 103% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.5M (2021) to $1.7M (2023). In 2024 it made 69 grants totaling $1.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Madeleine Choir School Salt Lake City, UT | New gym and equipment. | $200,000 |
| Moran Eye Center Salt Lake City, UT | Outreach program. | $117,000 |
| Utah Food Bank Salt Lake City, UT | Essential food distribution for families in need. | $100,000 |
| Summit Land Conservancy Park City, UT | Preserving agricultural property along the Weber River in Sargent Ranch and Richins Ranch. | $75,000 |
| Shriners Hospital For Children Salt Lake City, UT | To provide unique, patient-centered care to children. | $65,000 |
| Christmas Box International Salt Lake City, UT | To prevent child abuse and defend children through a culture of universal diversity, inclusion, and love. | $55,000 |
| Catholic Community Svcs of Utah Salt Lake City, UT | Catholic Community Services Bridge the Gap Program. | $50,000 |
| Maliheh Free Clinic Salt Lake City, UT | Clinic's annual Healthy Family Support Program. | $50,000 |
| The Nature Conservancy Arlington, VA | Moab wetlands preserve restoration. | $50,000 |
| The Rural Utah Project Salt Lake City, UT | Voting support for residents of rural Navajo Nation. | $50,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $40,653,583 | $3,494,464 | $3,094,018 | $1,700,270 | 69 | $2,210,226 | $2,669,319 | $2,141,413 |
| 2023 | $39,754,514 | $2,334,942 | $3,019,585 | $1,708,372 | 68 | $2,135,273 | $1,508,856 | $2,075,526 |
| 2022 | $38,979,839 | $2,414,460 | $2,901,931 | $1,684,175 | 82 | $2,067,287 | $1,641,621 | $2,109,728 |
| 2021 | $42,562,353 | $2,961,221 | $2,673,673 | $1,499,260 | 66 | $1,823,162 | $2,157,417 | $2,170,549 |
| 2020 | $40,942,989 | $2,179,368 | $2,842,822 | $1,601,034 | 58 | — | $1,275,852 | $1,988,099 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.1M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to preserve its founder’s philanthropic interests and make a significant difference in sight preservation and improvement, children’s services, drunk-driving prevention and education, historic preservation, elder advocacy, and environmental conservation. Its website identifies outreach for vision and eye care, children’s services, elder advocacy and care, environmental conservation, historic preservation, and drunk-driving prevention and education as areas it funds.
The 2024 grants include organizations whose stated missions illustrate several of these areas. Summit Land Conservancy says it works with Utah communities to conserve land and water for people and nature. Friends for Sight says it provides free vision screenings, works to improve access to eye care, and shares information about eye safety and vision resources. The Christmas Box International says it works to prevent child abuse and improve life for children, teens, and young adults who have experienced abuse, neglect, or homelessness. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 69 grants totaling $1,700,270. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $200,000, with a median of $15,000. The largest listed awards included $200,000 to Madeleine Choir School for a new gym and equipment; $117,000 to Moran Eye Center for its outreach program; $100,000 to Utah Food Bank for essential food distribution for families in need; and $75,000 to Summit Land Conservancy for preserving agricultural property along the Weber River.
Other listed 2024 grants included $65,000 to Shriners Hospital for Children for patient-centered care; $55,000 to Christmas Box International; $50,000 each to Catholic Community Services of Utah, Maliheh Free Clinic, The Nature Conservancy, The Rural Utah Project, Adopt A Native Elder, and World Central Kitchen; and $40,000 each to Friends of the Children – Utah and Tree Utah. The foundation’s website states a grant range of $5,000 to $100,000, while its 2024 filing lists awards outside that range.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Laurel Dokos as executive director, and Peter M Corroon and Monsignor Joseph M Mayo as advisory committee members.
David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation is led by Laurel Dokos, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; all 3 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Laurel Dokos
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
35 hrs/week
$200K (2020) → $222K (2024)
Monsignor Joseph M Mayo
Adv. Committee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$10K (2020) → $10K (2024)
Peter M Corroon
Adv. Committee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$10K (2020) → $10K (2024)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $222K, to Laurel Dokos (Exec. Dir.). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation
How much does David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation give each year?
David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation gave $1.7M across 69 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.7M across 68 grants.
What is David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation's typical grant size?
David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $15,000, and its average grant was $24,642, across 69 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation give grants?
David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation gives mostly in Utah: 86% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Salt Lake City, UT (32 grants), Washington, DC (3 grants), Sandy, UT (3 grants) and Ogden, UT (3 grants).
Does David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 69 grants with a stated purpose on David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation's largest grantees?
David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Madeleine Choir School ($200,000), Moran Eye Center ($117,000) and Utah Food Bank ($100,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($20,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 25% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation?
David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation reported $40.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to preserve its founder’s philanthropic interests and make a significant difference in sight preservation and improvement, children’s services, drunk-driving prevention and education, historic preservation, elder advocacy, and environmental conservation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation?
The foundation’s 2024 filing states that it 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 David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation's EIN?
David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-1051277. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does David Kelby Johnson Memorial 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 October 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 August 27, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/david-kelby-johnson-memorial-foundation-morg_858cd5bc01a744f4a834ea85b96a5cdc
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_471051277_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/david-kelby-johnson-memorial-foundation-morg_858cd5bc01a744f4a834ea85b96a5cdc},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 David Kelby Johnson Memorial 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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