William Orr Dingwall Foundation Inc
The William Orr Dingwall Foundation is an independent private foundation established in 1994 by Dr. William Orr Dingwall, a professor at the University of Maryland and scholar in linguistics and neurolinguistics. Originally based in San Francisco, California, the foundation relocated to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area following Dr. Dingwall's death in January 2004. The foundation operates two primary grant programs supporting education and research.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$1.1M
-47.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.1M
+12.4% YoY
Grant Count
102
+1.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$11K
+11.3% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation supports two distinct funding areas:
Korean Ancestry Grants (KAG): Scholarship awards to individuals of Asian ancestry, specifically those of Korean descent, to pursue undergraduate or graduate studies in any subject offered by well-established universities throughout the world.
Language Dissertation Fellowships: Grants to individuals of any national origin to pursue graduate studies devoted to the neural bases of language—reflecting Dr. Dingwall's scholarly interests in brain physiology, speech, and language.
Grantmaking
The foundation provides scholarship and fellowship support for both undergraduate and graduate students. The foundation maintains separate application guidelines and FAQs for each of its two primary programs (Korean Ancestry Grants and Language Dissertation Fellowships).
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
- Total Assets: $3.3 million
- Annual Revenue: $159.7 thousand
- Total Giving: $1 million
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,132,884 | $2,150,087 | $3,264,050 |
| Revenue | $732,189 | $188,189 | $159,660 |
| Expenses | $1,749,392 | $1,302,152 | $1,341,422 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,083,000 | $963,750 | $1,042,750 |
| Net Investment Income | $610,798 | $64,620 | $50,343 |
| Distributable Amount | $83,798 | $150,810 | $219,120 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- John D Ward, Esq. – President/Director
- Sheldon Steinbach, Esq. – Treasurer/Director
- Dr. Brenda Rapp – Board of Director
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JOHN D WARD ESQ | PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR | 20 | $255,000 |
| SHELDON STEINBACH ESQ | TREASURER/DIRECTOR | 10 | $125,000 |
| DR BRENDA RAPP | BOARD OF DIRECTOR | 10 | $55,000 |
| DR MIMI GHIM | BOARD OF DIRECTOR | 10 | $55,000 |
| DR RANDI MARTIN | BOARD OF DIRECTOR | 10 | $55,000 |
Contact Information
Mailing Address: The William Orr Dingwall Foundation PO Box 57088 Washington, DC 20037
Email:
- kag [at] dingwallfoundation [dot] org (Korean Ancestry Grants)
- nl [at] dingwallfoundation [dot] org (Language/Neurolinguistics)
Phone: 202-223-3730
Website: dingwallfoundation.org
EIN: 52-1877552
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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