The David B. Jones Foundation concentrates its giving on paleontology and natural history education, funding museum-led fieldwork, internships, and public science programming. Grants support both academic research (undergraduate excavation and publication) and informal science centers (museums and a nature center), with an emphasis on projects in the Mountain West and institutions that deliver hands-on learning experiences for youth and students.
A recurring pattern in David B Jones Foundation grantmaking is support for hands-on paleontology training, especially projects that move from excavation and fieldwork into collections, publication, and public display. The foundation’s largest recent award went to Mammoth Site of Hot Springs South Dakota Inc for the Mammoth Site Intern Program, underscoring its interest in internships as part of scientific workforce development. Another major grant supported the Museum of the Rockies for Cretaceous Crossroads and Discover Science!, a paleontological education initiative that links research with public learning. The foundation also backed the University of Wisconsin System for an undergraduate research project on North America’s oldest dinosauromorph assemblage in Wyoming, showing that student research is part of its core giving pattern. Across the recent grants list, the foundation funds museums, universities, and education groups that work in vertebrate paleontology, fossil conservation, and science outreach. Its grants connect research institutions with public-facing venues such as museums, nature centers, and traveling exhibits, with a consistent emphasis on projects that create practical training and audience engagement rather than isolated scholarship alone.
In paleontology fieldwork and undergraduate research, the foundation gave $189,752 to the University of Wisconsin System for an excavation-to-publication project on North America’s oldest dinosauromorph assemblage in the Late Triassic Popo Agie Formation of Wyoming. It also gave $62,337 to Loyola University of Chicago for a study of end-Cretaceous community dynamics from microfossil assemblages in the Lance Formation, Wyoming. In museum-based education, it provided $145,000 to the Museum of the Rockies for Cretaceous Crossroads and Discover Science!, a paleontological education initiative. For fossil conservation and preparation training, the foundation awarded $70,000 to the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Foundation for a summer internship in fossil conservation. Its support for public science programming also includes $50,000 to Science Kids for program support.
Typical grant size sits at a $19,458 p25, $35,039 median, and $72,925 p75, showing a middle range centered on modest-to-mid-sized awards. The recent grants list also shows repeat support to the same recipients across multiple years, including Mammoth Site of Hot Springs South Dakota Inc, Boy Scouts of America, Regents of the University of Michigan, Burke Museum Association, Minnesota Childrens Museum, Carthage College, and Science Kids. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-off awards. The foundation is a private grantmaker that also funds individuals, and it does not make program-related investments. The recent data do not show an application process.
$1.3M
$25.2M
$930K
$1.7M
Most grants fall between $19K and $73K, with a median of $35K.
25th Percentile
$19K
Median
$35K
75th Percentile
$73K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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A small number of large, targeted grants focused on a narrow set of related institutions and projects; repeated support for the same organizations and multi-year or multi-grant commitments to build research and education capacity.
Notable grantees: Mammoth Site of Hot Springs South Dakota Inc, Museum of the Rockies, University of Wisconsin System, Boy Scouts of America (David B. Jones Nature Center and Museum project)
The foundation gives nationally, and all recent grants listed went to U.S. recipients. Grants cluster in the Mountain West and Upper Midwest, with repeated awards in South Dakota, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Montana, and Minnesota. Hot Springs and Sioux Falls appear more than once, as do Madison, Bozeman, and Saint Paul. The top state by grant count is Ohio, even though no recent grant in the sample went to a Delaware recipient.
The recent grants center on paleontology and natural history education. Examples include excavation-to-publication research, fossil conservation internships, museum exhibits, traveling science education programs, and nature center support. The named projects show a focus on vertebrate paleontology, collections work, and public-facing science learning.
It funds both. Recent awards went to universities for paleontology research and undergraduate training, including the University of Wisconsin System, Loyola University of Chicago, and the University of Michigan. It also supported museums and museum associations such as the Museum of the Rockies, Burke Museum Association, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Foundation.
