The Doherty Foundation concentrates its giving on conservative public policy and political advocacy organizations, primarily providing unrestricted operating support to groups that train activists and shape public debate. Grants are few but substantial, repeatedly funding established right‑of‑center institutions and grassroots conservative networks. The foundation’s portfolio signals a strategic focus on building conservative leadership and influence rather than issuing many small community grants.
The Doherty Foundation’s recent giving is defined by repeated support for conservative public policy and political advocacy groups, with large unrestricted grants returning to the same core institutions year after year. Leadership Institute received $100,000 in 2023 and $75,000 in both 2024 and 2025, while the Heritage Foundation received $100,000 in 2024 and $50,000 in 2023. That pattern points to a funder that backs established right-of-center organizations with sustained operating support rather than one-off project grants. The portfolio also reaches into grassroots conservative organizing and related advocacy networks. Tea Party Patriots Foundation Inc received $50,000 in 2025, Turning Point USA Inc received $40,000 in 2023, and Judicial Watch Inc received multiple awards across 2023, 2024, and 2025. Alongside those policy and movement-building grants, the foundation also supports selected community and educational institutions, including Miles of Freedom, Commemorative Air Force, and St Philips School & Community Center. Across the recent grants list, the emphasis is on recurring support for organizations that train activists, advance liberty-focused messaging, or serve targeted community and educational needs.
In conservative political leadership training, the foundation gave $75,000 in 2025 to Leadership Institute for general operating support, following similar grants in 2024 and 2023. For think tank and policy work, it awarded $100,000 to the Heritage Foundation in 2024 and $50,000 in 2023, both unrestricted. Its support for grassroots organizing appears in a $50,000 grant to Tea Party Patriots Foundation Inc in 2025 and a $40,000 grant to Turning Point USA Inc in 2023. The foundation also backs liberty and advocacy work through Judicial Watch Inc, which received $40,000 in 2025 and additional grants in 2023 and 2024. Beyond advocacy, the foundation has funded community-facing organizations such as Miles of Freedom with both general support and a charitable event grant.
Typical grants cluster in the mid-five-figure range, with p25 at $10,000, a median of $17,500, and p75 at $28,750. The recent grants list shows repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, including Leadership Institute, Heritage Foundation, Judicial Watch Inc, Commemorative Air Force, Miles of Freedom, Austin Street Center, and St Philips School & Community Center. That repeated pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated gifts. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not make program-related investments. Most awards are general and unrestricted, though a few are tied to specific programs, facilities, athletics, or events.
$375K
$6.4M
$518K
$465K
Most grants fall between $10K and $29K, with a median of $18K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$18K
75th Percentile
$29K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in TX.
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Concentrated, high-dollar unrestricted grants to a small set of repeat grantees; a handful of multi‑grant relationships rather than broad, distributed funding.
Notable grantees: Leadership Institute, Heritage Foundation, Tea Party Patriots Foundation, Miles of Freedom
Grant recipients are entirely U.S.-based in the recent grants list, with 46 grants in the United States. Texas appears most often as a recipient state, and Dallas is the most visible city in the portfolio, with grants to Miles of Freedom, St Philips School & Community Center, Austin Street Center, Compass School, Open Arms Inc - Bryans House, Frontiers of Flight Museum Inc, and the Commemorative Air Force. Washington, DC also appears repeatedly through Heritage Foundation and Judicial Watch Inc. Other recipient cities include Arlington, VA; Woodstock, GA; Phoenix, AZ; Lakewood, CO; Sacramento, CA; and Sherman Oaks, CA.
Its recent grants show a steady concentration in conservative public policy and political advocacy, including Leadership Institute, Heritage Foundation, Judicial Watch Inc, Tea Party Patriots Foundation Inc, Turning Point USA Inc, and Texas Public Policy Foundation. The foundation also includes some community and education-related gifts, but the core pattern is public policy and advocacy support.
Yes. Leadership Institute received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Heritage Foundation in 2023 and 2024; Judicial Watch Inc in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and Commemorative Air Force in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That repetition indicates ongoing relationships across years.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is centered in the mid-five-figure range: p25 is $10,000, median grant size is $17,500, and p75 is $28,750. Recent awards also include larger gifts such as $100,000 and $75,000 to major recipients.
