William H. Donner Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The William H. Donner Foundation’s main areas of giving are education, environmental conservation and animal welfare. It also supports organizations working in global security, civic engagement and democracy, disease research and arts and culture.
IP TAKE: This funder makes over $6 million a year in grants to causes ranging from animal welfare and gun control to conservative and libertarian think tanks. Application for funding is by invitation only.
This inaccessible funder likes its secrecy. Progressive outfits should look elsewhere, since this foundation only advances the family members’ personal beliefs, which tend to range from center to right on the political spectrum.
PROFILE: The William H. Donner Foundation, based in Tarrytown, New York, dates back to the 1930s. William H. Donner was the founder of the National Tin Plate Company, the Union Steel Company and the Donner Steel Company. He also served as president of Cambria Steel. The town of Donora, in Pennsylvania, was named for him. Donner lost a son to cancer, and in its earliest years, his foundation was mainly focused on cancer research. Today, the foundation is steered by Donner’s heirs, who have shifted its focus to environmental and wildlife conservation and education. Other areas of grantmaking interest include civic engagement and democracy, global security, scientific research and arts and culture. The William H. Donner Foundation maintains a sparse website, and little is known about its specific funding goals. This funder operates separately from the Donner Canadian Foundation, which was also established by William H. Donner.
Grants for Education
Education is the foundation’s largest area of giving, with grants going to both K-12 and higher education. While the foundation does not outline specific goals for these grants, it names at-risk children as a target population for its funding.
Grants for K-12 Education
Donner supports K-12 education broadly, investing in public, private and charter schools, as well as nonprofits involved in education reform. Past grantees include Oakland Public Schools, the Millbrook School, the Buckley School and Partners in School Innovation, which advocates for nationwide school improvement through increased teacher quality.
Grants for Higher Education
During his lifetime, William H. Donner established chairs in science departments at Harvard, Yale, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania. More recently, the foundation has supported Johns Hopkins University, George Washington University, Princeton University and the University of Denver.
Grants for Environmental Conservation and Justice
Environmental grantmaking focuses on land conservation in the U.S. and around the world. U.S. grantees include the Indian Land Tenure Foundation and Save Mount Diablo in California. The foundation has supported international concerns including Amazon Watch, the Nature Conservancy and the Global Greengrants Fund, which brings monetary and other resources to grassroots environmental groups in Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America and the Pacific.
Grants for Animal Welfare and Wildlife
The William H. Donner Foundation invests broadly in animal welfare and wildlife preservation. Past grantees include the Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society, Flora and Fauna International and the United Animal Nations. Grantmaking also supports groups working with domesticated animals in the U.S., including Equine Advocates, RezQdogs, Warrior Canine Connections and Freedom Service Dogs.
Grants for Global Security
Donner’s global security funding mainly supports U.S.-based think tanks and policy groups, with awards going to a mix of liberal and conservative organizations. One grantee, the Carter Center, was founded by U.S. President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, and supports conflict resolution and democratic processes in Africa. Another grantee is the American Foreign Policy Council, is a conservative organization focused on the development of free market economies. The foundation has also given to the Prague Security Studies Institute, which conducts research on “unconventional and underexposed threats” to international security, and the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Fund.
Grants for Civic Engagement and Democracy
Grants for civic engagement and democracy in the U.S. mirror Donner’s global security grantmaking in that a mix of liberal and conservative or libertarian organizations have received support. On the conservative end, the foundation was one of several organizations that supported lobbies for the abolition of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a position favored by former President Trump. The foundation has also supported conservative think tanks including the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Hudson Institute and the Cato Institute. But liberal organizations have also received funding. Donner has provided ongoing support to Sandy Hook Promise, an organization that advocates for gun control, and WITNESS, a U.S.-based organization that “helps people use video and technology to protect and defend human rights.”
Grants for Disease Research
The Donner Foundation continues to support cancer research as well as research on other diseases. Cancer grantees include the University of South Florida and the University of Texas’s M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The foundation has also given to the Marin Brain Injury Network and Vision of Children, which supports research on genetic eye diseases affecting children.
Grants for Arts and Culture
Arts and culture comprise the foundation’s smallest area of giving, but Donner gives to a broad range of organizations, museums and venues in the visual and performing arts. Past grantees include the Moving Picture Institute, the Colorado Film Society, Florida’s Asolo Theatre, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and New York City’s Symphony Space.
Important Grant Details:
The William H. Donner Foundation makes over $6 million a year in grants to about 250 organizations of varying sizes. Grants are awarded in amounts up to $500,000, with an average grant size of about $15,000. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications for funding. General inquiries may be directed to the foundation via email or telephone at 914-524-0407.
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