Dow Jones News Fund Inc
Dow Jones News Fund Inc is a private foundation based in Princeton, New Jersey. It supports journalism education and professional development through college journalism internships and training, high school journalism workshops, and opportunities for journalism educators.
Dow Jones News Fund Inc at a glance
In short: Dow Jones News Fund Inc gave $109K across 6 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), mostly in New Jersey. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $108,500
- -18.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 6
- -50.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $18,083
- +62.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $6,250
- Total assets
- $482,731
- +7.2% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (68% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Dow Jones News Fund Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The Fund states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Its 2024 call for high school workshop proposals invited nonprofits and academic institutions to submit proposals, including a workshop theme, budget, staff and speaker résumés, a tentative schedule, and examples of prior student work where applicable. That call set an April 1 deadline and described grants of $3,000 to $8,000.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 300, Princeton, NJ 08543
Phone: (609) 627-1953
Website: https://dowjonesnewsfund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Dow Jones News Fund Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 5 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Columbia University ($10K). Together the top 5 received $35K.
Grant Size Distribution
138 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 134 grants of 138 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars were distributed among recipients in New Jersey (68%), New York (9%), Arizona (6%), California (6%), and Minnesota (6%). The listed 2025 recipients also included Howard University Multicultural Media Academy in Washington, D.C.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 6 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Dow Jones News Fund Inc gives
- Giving fell 45% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2022 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $109K (2025) to $268K (2020). In 2025 it made 6 grants totaling $109K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| See Attached List for Detail See Attached List, NJ | Scholarships | $73,500 |
| Columbia University New York, NY | HS Journalism Teacher of the Year | $10,000 |
| Northern Arizona University Fdn Flagstaff, AZ | HS Journalism Workshop | $6,250 |
| Calmatters Sacramento, CA | HS Journalism Workshop | $6,250 |
| University of St Thomas St. Paul, MN | HS Journalism Workshop | $6,250 |
| Howard U Multicultural Media Acad Washington, DC | HS Journalism Workshop | $6,250 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $482,731 | $617,275 | $584,649 | $108,500 | 6 | $584,649 | — |
| 2024 | $450,105 | $610,755 | $640,429 | $133,500 | 12 | $640,429 | — |
| 2023 | $479,779 | $523,619 | $634,062 | $157,000 | 12 | $634,062 | — |
| 2022 | $590,222 | $603,075 | $515,760 | $197,000 | 13 | $515,760 | $26,918 |
| 2021 | $502,907 | $472,593 | $387,750 | $251,187 | 95 | $242,187 | $17,633 |
| 2020 | $418,064 | $791,339 | $421,090 | $267,920 | 71 | — | $196 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Fund’s mission is to help develop well-trained, innovative journalists who reflect America’s diversity and support a free, strong, and fair press. Its programs include college internships in areas such as data journalism, digital media, business reporting, multiplatform editing, and audience engagement; summer workshops for high school students; and training and professional-development opportunities for educators and early-career journalists.
The Fund’s 2025 grants included scholarships, a high school journalism teacher-of-the-year award, and support for high school journalism workshops. Among the workshop grantees, the University of St. Thomas describes its mission as educating students to be morally responsible leaders who advance the common good. CalMatters describes its mission as informing Californians about the people, politics, and interests shaping issues that affect their lives.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Fund reported six grants totaling $108,500. Grant amounts ranged from $6,250 to $73,500, with a median of $6,250. The largest listed grant was $73,500 for scholarships, identified as “see attached list” in New Jersey. Other grants included $10,000 to Columbia University for a high school journalism teacher-of-the-year award, and $6,250 each to Northern Arizona University Foundation, CalMatters, the University of St. Thomas, and Howard University Multicultural Media Academy for high school journalism workshops.
The Fund’s college internship program includes hands-on internships with news organizations, pre-internship training, weekly pay during internships, and a $1,500 college-tuition scholarship for participating interns. These are program benefits for participants, distinct from grants to outside organizations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Eric Mandrackie as acting president; Paul Schmidt as treasurer; Diana Mitsu Klos as secretary; and Lasharah Bunting, Thomas Engleman, Garry D. Howard, Almar Latour, Susan Leath, and Dr. Rusty Todd as directors. Shirley Carswell is listed as executive director.
Dow Jones News Fund Inc is led by Eric Mandrackie, Acting President since 2025 (on filings since 2023); none of the 12 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Eric Mandrackie
Acting President
Director → Acting President, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Garry D. Howard
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lasharah S. Bunting
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas E. Engleman
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rusty Todd
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Almar Latour
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Leath
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Denise Jester
Finance Mana
Finance Manager → Finance Mana, 2022
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Diana Mitsu Klos
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paul Schmidt
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heather Taylor
Programming
Programming Manager → Programming, 2022
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shirley Carswell
Executive Di
Executive Directoer → Executive Di, 2022
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (15)
- Former: Karen Miller Pensiero (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Brent W. Jones (2021–2024) — President
- Former: Maribel Perez Wadsworth (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: David Cho (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Anna Sedgley (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Gail Griffin (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Reginald Owens (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Laurence G. O'Donnell (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Richard J. Levine (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Katelynn Coughlin (2020) — Digital Media Manager
- Former: Linda Shockley (2020) — Managing Director
- Former: Mark Musgrave (2020) — Director
- Former: Neal Lipschutz (2020) — Director
- Former: Richard S. Holden (2020) — Director
- Former: Russell G. Todd (2020) — Director
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 Dow Jones News Fund Inc
How much does Dow Jones News Fund Inc give each year?
Dow Jones News Fund Inc gave $109K across 6 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $134K across 12 grants.
What is Dow Jones News Fund Inc's typical grant size?
Dow Jones News Fund Inc's median grant in 2025 was $6,250, and its average grant was $18,083, across 6 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Dow Jones News Fund Inc give grants?
Dow Jones News Fund Inc gives mostly in New Jersey: 68% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (9%) and Arizona (6%).
Does Dow Jones News Fund Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 6 grants with a stated purpose on Dow Jones News Fund Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "HS Journalism Workshop" (4 grants).
Who are Dow Jones News Fund Inc's largest grantees?
Dow Jones News Fund Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Columbia University ($10,000), Northern Arizona University Fdn ($6,250) and Calmatters ($6,250), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 21% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Dow Jones News Fund Inc?
Dow Jones News Fund Inc reported $483K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $617K.
What does Dow Jones News Fund Inc fund?
The Fund’s mission is to help develop well-trained, innovative journalists who reflect America’s diversity and support a free, strong, and fair press. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Dow Jones News Fund Inc?
The Fund 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 Dow Jones News Fund Inc's EIN?
Dow Jones News Fund Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-6021439. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Dow Jones News Fund 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 18, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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