MJD Starfish Foundation
MJD Starfish Foundation is a private foundation based in Plano, Texas. Its 2024 filing reports 19 grants totaling $500,000 to charitable organizations, with the largest share of grant dollars going to recipients in Texas.
MJD Starfish Foundation at a glance
In short: MJD Starfish Foundation gave $500K across 19 grants in 2024 (avg $26K), mostly in Texas. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $500,000
- -11.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 19
- +58.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $26,316
- -44.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $8,180,994
- -6.7% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Texas (80% 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 MJD Starfish Foundation
- 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: 5212 Creekpoint Dr, Plano, TX 75093
Phone: (214) 252-3250
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who MJD Starfish Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Children's Medical Center Foundatio ($200K). Together the top 10 received $469K.
Grant Size Distribution
52 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 39 grants of 52 (75%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 80% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 13% to Missouri, 5% to New York, and 2% to Massachusetts. The filing also lists grants to organizations in those states.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
How MJD Starfish Foundation gives
- 24% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 33% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 89% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $132K (2020) to $567K (2023). In 2024 it made 19 grants totaling $500K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Children's Medical Center Foundatio Dallas, TX | Supporting Children's Health | $200,000 |
| Lift for Life Foundation Inc Saint Louis, MO | Towards The Bruce Schneider Memorial Fund | $50,000 |
| The Commit Partnership Dallas, TX | Towards the Opportunity 2040 Fund for poverty alleviation for citizens of Dallas County | $50,000 |
| Comunities Foundation of Texas Dallas, TX | Towards The Dardick Family Fund | $40,500 |
| American Friends of Natal Inc New York, NY | Towards mental health programs in Israel | $25,000 |
| Grant Halliburton Foundation Dallas, TX | General operating support | $25,000 |
| The Commit Partnership Dallas, TX | Supporting education programs | $25,000 |
| Lift for Life Foundation Inc Saint Louis, MO | Towards the Fulfillling Our Promise Campaign | $16,000 |
| Greenlight Fund Inc Boston, MA | Towards community and local initiatives | $10,000 |
| North Texas Food Bank Plano, TX | General operating support | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with MJD Starfish 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 | $8,180,994 | $2,326 | $585,720 | $500,000 | 19 | $527,100 | $187,701 | $595,530 |
| 2023 | $8,764,388 | $137,502 | $625,010 | $567,000 | 12 | $593,860 | $164,602 | $546,261 |
| 2022 | $9,251,896 | $-131,462 | $578,463 | $496,500 | 11 | $523,450 | $135,764 | $549,573 |
| 2021 | $9,961,821 | $774,525 | $481,556 | $375,500 | 6 | $402,950 | $703,567 | $609,783 |
| 2020 | $9,668,852 | $9,842,603 | $173,751 | $132,000 | 4 | — | $36,524 | $462,033 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, MJD Starfish Foundation reported a distributable amount of $596K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The available filing information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants included support for children’s health, education, poverty alleviation, mental health, food access, and community initiatives.
The grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the kinds of organizations supported. Lift for Life Academy Foundation says it supports youth and the civic and educational purposes of Lift for Life Academy. Grant Halliburton Foundation says its mission is to strengthen mental health resources for children, teens, and young adults and help prevent suicide. North Texas Food Bank says it works to close the hunger gap in North Texas. Mi Escuelita Preschool says it provides early childhood education for at-risk children.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation gave $500,000 through 19 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $200,000, with a median grant of $10,000.
Notable 2024 grants included $200,000 to Children’s Medical Center Foundation for supporting children’s health; $50,000 to Lift for Life Foundation Inc. toward the Bruce Schneider Memorial Fund; and $50,000 to The Commit Partnership toward the Opportunity 2040 Fund for poverty alleviation for citizens of Dallas County. Other grants included $40,500 to Comunities Foundation of Texas toward the Dardick Family Fund, $25,000 to American Friends of Natal Inc. toward mental health programs in Israel, and $25,000 to Grant Halliburton Foundation for general operating support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Michael W. Dardick as president, treasurer, and director; Jill D. Dardick as vice president, secretary, and director; and Jeffrey Dardick as director.
MJD Starfish Foundation is led by Michael W Dardick, President, Treasurer & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Michael W Dardick
President, Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey Dardick
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jill D Dardick
Vice President, Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 MJD Starfish Foundation
How much does MJD Starfish Foundation give each year?
MJD Starfish Foundation gave $500K across 19 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $567K across 12 grants.
What is MJD Starfish Foundation's typical grant size?
MJD Starfish Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $26,316, across 19 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does MJD Starfish Foundation give grants?
MJD Starfish Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 80% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Missouri (13%) and New York (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Dallas, TX (10 grants), Saint Louis, MO (2 grants) and Plano, TX (2 grants).
Does MJD Starfish Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 58% of MJD Starfish Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are MJD Starfish Foundation's largest grantees?
MJD Starfish Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Children's Medical Center Foundatio ($200,000), The Commit Partnership ($75,000 across 2 grants) and Lift for Life Foundation Inc ($66,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 68% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is MJD Starfish Foundation?
MJD Starfish Foundation reported $8.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $527K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $596K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does MJD Starfish Foundation fund?
The available filing information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants included support for children’s health, education, poverty alleviation, mental health, food access, and community initiatives. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from MJD Starfish Foundation?
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 MJD Starfish Foundation's EIN?
MJD Starfish Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-3314175. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does MJD Starfish 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 October 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). MJD Starfish Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mjd-starfish-foundation-morg_b6dd04a7691f4d688024dca57e868fae
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_843314175_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{MJD Starfish Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mjd-starfish-foundation-morg_b6dd04a7691f4d688024dca57e868fae},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 MJD Starfish 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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