The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation
The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation is a public charity based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Formed in 1982 by partners of Dorsey & Whitney LLP, it is funded primarily by Dorsey partners and supports charitable organizations in communities where Dorsey attorneys and their families live and work.
The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation at a glance
In short: The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation gave $726K across 48 grants in 2024 (avg $15K), mostly in Minnesota. 27% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $725,940
- -66.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 48
- -15.8% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $15,124
- -59.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $323,824
- +7.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (13 of 48, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (52% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
The Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; external applications are by invitation only. Applicants invited to apply must complete the application and provide the requested information, including the organization’s most recent financial statements. Direct grant requests must be at least $500 and in increments of $100. If multiple people support a request for the same organization, one application should show the total requested and list all supporters. Eligible recipients are generally organizations exempt under Section 501(c)(3), and in some cases governmental units. The guidelines exclude, among others, individuals and private foundations; they also limit support for religious organizations and affiliates, fundraising campaigns and events, sports organizations, and partisan or voter-registration activities, with stated exceptions for some categories. Capital and endowment requests are considered selectively.
- Review Cycle
- Applications are due ahead of the Board’s meetings, usually in April and October. The Board typically meets in May and November to consider requests.
- Deadline
- Applications are due ahead of the Board’s meetings, usually in April and October.
- Contact
Mailing address: 50 S Sixth Street 1500, Minneapolis, MN 55402-1498
Phone: (612) 340-2600
Website: https://dorsey.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation
Who The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Greater Twin Cities United Way ($150K). Together the top 10 received $392K.
Grant Size Distribution
266 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 240 grants of 266 (90%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation primarily supports charitable organizations located and operating in regions where Dorsey maintains offices; requests from other regions are reviewed selectively. In 2024, Minnesota recipients accounted for 52% of grant dollars, followed by Utah at 10%, New York and Washington at 8% each, and Colorado at 7%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 48 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 13 of 48 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $17K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $10K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). 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 $726K (2024) to $2.8M (2020). In 2024 it made 48 grants totaling $726K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Twin Cities United Way Minneapolis, MN | General Support | $150,000 |
| Fund for the Legal Aid Society Minneapolis, MN | General Support | $80,690 |
| Advocates for Human Rights Minneapolis, MN | General Support | $30,000 |
| And Justice for All Salt Lake City, UT | General Support | $25,000 |
| Guthrie Theater Minneapolis, MN | General Support | $20,000 |
| Lawyers Co for Civil Rights Under Washington, DC | General Support | $20,000 |
| University of Minnesota Foundation Minneapolis, MN | Scholarship Fund | $20,000 |
| Project PAVE Denver, CO | General Support | $16,080 |
| Treehouse Seattle, WA | General Support | $15,390 |
| Intermountain Healthcare Foundation at Primary Children's Hospital Salt Lake City, UT | General Support | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
2024 grant total reflects 48 grants.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $323,824 | $1,028,899 | $1,005,709 | $725,940 | 48 | $28,899 |
| 2023 | $300,635 | $2,365,566 | $2,411,156 | $2,132,100 | 57 | $31 |
| 2022 | $346,225 | $2,417,287 | $2,414,145 | $2,061,144 | 48 | $34 |
| 2021 | $343,800 | $2,732,440 | $2,648,604 | $2,301,280 | 46 | $55 |
| 2020 | $259,246 | $3,048,283 | $3,204,327 | $2,837,950 | 67 | $83 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s stated mission is to support tax-exempt charitable and educational organizations. Its grants support charitable organizations with proven programs, generally as operating support. The Foundation gives special consideration to established arts, cultural, legal, and community-service organizations where Dorsey attorneys serve as board members or officers and contribute significant time and personal financial support.
Examples illustrate the range of grantees, rather than defining the Foundation’s own mission. And Justice for All describes its mission as increasing access to civil legal services for disadvantaged people in Utah. Project PAVE says it works to end violence by empowering youth through healthy-relationship intervention and prevention education. Treehouse describes its work as helping children who have experienced foster care access opportunities and support.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the Foundation made 48 grants totaling $725,940. Grants ranged from $5,475 to $150,000, with a median of $10,000. All grants above $5,000 were made to established, publicly supported charities for general support or major programs; the Foundation stated that it does not formally monitor their use.
The largest reported 2024 grants included $150,000 to Greater Twin Cities United Way and $80,690 to the Fund for the Legal Aid Society, both for general support; $30,000 to Advocates for Human Rights for general support; and $25,000 to And Justice for All for general support. The University of Minnesota Foundation received $20,000 for a scholarship fund.
The Foundation also operates a matching-gift program for qualifying contributions by Dorsey attorneys. Its website reports that it makes direct grants to approximately 200 organizations across North America each year, in addition to supporting other organizations through the matching program.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Theresa Mielke as Chair and Director, and Jennifer Ede as Secretary/Treasurer and Director. It also lists Ellen Bickal, Jay Riffkin, Layne Smith, Katie Cownie, Brian Burke, and Michael Rowe as directors. The Foundation’s filing states that all its directors are partners of Dorsey & Whitney LLP.
The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation is led by Theresa Mielke, Chair & Director since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 8 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Theresa Mielke
Chair & Director
Director → Chair & Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ellen Bickal
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jay Riffkin
Director
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian Burke
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Ede
Secretary, Treasurer & Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Katie Cownie
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Layne Smith
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Rowe
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (10)
- Former: Beth Forsythe (2022–2023) — Secretary, Treasurer & Director
- Former: Bill Jonason (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Jenny Ede May-Dec (2023) — Director
- Former: Katie Cownie May-Dec (2023) — Director
- Former: Layne Smith May-Dec (2023) — Director
- Former: Anthony Epps (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: James Langdon (2020–2021) — Secretary, Treasurer & Director
- Former: Kim Severson (2020–2021) — Chair & Director
- Former: JAY RIFFKIN June-Dec (2020) — Director
- Former: TERRENCE DANYSH Jan-June (2020) — Director
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 The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation
How much does The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation give each year?
The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation gave $726K across 48 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $2.1M across 57 grants.
What is The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation's typical grant size?
The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $15,124, across 48 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation give grants?
The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 52% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were Utah (10%) and New York (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Minneapolis, MN (10 grants), Salt Lake City, UT (5 grants), Seattle, WA (5 grants) and New York, NY (5 grants).
Does The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 98% of The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (47 of 48) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Who are The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation's largest grantees?
The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Greater Twin Cities United Way ($150,000), Fund for the Legal Aid Society ($80,690) and Advocates for Human Rights ($30,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation?
The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation reported $324K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.0M.
What does The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s stated mission is to support tax-exempt charitable and educational organizations. Its grants support charitable organizations with proven programs, generally as operating support. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation?
The Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; external applications are by invitation only. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation's EIN?
The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-1424522. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Dorsey & Whitney 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 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-dorsey-and-whitney-foundation-morg_62a7ca5d15894f8c806184576f43be6a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_411424522_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Dorsey \& Whitney Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-dorsey-and-whitney-foundation-morg_62a7ca5d15894f8c806184576f43be6a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Dorsey & Whitney 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.
The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?