Herman Dana Trust

Private foundation · EIN 04-6209497 · since 1969·Massachusetts, New York·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$1.4M

Annual giving, 2023 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$2,500 to $150k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$20,000

Typical grant (median)

23 grants in the latest filing

Open to applications

Rolling, no deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Only organisations that fit the trust's five stated categories are likely to qualify: Jewish charitable institutions or organisations, Jewish educational institutions, constituent participating organisations for capital purposes or urgent current needs, domestic organisations doing overseas work that regularly receive the specified aid, and psychiatric counselling and care for undergraduate Harvard students.
Typical grants fall between $2,500 and $150,000, with about 8 in 10 of its 48 grants in that band, a median of $20,000 and a largest grant of about $300,000, so a request near $20,000 sits at the middle of its giving, and half of its grants to organisations were $20,000 or less.
Most of its grant dollars go to organisations it had already funded, so a newcomer should expect an established pattern of repeat giving, though that is no reason not to write.
The application is a letter describing the organisation, its establishment year, present activities and the class of individuals benefited, with a full description of the proposed grant.
The filing accepts applications and gives no deadlines, and no geographic focus is stated; the grants shown mainly in Massachusetts and New York describe past giving, not a rule.

Overview

Herman Dana Trust is a US private foundation based in Newton, MA.

What they fund

Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2023, TY2022) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The trust limits grants to five stated recipient and use categories. These include constituent participating organisations for capital purposes or urgent current needs, and domestic organisations doing overseas work that regularly receive the specified aid, for capital purposes when engaged in a building enterprise or for urgent current needs. It also supports Jewish charitable institutions or organisations without a limit on grant use, and Jewish educational institutions to establish and endow a Herman Dana Chair for any purpose. A further eligible use is psychiatric counselling and care for undergraduate Harvard students.

Themes

Jewish charitable organisations
Jewish education
Psychiatric care

Geographic Focus

No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Massachusetts and New York.

How to apply

Applicants should submit a letter describing the organisation, its establishment year, present activities and the class of individuals benefited, together with a full description of the proposed grant.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2023 filing, 99% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022 and TY2023 filings, half of its 48 grants to organisations were $20,000 or less.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2023.

Grant dollars by state

Massachusetts64%

New York35%

California<1%

New Jersey<1%

District of Columbia<1%

The largest single recipient received 22% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2023, 99% of grant dollars went to organisations Herman Dana Trust had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
28% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

23 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $20,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 23 grants in tax year 2023 by size

$1k–$2.5k9%

$2.5k–$5k17%

$5k–$10k0%

$10k–$25k26%

$25k–$50k13%

$50k–$100k13%

$100k–$250k13%

$250k–$500k9%

Median $20,000 (tax year 2023)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Hadassah Medical Relief Association · Medical
$299,3002023 tax year
Combined Jewish Philanthropies · Chartiable
$299,3002023 tax year
American Jewish Committee · Community
$150,0002023 tax year
Hebrew Senior Life · Medical
$150,0002023 tax year
Anti-Defamation League · Community
$100,0002023 tax year
Birthright Isreal Foundation · Educational
$75,0002023 tax year
PEF Israel Endowment Funds · Educational
$75,0002023 tax year
Jewish Community Center of Greater Boston · Community
$70,0002023 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Alan Dana — Trustee & Property Manager
Myer R Dana — Trustee & Property Manager

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

2 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$3,270,609	$1,370,896	$18,224,900	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$3,642,784	$1,391,850	$22,330,593	Filing for 2023 tax year

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.

Sources

Registers and filings

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