Dodson Foundation Inc
Dodson Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Inverness, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations and scholarship funds, including organizations working in education, hunger relief, homelessness services, and other community needs.
Dodson Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Dodson Foundation Inc gave $3.3M across 88 grants in 2025 (avg $38K), top state Florida. 25% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,310,000
- +22.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 88
- +7.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $37,614
- +13.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $24,499,500
- -10.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 25% first-time grantees (22 of 87, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Florida (16% 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 Dodson Foundation Inc
- 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: 347 Plymouth Drive, Inverness, IL 60067
Phone: (312) 307-2326
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Dodson Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Ithaca School District ($260K). Together the top 10 received $1.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
392 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 299 grants of 392 (76%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars were distributed across recipient states, led by Florida (16%), Texas (14%), Wisconsin (12%), Arizona (10%), and Ohio (10%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 88 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Dodson Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
25%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 22 of 87 grantees (25%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $35K; repeat grants $39K. How we count
Medians: $18K first-time, $30K repeat.
- 71% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 57% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 181% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.6M (2019) to $3.3M (2025). In 2025 it made 88 grants totaling $3.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ithaca School District Richland Center, WI | Louis-Dodson Scholarship | $260,000 |
| Indiana University Foundation Bloomington, IN | Dodson Family Scholarship Fund | $175,000 |
| Good Samaritans of Garland Texas Garland, TX | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $100,000 |
| Home of the Mother Worthington, OH | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $100,000 |
| Lee Health Foundationkids Minds Matter Ft Myers, FL | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $100,000 |
| North Texas Food Bank Plano, TX | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $100,000 |
| United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Springs, CO | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $100,000 |
| Wilkinson Center Dallas, TX | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $100,000 |
| Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America New York, NY | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $75,000 |
| Hazeldon Betty Ford Foundation Center City, MN | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $75,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Dodson Foundation Inc?
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 | $24,499,500 | $810,774 | $3,614,741 | $3,310,000 | 88 | $3,363,040 | $450,054 | $1,856,969 |
| 2024 | $27,303,467 | $1,011,996 | $2,892,018 | $2,710,000 | 82 | $2,754,220 | $624,864 | $1,749,940 |
| 2023 | $29,215,834 | $847,418 | $2,350,085 | $2,110,000 | 73 | $2,155,148 | $602,921 | $1,611,459 |
| 2022 | $30,720,773 | $1,167,471 | $2,350,515 | $2,110,000 | 77 | $2,154,653 | $528,500 | $1,664,143 |
| 2021 | $31,939,552 | $2,855,371 | $2,129,691 | $1,850,000 | 72 | $1,896,431 | $2,574,401 | $1,806,549 |
| 2020 | $31,243,808 | $1,212,651 | $1,955,009 | $1,700,000 | 73 | — | $608,873 | $1,502,087 |
| 2019 | $31,986,166 | $1,745,980 | $1,707,885 | $1,550,000 | 78 | — | $648,641 | $1,599,624 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Dodson Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $1.9M 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 include scholarship support and unrestricted charitable grants. Among the organizations it supported, the North Texas Food Bank describes its mission as closing the hunger gap in North Texas through food access and work on hunger’s root causes. Central Arizona Shelter Services says it works to prevent and end homelessness, while the Wilkinson Center says it provides Dallas families pathways to self-sufficiency.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 88 grants totaling $3,310,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $260,000, with a median of $25,000. The largest awards included $260,000 to Ithaca School District for the Louis-Dodson Scholarship and $175,000 to Indiana University Foundation for the Dodson Family Scholarship Fund. Other notable awards were $100,000 each to Good Samaritans of Garland Texas, Home of the Mother, Lee Health Foundation Kids Minds Matter, North Texas Food Bank, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, and Wilkinson Center.
Additional 2025 grants included $50,000 each to St. Coletta’s of Illinois Foundation, Central Arizona Shelter Services, Happily Ever After League, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, and White Rock Center of Hope. These grantees describe work that includes supporting people with developmental disabilities, preventing homelessness, helping mothers with cancer, providing food, and meeting basic needs.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists J Michael Dodson as director and president; Cynthia L Gardner as director; Mark R Dodson as director and treasurer; Mary Molofsky as director, secretary, and vice president; Susan Dodson Wollwert as director; Robert Dodson as director; and Timothy G Schally as assistant secretary.
Dodson Foundation Inc is led by J. Michael Dodson, Director & President on every filing since 2019; 3 of 7 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
J. Michael Dodson
Director & President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
$50K (2019) → $50K (2025)
Mark R. Dodson
Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
$60K (2019) → $100K (2025)
Mary Molofsky
Director, Secretary & Vice President
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
$15K (2019) → $15K (2025)
Cynthia L. Gardner
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Dodson
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Dodson Wollwert
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Timothy G. Schally
Assistant Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $100K, to Mark R Dodson (Director, Treasurer). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Dodson Foundation Inc
How much does Dodson Foundation Inc give each year?
Dodson Foundation Inc gave $3.3M across 88 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.7M across 82 grants.
What is Dodson Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Dodson Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $37,614, across 88 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Dodson Foundation Inc that year got $35K on average.
Where does Dodson Foundation Inc give grants?
Dodson Foundation Inc's top state is Florida, with 16% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Texas (14%) and Wisconsin (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Naples, FL (7 grants), Ft Myers, FL (6 grants), Seattle, WA (6 grants) and Dallas, TX (5 grants).
Does Dodson Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 84% of Dodson Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (74 of 88) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Scholarships" (3 grants).
Who are Dodson Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Dodson Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Ithaca School District ($260,000), Indiana University Foundation ($175,000) and Good Samaritans of Garland Texas ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 16% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Dodson Foundation Inc?
Dodson Foundation Inc reported $24.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.9M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Dodson Foundation Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include scholarship support and unrestricted charitable grants. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Dodson Foundation Inc?
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 Dodson Foundation Inc's EIN?
Dodson Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-1694304. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Dodson Foundation Inc 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 7, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 24, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 29, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Dodson Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Dodson Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/dodson-foundation-inc-morg_29045fdbc172430e83d31d21724f975c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_391694304_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Dodson Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/dodson-foundation-inc-morg_29045fdbc172430e83d31d21724f975c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Dodson Foundation Inc'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.
Dodson Foundation Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?