The Black Dog Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker The Plains, VA EIN: 04-3721096

THE BLACK DOG FOUNDATION is a private foundation based in The Plains, Virginia. It made 20 grants totaling $124,250 in filing year 2025; its 2024 filing states that it conducts no direct charitable activities.

Key facts about The Black Dog Foundation

In short: The Black Dog Foundation gave $124K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), top state District of Columbia. 5% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
04-3721096
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$124,250
Grants made (2025)
20
Average grant
$6,213
Median grant
$5,250
New grantees (estimate)
5% first-time grantees (1 of 20, 2025)
Total assets
$1,720,182
Primary geography
District of Columbia (33% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$1.7M

+1.7% YoY

Annual Giving

$124K

-12.2% YoY

Grant Count

20

+5.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$6K

-16.6% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Black Dog Foundation reported a distributable amount of $103K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is The Black Dog Foundation open to new grantees?

5%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 1 of 20 grantees (5%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $6K. How we count

Medians: $2K first-time, $6K repeat.

  • 95% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−1%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 123% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

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 include support for organizations working in areas such as humanitarian response, environmental conservation, reproductive decision-making, legal and social services, health care, and literacy. For example, World Central Kitchen says it provides meals during humanitarian, climate, and community crises; the Nature Conservancy of Virginia received a grant for general use. These describe the grantees’ work, not a stated mission of the foundation.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation made 20 grants totaling $124,250. Grant amounts ranged from $1,500 to $19,250, with a median of $5,250. All listed purposes for the largest grants were “general use.”

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2025 grant dollars were distributed among recipients in several states and the District of Columbia: DC accounted for 33%, Virginia 30%, Maryland 15%, Massachusetts 6%, and an unspecified state 7%. These figures describe the locations of grant recipients.

Grant Distribution by State

11states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.

Cities

WashingtonWarrentonThe PlainsArlingtonBald Head IslandBostonHagerstownNew YorkRichmondBroad RunCharlottesvilleAtlantaCarmelGilbertMiddleburgPortlandSan FranciscoSperryville

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$50K$100K$150K$200K19 grants2019 22 grants2021 20 grants2022 17 grants2023 19 grants2024 20 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $101K (2019) to $152K (2021). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $124K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Doctors Without Borders (Medicnes Sans Frontiers): $19KDoctors Without Borders(Medicnes Sans Frontiers)$19KWorld Resources Institute: $13KWorld Resources Institute$13KNature Conservancy of Virginia: $12KNature Conservancy of Virginia$12KEnvironmental Defense Fund: $10KEnvironmental Defense Fund$10KHalo Trust: $9KHalo Trust$9KPartners in Health: $8KPartners in Health$8KWorld Central Kitchen: $7KWorld Central Kitchen$7KWamu: $7KWamu$7KACLU of Virginia: $6KACLU of Virginia$6KNAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund: $6KNAACP Legal Defense &Education Fund$6K

The largest 2025 recipient was Doctors Without Borders (Medicnes Sans Frontiers) ($19K). Together the top 10 received $96K.

Grant Size Distribution

98 grants across all recorded years

98<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 98 grants of 98 (100%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Doctors Without Borders (Medicnes Sans Frontiers) Hagerstown, MDGeneral Use$19,250
World Resources Institute Washington, DCGeneral Use$13,000
Nature Conservancy of Virginia Arlington, VAGeneral Use$12,000
Environmental Defense Fund Washington, DCGeneral Use$10,000
Halo Trust General Use$9,000
Partners in Health Boston, MAGeneral Use$7,500
World Central Kitchen Washington, DCGeneral Use$7,000
Wamu Washington, DCGeneral Use$6,500
ACLU of Virginia Richmond, VAGeneral Use$6,000
NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund New York, NYGeneral Use$5,500

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2025 $1,720,182 $176,810 $147,443 $124,250
2024 $1,690,815 $93,278 $161,360 $141,500
2023 $1,758,897 $118,990 $125,564 $107,000
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$100K$200K$300K$400K2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$1,720,182$1,690,815$1,758,897
Revenue$176,810$93,278$118,990
Expenses$147,443$161,360$125,564
Qualifying Distributions$126,770$141,500$109,467
Net Investment Income$155,246$72,778$76,949
Distributable Amount$103,349$113,082$105,119

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 11, 2020)
  2. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
  3. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Timothy P Dunn, Ellen R Stofan, Ryan Dunn, Emily C Dunn, and Sarah CG Dunn as trustees.

The Black Dog Foundation's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Ellen R. Stofan

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Emily C. Dunn

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Ryan Dunn

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Timothy P. Dunn

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sarah Cg Dunn

    Trustee

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Mailing address: PO Box W, The Plains, VA 20198
Phone: (202) 361-6721

Frequently asked questions about The Black Dog Foundation

How much does The Black Dog Foundation give each year?

The Black Dog Foundation gave $124K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $142K across 19 grants.

What is The Black Dog Foundation's typical grant size?

The Black Dog Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,250, and its average grant was $6,213, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Black Dog Foundation that year got $2K on average.

Where does The Black Dog Foundation give grants?

The Black Dog Foundation's top state is District of Columbia, with 33% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Virginia (30%) and Maryland (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (6 grants) and Warrenton, VA (3 grants).

Does The Black Dog Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The Black Dog Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (20 of 20) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Black Dog Foundation's largest grantees?

The Black Dog Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Doctors Without Borders (Medicnes Sans Frontiers) ($19,250), World Resources Institute ($13,000) and Nature Conservancy of Virginia ($12,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Black Dog Foundation?

The Black Dog Foundation reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $127K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $103K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Black Dog Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in areas such as humanitarian response, environmental conservation, reproductive decision-making, legal and social services, health care, and literacy. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Black Dog Foundation?

The foundation 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 The Black Dog Foundation's EIN?

The Black Dog Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3721096. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does The Black Dog Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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