Texas is the top state by grant count, and Dallas is the most prominent city in the recipient list. Recent Dallas-based grantees include Miles of Freedom, St Philips School & Community Center, Austin Street Center, Compass School, Open Arms Inc - Bryans House, Frontiers of Flight Museum Inc, and the Commemorative Air Force.
Most recent awards are described as general and unrestricted. A smaller number are designated for specific purposes such as athletic activities, an athletic department, a charitable event, and a named aviation education center. The foundation is classified as a regular funder and does not make program-related investments.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE | ARLINGTON, VA | $75,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| TEA PARTY PATRIOTS FOUNDATION INC | WOODSTOCK, GA | $50,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| MILES OF FREEDOM | DALLAS, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| JUDICIAL WATCH INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| COMPASS SCHOOL | DALLAS, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| ST PHILIPS SCHOOL & COMMUNITY CENTER | DALLAS, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | Athletic Department fund |
| AUSTIN STREET CENTER | DALLAS, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| FRONTIERS OF FLIGHT MUSEUM INC | DALLAS, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | Ally Pally's Explorers fund |
| ST PHILIPS SCHOOL & COMMUNITY CENTER | DALLAS, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE | DALLAS, TX | $20,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| FOREFRONT LIVING | DALLAS, TX | $10,000 | 2025 | The T. Boone Pickens Hospice Center |
| JOHN F PEELER EL | DALLAS, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| HERITAGE FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE | ARLINGTON, VA | $75,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| JUDICIAL WATCH INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $30,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| MILES OF FREEDOM | DALLAS, TX | $25,000 | 2024 | Charitable Event |
| AUSTIN STREET CENTER | DALLAS, TX | $25,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| ST PHILIPS SCHOOL & COMMUNITY CENTER | DALLAS, TX | $25,000 | 2024 | Athletic Activities fund |
| COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE | DALLAS, TX | $20,000 | 2024 | Commemorative Air Forces' National Aviation Education center |
| TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION | AUSTIN, TX | $20,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| MOUNTAIN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION | LAKEWOOD, CO | $20,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION | SACRAMENTO, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| SIGHT SAVERS AMERICA INC | PELHAM, AL | $10,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| SPECIAL OPS XCURSIONS INC | NASHVILLE, TN | $10,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| CRISTO REY DALLAS ACADEMIC CENTER | DALLAS, TX | $10,000 | 2024 | scholarship fund |
| LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE | ARLINGTON, VA | $100,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| HERITAGE FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| TURNING POINT USA INC | PHOENIX, AZ | $40,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE | DALLAS, TX | $35,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD TRUST | WASHINGTON, DC | $30,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| JUDICIAL WATCH INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $30,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| OPEN ARMS INC - BRYANS HOUSE | DALLAS, TX | $25,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| MOUNTAIN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION | LAKEWOOD, CO | $20,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| PRAGER UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | SHERMAN OAKS, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| TEA PARTY PATRIOTS FOUNDATION INC | WOODSTOCK, GA | $15,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION | SACRAMENTO, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| SMILE TRAIN INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION | AUSTIN, TX | $10,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| AUSTIN STREET CENTER | DALLAS, TX | $5,385 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| ST LABRE INDIAN SCHOOL | ASHLAND, MT | $5,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| EDCHOICE INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $5,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| EISENHOWER FOUNDATION | ABILENE, KS | $5,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| ST BONAVENTURE INDIAN MISSIONS & SCHOOL | THOREAU, NM | $5,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| TRANSFORMATION HOUSE | BOERNE, TX | $1,500 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
Athletic Department fund
COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE
$20,000General & Unrestricted
JOHN F PEELER EL
$5,000General & Unrestricted
COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE
$20,000Commemorative Air Forces' National Aviation Education center
CRISTO REY DALLAS ACADEMIC CENTER
$10,000scholarship fund
COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE
$35,000General & Unrestricted
OPEN ARMS INC - BRYANS HOUSE
$25,000General & Unrestricted
ST LABRE INDIAN SCHOOL
$5,000General & Unrestricted
ST BONAVENTURE INDIAN MISSIONS & SCHOOL
$5,000General & Unrestricted
TRANSFORMATION HOUSE
$1,500General & Unrestricted