Dunaway Foundation
The Dunaway Foundation is a private foundation based in La Jolla, California. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations for purposes including arts and culture, civil liberties, health innovation, nutrition research, and cancer detection.
Dunaway Foundation at a glance
In short: Dunaway Foundation gave $23.1M across 10 grants in 2024 (avg $2.3M), mostly in California. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $23,108,907
- Grants made (2024)
- 10
- Average grant
- $2,310,891
- Median grant
- $1,815,683
- Total assets
- $37,912,179
- -21.0% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- California (63% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Dunaway Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 4225 Executive Square Suite 1150, La Jolla, CA 92037
Phone: (858) 558-9200
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Dunaway Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 8 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was NTC Foundation ($5.5M). Together the top 8 received $23.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
10 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $1–5M range: 5 grants of 10 (50%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 63% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 31% to recipients in New York, and 5% to recipients in Georgia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Dunaway Foundation gives
- In 2024 it paid out 489% of 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
In 2024 it made 10 grants totaling $23.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| NTC Foundation San Diego, CA | Performing Arts Center "The Joan" | $5,500,000 |
| ACLU New York City, NY | General Purpose | $5,000,000 |
| San Diego Symphony San Diego, CA | Copley Hall at Jacobs Music Center | $4,186,542 |
| Ucsd Foundation La Jolla, CA | Jacobs Center for Health Innovation Fund | $2,200,000 |
| Cornell University Ithaca, NY | Center for precision nutrition & health, college of human ecology endowment funds | $2,000,000 |
| Salk Institute La Jolla, CA | Design Costs for Jacobs Center | $1,631,365 |
| American Friends of Israel Democracy Inst Atlanta, GA | Jacobs Distinguished Fellowship | $1,200,000 |
| Salk Institute La Jolla, CA | Salk Innovation & Collaboration Grant | $581,000 |
| Ucsd Foundation La Jolla, CA | Global Transformation Endowed Fund | $560,000 |
| Trovanow Red Hook, NY | Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Consortium | $250,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Dunaway 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $37,912,179 | $13,451,107 | $23,514,374 | $23,108,907 | 10 | $43,092,513 | $6,033,768 | $8,808,699 |
| 2023 | $47,975,446 | $1,277,383 | $785,317 | — | — | $557,487 | $1,193,371 | $9,367,553 |
| 2022 | $47,483,380 | $1,378,048 | $684,096 | — | — | $543,458 | $1,647,450 | $12,376,482 |
| 2021 | $46,789,428 | $762,699 | $430,366 | — | — | $7,324,476 | $658,494 | $4,101,970 |
| 2020 | $45,127,459 | $984,098 | $570,956 | — | — | — | $329,989 | $1,265,271 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Dunaway Foundation reported a distributable amount of $8.8M for 2024 — 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 available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations and projects in the arts, civil liberties, health innovation and research, and democracy-related fellowships.
NTC Foundation, a 2024 recipient, describes its mission as acquiring, renovating, and preserving the former Naval Training Center and operating its Historic Arts and Culture District, with programs intended to preserve San Diego’s diverse culture. The foundation’s 2024 filing also identifies the San Diego Symphony Orchestra Association as direct charitable activity.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $23,108,907. Grants ranged from $250,000 to $5,500,000, with a median of $1,815,682.
The largest grants included $5,500,000 to NTC Foundation for the performing arts center “The Joan”; $5,000,000 to ACLU for general purposes; $4,186,542 to San Diego Symphony for Copley Hall at Jacobs Music Center; and $2,200,000 to UCSD Foundation for the Jacobs Center for Health Innovation Fund. Other grants included $2,000,000 to Cornell University for a precision nutrition and health center and endowment funds, and $1,631,365 to Salk Institute for design costs for Jacobs Center.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Irwin M. Jacobs as director, CFO, and president, and Harlan Jacobs as director and secretary.
Dunaway Foundation is led by Irwin M. Jacobs, Director, CFO & President since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Irwin M. Jacobs
Director, CFO & President
Director, CFO & Secretary → Director, CFO & President, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Harlan Jacobs
Director & Secretary
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Joan K. Jacobs (2020–2023) — Director & President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Dunaway Foundation
How much does Dunaway Foundation give each year?
Dunaway Foundation gave $23.1M across 10 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
What is Dunaway Foundation's typical grant size?
Dunaway Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $1,815,683, and its average grant was $2,310,891, across 10 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Dunaway Foundation give grants?
Dunaway Foundation gives mostly in California: 63% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (31%) and Georgia (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were La Jolla, CA (4 grants) and San Diego, CA (2 grants).
Does Dunaway Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 10% of Dunaway Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Dunaway Foundation's largest grantees?
Dunaway Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include NTC Foundation ($5,500,000), ACLU ($5,000,000) and San Diego Symphony ($4,186,542), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 64% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Dunaway Foundation?
Dunaway Foundation reported $37.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $43.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $8.8M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Dunaway Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations and projects in the arts, civil liberties, health innovation and research, and democracy-related fellowships. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Dunaway Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 Dunaway Foundation's EIN?
Dunaway Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-1996754. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Dunaway Foundation 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Dunaway Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/dunaway-foundation-morg_738906ed11b2405e810491d534faa844
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_271996754_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Dunaway Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/dunaway-foundation-morg_738906ed11b2405e810491d534faa844},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Dunaway 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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