The grant-size distribution is $19,458 at the 25th percentile, $35,039 at the median, and $72,925 at the 75th percentile. That places most awards in a mid-range, with several larger grants above $100,000 in the recent list.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeat funding across multiple years for several recipients, including Mammoth Site of Hot Springs South Dakota Inc, Boy Scouts of America, Regents of the University of Michigan, Burke Museum Association, Minnesota Childrens Museum, Carthage College, and Science Kids.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAMMOTH SITE OF HOT SPRINGS SOUTH DAKOTA INC | HOT SPRINGS, SD | $202,500 | 2025 | Mammoth Site Intern Program |
| MUSEUM OF THE ROCKIES | BOZEMAN, MT | $145,000 | 2025 | Cretaceous Crossroads and Discover Science!: A Paleontological Education Initiative |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | ANN ARBOR, MI | $86,315 | 2025 | Mammalian evolution in dynamic environments across the K-Pg boundary in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming |
| BOARD OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA | TUSCALOOSA, AL | $85,207 | 2025 | Training the next generation of curators and collection managers via impactful museum collection activities |
| LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY FOUND | LOS ANGELES, CA | $70,000 | 2025 | Dinosaur Institute Summer Internship in Fossil Conservation at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County |
| MINNESOTA CHILDRENS MUSEUM | SAINT PAUL, MN | $65,000 | 2025 | Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice Exhibit National Tour |
| LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $62,337 | 2025 | Expanding insights into end-Cretaceous community dynamics from microfossil assemblages of the Lance Formation, Wyoming |
| UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO FOUNDATION INCORPORATED | ALBUQUERQUE, NM | $60,146 | 2025 | Future Fossils on Fans: The Pilcomayo fan, Paraguay, as a model for terrestrial vertebrate fossil preservation |
| IDAHO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC | POCATELLO, ID | $60,000 | 2025 | Education Everywhere Idaho |
| SCIENCE KIDS | SHERIDAN, WY | $50,000 | 2025 | Science Kids Program Support |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO | DENVER, CO | $49,156 | 2025 | Illuminating the Late Cretaceous (ca. 68 - 74 million-year-old) mammals and other tiny vertebrates of Colorado's Western Slope through discovery and study of microvertebrate sites in the Williams Fork Formation |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM | MADISON, WI | $41,702 | 2025 | Paleoecology and Stratigraphy of the Upper Jurassic Dinosaur Fauna of Jurassic National Monument, Emery County, Utah |
| DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE | DENVER, CO | $39,156 | 2025 | David B. Jones Internship Program in Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science |
| NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SCIENCE | RALEIGH, NC | $38,788 | 2025 | K-12 students doing paleontology in the classroom and the lab |
| ALBION COLLEGE | ALBION, MI | $37,334 | 2025 | Undergraduate Research on Macro- to Micro-scale Trends in Fossil Accumulation and Preservation during the Permian Period of the Intermountain West |
| RAYMOND M ALF MUSEUM | CLAREMONT, CA | $35,040 | 2025 | Vertebrate Paleontology of the Mesaverde Formation (Late Cretaceous) of Wyoming |
| MACALESTER COLLEGE | SAINT PAUL, MN | $27,263 | 2025 | Enriching the Paleontology Experience at Macalester College |
| RAYMOND M ALF MUSEUM | CLAREMONT, CA | $27,000 | 2025 | Cosplay for Science - Paleontology and Pop Culture at San Diego Comic Con STEAM FAIR |
| FRIENDS OF NC STATE MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCES | RALEIGH, NC | $18,750 | 2025 | Leveraging the New 'Dueling Dinosaurs' Paleontology Exhibit to Enhance Paleontology Learning for NC Students Youth from Under Resourced Schools and Communities |
| WASHINGTON PAVILION MANAGEMENT INC | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $12,500 | 2025 | T. Rex Documentary at the Washington Pavilion |
| A MAN AND HIS BONES | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $11,545 | 2025 | Curation of the Lange/Ferguson Archaeological Site Artifacts and Archive at the South Dakota Archaeological Research Center (ARC) |
| SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY | MCLEAN, VA | $10,000 | 2025 | Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Futures Award |
