Dowdall Family Charitable Trust
The Dowdall Family Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing lists grants to charitable organizations in Massachusetts, Indiana, and New York, including a hospital, food bank, legal-services organizations, and the University of Notre Dame.
Dowdall Family Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: Dowdall Family Charitable Trust gave $35K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Massachusetts. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $35,355
- +38.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -28.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,536
- +94.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $814,209
- +38.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (69% 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 Dowdall Family Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 75 Grove St Unit 426, Wellesley, MA 02482
Phone: (617) 816-7694
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Dowdall Family Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Notre Dame ($10K). Together the top 10 received $35K.
Grant Size Distribution
52 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 52 grants of 52 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 69% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts, 28% to Indiana, and 3% to New York. The listed grants went to organizations in those three states.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
How Dowdall Family Charitable Trust gives
- 80% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 302% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 116% of 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 $110 (2020) to $35K (2025). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $35K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN | General unrestricted | $10,055 |
| Boston Childrens Hospital Boston, MA | Hospital | $10,000 |
| Catholic Charities Boston, MA | contribution to fund | $5,000 |
| Boston Healthcare for Homeless Boston, MA | contribution to fund | $5,000 |
| Massachusetts Horticultural Society Wellesley, MA | general cash contribution | $1,000 |
| Greater Boston Food Bank Boston, MA | contribution to fund | $1,000 |
| Pine St Inn Boston, MA | contribution to general fund | $1,000 |
| Brennan Center for Justice New York, NY | contribution to general fund | $1,000 |
| Greater Boston Legal Services Boston, MA | Legal Sources | $1,000 |
| Massachusetts Bar Foundation Boston, MA | general cash contribution | $300 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $814,209 | $168,085 | $35,355 | $35,355 | 10 | $35,355 | $18,085 | $30,556 |
| 2024 | $589,737 | $162,779 | $25,500 | $25,500 | 14 | $25,500 | $12,779 | $20,642 |
| 2023 | $405,560 | $58,497 | $13,500 | $13,500 | 13 | $13,500 | $8,497 | $15,160 |
| 2022 | $264,882 | $153,175 | $8,800 | $8,800 | 8 | $8,800 | $3,175 | $6,558 |
| 2021 | $155,833 | $102,431 | $6,550 | $6,550 | 7 | $6,550 | $2,010 | $3,076 |
| 2020 | $59,952 | $60,062 | $110 | $110 | 1 | — | $62 | $1,302 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Dowdall Family Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $31K 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 show support for organizations working in areas including health care, food distribution, homelessness services, horticulture, and civil legal services. These examples describe the grantees, not a stated mission of the foundation.
The Greater Boston Food Bank describes its work as acquiring, sorting, and distributing food through member agencies and direct distribution sites. Greater Boston Legal Services describes itself as a provider of free civil legal assistance to low-income people in metropolitan Boston. The Massachusetts Bar Foundation says it funds programs that enhance civil legal services, advance law-related and judicial education, and improve the administration of justice and public awareness of the law. The Massachusetts Horticultural Society describes its mission as promoting the art and science of horticulture and helping people and communities through growing plants together.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 10 grants totaling $35,355. Grants ranged from $300 to $10,055, with a median grant of $1,000.
The largest grants were $10,055 to the University of Notre Dame for general unrestricted purposes and $10,000 to Boston Children’s Hospital for hospital purposes. The foundation also gave $5,000 each to Catholic Charities and Boston Healthcare for Homeless. Other 2025 recipients included the Massachusetts Horticultural Society ($1,000), Greater Boston Food Bank ($1,000), Pine Street Inn ($1,000), Brennan Center for Justice ($1,000), Greater Boston Legal Services ($1,000), and Massachusetts Bar Foundation ($300).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Patrick Dowdall and Susanne Dowdall as trustees.
Dowdall Family Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Susanne G Dowdall
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patrick Dowdall
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: John Patrick Dowdall (2020) — Trustee
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 Dowdall Family Charitable Trust
How much does Dowdall Family Charitable Trust give each year?
Dowdall Family Charitable Trust gave $35K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $26K across 14 grants.
What is Dowdall Family Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
Dowdall Family Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $3,536, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Dowdall Family Charitable Trust give grants?
Dowdall Family Charitable Trust gives mostly in Massachusetts: 69% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Indiana (28%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boston, MA (7 grants).
Does Dowdall Family Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 50% of Dowdall Family Charitable Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (5 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Contribution to Fund" (3 grants).
Who are Dowdall Family Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
Dowdall Family Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include University of Notre Dame ($10,055), Boston Childrens Hospital ($10,000) and Catholic Charities ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 71% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Dowdall Family Charitable Trust?
Dowdall Family Charitable Trust reported $814K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $35K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $31K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Dowdall Family Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in areas including health care, food distribution, homelessness services, horticulture, and civil legal services. These examples describe the grantees, not a stated mission of the foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Dowdall Family Charitable Trust?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Dowdall Family Charitable Trust's EIN?
Dowdall Family Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-3739720. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Dowdall Family Charitable Trust 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 26, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 1, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)
Live grants for the work Dowdall Family Charitable Trust funds
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