The Leo J Dowd Foundation concentrates its giving locally in Columbus, NE and predominantly supports Catholic and other faith-based charitable organizations. Grants are directed toward parish operations, Catholic social service agencies, and direct client-facing human services such as food and outreach programs. The foundation favors a small set of repeat recipients and makes relatively sizable, unrestricted charitable contributions.
Concentrated, local giving with a small number of relatively large grants; repeat multi-year or recurring support to core faith-based and human services grantees rather than broad one-off funding.
Leo J Dowd Foundation Inc. stands out for its repeated support of Catholic and faith-based organizations in Nebraska, with charitable contributions reaching parish life, social service agencies, schools, and direct assistance programs. The foundation’s recent activity shows a clear preference for established local institutions rather than a wide spread of grantees, and several recipients appear more than once across multiple years. Recent grants include a $40,000 charitable contribution to Catholic Social Services in Lincoln and $25,000 to the School Sisters of Christ the King, also in Lincoln. The foundation has also supported Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach with multiple grants over several years, alongside parish support for St Mary Catholic Church and a smaller contribution to St Bonaventure Catholic Schools in Columbus. A grant to Children’s Scholarship Fund of Omaha adds educational support to the mix. Across these awards, the funding pattern points to general charitable support for organizations serving faith communities and people in need.
Catholic social service work is a clear theme. The foundation gave $40,000 to Catholic Social Services in Lincoln for charitable contribution, indicating support for a faith-based provider of family and community assistance. Direct aid to people experiencing food insecurity also appears in the recent grants. Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach received $20,000 in 2025 and two additional $20,000 grants in earlier years, all described as charitable contributions. Parish and religious-education support is another recurring line. St Mary Catholic Church received $20,000 in 2024 and $20,000 in 2023, while St Bonaventure Catholic Schools in Columbus received $4,200 in 2024. The foundation also awarded $25,000 to the School Sisters of Christ the King for charitable contribution, showing support for religious orders and their ministries.
Typical grant size is tightly clustered: the p25, median, and p75 are all $20,000. That points to a consistent award level, with occasional larger gifts such as $40,000 and $25,000. The recent record also shows repeat giving to the same organizations across multiple years, especially Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach and St Mary Catholic Church. The foundation operates as an institutional grantmaker rather than a donor-advised fund or program-related investor, and the listed purposes are framed as charitable contributions rather than formal application-based awards.
$125K
$1.3M
$110K
$135K
Most grants fall between $20K and $20K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$20K
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Notable grantees: Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach, Catholic Social Services, St. Mary Catholic Church, School Sisters of Christ the King
Giving is concentrated entirely in Nebraska, with 100% of grants going to recipients in the state. Lincoln is the main recipient city in the recent list, including Catholic Social Services, School Sisters of Christ the King, Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach, and St Mary Catholic Church. Omaha appears through Children’s Scholarship Fund of Omaha, and Columbus appears through St Bonaventure Catholic Schools. The pattern is local and in-state rather than national.
The recent grants point to Catholic parishes, Catholic social service agencies, religious orders, schools, and outreach programs. Examples include Catholic Social Services, School Sisters of Christ the King, Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach, St Mary Catholic Church, and St Bonaventure Catholic Schools.
The typical grant size is $20,000. The p25, median, and p75 are all $20,000, which indicates a very tight distribution around that amount.
No. The recipient country distribution shows 100% of grants to US recipients, and the state distribution shows all grants going to Nebraska recipients.
Yes. Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach appears multiple times, with $20,000 grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. St Mary Catholic Church also appears in both 2023 and 2024 at $20,000 each time.
Education appears through Catholic and scholarship support. Recent grants include $25,000 to the School Sisters of Christ the King and $10,000 to Children’s Scholarship Fund of Omaha, along with $4,200 to St Bonaventure Catholic Schools in Columbus.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COLUMBUS CATHOLIC SCHOOLS | COLUMBUS, NE | $79,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| ST MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH | LINCOLN, NE | $45,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES | LINCOLN, NE | $40,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| MATT TALBOT KITCHEN & OUTREACH | LINCOLN, NE | $20,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| CHILDREN'S SCHOLARSHIP FUND OF OMAH | OMAHA, NE | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| SCHOOL SISTERS OF CHRIST THE KING | LINCOLN, NE | $25,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| ST MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH | LINCOLN, NE | $20,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| MATT TALBOT KITCHEN & OUTREACH | LINCOLN, NE | $20,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| ST BONAVENTURE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS | COLUMBUS, NE | $4,200 | 2024 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| ST MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH | LINCOLN, NE | $20,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
| MATT TALBOT KITCHEN & OUTREACH | LINCOLN, NE | $20,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
COLUMBUS CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
$79,500CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
ST MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH
$45,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
CHILDREN'S SCHOLARSHIP FUND OF OMAH
$10,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
SCHOOL SISTERS OF CHRIST THE KING
$25,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
ST MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH
$20,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
ST BONAVENTURE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
$4,200CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION
ST MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH
$20,000CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION