The Dumbarton Foundation appears to prioritize education, directing most of its funding to independent schools and higher education institutions in the Northeastern United States, and occasionally to local community enrichment funds. Grants are program-focused support for school operations and student programs, with a tendency to make multiple grants to the same institutions.
Dumbarton Foundation Co Joan L Apisa Cpa’s recent grantmaking is anchored by repeated support for school programs, with its largest awards going to Newark Academy and Syracuse University. Those two recipients appear in multiple years, which suggests the foundation often returns to the same institutions rather than making one-off gifts only. In 2025, Newark Academy received $35,000 to support school programs, following a $37,500 grant in 2023 for the same purpose. Syracuse University received $30,000 in 2023 and $15,000 in 2025, also for school programs. Beyond education, the foundation also backs community enrichment and mission-related work, including grants tied to Chatham, Massachusetts and churches. The pattern shows a regional grantmaker that favors institutions and local organizations with defined program purposes. Its giving reaches independent schools, colleges, faith communities, and community-based nonprofits, with award sizes ranging from modest four-figure gifts to multi-tens-of-thousands grants. The foundation’s recent activity also includes support for waterways protection, vocal music, and policy work on atrocity prevention, indicating a narrower but varied set of interests within a school-centered portfolio.
Education is the foundation’s clearest focus. It gave $35,000 to Newark Academy in 2025 and $30,000 to Syracuse University in 2023, both designated to support school programs. Higher education and independent K–12 schools appear alongside one another in the recent record, with Manhattanville University and Amherst College also receiving school-program grants. Community enrichment is another recurring theme. In 2025, Chatham Fund of the Cape Cod Founda received $22,000 to improve and enrich the Chatham community, and the Chatham Orpheum Theater received $1,000 for the same general goal. The foundation also funds place-based environmental and civic work: Friends of Chatham Waterways received $2,000 to support the protection of Chatham, MA waterways. Smaller grants extend to cultural and policy-oriented groups, including Skylark Vocal Ensemble for vocal music and the Auschwitz Inst for Prevention of Ge for atrocity-prevention policy work.
Typical grants cluster around mid-sized program support, with a p25 of $3,750, a median of $10,000, and a p75 of $30,000. The recent record shows repeat giving to the same organizations across years, especially Newark Academy and Syracuse University, which each received multiple awards for school programs. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its grants are directed to nonprofits and schools, often for operating or program support rather than capital projects. The latest 990 year on file is 2025, and the annual grants total is $177,000.
$177K
$1.1M
$80K
$182K
Most grants fall between $4K and $30K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$4K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$30K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in WY.
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Concentrated giving with a small number of relatively large grants; repeat support for a few favored educational institutions rather than many small, one-off awards.
Notable grantees: Newark Academy, Syracuse University, Chatham Fund of the Cape Cod Foundation
Grant recipients are all in the United States, and the foundation’s top giving state by count is Wyoming. Recent awards also land in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and Georgia. Examples at the city level include Livingston, NJ; Syracuse, NY; South Yarmouth, MA; Jackson, WY; Purchase, NY; Amherst, MA; and Atlanta, GA. Although the foundation is headquartered in Yardley, PA, none of the recent grants went to recipients in Pennsylvania.
Its recent grants go to schools, universities, churches, and 501(c) nonprofits. The record includes school-program awards, church mission support, community enrichment funding, waterways protection, vocal music, and policy work on atrocity prevention.
Yes. Newark Academy and Syracuse University each received grants in both 2023 and 2025, and the funding purpose stayed the same in both years: support for school programs.
The grant-size distribution centers on mid-sized awards: p25 is $3,750, median is $10,000, and p75 is $30,000. Recent grants range from $1,000 to $37,500.
By grant count, Wyoming is the top state. Recent Wyoming giving includes St Johns Episcopal Church in Jackson, while the overall recipient list also includes organizations in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and Georgia.
