The James and Dorothy Doss Foundation focuses almost entirely on local community and cultural philanthropy in the Fort Worth/North Texas area, concentrating its funding through a mix of direct operating support for a family-focused heritage institution and large gifts routed through a local community foundation. Its giving is strongly place-based and geared toward preserving and promoting regional heritage and enabling donor-directed charitable activity. The foundation appears to prioritize sustained, sizeable investments rather than many small grants.
The James and Dorothy Doss Foundation Inc’s giving is anchored by a recurring $800,000 donor-advised grant to North Texas Community Foundation and large operating support for Doss Heritage and Cultural Center in Weatherford. Those two lines of giving show a foundation that combines place-based heritage work with donor-directed philanthropy, while keeping a tight focus on Fort Worth and North Texas. The foundation’s recent record also shows support for local institutions that serve families, students, and people facing hardship, including Communities in Schools, Center for Transforming Lives, Presbyterian Night Shelter, and The Women’s Center. Its pattern is not spread broadly across many states or countries. Instead, the foundation repeatedly funds organizations in the Fort Worth area and nearby North Texas communities, often through operating, program, scholarship, or capital support. Scholarships appear across multiple years at Weatherford College, Tarleton State University, and Howard Payne University, alongside gifts tied to cultural preservation and local nonprofit sustainment. The result is a grantmaking profile centered on regional institutions and a family legacy of community philanthropy.
A major thread in the foundation’s giving is heritage preservation. In 2025, it gave $300,000 to Doss Heritage and Cultural Center for operating support, following a $445,000 general operating grant in 2024. That repeated support points to a sustained relationship with the organization rather than isolated project funding. Another clear area is education. The foundation awarded $45,872 to Weatherford College for a scholarship in 2025, and it has also given $25,000 scholarship grants to Tarleton State University and Howard Payne University in multiple years. Those grants show direct support for student aid at regional institutions. The foundation also backs local nonprofit capacity. It gave $60,000 to Communities in Schools for capital support and $50,000 to Center for Transforming Lives for program support in 2024, along with operating support for The Women’s Center and Presbyterian Night Shelter.
Grant sizes cluster at modest-to-mid-sized levels, with a typical grant size of $1,500 at the 25th percentile, $5,000 at the median, and $10,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent list, however, includes several larger outliers, including donor-advised gifts and major operating awards. Recipients often appear in more than one year: North Texas Community Foundation, Doss Heritage and Cultural Center, Tarleton State University, Howard Payne University, Fort Worth Country Day, The Women’s Center, Presbyterian Night Shelter, and Lena Pope all recur across the record. The foundation funds through operating support, program support, capital support, scholarships, and donor-advised giving, and it funds individuals.
$2M
$42.1M
$8.6M
$2.2M
Most grants fall between $2K and $10K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$10K
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Highly concentrated: a very small number of large grants (six grants totaling $2.7M) with repeat funding to two primary recipients; uses intermediary (community foundation) to manage donor-advised distributions alongside direct operating support.
Notable grantees: North Texas Community Foundation, Doss Heritage and Cultural Center, Donor-advised distributions to local nonprofits via North Texas Community Foundation
The foundation’s grants land overwhelmingly in Texas, with 98% of grants going to recipients in its HQ state. Fort Worth appears most often, including grants to North Texas Community Foundation, Communities in Schools, Center for Transforming Lives, The Women’s Center, Presbyterian Night Shelter, Fort Worth Country Day, The Warm Place, and Lena Pope. Weatherford and Stephenville are also repeated recipient cities, while Abilene appears in disaster recovery giving and Brownwood in scholarship support. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
It funds local nonprofits, educational institutions, and community-serving organizations in Texas. Recent grants include operating and program support for Doss Heritage and Cultural Center, The Women’s Center, Presbyterian Night Shelter, and Center for Transforming Lives, plus scholarships to Weatherford College, Tarleton State University, and Howard Payne University.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including North Texas Community Foundation, Doss Heritage and Cultural Center, Tarleton State University, Howard Payne University, Fort Worth Country Day, The Women’s Center, Presbyterian Night Shelter, and Lena Pope. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards.
The grant-size distribution centers at $1,500 at the 25th percentile, $5,000 at the median, and $10,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent grants also include much larger awards, such as $800,000 to North Texas Community Foundation and $445,000 to Doss Heritage and Cultural Center.
