The mission of the CDA Foundation is to improve the oral and overall health of all Californians by supporting the dental profession in its efforts to meet community needs.
A defining feature of the California Dental Association Foundation’s recent grantmaking is its large workforce-development agreement with Jewish Vocational and Career Counseling Service, a $794,064 grant in 2025 tied to the California Workforce Development Board. That sits alongside a second major stream of support for California dental schools and public health partners, including grants to Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine and California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine under the California Department of Public Health Services. The foundation is organized as a public charity and reports annual grants of $1,612,455 against total assets of $3,319,719. Its stated mission is to improve the oral and overall health of Californians by supporting the dental profession in meeting community needs. In practice, that means funding programs connected to oral health equity, access to care, volunteer clinics, grants and awards, education and webinars, and wellness programs for dental professionals. The recent record also shows support for dental education and service delivery through school-based partners in California.
The California Dental Association Foundation’s cause areas cluster around oral health access, workforce development, and dental education. In workforce support, it gave $794,064 to Jewish Vocational and Career Counseling Service for a California Workforce Development Board agreement. In dental education, it awarded $321,058 to Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine under a California Department of Public Health Services agreement. A second school-based grant went to California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine for $239,721 under the same department-level agreement. The foundation also supports the delivery side of care through programs linked to community dentistry, volunteer clinics, and materials and supplies, which aligns with its stated focus on access to care and oral health equity.
The foundation’s recent grant sizes range from $63,411 to $794,064, with a median of $239,721 across the five largest recent grants. Its work appears to include both one-time agreements and programmatic funding tied to state agencies, especially the California Department of Public Health Services and the California Workforce Development Board. The active program list shows several open grant programs, including student loan repayment, dental school wellness, humanitarian awards, dental materials and supplies, and the Webb Family Grant. It also says the foundation has provided grants to almost every one of California’s 32 local dental societies.
$1.6M
$3.3M
$2.8M
$3.4M
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Recent grants land entirely in the United States, with all five listed awards going to California recipients. The largest awards in the recent set went to organizations in San Francisco, Pomona, Elk Grove, and Los Angeles. The recipient mix includes dental schools and workforce partners rather than a single city concentration. In the state-level picture, California is the sole grant recipient state shown in the recent data.
Its stated focus includes oral health equity, access to care, volunteer clinics through CDA Cares Connects, grants and awards, education and webinars, and wellness programs for dental professionals. Recent grants also show support for workforce development, dental education, and public health service delivery.
Among the five largest recent grants listed, amounts run from $63,411 to $794,064, with a median of $239,721. The largest listed grant is $794,064, and several others are in the low hundreds of thousands.
The recent grants shown are all in the United States, and all five listed awards go to California recipients. Its active grant programs are also described as California-focused.
Some active programs accept unsolicited applications, including the Student Loan Repayment Grant, Dental School Wellness Grant, Humanitarian Award, Dental Materials & Supplies Grant, and Webb Family Grant. The CDA Foundation General Grants program is marked as not accepting unsolicited applications.
The recent list includes a workforce and career counseling organization and several California dental schools: Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine, California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine, the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California, and the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry at the University of the Pacific.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from California Dental Association Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Student-proposed or student-initiated events at California dental schools are eligible. One grant is available for each dental school each year.
Deadline: Rolling basis; applications close when all funds available for the cycle have been awarded.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEWISH VOCATIONAL AND CAREER COUNSELING SERVICE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $794,064 | 2025 | AGREEMENT M98427-7120 - CALIFORNIA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD |
| WESTERN UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE | POMONA, CA | $321,058 | 2025 | AGREEMENT 22-10947 - CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES |
| CALIFORNIA NORTHSTATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE | ELK GROVE, CA | $239,721 | 2025 | AGREEMENT 22-10947 - CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES |
| UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ON BEHALF OF ITS HERMAN OSTROW SCHOOL OF |
| LOS ANGELES, CA |
| $194,201 |
| 2025 |
| AGREEMENT 22-10947 - CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES |
| UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC FOR ITS ARTHUR A DUGONI SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $63,411 | 2025 | AGREEMENT 22-10947 - CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES |
| HENRY SCHEIN | WEST ALLIS, WI | $65,261 | 2024 | UKRAINIAN RELIEF FUND 2023 |
| CALIFORNIA NORTHSTATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE | ELK GROVE, CA | $41,070 | 2024 | MOU AGREEMENT 22-10947 - CALIFORNIA NORTHSTATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE |
AGREEMENT M98427-7120 - CALIFORNIA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD
WESTERN UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE
$321,058AGREEMENT 22-10947 - CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES
CALIFORNIA NORTHSTATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE
$239,721AGREEMENT 22-10947 - CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES
AGREEMENT 22-10947 - CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES
AGREEMENT 22-10947 - CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES
HENRY SCHEIN
$65,261UKRAINIAN RELIEF FUND 2023
CALIFORNIA NORTHSTATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE
$41,070MOU AGREEMENT 22-10947 - CALIFORNIA NORTHSTATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE