The Donahue Family Foundation
The Donahue Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Richmond, Virginia. It makes grants to qualifying public charities and states that it does not carry on charitable activities directly.
The Donahue Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Donahue Family Foundation gave $103K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Virginia. 7% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $103,000
- +1.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- -6.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,867
- +8.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $3,327,933
- +83.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 7% first-time grantees (1 of 15, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (98% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Donahue Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 8904 Glenmore Road, Richmond, VA 23229
Phone: (804) 754-2045
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Donahue Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Crossover Healthcare Ministry ($21K). Together the top 10 received $95K.
Grant Size Distribution
81 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 81 grants of 81 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 98% of grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia and 2% to recipients in California. The listed grants included recipients in Richmond and Marion, Virginia, and San Francisco, California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Donahue Family Foundation open to new grantees?
7%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 15 grantees (7%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 93% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−5%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 56% 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 (2020–2025). 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 $90K (2020) to $112K (2023). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $103K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Crossover Healthcare Ministry Richmond, VA | General Fund | $21,000 |
| Caritas Richmond, VA | General Fund | $15,000 |
| Union Presbyterian Seminary Richmond, VA | General Fund | $15,000 |
| YWCA of Richmond Richmond, VA | Empowerment Fund | $15,000 |
| Communities in Schools of Richmond Richmond, VA | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Va Leap Marion, VA | General Fund | $7,500 |
| Richmond SPCA Richmond, VA | General Fund | $5,000 |
| Collegiate School Richmond, VA | General Fund | $2,500 |
| Second Presbyterian Church Richmond, VA | General Fund | $2,000 |
| Shalom Farms Richmond, VA | General Fund | $2,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Donahue Family 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,327,933 | $1,629,538 | $115,345 | $103,000 | 15 | $103,000 | $257,609 | $184,200 |
| 2024 | $1,813,740 | $194,013 | $120,936 | $101,500 | 16 | $101,500 | $178,514 | $134,809 |
| 2023 | $1,740,663 | $401,051 | $130,223 | $112,000 | 17 | $112,000 | $116,658 | $102,325 |
| 2022 | $1,469,835 | $118,428 | $123,884 | $108,000 | 17 | $108,000 | $115,025 | $90,846 |
| 2021 | $1,475,291 | $342,003 | $97,697 | $91,000 | 16 | $91,000 | $339,246 | $105,134 |
| 2020 | $1,230,985 | $52,214 | $99,140 | $90,000 | 17 | — | $49,698 | $90,924 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Donahue Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $184K 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
The foundation does not state a mission in the provided information. Its 2025 grantees include organizations with varied missions. For example, CARITAS says it “creates a safe space to heal and time to rebuild,” while Communities in Schools of Richmond says it connects community resources with schools to help young people learn, stay in school, and prepare for life.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 15 grants totaling $103,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $21,000, with a median of $2,500.
Its largest reported grants included $21,000 to Crossover Healthcare Ministry, $15,000 each to CARITAS, Union Presbyterian Seminary, and YWCA of Richmond, and $10,000 to Communities in Schools of Richmond. The stated purposes were “General Fund” for the first, second, third, and fifth recipients, and “Empowerment Fund” for YWCA of Richmond.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mary Sue Estes Donahue as President and Director, and Thomas H Donahue Jr as Secretary/Treasurer and Director.
The Donahue Family Foundation is led by Mary Sue Estes Donahue, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mary Sue Estes Donahue
President & Director
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas H. Donahue Jr.
Secretary, Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 The Donahue Family Foundation
How much does The Donahue Family Foundation give each year?
The Donahue Family Foundation gave $103K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $102K across 16 grants.
What is The Donahue Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Donahue Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $6,867, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Donahue Family Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Donahue Family Foundation give grants?
The Donahue Family Foundation gives mostly in Virginia: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Richmond, VA (12 grants).
Does The Donahue Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 93% of The Donahue Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Donahue Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Donahue Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Crossover Healthcare Ministry ($21,000), Caritas ($15,000) and Union Presbyterian Seminary ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 50% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Donahue Family Foundation?
The Donahue Family Foundation reported $3.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $103K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $184K (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 The Donahue Family Foundation fund?
The foundation does not state a mission in the provided information. Its 2025 grantees include organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Donahue Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it 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 The Donahue Family Foundation's EIN?
The Donahue Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 54-1821053. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Donahue Family 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Donahue Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Donahue Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-donahue-family-foundation-morg_f38ff5c517494d05b39093db567e2c2c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_541821053_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Donahue Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-donahue-family-foundation-morg_f38ff5c517494d05b39093db567e2c2c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 The Donahue Family 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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