Its giving is almost entirely in Texas: 98% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Fort Worth is the most frequent recipient city, with additional grants in Weatherford, Stephenville, Brownwood, and Abilene.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTH TEXAS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | FORT WORTH, TX | $700,000 | 2026 | DONOR ADVISED FUND |
| DOSS HERITAGE AND CULTURAL CENTER | WEATHERFORD, TX | $450,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| WEATHERFORD CHAMBER FOUNDATION | WEATHERFORD, TX | $250,000 | 2026 | CAPITAL SUPPORT |
| ACH CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES | FORT WORTH, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY | STEPHENVILLE, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| HOWARD PAYNE UNIVERSITY | BROWNWOOD, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| FORT WORTH COUNTRY DAY | FORT WORTH, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| WEATHERFORD COLLEGE | WEATHERFORD, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| JPS FOUNDATION | FORT WORTH, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| THE WOMEN'S CENTER | FORT WORTH, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| LENA POPE | FORT WORTH, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| PRESBYTERIAN NIGHT SHELTER | FORT WORTH, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CENTER FOR TRANSFORMING LIVES | FORT WORTH, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| PROJECT OPPORTUNITY | WEATHERFORD, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS | FORT WORTH, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | CAPITAL SUPPORT |
| GRACE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | LANE WEATHERFORD, TX | $21,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH FORT WORTH | FORT WORTH, TX | $20,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY | KERRVILLE, TX | $15,000 | 2026 | FLOOD RELIEF |
| HARRY MALE YOUTH FOUNDATION | ARLINGTON, TX | $15,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| THE CLIBURN | FORT WORTH, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| FORT WORTH STOCK SHOW SYNDICATE | FORT WORTH, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| THE WARM PLACE | FORT WORTH, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| TEXAS BANKERS FOUNDATION | AUSTIN, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | TEXAS HILL COUNTRY RELIEF - FLOOD RELIEF FUND |
| FORT WORTH SISTER CITIES INTERNATIONAL | FORT WORTH, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| TEXAS RAMP PROJECT | RICHARDSON, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| WEATHERFORD NOON LIONS FOUNDATION | WEATHERFORD, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CENTER OF HOPE | WEATHERFORD, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE ALL SAINTS HEALTH FOUNDATION | FORT WORTH, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| FORT WORTH PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION | FORT WORTH, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| WEATHERFORD ISD | WEATHERFORD, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| TEXAS BOTANICAL GARDENS AND NATIVE AMERICAN INTERPRETIVE CENTER | GOLDTHWAITE, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| STRAWN ISD EDUCATION FOUNDATION | STRAWN, TX | $8,169 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| SW GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BANKING FOUNDATION | DALLAS, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| BREAKTHROUGH AT FORT WORTH COUNTRY DAY | FORT WORTH, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| NEWBERRY CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | MILLSAP, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| FREEDOM HOUSE | WEATHERFORD, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| PASCHAL PTA | FORT WORTH, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| THE DALLAS FOUNDATION | DALLAS, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| TSTC FOUNDATION | WACO, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION | NEW BRAUNFELS, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCESE OF FORT WORTH | FORT WORTH, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | FORT WORTH, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| NC STATE COLLEGE OF SCIENCES FOUNDATION | RALEIGH, NC | $5,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| COMANCHE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT | COMANCHE, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| RIVERTREE ACADEMY | FORT WORTH, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BROWNWOOD ISD | BROWNWOOD, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| TARRANT AREA FOOD BANK | FORT WORTH, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| STEPHENVILLE ISD | STEPHENVILLE, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| TRINITY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | FORT WORTH, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| MILLSAP ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION | MILLSAP, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
NORTH TEXAS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$700,000DONOR ADVISED FUND
DOSS HERITAGE AND CULTURAL CENTER
$450,000OPERATING SUPPORT
WEATHERFORD CHAMBER FOUNDATION
$250,000CAPITAL SUPPORT
TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY
$25,000SCHOLARSHIP
SCHOLARSHIP
FORT WORTH COUNTRY DAY
$25,000OPERATING SUPPORT
WEATHERFORD COLLEGE
$25,000SCHOLARSHIP
THE WOMEN'S CENTER
$25,000OPERATING SUPPORT
LENA POPE
$25,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
PRESBYTERIAN NIGHT SHELTER
$25,000OPERATING SUPPORT
PROJECT OPPORTUNITY
$25,000SCHOLARSHIP
COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS
$25,000CAPITAL SUPPORT
GRACE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
$21,000OPERATING SUPPORT
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH FORT WORTH
$20,000OPERATING SUPPORT
HARRY MALE YOUTH FOUNDATION
$15,000OPERATING SUPPORT
THE CLIBURN
$10,000OPERATING SUPPORT
THE WARM PLACE
$10,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
TEXAS BANKERS FOUNDATION
$10,000TEXAS HILL COUNTRY RELIEF - FLOOD RELIEF FUND
WEATHERFORD NOON LIONS FOUNDATION
$10,000OPERATING SUPPORT
FORT WORTH PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING
WEATHERFORD ISD
$10,000SCHOLARSHIP
TEXAS BOTANICAL GARDENS AND NATIVE AMERICAN INTERPRETIVE CENTER
$10,000OPERATING SUPPORT
STRAWN ISD EDUCATION FOUNDATION
$8,169SCHOLARSHIP
SW GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BANKING FOUNDATION
$5,000SCHOLARSHIP
BREAKTHROUGH AT FORT WORTH COUNTRY DAY
$5,000OPERATING SUPPORT
NEWBERRY CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
$5,000OPERATING SUPPORT
FREEDOM HOUSE
$5,000OPERATING SUPPORT
PASCHAL PTA
$5,000OPERATING SUPPORT
TSTC FOUNDATION
$5,000SCHOLARSHIP
TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION
$5,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
NC STATE COLLEGE OF SCIENCES FOUNDATION
$5,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
COMANCHE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
$5,000OPERATING SUPPORT
BROWNWOOD ISD
$5,000SCHOLARSHIP
STEPHENVILLE ISD
$5,000SCHOLARSHIP
TRINITY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
$5,000OPERATING SUPPORT
MILLSAP ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION
$5,000SCHOLARSHIP