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Haron Dahan Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$6.9M
Grant Range
$1K - $2.5M

Haron Dahan Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $6,860,006 (most recent fiscal year)
  • Total Assets: $103 million+
  • Grant Range: $1,000 - $2,500,000
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily Baltimore, MD with some support in Israel
  • Application Method: Invitation only / No public application process
  • Number of Grants: 10 organizations funded in most recent year

Contact Details

Address: 6225 Smith Ave, Baltimore, MD 21209-3626 EIN: 52-1473704

Note: The foundation has not established a website and does not publicly share detailed contact information.

Overview

The Haron Dahan Foundation Inc was established in 1986 by Haron "Hal" Dahan, a self-made homebuilder who immigrated to the United States from Israel in the late 1950s with virtually no money. The foundation holds assets totaling over $103 million and distributes approximately $6.9 million annually to support Jewish causes and education. Since 2014, the foundation has awarded 137 grants totaling nearly $65 million. The foundation is almost exclusively focused on Jewish agencies, temples, and educational institutions, with a particular emphasis on the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Baltimore and Bar-Ilan University in Israel. Although the foundation has existed for decades, it maintains a low public profile and has never established a website or publicly shared information about its grantmaking protocols.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs with published guidelines. Instead, it supports pre-selected organizations through trustee discretion.

Grant Range: $1,000 to $2,500,000 Application Method: Invitation only / pre-selected organizations

Priority Areas

  • Jewish Education: Support for Jewish schools and educational institutions, particularly the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Baltimore
  • Higher Education: Significant support for Bar-Ilan University in Israel, including STEM programs, the Dahan Youth Program, Sephardic scholarships, and academic departments
  • Jewish Agencies and Temples: Regular support for Jewish community organizations and places of worship
  • Sephardic Community: Special focus on supporting students and institutions serving Sephardic backgrounds

Recent Major Grants Include:

  • $20 million to Bar-Ilan University (2025) to expand the Dahan Youth Program, a flagship STEM initiative
  • Ongoing support for the Ahavas Yisrael Charity Fund
  • Ongoing support for Talmudical Academy of Baltimore
  • Ongoing support for Associated Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore

Geographic Focus

While the foundation has provided substantial support to institutions in Israel, most grants remain within the founder's home city of Baltimore, Maryland. Some support also extends to organizations in New York.

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not support causes outside of Jewish education, community, and religious organizations.

Governance and Leadership

Leadership Team (as of most recent filings):

  • Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg: President
  • Zipora Schorr: Vice President/Treasurer
  • Shale D. Stiller: Vice President/Secretary
  • Erin Dahan: Director
  • Richard Dahan: Director
  • Nick Dahan: Active in foundation activities (involved in recent Bar-Ilan University initiatives)

The foundation operates with no paid employees, relying on its officers and directors to guide grantmaking decisions.

About the Founder: Haron "Hal" Dahan (1925-2013) was born and raised in Tiberias, Israel, as the son of a market manager and homemaker. At 16, he joined the Haganah, the Jewish Agency's fighting force, and two years later enlisted in the British navy. He immigrated to the United States in the late 1950s and moved to Baltimore in 1968. In 1970, he established Caddie Homes #13, a homebuilding firm in Bel Air, and later added Dahan Homes in the 1980s. His philanthropic legacy focuses on the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School (named in his honor in 2003) and Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process.

The Haron Dahan Foundation only makes contributions to pre-selected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. According to tax records and public sources, the foundation typically supports organizations it has already partnered with in the past. Grant decisions are made through trustee discretion rather than through a competitive application process.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation maintains a very low public profile and has explicitly stated it does not accept unsolicited applications. Based on available information about their grantmaking pattern:

  • The foundation has established long-term relationships with a small number of core grantees, including the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School and Bar-Ilan University
  • Recent filings show grants to only 10 organizations in the most recent fiscal year
  • The foundation consistently returns to organizations it has supported previously
  • Trustees appear to identify funding opportunities through their direct involvement in Baltimore's Jewish community and connections to Jewish institutions in Israel

Given the foundation's explicit policy against unsolicited applications and its pattern of supporting a consistent group of organizations, it is unlikely that new organizations will be considered unless they have direct connections to the foundation's trustees or fit within their very specific focus areas.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - decisions are made by trustees on a discretionary basis rather than through scheduled grant cycles.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Application Success Factors

Given that this foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, examining their grantmaking patterns reveals what the foundation values:

Focus on Long-Term Relationships: The foundation consistently supports the same organizations year after year, demonstrating a preference for sustained partnerships rather than one-time grants.

Emphasis on Educational Impact: The foundation's two primary beneficiaries are educational institutions - the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Baltimore and Bar-Ilan University in Israel. Recent grants to Bar-Ilan have specifically supported STEM education through the Dahan Youth Program.

Commitment to Sephardic Heritage: The foundation has established the Dahan Sephardic Scholarship program, reflecting the founder's Sephardic background and a commitment to supporting students from Sephardic communities.

Support for Baltimore's Jewish Community: Despite having the resources to fund nationally or internationally, the foundation maintains a strong local focus, with most grants supporting Baltimore-based Jewish organizations.

Willingness to Make Transformational Gifts: The foundation has demonstrated capacity for very large gifts, including the recent $20 million grant to Bar-Ilan University, suggesting they are interested in making significant, lasting impact rather than spreading resources thinly.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: This foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited applications and only funds pre-selected organizations
  • Highly Focused Mission: The foundation is almost exclusively concerned with Jewish causes and education, with particular emphasis on institutions in Baltimore and Israel
  • Preference for Established Relationships: The foundation typically sticks to grantees it has already partnered with in the past
  • Significant Capacity for Large Grants: With $103 million in assets and grants ranging up to $2.5 million (recently $20 million), the foundation can make transformational gifts to organizations within its focus area
  • Local Baltimore Focus: Despite international giving to Israel, most grants stay within the Baltimore metropolitan area
  • Educational Priority: Both K-12 Jewish education and higher education (particularly STEM at Bar-Ilan University) are central to the foundation's mission
  • Low Public Profile: The foundation has never established a website and does not publicly share detailed information about its operations or preferences

References

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