How the Haron Dahan Foundation Gives to Local Groups in Baltimore

Jewish education is a major focus for this funder. Photo: Dmitry Pistrov/shutterstock

Haron "Hal" Dahan was a self-made homebuilder who was born and raised in Tiberias, Israel as the son of a market manager and a homemaker. In 1986, he created his own private family foundation based in Baltimore, Maryland. Through his philanthropy, he was dedicated to the education of Jewish children and used the wealth he gained from his successful business to promote education. In 2013, Dahan passed away from heart failure, but his foundation remains active in the Baltimore area today.

Here are some details about how the Haron Dahan Foundation gives locally in Baltimore.

No foundation website

Even though the Haron Dahan Foundation has been around for decades, is has never established a website nor made a point to publicly share information about its grantmaking protocols and preferences. Therefore, much of the information we can gather about this funder is from past tax filings. Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg serves as the foundation’s president, and while there are a few other officers and directors, no paid employees work at the foundation.

A focus on Jewish education

The Haron Dahan Foundation is almost exclusively concerned with Jewish causes and education. The funder gives regularly to Jewish agencies and temples, as well as to Jewish educational institutions. During his lifetime, Dahan was a big supporter of the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Baltimore and Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel. Some past education grants have come with naming rights on educational buildings.

A dedication to Baltimore

Although the foundation has provided support in Israel, most grants stay within Dahan’s home city of Baltimore, Maryland. Local grantees include the Ahavas Yisrael Charity Fund, Talmudical Academy of Baltimore and Associated Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. The foundation typically provides general purpose grants to educational organizations in amounts ranging all the way from $1,000 to $2.5 million.

Unsolicited grant requests unwelcome

Even for Jewish schools in Baltimore, the Haron Dahan Foundation is not open to considering unsolicited funding requests. According to recent tax records, this grantmaker only supports pre-selected organizations, and it typically sticks to grantees that it has already partnered with in the past.

Learn more about this funder in IP’s full profile of the Haron Dahan Foundation, which is part of our Maryland grants guide.