Dock Street Foundation
Dock Street Foundation is a private foundation based in Easton, Maryland. It supports organizations and initiatives addressing health, children, education, the arts, and the environment, with its website describing a focus on communities on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Dock Street Foundation at a glance
In short: Dock Street Foundation gave $347K across 43 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in Maryland. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $347,051
- -11.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 43
- +34.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,071
- -33.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,000
- Total assets
- $143,610
- +10.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Maryland (88% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Dock Street Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 205 Goldsborough Street, Easton, MD 21601
Phone: (410) 476-3185
Website: https://www.dockstreetfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Dock Street Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Talbot Thrive Co County Manager's Office ($60K). Together the top 10 received $253K.
Grant Size Distribution
159 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 155 grants of 159 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website identifies Maryland’s Eastern Shore as its focus. In 2025, 88% of grant dollars went to recipients in Maryland, 7% to New York, and 1% each to California, Georgia, and the District of Columbia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 43 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Dock Street Foundation gives
- 49% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 72% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $19K (2020) to $391K (2024). In 2025 it made 43 grants totaling $347K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Talbot Thrive Co County Manager's Office Easton, MD | Fund organized charities planned purpose healthy and safe outdoor mobility | $60,000 |
| Mid-Shore Community Foundation Easton, MD | Fund Organized Charities Planned Purpose Community Betterment | $47,500 |
| Building African American Minds Easton, MD | Fund Organized Charities Planned Purpose Community Outreach | $42,600 |
| Mid-Shore Early Learning Center Easton, MD | Fund Organized Charities Planned Purpose Education | $25,000 |
| The Lake Clinic USA New York, NY | Fund Organized Charities Planned Purpose Humanitarian | $20,000 |
| Academy Art Museum Easton, MD | Fund Organized Charities Planned Purpose Arts | $15,000 |
| Talbot County Free Library Easton, MD | Fund Organized Charities Planned Purpose Connecting Communities | $15,000 |
| For All Seasons Easton, MD | Fund Organized Charities Planned Purpose Womens Needs | $10,000 |
| MPT Foundation Owings Mills, MD | Fund Organized Charities Planned Purpose Public Television | $10,000 |
| Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center Easton, MD | Fund Organized Charities Planned Purpose Multicultrual Assistance | $7,500 |
Ready to take the next step with Dock Street 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 | $143,610 | $425,159 | $411,114 | $347,051 | 43 | $347,051 | $378,955 | $2,487 |
| 2024 | $129,565 | $505,144 | $501,347 | $390,618 | 32 | $417,346 | $478,946 | $569 |
| 2023 | $125,768 | $313,392 | $328,462 | $224,160 | 33 | $254,702 | $293,437 | $3,007 |
| 2022 | $140,838 | $290,089 | $293,416 | $201,533 | 34 | $224,331 | $276,921 | $3,029 |
| 2021 | $144,165 | $228,465 | $188,908 | $111,247 | 17 | $119,366 | $152,125 | $4,085 |
| 2020 | $104,608 | $120,477 | $142,768 | $18,660 | 6 | — | — | $5,082 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Dock Street Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2K 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
The foundation describes its work as supporting organizations addressing critical community issues on the Eastern Shore, including health, education, children, the arts, and the environment. Its website lists a range of nonprofit partners, including organizations working in arts and culture, youth services, education, mental health, housing, and environmental conservation.
Examples of grantees’ stated missions include Building African American Minds, which says it provides tutoring and reading assistance to African American elementary school children at risk of underachievement; For All Seasons, which says it provides therapy, advocacy, education, and psychiatric care; and ShoreRivers, which says it protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education. The Lake Clinic says it provides healthcare access to people in remote and underserved areas around Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 43 grants totaling $347,051. Grant amounts ranged from $480 to $60,000, with a median grant of $4,000. Notable grants included $60,000 to Talbot Thrive Co County Manager’s Office for healthy and safe outdoor mobility; $47,500 to Mid-Shore Community Foundation for community betterment; $42,600 to Building African American Minds for community outreach; and $25,000 to Mid-Shore Early Learning Center for education. Other 2025 grants included $20,000 to The Lake Clinic USA for humanitarian purposes and $15,000 to Academy Art Museum for the arts.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Louis Marks as president, Alexander Marks as secretary/treasurer, and Richard Marks as chairman. The foundation’s website identifies Richard Marks as its founder.
Dock Street Foundation is led by Louis Marks, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Louis Marks
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard Marks
Chairman
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alexander Marks
Secretary & Treasurer
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 Dock Street Foundation
How much does Dock Street Foundation give each year?
Dock Street Foundation gave $347K across 43 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $391K across 32 grants.
What is Dock Street Foundation's typical grant size?
Dock Street Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,000, and its average grant was $8,071, across 43 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Dock Street Foundation give grants?
Dock Street Foundation gives mostly in Maryland: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Easton, MD (24 grants), New York, NY (2 grants) and Cambridge, MD (2 grants).
Does Dock Street Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 43 grants with a stated purpose on Dock Street Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Fund Organized Charities Planned Purpose Community Outreach" (7 grants) and "Fund Organized Charities Planned Purpose Arts" (4 grants).
Who are Dock Street Foundation's largest grantees?
Dock Street Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Talbot Thrive Co County Manager's Office ($60,000), Mid-Shore Community Foundation ($47,500) and Building African American Minds ($42,600), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Dock Street Foundation?
Dock Street Foundation reported $144K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $347K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Dock Street Foundation fund?
The foundation describes its work as supporting organizations addressing critical community issues on the Eastern Shore, including health, education, children, the arts, and the environment. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Dock Street Foundation?
The foundation 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 Dock Street Foundation's EIN?
Dock Street Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-8856399. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Dock Street Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 21, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 21, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Dock Street Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Dock Street Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/dock-street-foundation-morg_286ad2ecf9f143e099b7a8fc430473b3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_208856399_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Dock Street Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/dock-street-foundation-morg_286ad2ecf9f143e099b7a8fc430473b3},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Dock Street 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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