Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
Giving Contact
David R. Grant, Executive Director
163 Madison Avenue
PO Box 1239
Morristown, NJ 07962-1239 USA
Phone: (973)540-8442
Fax: (973)540-1211
Donor Information
Founder: Established in 1974 in accordance with the will of the late Geraldine R. Dodge (d. 1973), the daughter of William Rockefeller (a former president of Standard Oil) and the niece of John D. Rockefeller. Her husband, Marcellus Hartley Dodge, was chairman of the Remington Arms Co. Mrs. Dodge was an avid dog breeder and pet lover and she established an animal shelter at the time of her death.
Giving Philosophy
"The foundation works in two ways: one, by responding to imaginative proposals that fall within the declared areas and which promise to have impact, to be replicable, and to effect systemic change; and two, by developing initiatives shaped by close listening to practitioners and resource people in areas where the concentration of funds is likely to improve the quality of life."
"Expectations for every project go far beyond the transmittal of funds: they grow out of an extensive review process that continues. Further, we seek to collaborate with other funders, individual, foundation, and corporate, as well as select government units in areas of mutual interest. We often provide seed money that allows a project to take root and find other sources of funding, but we will also willingly follow other funders of successful innovations."
"The Foundation seeks to be an enabler, backing persons and ideas and institutions who serve a purpose that transcends self-interest and may contribute to sustain human society and the environment that shelters it."
The foundation has five major program areas that receive funding: education, the arts, local projects, the welfare of animals, and the environment. "Giving in Education focuses on elevating the profession of teaching and fostering the continuous improvement of public education at the primary and secondary levels. Areas of interest include: the early training and ongoing professional development of teachers; the role of principal and superintendent as educational leaders; systemic change in schools; access to educational excellence for underserved populations; the creation of model curricula, instruction and assessments; and the cultivation of creativity in a variety of settings."
"Giving in the Arts is focused on New Jersey's cultural institutions and those national organizations that serve New Jersey artists or advance the arts in New Jersey. Funding priorities include organizations that: exemplify artistic excellence, including the development of new work and the re-envisioning of the classics; enhance the cultural richness of their community; and provide creative opportunities for individual artists."
"Giving in Morris County assists organizations which have a major impact on: strengthening families and communities; protecting the environment; improving the quality of K-12 education; fostering excellence in the arts; encouraging partnerships among the county's not-for-profit and for-profit organizations and stimulating leadership among people of all ages."
"Giving in the Welfare of Animals has a strong focus on companion animal and wildlife needs, particularly the former, in New Jersey through the foundation's New Jersey Animal Assistance Program. Though funding is limited, shelters may apply for capital improvement projects."
"Giving in Environment currently focuses on sustainability, in New Jersey." Emphasis is placed on "preserving open space in the Highlands, Pinelands, and Delaware Bay Shore areas; conserving New Jersey's natural resources: air, water, soil, and wildlife; and encourage New Jersey municipalities and cities to follow the recommendations of the State Development and Redevelopment Plan." Foundation web site
Financial Summary
TOTAL GIVING: $20,689,816 (2001); $24,623,000 (2000); $19,476,286 (1999)
ASSETS: $306,376,880 (2001); $337,658,000 (2000); $320,000,000 (1999)
GIFTS RECEIVED: $135,050 (1997); $100,000 (1996); $16,250 (1995)
Typical Recipients
ARTS & HUMANITIES: Arts Appreciation, Arts Associations & Councils, Arts Centers, Arts Festivals, Arts Outreach, Ballet, Community Arts, Dance, Ethnic & Folk Arts, History & Archaeology, Libraries, Literary Arts, Museums/Galleries, Music, Opera, Performing Arts, Public Broadcasting, Theater, Visual Arts
CIVIC & PUBLIC AFFAIRS: Botanical Gardens/Parks, Business/Free Enterprise, Employment/Job Training, Civic & Public Affairs-General, Nonprofit Management, Public Policy, Rural Affairs, Urban & Community Affairs, Women's Affairs
