OVERVIEW: The Fred H. and Mary S. Dore Foundation makes grants for research, prevention and support for families affected by SIDS. Other areas of giving include health, higher education and human services.
IP TAKE: The Fred H. and Mary S. Dore Foundation mainly gives in its home state of Washington and throughout the Pacific Northwest, but a few national organizations have also received funding. Its modest grants tend to go to organizations where small sums can make a difference. Dore maintains a relatively low profile and does not accept proposals, but organizations working in the areas of SIDS or human services in the Northwest may want to reach out with a letter to the address provided below.
PROFILE: Established in 2006, the Fred H. and Mary S. Dore Foundation bears the names of its founders, Frank and Mary Dore. The late Frank H. Dore was a a Washington State politician. Mary, his wife, lost a child to sudden infant death syndrome and became “instrumental in raising money for SIDS research and starting one of the nation’s first foundations dedicated to searching for the causes of what was then called crib death.” The foundation’s mission involves “[m]aking a positive difference in the lives of families affected by Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), enhancing the educational opportunities for students of achievement, and assisting the under-served in our communities.” Recent grants, however, include funding for This funder’s giving is national in scope “with preference to those organizations located or positively impacting lives in the Pacific Northwest.”
Grants for Public Health, Reproductive and Maternal Health
Having lost a child to SIDS, the disorder was a top priority for the Dores during their lives and continues to be a main area of focus for their foundation.
SIDS-related grants have gone to Healthy Start Kitsap, the Inland Northwest SIDS Foundation of Idaho and Northwest Infant Survival and SIDS Alliance, which provides “emotional support services to bereaved families and world-class, free prevention education and training to parents, caregivers and medical professionals.”
Health grants have also supported Washington health organizations like Seattle’s Providence Health Services and the Bailey-Boushay House, which “provides care to people living with HIV/AIDS, ALS, Huntington’s disease and other life-threatening conditions.”
Recent funding has also gone to the Northwest Abortion Access Fund and multiple local chapters of the National Network of Abortion Funds.
Grants for Higher Education and STEM
Dore’s education grantmaking mainly supports STEM opportunities in higher education. Multiple grants have gone to the Seattle Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery, which provides Seattle University opportunities in the field of technology. Other grantees include Seattle’s Society of Women Engineers, Gonzaga University, Whitman College, Georgetown University’s Law Center and the University of Washington Foundation.
Grants for Homelessness, Food and Mental Health
Organizations that support homeless and vulnerable people are another main priority for this funder. In Washington, the foundation has made grants to the Central Kitsap Food Bank, St. Vincent de Paul Assistance of Bremerton, Seattle’s FamilyWorks and Real Escape from the Sex Trade. Elsewhere, grants have gone to the Food Bank for New York City and the Trevor Project.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range from $500 to $12,000.
Well over half of this foundation’s giving stays in Washington, and only a few grants serve organizations outside of the Pacific Northwest region.
This funder supports organizations of every size, but grants for health and education tend to go to large, well-known nonprofits, while some human services grants have gone to much smaller, community-based organizations.
Dore does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding.
For information about past giving, see the foundation’s grants page or its past tax filings.
This funder prefers to receive “written communication” via mail at the address provided below. The foundation’s phone number is listed as 206-285-7242.
PEOPLE:
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LINKS:
CONTACT:
Fred H. and Mary S. Dore Foundation
PMB #623
321 High School Road NE Ste D3
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110-2648
