The Blaire and Benno Dorer Foundation makes a small number of relatively large, mission-focused gifts across education, arts, mental health/trauma recovery, and climate action. Their grants favor established organizations and projects — including a university endowment, an arts institution, veteran mental‑health programming, and international rainforest protection — suggesting eclectic but strategic philanthropy rather than broad community grantmaking.
Concentrated giving: a small number of large, direct donations (several six‑figure gifts), occasional repeat support to arts grantees, and preference for established national/international organizations rather than many small local grants.
A $100,000 endowment gift to Johns Hopkins University is one of the clearest signals in the Blaire and Benno Dorer Foundation fka Second Mountain Foundation’s recent giving: the foundation backs long-horizon support as well as immediate charitable work. Across its recent grants, it has funded mental-health and trauma recovery, climate and forest protection, higher education, and performing arts, with gifts that range from $10,000 to $100,000. The pattern points to a small number of sizable awards rather than broad, high-volume grantmaking. Two other grants show that range. Heroic Hearts Project Inc received $100,000 for charitable work, reflecting the foundation’s interest in veteran mental-health recovery. Alonzo King Lines Ballet received multiple grants across 2023 and 2024, including $30,000 and $40,000, indicating repeated support for a contemporary dance organization. The foundation also funded Cool Earth Action USA Inc with two separate grants, one for $50,000 and another for $20,000, which fits its climate and rainforest-protection focus. Taken together, the grants suggest a donor that favors established organizations and targeted projects with defined purposes.
The foundation’s recent grants cluster around four main areas. In veteran mental-health and trauma recovery, it gave $100,000 to Heroic Hearts Project Inc for charitable work. In higher education, it gave $100,000 to Johns Hopkins University for its endowment fund. For climate and forest protection, it supported Cool Earth Action USA Inc twice, including a $50,000 grant in 2023 and a $20,000 grant in 2024. In the arts, it gave Alonzo King Lines Ballet $40,000 in 2024 and $30,000 in 2023. It also made smaller grants tied to climate advocacy and river protection. Potential Energy Coalition Inc received $20,000 in 2024, and Tuolumne River Trust and Climate One each received $10,000 in separate years. These awards show a mix of direct charitable support, endowment funding, and project support across a compact set of causes.
Typical grants cluster around the mid-range: p25 is $20,000, median is $30,000, and p75 is $50,000. The recent record also includes two $100,000 grants, showing that the foundation can make larger commitments when it chooses. The giving pattern is compact and selective, with repeated support for some recipients across multiple years, including Alonzo King Lines Ballet and Cool Earth Action USA Inc. The foundation appears to use direct donations and endowment funding, and it does not fund individuals. Its recent grants are all to U.S. recipients.
$112K
$3.8M
$182K
$144K
Most grants fall between $20K and $50K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$50K
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Notable grantees: Johns Hopkins University, Heroic Hearts Project Inc, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Cool Earth Action USA Inc
Grant recipients are entirely U.S.-based in the recent record. California is the top state by grant count, with 44% of grants going to recipients in the state. Named California recipients include San Francisco organizations such as Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Tuolumne River Trust, and Climate One. Outside California, the foundation gave to organizations in New York, including Heroic Hearts Project Inc, Cool Earth Action USA Inc, and Potential Energy Coalition Inc, and to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Recent grants show support for veteran mental-health and trauma recovery, higher education endowment support, climate and forest protection, and performing arts. The foundation gave $100,000 to Heroic Hearts Project Inc, $100,000 to Johns Hopkins University for its endowment fund, $50,000 and $20,000 to Cool Earth Action USA Inc, and $40,000 and $30,000 to Alonzo King Lines Ballet.
The typical award size is relatively large. The grant-size distribution shows a p25 of $20,000, a median of $30,000, and a p75 of $50,000. Recent grants also include two $100,000 gifts, so the foundation can make larger commitments for selected projects or institutions.
Yes. Alonzo King Lines Ballet received grants in both 2023 and 2024, and Cool Earth Action USA Inc also received grants in both 2023 and 2024. That indicates the foundation sometimes returns to the same recipients rather than treating each grant as a one-time award.
California is the top state by grant count, with 44% of grants going to recipients in that state. Named California recipients in the recent record include San Francisco organizations such as Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Tuolumne River Trust, and Climate One.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charitable Gift Fund | Omaha, NE | $75,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| The 1440 Foundation | Saratoga, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Korean American Community Foundatio | San Jose, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| The Athenian School | Danville, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Aids Life Cycle | San Francisco, CA | $2,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | $100,000 | 2025 | Direct Donation to endowment fund to support charitable work. |
| Heroic Hearts Project Inc | New York, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | Direct Donation to support charitable work. |
| Alonzo King Lines Ballet | San Francisco, CA | $40,000 | 2024 | Direct Donation to support charitable work. |
| Cool Earth Action USA Inc | BROOKLYN, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | Direct Donation to support charitable work. |
| Potential Energy Coalition Inc | New York, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | Direct Donation to support charitable work. |
| Climate One | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | Direct Donation to support charitable work. |
| Cool Earth Action USA Inc | BROOKLYN, NY | $50,000 | 2023 | Direct Donation to support charitable work. |
| Alonzo King Lines Ballet | San Francisco, CA | $30,000 | 2023 | Direct Donation to support charitable work. |
| Tuolumne River Trust | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | Direct Donation to support charitable work. |
Charitable Gift Fund
$75,000General Support
The 1440 Foundation
$20,000General Support
Korean American Community Foundatio
$10,000General Support
Aids Life Cycle
$2,000General Support
Johns Hopkins University
$100,000Direct Donation to endowment fund to support charitable work.
Climate One
$10,000Direct Donation to support charitable work.
Tuolumne River Trust
$10,000Direct Donation to support charitable work.