Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation- Discretionary Grants

Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation- Discretionary Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation
Last Updated: January 23, 2026

Summary

The Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation offers discretionary grants aimed at initiating or supporting projects that can be completed with a single grant in a short timeframe. Eligible applicants are tax-exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3). The foundation prioritizes emergency grants for urgent needs that threaten the existence of an agency or its programs. However, it rarely awards grants for ongoing support or projects outside the Greater Philadelphia area.

Overview

About the Dolfinger-Mahon Foundation The assets of the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation were provided by Henry Dolfinger, who died in June 1939, and in part from his son-in-law, J. Edward McMahon, who died in July 1951. The source of a majority of those assets was the Dolfinger Dairy, which was sold by Henry Dolfinger to Abbotts Dairies. The creators of the Foundation and donors of the funds now comprising the Foundation were Mrs. J. Edward McMahon (Caroline D. McMahon), the only child of Henry Dolfinger, and Mary M. McMahon, the only child of Mrs. J. Edward McMahon. Both Caroline D. and Mary M. McMahon became quite enthusiastic about establishing a perpetual foundation to benefit charitable purposes and memorialize to some extent the Dolfinger and McMahon names. Discretionary Grants Generally speaking, the Trustees of the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation make discretionary grants for the initiation or support of the following: A project which can reasonably be expected to be accomplished by a single grant in a relatively brief period of time. New proposal requests are accepted once per calendar year. In the case of an ongoing multi-yr. grant, a successful applicant must wait until the multi-yr. grant has been completed. An emergency grant to an agency or particular project of an agency. An emergency is defined as a need, other than loss of promised or expected funding, so urgentthat it cannot wait for consideration until the trustees’ next regular meeting, andthat threatens the existence of the agency or the continuation of a specific program already underway. Emergency grants will be rarely made and, once made, will disqualify the agency from receiving any additional funding for the succeeding three years.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Eligible applicants are organizations named as tax-exempt from federal income tax under section 50l(c)(3).

Ineligibility

The foundation does not, except in the rarest instances, make grants for: For projects beyond the limits of the Greater Philadelphia area. For ordinary operating expenses. For the creation of or additions to endowment. For medical or scientific research. For projects for the construction, renovation or acquisition of physical facilities (real estate or buildings; or equipment or supplies, except in cases where the equipment or supplies are merely incidental to the primary purposes of the project). For projects which will likely entail grants from the Foundation beyond a period of three years or which may not reasonably be expected to be self-supporting thereafter. To applicants respectively year after year.The foundation does not make grants:To individuals for scholarship or research purposes. For special interest advocacy through legislative lobbying, focused litigation or solicitation of governmental agencies.