EDUCATION: Afterschool/Enrichment Programs, Arts/Humanities Education, Colleges & Universities, Education Associations, Education Reform, Elementary Education (Private), Elementary Education (Public), Engineering/Technological Education, Environmental Education, Faculty Development, Education-General, Gifted & Talented Programs, International Exchange, International Studies, Leadership Training, Literacy, Medical Education, Minority Education, Private Education (Precollege), Public Education (Precollege), School Volunteerism, Science/Mathematics Education, Secondary Education (Public), Social Sciences Education, Student Aid
ENVIRONMENT: Air/Water Quality, Energy, Forestry, Environment-General, Protection, Resource Conservation, Watershed, Wildlife Protection
HEALTH: Medical Research
INTERNATIONAL: Health Care/Hospitals, International Affairs, International Development, International Environmental Issues, International Peace & Security Issues
SCIENCE: Science Museums, Scientific Centers & Institutes
SOCIAL SERVICES: Animal Protection, Domestic Violence, Family Planning, Family Services, Recreation & Athletics, Shelters/Homelessness, Youth Organizations
Contributions Analysis
GIVING PRIORITIES: Elementary and secondary education, critical issues, animal welfare, and the arts.
ARTS & HUMANITIES: 26%. Focus on literary arts, performing arts, museums, music, theater, and arts festivals.
EDUCATION: 35%. Primarily for education reform, literacy, higher education, and public education.
ENVIRONMENT: 23%. Funds conservation, preservation and defense.
SOCIAL SERVICES: 16%. Supports family planning organizations, animal protection.
NOTE: Total contributions made in 2000.
Application Procedures
INITIAL CONTACT: A one-page letter of inquiry is encouraged, to determine if a project falls within the foundation's guidelines.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS: The Foundation accepts the New York Area Common Application Form. Grant proposals should begin with a one-page summary of the project, followed by the main body, which should be a fuller description of no more than six pages. The foundation prefers 12-point type or larger for the text. The proposal should describe the project and the need for it; the qualifications and past accomplishments of the sponsoring organization; how the project is to proceed and who is to carry it out; a time frame and budget; the benefits to be gained and for whom; and the plans for evaluating and funding the project in the future. Also included should be a recent financial statement, together with the names and occupations of the trustees of the organization, as well as IRS confirmation of tax-exempt status. The foundation requests that the proposal be presented in an environmentally sensitive manner. Proposals should use two-sided copies without binders or plastic packaging. No faxed proposals are accepted, and the foundation prefers that express mail carriers not be used.
DEADLINES: Program deadlines are November 1 for education requests, March 1 for arts grants, May 1 for Morris County, June 1 for environmental requests (formerly critical issues), and January 15 for welfare of animals applications.
REVIEW PROCESS: A team of program staff reviews proposals received and determines which ones fall within current grantmaking strategy. Applicants that are preliminarily determined to be within the foundation's funding strategy will be contacted by a member of the program staff to schedule a site visit or telephone interview.
Restrictions
The foundation does not consider grants for higher education, health, or religion. Grants are not usually made for capital programs, equipment purchases, indirect costs, endowment funds, or deficit operations. Grants typically are not made to individuals, scholarship funds, or grants to conduit organizations. The foundation does not support lobbying efforts.
Foundation Officials
Robert Hayes Burns Baldwin: chairman, director. BORN: East Orange, NJ July 09, 1920.
Alexandra Christy: senior program officer.
Ross Danis: program officer.
Barbara Knowles Debs: trustee. BORN: Eastham, MA 1931. EDUCATION: Vassar College BA (1953); Harvard University PhD (1967); New York Law School LLD (1979); Manhattanville College LHD (1985). NONPROFIT AFFILIATION: member: Renaissance Society America; member: Young Audiences; president, chief executive officer, director: New York Historical Society; member: Phi Beta Kappa; member advisory board: Greenwich Historical Society; honorary trustee: Manhattanville College; member: Council Foreign Relations; board governors: Foreign Policy Association; trustee: Brooklyn Museum Art; member: College Art Association; member: American Council Education; member executive board: Bard Center Decorative Arts. CLUB AFFILIATION: Cosmopolitan Club; Hundred Club Westchester; Century Association.