| BIGHORN BASIN PALEONTOLOGICAL INSTITUTE | WILLOW GROVE, PA | $6,118 | 2025 | David B. Jones Summer Field Internship Program |
| CHILDRENS MUSEUM OF PHOENIX | PHOENIX, AZ | $6,000 | 2025 | Dinosaur Month at the Children's Museum of Phoenix |
| STAMFORD MUSEUM AND NATURE CENTER INCORPORATED | STAMFORD, CT | $5,500 | 2025 | Dinosaur Discoveries at Stamford Museum |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE FOUNDATION INC | MARTIN, TN | $5,000 | 2025 | Junior Paleontology Program |
| UNION MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND ART | FARMERVILLE, LA | $3,500 | 2025 | Expedition: Ice Age |
| BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $195,000 | 2024 | David B. Jones Nature Center and Museum |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM | MADISON, WI | $189,752 | 2024 | Excavation to publication: an undergraduate research journey through North America's oldest dinosauromorph assemblage (Late Triassic [Carnian] Popo Agie Formation, Wyoming) |
| UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION | LINCOLN, NE | $101,049 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | ANN ARBOR, MI | $86,315 | 2024 | Mammalian evolution in dynamic environments across the K-Pg boundary in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM | MADISON, WI | $83,403 | 2024 | Paleoecology and Stratigraphy of the Upper Jurassic Dinosaur Fauna of Jurassic National Monument, Emery County, Utah |
| CARTHAGE COLLEGE | KENOSHA, WI | $76,720 | 2024 | Carthage Institute of Paleontology's Preparator and Undergraduate Paleo Education Project |
| BURKE MUSEUM ASSOCIATION | SEATTLE, WA | $72,925 | 2024 | Partnering Paleontological Research with Public Outreach |
| MINNESOTA CHILDRENS MUSEUM | SAINT PAUL, MN | $65,000 | 2024 | Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice Exhibit National Tour |
| DES MOINES UNIVERSITY OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL CENTER | DES MOINES, IA | $61,455 | 2024 | Natural Trap Cave 2.0 |
| DAYTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY DAYTON MUSEUM OF | DAYTON, OH | $50,000 | 2024 | Dayton's Dinosaur: A Place-Based Paleontology Exhibit |
| ALBION COLLEGE | ALBION, MI | $45,334 | 2024 | Undergraduate Research on Macro- to Micro-scale Trends in Fossil Accumulation and Preservation during the Permian Period of the Intermountain West |
| DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE | DENVER, CO | $38,032 | 2024 | David B. Jones Internship Program in Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science |
| SAN DIEGO SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY BALBOA PARK | SAN DIEGO, CA | $35,078 | 2024 | Paleontology Apprenticeship Program for Undergraduate Students |
| KANSAS UNIVERSITY ENDOWMENT ASSOC | LAWRENCE, KS | $35,000 | 2024 | David B. Jones Fellows in Vertebrate Paleontology at the University of Kansas: Research, Training and Public Educational Outreach |
| RAYMOND M ALF MUSEUM | CLAREMONT, CA | $28,540 | 2024 | Vertebrate Paleontology of the Mesaverde Formation (Late Cretaceous) of Wyoming |
| MACALESTER COLLEGE | SAINT PAUL, MN | $25,850 | 2024 | Enriching the Paleontology Experience at Macalester College |
| FRIENDS OF THE UTAH FIELD HOUSE | VERNAL, UT | $25,000 | 2024 | Installation of New Exhibit: A Ceratosaurus for the Jurassic Hall |
| BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $25,000 | 2024 | David B. Jones Legacy Friends of Scouting |
| CASPER COLLEGE RODEO FUND | CASPER, WY | $17,229 | 2024 | Tate Museum Collections Expansion Project |
| SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY | MCLEAN, VA | $10,000 | 2024 | Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Futures Award |
| Washington Academic Middle | Sanger, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | Paleontology Club |
| FRIENDS OF NDGS PALEO | MANDAN, ND | $8,749 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| CHILDRENS MUSEUM OF PHOENIX | PHOENIX, AZ | $6,000 | 2024 | Dinosaur Month at the Children's Museum of Phoenix |
MAMMOTH SITE OF HOT SPRINGS SOUTH DAKOTA INC
$202,500Mammoth Site Intern Program
MUSEUM OF THE ROCKIES
$145,000Cretaceous Crossroads and Discover Science!: A Paleontological Education Initiative
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
$86,315Mammalian evolution in dynamic environments across the K-Pg boundary in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming
BOARD OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
$85,207Training the next generation of curators and collection managers via impactful museum collection activities
