William Thomas Dawson Family
The William Thomas Dawson Family is a private foundation based in Gadsden, Alabama. In 2025, it gave $339,700 through 12 grants, all to recipients in Alabama.
William Thomas Dawson Family at a glance
In short: William Thomas Dawson Family gave $340K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $28K), mostly in Alabama. 17% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $339,700
- -2.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- -14.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $28,308
- +13.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $3,091,751
- -7.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (2 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Alabama (100% 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 William Thomas Dawson Family
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 830, Gadsden, AL 35902
Phone: (256) 547-2566
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who William Thomas Dawson Family funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Auburn University Foundation ($287K). Together the top 10 received $337K.
Grant Size Distribution
57 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 54 grants of 57 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Alabama.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is William Thomas Dawson Family open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 12 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $33K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 1487% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 184% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $14K (2020) to $532K (2021). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $340K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Auburn University Foundation Auburn, AL | Charity | $287,000 |
| The Salvation Army Gadsden, AL | Charity | $10,000 |
| Gadsden Fire Dept Gifts F Gadsden, AL | Charity | $5,000 |
| Etowah Free Community Clinic Gadsden, AL | Charity | $5,000 |
| Etowah Community Food Bank Gadsden, AL | Charity | $5,000 |
| 2ND Chance Inc Anniston, AL | Charity | $5,000 |
| Dream Center Gadsden, AL | Charity | $5,000 |
| Gadsden Public Library Gadsden, AL | Charity | $5,000 |
| James M Barrie Center Gadsden, AL | Charity | $5,000 |
| Gadsden Museum of Arts Gadsden, AL | Charity | $5,000 |
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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 | $3,091,751 | $89,479 | $354,917 | $339,700 | 12 | $339,700 | $50,416 | $184,427 |
| 2024 | $3,357,189 | $100,861 | $363,789 | $349,000 | 14 | $349,000 | $66,204 | $170,896 |
| 2023 | $3,620,117 | $43,230 | $138,904 | $122,300 | 18 | $122,300 | $71,027 | $179,660 |
| 2022 | $3,715,791 | $272,320 | $43,234 | $21,400 | 8 | $21,400 | $250,480 | $173,879 |
| 2021 | $3,486,705 | $390,648 | $547,465 | $532,000 | 5 | $532,000 | $358,872 | $170,594 |
| 2020 | $3,643,522 | $82,934 | $30,625 | $14,000 | 4 | — | $66,309 | $177,233 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, William Thomas Dawson Family 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including a university foundation, a domestic-violence shelter and aid organization, a food bank, a library, a fire department, a community clinic, and arts and community organizations.
The Auburn University Foundation describes its mission as operating exclusively for the benefit of Auburn University, an educational, land-grant institution. 2nd Chance Inc says it provides shelter and aid to victims of domestic violence. Etowah Community Food Bank says its mission is to “feed the hungry” in Etowah County.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $339,700. Grant amounts ranged from $200 to $287,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest grant was $287,000 to Auburn University Foundation. Other grants included $10,000 to The Salvation Army and $5,000 each to Gadsden Fire Dept Gifts F, Etowah Free Community Clinic, Etowah Community Food Bank, 2nd Chance Inc, Dream Center, Gadsden Public Library, James M Barrie Center, and Gadsden Museum of Arts. It also gave $2,500 to United Way and $200 to A Walk Through Time. The stated purpose for each listed grant was charity.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Denise McCullars as director, Judy Dawson as trustee, and Paige Dawson as director.
William Thomas Dawson Family's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Denise McCullars
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Judy Dawson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Paige Dawson
Director
On filings since 2020
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 William Thomas Dawson Family
How much does William Thomas Dawson Family give each year?
William Thomas Dawson Family gave $340K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $349K across 14 grants.
What is William Thomas Dawson Family's typical grant size?
William Thomas Dawson Family's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $28,308, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from William Thomas Dawson Family that year got $4K on average.
Where does William Thomas Dawson Family give grants?
William Thomas Dawson Family gives mostly in Alabama: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Gadsden, AL (10 grants).
Does William Thomas Dawson Family give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on William Thomas Dawson Family's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charity" (12 grants).
Who are William Thomas Dawson Family's largest grantees?
William Thomas Dawson Family's largest 2025 grantees include Auburn University Foundation ($287,000), The Salvation Army ($10,000) and Gadsden Fire Dept Gifts F ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 89% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is William Thomas Dawson Family?
William Thomas Dawson Family reported $3.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $340K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $184K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does William Thomas Dawson Family fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including a university foundation, a domestic-violence shelter and aid organization, a food bank, a library, a fire department, a community clinic, and arts and community organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from William Thomas Dawson Family?
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 William Thomas Dawson Family's EIN?
William Thomas Dawson Family's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 72-1345502. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does William Thomas Dawson Family 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 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). William Thomas Dawson Family funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/william-thomas-dawson-family-morg_b935919dd8914d09960b99f25f6cc6ff
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_721345502_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{William Thomas Dawson Family funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/william-thomas-dawson-family-morg_b935919dd8914d09960b99f25f6cc6ff},
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 William Thomas Dawson Family'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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