Christopher J. Elliman: trustee. NONPROFIT AFFILIATION: vice chairman: Environmental Defense Fund.
Lisa Garrison: program officer.
David Grant: executive director.
Henry U. Harder: trustee emeritus.
John Lloyd Huck: trustee. BORN: Brooklyn, NY 1922. EDUCATION: Pennsylvania State University BS (1946). CLUB AFFILIATION: Morris County Golf Club; Pipers Landing Country Club.
Robert LeBuhn: president, trustee. BORN: Davenport, IA 1932. EDUCATION: Northwestern University BS (1954); University of Pennsylvania MBA (1957). CORPORATE EMPLOYER: chairman: Investor International Inc. CORPORATE AFFILIATION: director: USAir Group Inc.; director: USAir Inc.; director: Enzon Inc.; director: Acceptance Insurance Companies Inc.; director: Cambrex Corp.
Nancy D. Lindsay: trustee.
Betsy S. Michel: trustee. CORPORATE AFFILIATION: director: Seligman Growth Fund Inc.; director: Seligman Income Fund Inc.; director: Seligman Cash Management Fund; director: Seligman Common Stock Fund.
Walter J. Neppl: trustee emeritus.
Paul J. O'Donnell: trustee.
Robert Perry: program officer.
Janet Rodriguez: program officer.
James W. Stevens: trustee.
John Edward Yingling, Jr.: chief administrative and financial officer. BORN: Baltimore, MD 1935. EDUCATION: Yale University BA (1955); Johns Hopkins University MLA (1967); New York University MBA (1977). CLUB AFFILIATION: Yale Central New Jersey Club.
Grants Analysis
Disclosure Period: calendar year ending 2001
Total Grants: $20,689,816
Number Of Grants: 557
Average Grant: $37,145
Highest Grant: $600,000
Lowest Grant: $50
Typical Range: $10,000 to $100,000
Recent Grants
Note: Grants derived from 2002 Form 990.
Arts & Humanities
150,000: Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC -- for the Folger's Teacher Training Program
120,000: Carolyn Dorfman Dance, Union, NJ -- for operating support
120,000: Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ -- to support visual and performing arts residencies in schools and after school centers in Camden and South Jersey
100,000: American Repertory Ballet Company, New Brunswick, NJ -- to support the hiring of a full-time education and outreach coordinator
100,000: Noyes Museum of Art, Oceanville, NJ -- for operating support
Civic & Public Affairs
200,000: Eastern Environmental Law Center, Newark, NJ -- to support two activities at the Center
175,000: Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, New York, NY -- to assist the Center for Reproductive Law & Policy's communications department in their efforts to educate the public, the media and policymakers
150,000: Foundations, Inc, Laurel, NJ -- for the continuation of the Charter School Assessment and Improvement Project
125,000: New Jersey Network, Trenton, NJ -- to support two Dodge Journalism Residencies
Education
1,000,000: New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Newark, NJ
350,000: New Jersey Teaching and Learning Collaborative, NJ -- to establish a new statewide intermediary education organization
300,000: Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, Princeton, NJ -- to continue the expansion of "Teachers as Scholars"
200,000: Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Initiative for Veterinary Students, Morristown, NJ -- to again fund the "Frontiers for Veterinary Medicine" Program
200,000: Newark Lighthouse Initiative, Trenton, NJ -- to develop three models of early care and educational excellence in Newark, New Jersey
200,000: Principals Center for the Garden State, Princeton, NJ -- to help the Center increase its capacity to develop and implement effective leadership programs for New Jersey principals
180,000: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD -- for the New Jersey Scholarship Program Project
175,000: Communities in Schools New Jersey, Newark, NJ -- for operating support for continued new program development
175,000: Learning by Design, Pennington, NJ -- to continue the New Jersey Curriculum Initiative
175,000: New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Newark, NJ -- to help sustain the NJSO as it institutionally revitalizes itself with a new form of artistic leadership
