Richard Donchian Foundation Grants

The Richard Davoud Donchian Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that empower individuals and communities through character development, literacy, and ethical practices. Their focus is on enhancing personal integrity and fostering leadership within education, humanitarian efforts, and personal development. The foundation encourages innovative programs and partnerships that yield long-term benefits, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and effective management in achieving meaningful impact. Organizations must have 501(c)(3) status to apply.

NOTE: The foundation does not use prescreening or letters of inquiry or intent! The grant application is the appropriate first step in approaching the foundation. If you believe your organization might be a good fit after reviewing the guidelines and FAQs, you are welcome to submit an application.
The primary objective of the Donchian Foundation's grant making activities is to ensure that its ultimate recipients become empowered to strengthen and build up their families and communities -- passing onto others that which was given to them.
Guiding Principles
The Donchian Foundation's goal is to help effective organizations advance their mission and meet their charitable objectives. Through its endorsement, the Foundation's secondary objective is to create a ripple effect that leverages new partners and greater visibility. Leveraging is a principle that the foundation believes in, and one that is applied to its efforts toward strategic philanthropy. Whether it's leveraging matching funds through challenge grants, or motivating like-minded organizations to participate in a foundation-initiated project, the ultimate intention is to foster the best possible results.
Qualities sought by the Donchian Foundation in its partner organizations are:
effective and dynamic personnel; passionate leadership; a bias against bureaucracy; prudent management & governance practices; and commitment to results and to the documented assessment of program impact.
The Foundation focuses its grant making in three key areas: Literacy & Education; Humanitarian Efforts and Ethics & Personal Development.
Literacy & Education
– With an interest in rethinking and reconfiguring curriculum, pedagogy, and the other academic resources in schools and communities, the Foundation focuses on programs that work toward long-term improvement in all aspects of education, but with an emphasis on literacy.
Humanitarian Efforts
– To improve the lives and spirits of individuals and communities facing pressing circumstances, etc., including efforts to address Children’s Health.
Ethics & Personal Development
– To enhance the moral, ethical, spiritual and physical well-being and progress of mankind. The Foundation's grantmaking activities are centered around the concept of social purpose enterprise that seeks to raise the standards of ethical excellence in society, moral character in the community, faith in the family, integrity in business and grassroots leadership in needy communities.

Eligibility

All applicants must have tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status as a non-profit organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service.The applicant must have an active board of directors with policy-making authority. The board should demonstrate competence in the sound financial management of the organization.The majority of the Richard Donchian Foundation's grantmaking is focused in the northeastern United States, although, occasionally, grants may be made in other regions of the country and/or abroad.

Ineligibility

The Foundation generally will not provide grants for the following: organizations not determined to be tax-exempt under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code; individuals; general fundraising drives; endowments; government agencies; or organizations that subsist mainly on third party funding and have demonstrated no ability or expended little effort to attract private funding.