Donahue Foundation
The Donahue Foundation is a private foundation based in Centennial, Colorado. Established in Colorado in 1990, it supports tuition assistance for young people from economically disadvantaged families, with a stated special interest in Catholic schools.
Donahue Foundation at a glance
In short: Donahue Foundation gave $453K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $24K), mostly in Colorado. 16% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $453,359
- -34.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $23,861
- -34.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $3,354,653
- -0.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 16% first-time grantees (3 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Colorado (70% 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 Donahue Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Send a letter of inquiry by email to Lisa Goodwin. Applicants must be classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization and must be or support a non-public school.
- Review Cycle
- Send the preliminary letter no later than March 1.
- Deadline
- Send the preliminary letter no later than March 1.
- Contact
Application contact: Lisa Goodwin
Mailing address: 18260 E Long Avenue, Centennial, CO 80016
Phone: (303) 944-8356
Email: lisag@donahuefoundation.org
Website: https://donahuefoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Donahue Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Annunciation School ($55K). Together the top 10 received $319K.
Grant Size Distribution
98 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 92 grants of 98 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Colorado. In 2025, 70% of grant dollars went to recipients in Colorado and 30% to recipients in Arizona.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Donahue Foundation open to new grantees?
16%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 19 grantees (16%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $17K; repeat grants $25K. How we count
Medians: $21K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 84% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 33% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 221% 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 $341K (2022) to $696K (2024). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $453K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Annunciation School Denver, CO | Educational | $55,000 |
| Arrupe Jesuit High School Denver, CO | Educational | $35,000 |
| St Mary's Academy Englewood, CO | Educational | $30,450 |
| Escuela De Guadalupe School Denver, CO | Educational | $30,000 |
| St Mary's High School Colorado Springs, CO | Educational | $30,000 |
| St Matthew Catholic School Phoenix, AZ | Educational | $30,000 |
| St Rose of Lima School Denver, CO | Educational | $30,000 |
| Sttherese School Aurora, CO | Educational | $28,000 |
| Regis Jesuit High School Aurora, CO | Educational | $25,376 |
| Mullen High School Denver, CO | Educational | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Donahue 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 | $3,354,653 | $518,612 | $526,232 | $453,359 | 19 | $494,600 | $494,943 | $224,179 |
| 2024 | $3,363,691 | $581,616 | $765,347 | $696,000 | 19 | $736,732 | $558,852 | $220,330 |
| 2023 | $3,547,439 | $377,674 | $456,061 | $390,500 | 23 | $428,913 | $356,528 | $199,867 |
| 2022 | $3,625,821 | $329,354 | $406,537 | $340,700 | 19 | $378,858 | $306,821 | $206,092 |
| 2021 | $3,703,024 | $523,613 | $614,517 | $500,000 | 18 | $538,658 | $455,822 | $265,351 |
| 2020 | $3,793,928 | $464,905 | $544,835 | $473,000 | 19 | — | $439,520 | $231,141 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Donahue Foundation reported a distributable amount of $224K 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’s stated goal is to continue its founders’ mission of helping families who cannot otherwise afford private-school tuition. Its guidelines say applicants must be or support a non-public school. The foundation generally does not consider requests for college-level financial aid, grants to other foundations, capital projects, political agendas, or organizations that operate outside Colorado.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 19 grants totaling $453,359. Grants ranged from $500 to $55,000, with a median of $25,000. The largest listed awards included $55,000 to Annunciation School in Denver, $35,000 to Arrupe Jesuit High School in Denver, and $30,450 to St Mary’s Academy in Englewood; the listed grant purposes were educational.
Applicants should send a preliminary letter with the organization’s legal name and address, contact information, proof of tax-exempt status, and a brief history and goals. If the proposal fits the foundation’s general interests, applicants may be asked for further information, including details about the school or program and tuition, student profiles and financial assistance, board members, financial statements, and funding sources. The foundation may request a site visit or a follow-up report. It generally meets in late spring to consider requests.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lisa Donahue Goodwin as executive director; Teri Goddard as president; and William P Donahue, Rita Ochs, Greg Donahue, Sara Adair, and Ryan Donahue as directors.
Donahue Foundation is led by Lisa Donahue Goodwin, Executive Director since 2025 (on filings since 2020); 1 of 7 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lisa Donahue Goodwin
Executive Director
Executive Director & Secretary → Executive Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
25 hrs/week
$48K (2020) → $50K (2025)
Teri Goddard
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Greg Donahue
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Rita Ochs
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
William P. Donahue
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Ryan Donahue
Director
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Sara Adair
Director
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Mark Donahue (2020–2022) — Treasurer
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $50K, to Lisa Donahue Goodwin (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Donahue Foundation
How much does Donahue Foundation give each year?
Donahue Foundation gave $453K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $696K across 19 grants.
What is Donahue Foundation's typical grant size?
Donahue Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $23,861, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Donahue Foundation that year got $17K on average.
Where does Donahue Foundation give grants?
Donahue Foundation gives mostly in Colorado: 70% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Arizona (30%). The most frequent recipient cities were Denver, CO (7 grants), Phoenix, AZ (5 grants) and Aurora, CO (2 grants).
Does Donahue Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on Donahue Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Educational" (19 grants).
Who are Donahue Foundation's largest grantees?
Donahue Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Annunciation School ($55,000), Arrupe Jesuit High School ($35,000) and St Mary's Academy ($30,450), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Donahue Foundation?
Donahue Foundation reported $3.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $495K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $224K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Donahue Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated goal is to continue its founders’ mission of helping families who cannot otherwise afford private-school tuition. Its guidelines say applicants must be or support a non-public school. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Donahue Foundation?
Send a letter of inquiry by email to Lisa Goodwin. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Donahue Foundation's EIN?
Donahue Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-1151637. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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