155,000: Bank Street College of Education, New York, NY -- for grant funds development of two New Beginnings demonstration schools
155,000: Children's Literacy Initiative, Philadelphia, PA -- to expand the Newark Model Classroom Project
125,000: Galef Institute, Los Angeles, CA -- to expand the Galef Institute's "Different Ways of Knowing" whole school reform
120,000: Apple Farm Arts and Music Center, Elmer, NJ -- in support of the Community Arts Outreach Programs
120,000: Educational Information and Resource Center, Sewell, NJ -- to support the Earth Education Program
100,000: Chad School Foundation, Newark, NJ -- for operations of Chad Elementary School and the Chad Science Academy
100,000: Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Early Care and Learning Initiative, Morristown, NJ -- to develop the Foundation's approach to enhancing the quality of early childhood education and programs in Morris County
100,000: Graduate School of Education Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ -- to foster excellence in preschool education programs
100,000: Living Classrooms Foundation, Baltimore, MD -- to support several five-day land/sea and shipboard environmental education programs
100,000: New American Schools, Arlington, VA -- for the development of a Charter School "startup" and management curriculum
100,000: Newark School of the Arts, Newark, NJ -- for high-quality arts education and performance opportunities in music, dance, drama and visual arts
100,000: Project SEED, Detroit, MI -- for dissemination of a mathematics enhancement program
100,000: Rutgers State University of New Jersey, Project LEAP, Camden, NJ -- for the expansion and replication of the Project LEAP Teacher Development and Performance Institute in Camden, New Jersey
Environment
200,000: Association of New Jersey Environmental Commission, Mendham, NJ -- to support a "Smart Growth Assistance Program"
200,000: New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Far Hills, NJ -- to support the Garden State Greenways Initiative
175,000: Environmental Defense Fund, New York, NY -- to support developing solutions to benefit the New York/New Jersey region's ecology and economy
150,000: Natural Resources Defense Council, New York, NY -- to support the Natural Resources Defense Council's extensive work in New Jersey
125,000: Environmental Media Services, Washington, DC -- to support ongoing efforts to educate the media about complex economic and environmental issues
125,000: Greater Newark Conservancy, Newark, NJ -- to support the Conservancy's extensive array of education, community greening and environmental justice programs
125,000: National Public Radio, Washington, DC -- to support the production of reports related to sprawl, smart growth, the loss and protection of open space and land-use issues
120,000: Appalachian Mountain Club, Boston, MA -- to expand the role in the Highlands Coalition
110,000: ISLES, Trenton, NJ -- to support the creation of more self-sufficient families in sustainable communities
100,000: Environmental Leadership Program, Cambridge, MA -- to support operations
100,000: Environmental Media Services, Washington, DC -- in collaboration with the Northern Forest Alliance
100,000: Natural Lands Trust, Media, PA -- for the Trust's South Jersey work
100,000: Open Space Institute, New York, NY -- to support the establishment and administration of a Program Related Investment (PRI) to OSI
Health
100,000: Highlands to Oceans Initiative, New York, NY -- to continue H20's goals to assist in the acquisition of and/or protect contiguous critical open space
Social Services
375,000: Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey Animal Assistance Program, Morristown, NJ -- to support the efforts of 33 humane organizations in New Jersey
250,000: Network for Family Life Education, New Brunswick, NJ -- to continue implementation of the New Jersey Sexuality Education Staff Development Initiative
105,000: Humane Society of the United States, Washington, DC -- to support the "Leadership Development for Animal Care and Control Professionals"
100,000: Family Services of Morris County, Morristown, NJ -- for the Child Care Consultation Program