Donley Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Donley Foundation supports early childhood, K-12 and higher education broadly in select areas of Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
IP TAKE: Serving specific areas in Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Illinois, the Donley Foundation supports schools, libraries and community nonprofits involved in education. Areas of interest include literacy, out-of-school enrichments and college readiness. This funder accepts applications for funding via its website.
An accessible funder, this foundation wants to see its grantees succeed, so it remains open-minded and student-focused.
PROFILE: Edward and Inez Donley created the Donley Foundation in 1987 to “[p]romote self-sufficiency and achievement by providing educational skills and resources that help young people and families to reach their potential.” Edward Donley was a former CEO and chair of Air Products, a supplier of liquefied gas. Inez Donley also worked for Air Products, but later became involved in volunteer work and fundraising for local causes in the couple’s adopted hometown of Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Donleys, who both died in the 2010s, left most of their fortune to the Donley Foundation. Their three children serve on the board of directors today.
The foundation supports early childhood, K-12 and higher education, as well as college readiness and STEM programs. Funding prioritizes select areas of Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Illinois, with national organizations and virtual programs receiving grants less frequently.
Grants for Early Childhood Education
The Donley Foundation works broadly in the areas of early childhood education and early literacy, awarding grants to high-quality childcare programs, preschools, parent and teacher education programs, socio-emotional learning initiatives and early childhood programming at public libraries. One grantee, Pennsylvania’s Child Care Consultants, Inc., used funding to run its parent education program. In Chicago, the foundation has supported the Gads Hill Center’s early childhood education and kindergarten readiness programs. Other past early childhood grantees include the Children’s Literacy Initiative, the Vermont Humanities Council and the IWS Children’s Clinic, which used funding to provide books to low-income preschoolers in Chicago.
Grants for K-12 Education
Donley’s K-12 funding aims to help students reach grade-level reading proficiency by fourth grade and provide high-quality afterschool programming for underserved students in the foundation’s geographic areas of interest. Literacy-related grants support in-school and teacher development programs. In Chicago, Donley has supported Open Books, Ltd., an urban literacy and writing initiative that works with underserved K-12 students. In Pennsylvania, the foundation has funded literacy and teacher development at public school districts in Allentown and the Lehigh Valley. Out-of-school learning grantees include Chicago’s After School Matters, the Children’s Museum of Oak Park and Mahew, a camp for at-risk boys in New Hampshire.
Grants for College Readiness
The Donley Foundation names college readiness as an area of interest, prioritizing programs that provide tutoring and mentoring to high school students. Programs at schools, libraries and community centers have received funding. Past grantees also include Chicago’s College Possible, the Erie Neighborhood House, the National College Advising Corps and numerous chapters of Big Brothers and Big Sisters and Boys and Girls Clubs.
Grants for Higher Education
Higher education comprises Donley’s smallest area of funding, but some grants have gone to colleges and universities, vocational education programs and programs that help adults gain access to higher education. Past grantees include Central Vermont Adult Basic Education, York College in Pennsylvania and adult education programs at YMCA and YWCA organizations.
Grants for STEM Education
The Donley Foundation does not name STEM as an area of funding interest, but a few grants have supported STEM education in recent years. At Pennsylvania State University, the foundation supported the construction of the Charlie Dent STEM Wing. Another grantee, Project SYNCERE, used funding to develop career-related STEM curricula for underserved urban students in Chicago.
Important Grant Details:
Donley’s grantmaking totals about $600,000 a year. Grants are awarded in amounts of up to $25,0000, with an average grant size of $10,000. The foundation’s geographic areas of interest include the Allentown-Bethlehem area of the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania; the Upper Connecticut River Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire; Greater York County, Pennsylvania; and the townships of Western Cook County, Illinois and their adjoining neighborhoods on Chicago’s west side. The foundation funds nationally on occasion, but most grantees are small, community-based nonprofits, schools and libraries. For additional information of past grantees, see the foundation’s recent grants list.
Beginning in 2023, this funder will not accept applications as it “undergoes management transition.” Updates will be posted on the foundation’s guidelines page when they become available. To get in touch, reach out via the the foundation’s contact page.
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