Education is the largest theme, especially school programs at independent schools and universities. Other named areas include Chatham community enrichment, church missions, protection of Chatham waterways, vocal music, and strengthening policies for prevention of mass atrocities.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEWARK ACADEMY | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $35,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT SCHOOL PROGRAMS |
| CHATHAM FUND OF THE CAPE COD FOUNDA | SO YARMOUTH, MA | $22,000 | 2025 | GRANT TO 501CORGANIZATION TO IMPROVE AND ENRICHTHE CHATHAM COMMUNITY |
| SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY | SYRACUSE, NY | $15,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT SCHOOL PROGRAMS |
| ST CHRISTOPHERS EPISCOPAL CHURCH | CHATHAM, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHURCH MISSIONS |
| ST JOHNS EPISCOPAL CHURCH | JACKSON, WY | $4,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CHURCH MISSIONS |
| MANHATTANVILLE UNIVERSITY | PURCHASE, NY | $3,500 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT SCHOOL PROGRAMS |
| AMHERST COLLEGE | AMHERST, MA | $2,500 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT SCHOOL PROGRAMS |
| FRIENDS OF CHATHAM WATERWAYS | CHATHAM, MA | $2,000 | 2025 | GRANT TO 501C ORGANIZATION TO SUPPORT THE COMMITMENT TO THE PROTECTION OF THE CHATHAM, MA WATERWAYS |
| SKYLARK VOCAL ENSEMBLE | ATLANTA, GA | $1,000 | 2025 | GRANT TO 501C ORGANIZATION TO PROMOTE AND ENRICH THE TRANSCENDENT POWER OF VOCAL MUSIC |
| AUSCHWITZ INST FOR PREVENTION OF GE | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GRANT TO 501C ORGANIZATION TO SUPPORT STRENGTHENING POLICIES FOR PREVENTION OF MASS ATROCITIES |
| CHATHAM ORPHEUM THEATER | CHATHAM, MA | $1,000 | 2025 | GRANT TO 501C ORGANIZATION TO IMPOVE AND ENRICH THE CHATHAM COMMUNITY |
| NEWARK ACADEMY | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $37,500 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT SCHOOL PROGRAMS |
| SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY | SYRACUSE, NY | $30,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT SCHOOL PROGRAMS |
| CHATHAM FUND OF THE CAPE COD FOUNDA | SO YARMOUTH, MA | $10,000 | 2023 | GRANT TO 501C)ORGANIZATIONS TO IMPROVE AND ENRICHTHE CHATHAM COMMUNITY |
| ST JOHNS EPISCOPAL CHURCH | JACKSON, WY | $3,750 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT CHURCH MISSIONS |
| ST CHRISTOPHERS EPISCOPAL CHURCH | CHATHAM, MA | $3,750 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT CHURCH MISSIONS |
NEWARK ACADEMY
$35,000TO SUPPORT SCHOOL PROGRAMS
CHATHAM FUND OF THE CAPE COD FOUNDA
$22,000GRANT TO 501CORGANIZATION TO IMPROVE AND ENRICHTHE CHATHAM COMMUNITY
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
$15,000TO SUPPORT SCHOOL PROGRAMS
ST CHRISTOPHERS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
$5,000TO SUPPORT CHURCH MISSIONS
ST JOHNS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
$4,000TO SUPPORT CHURCH MISSIONS
MANHATTANVILLE UNIVERSITY
$3,500TO SUPPORT SCHOOL PROGRAMS
AMHERST COLLEGE
$2,500TO SUPPORT SCHOOL PROGRAMS
FRIENDS OF CHATHAM WATERWAYS
$2,000GRANT TO 501C ORGANIZATION TO SUPPORT THE COMMITMENT TO THE PROTECTION OF THE CHATHAM, MA WATERWAYS
SKYLARK VOCAL ENSEMBLE
$1,000GRANT TO 501C ORGANIZATION TO PROMOTE AND ENRICH THE TRANSCENDENT POWER OF VOCAL MUSIC
AUSCHWITZ INST FOR PREVENTION OF GE
$1,000GRANT TO 501C ORGANIZATION TO SUPPORT STRENGTHENING POLICIES FOR PREVENTION OF MASS ATROCITIES
CHATHAM ORPHEUM THEATER
$1,000GRANT TO 501C ORGANIZATION TO IMPOVE AND ENRICH THE CHATHAM COMMUNITY
NEWARK ACADEMY
$37,500TO SUPPORT SCHOOL PROGRAMS
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
$30,000TO SUPPORT SCHOOL PROGRAMS
CHATHAM FUND OF THE CAPE COD FOUNDA
$10,000GRANT TO 501C)ORGANIZATIONS TO IMPROVE AND ENRICHTHE CHATHAM COMMUNITY
ST JOHNS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
$3,750TO SUPPORT CHURCH MISSIONS
ST CHRISTOPHERS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
$3,750TO SUPPORT CHURCH MISSIONS