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY FOUND
$70,000Dinosaur Institute Summer Internship in Fossil Conservation at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice Exhibit National Tour
Expanding insights into end-Cretaceous community dynamics from microfossil assemblages of the Lance Formation, Wyoming
Future Fossils on Fans: The Pilcomayo fan, Paraguay, as a model for terrestrial vertebrate fossil preservation
SCIENCE KIDS
$50,000Science Kids Program Support
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
$49,156Illuminating the Late Cretaceous (ca. 68 - 74 million-year-old) mammals and other tiny vertebrates of Colorado's Western Slope through discovery and study of microvertebrate sites in the Williams Fork Formation
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM
$41,702Paleoecology and Stratigraphy of the Upper Jurassic Dinosaur Fauna of Jurassic National Monument, Emery County, Utah
David B. Jones Internship Program in Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
K-12 students doing paleontology in the classroom and the lab
Undergraduate Research on Macro- to Micro-scale Trends in Fossil Accumulation and Preservation during the Permian Period of the Intermountain West
RAYMOND M ALF MUSEUM
$35,040Vertebrate Paleontology of the Mesaverde Formation (Late Cretaceous) of Wyoming
Enriching the Paleontology Experience at Macalester College
RAYMOND M ALF MUSEUM
$27,000Cosplay for Science - Paleontology and Pop Culture at San Diego Comic Con STEAM FAIR
FRIENDS OF NC STATE MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCES
$18,750Leveraging the New 'Dueling Dinosaurs' Paleontology Exhibit to Enhance Paleontology Learning for NC Students Youth from Under Resourced Schools and Communities
WASHINGTON PAVILION MANAGEMENT INC
$12,500T. Rex Documentary at the Washington Pavilion
A MAN AND HIS BONES
$11,545Curation of the Lange/Ferguson Archaeological Site Artifacts and Archive at the South Dakota Archaeological Research Center (ARC)
SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
$10,000Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Futures Award
BIGHORN BASIN PALEONTOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
$6,118David B. Jones Summer Field Internship Program
Dinosaur Discoveries at Stamford Museum
UNION MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND ART
$3,500Expedition: Ice Age
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM
$189,752Excavation to publication: an undergraduate research journey through North America's oldest dinosauromorph assemblage (Late Triassic [Carnian] Popo Agie Formation, Wyoming)
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
$86,315Mammalian evolution in dynamic environments across the K-Pg boundary in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM
$83,403Paleoecology and Stratigraphy of the Upper Jurassic Dinosaur Fauna of Jurassic National Monument, Emery County, Utah
CARTHAGE COLLEGE
$76,720Carthage Institute of Paleontology's Preparator and Undergraduate Paleo Education Project
Partnering Paleontological Research with Public Outreach
Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice Exhibit National Tour
DES MOINES UNIVERSITY OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL CENTER
$61,455Natural Trap Cave 2.0
DAYTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY DAYTON MUSEUM OF
$50,000Dayton's Dinosaur: A Place-Based Paleontology Exhibit
Undergraduate Research on Macro- to Micro-scale Trends in Fossil Accumulation and Preservation during the Permian Period of the Intermountain West
David B. Jones Internship Program in Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
SAN DIEGO SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY BALBOA PARK
$35,078Paleontology Apprenticeship Program for Undergraduate Students
David B. Jones Fellows in Vertebrate Paleontology at the University of Kansas: Research, Training and Public Educational Outreach
RAYMOND M ALF MUSEUM
$28,540Vertebrate Paleontology of the Mesaverde Formation (Late Cretaceous) of Wyoming
Enriching the Paleontology Experience at Macalester College
FRIENDS OF THE UTAH FIELD HOUSE
$25,000Installation of New Exhibit: A Ceratosaurus for the Jurassic Hall
CASPER COLLEGE RODEO FUND
$17,229Tate Museum Collections Expansion Project
SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
$10,000Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Futures Award
Washington Academic Middle
$10,000Paleontology Club
FRIENDS OF NDGS PALEO
$8,749General & Unrestricted