Dorrance Foundation for Education
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
Scottsdale, AZWebsite
About Dorrance Foundation for Education
The Dorrance Foundation for Education is focused on expanding college access for Arizona students, with large, repeated scholarship awards targeted at first-generation undergraduates at the state's three public research universities. Grants are routed primarily through university foundations and are designed to fund named scholarship cohorts across multiple academic years. The foundation’s giving is tightly concentrated geographically (Arizona) and programmatically (higher‑education scholarships).
Focus Areas
First‑generation undergraduate scholarships at Arizona public universitiesCohort-based scholarship programming administered by university foundationsStatewide college access across University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University
Who They Fund
first-generation college students (ASU, UA, NAU)undergraduate study abroad participantsstudents with disabilities / DSP alumni and program participantsscholarship finalists and current scholarslow-income/food-insecure students needing gap funding
About Dorrance Foundation for Education
Dorrance Foundation for Education centers its giving on first-generation college access in Arizona, with repeated scholarship awards tied to the state’s three public research universities. The largest recent grants are $438,000 awards to Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University, each earmarked for current scholars in the Dorrance Scholarship program. Those awards point to a structure built around cohort-based support rather than one-time aid. The foundation also extends that pattern beyond the main scholarship line: recent grants include support for study abroad at the University of Arizona, scholarships for DSP UA alumni through universities outside Arizona, and smaller awards connected to academic departments and student organizations. The grant list shows a consistent emphasis on students moving through college with multi-year backing, as well as educational enrichment that reaches beyond tuition alone. Across the recent record, the foundation’s work is concentrated in higher education, and the beneficiaries are primarily first-generation undergraduates and related student groups at Arizona institutions.
What Dorrance Foundation for Education Funds
At the center of the foundation’s work are need-based scholarships for first-generation students at Arizona’s public universities. In 2025, it gave $438,000 to Arizona State University for spring 2025 first-generation scholarships for 73 current scholars, and the same amount to the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University for 73 current scholars at each campus. It also supports study abroad: a $20,000 grant to the University of Arizona Foundation was designated for the study abroad department, and $10,000 went to Nau Foundation to fund NAU in Greece scholarships. Beyond the main scholarship program, the foundation has also funded academic and student-support programs such as the NAU Lumberjack math center scholarships and the University of Arizona Foundation for the College of Humanities.
How Dorrance Foundation for Education Gives
The typical grant size is modest relative to the largest awards: p25 is $1,762, median is $5,000, and p75 is $31,500. The record shows both recurring and one-off support. The same university partners appear across multiple years, and the major scholarship awards recur by semester and by campus, which indicates multi-year cohort funding rather than isolated gifts. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF or program-related investor, and it funds individuals as well as organizations. An unsolicited application pathway is part of the active Dorrance Scholarship program.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.7M
Total Assets
$65M
Total Revenue
$23.9M
Total Expenses
$8.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $2K and $32K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$32K
Geographic Reach
Local7 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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