The Dorrance Family Foundation is a private family foundation located in Scottsdale, Arizona, that predominantly provides funding to the Arizona State University Foundation as well as to nature conservancy and animal welfare initiatives in Southern California and Hawaii. The foundation is controlled by the Dorrance family, including Bennett Dorrance, a billionaire who previously sat on the board of Campbell Soup Company. 1 2 3
Activities
The Dorrance Family Foundation is a private family foundation that accepts grant proposals from organizations focused on societal, educational, and environmental problems. The foundation states it only accepts proposals from charitable organizations in California and the Island of Hawaii. However, tax documents show the Dorrance Family Foundation also provides grants to organizations in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and Virginia. 4 5
The Dorrance Family Foundation says it focuses on Southern California and the Island of Hawaii because those geographic areas “are personally significant” to the Dorrance family. The foundation predominantly provides grants to organizations for projects related to natural resources and conservancy, sustainable agriculture, animal therapy, animal welfare, children’s health, and the arts. The Foundation also has a Marine Conservation Initiative to provide support to nonprofits that it believes are particularly effective at improving oceans through recovery, restoration, and regenerations efforts, as well as nonprofits that protect marine habitat and biodiversity in coastal and nearshore ecosystems, such as coral reefs, estuaries, harbors, and bays. 6
People
According to tax filings, as of 2022 the executive director of the Dorrance Family Foundation was Carrie Ostroski. Ostroski is a resident of Waikoloa, Hawaii, and, according to LinkedIn, has been the executive director of the foundation since March 2011. Ostroski is a board member of Soldier’s Best Friend and the Literary Society of the Southwest and an advisory board member of the MISS Foundation and Arizona State University’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory. 7 8
Other officers of the Dorrance Family Foundation are members of the Dorrance Family, including Bennett Dorrance, Jacquelynn W. Dorrance, Bennett Dorrance, Jr., and Ashley Dorrance Kaplan. 9 Bennett Dorrance is the grandson of John T. Dorrance, the inventor of condensed soup. Bennett Dorrance sat on the Campbell Soup Company board for 33 years until 2022 and owns a 15 percent stake in Campbell Soup. According to Forbes, as of June 2024 Bennett Dorrance’s net worth was $3.3 billion. 10
Grant Recipients
The Dorrance Family Foundation largely supports organizations based in Arizona, California, and Hawaii. In 2022, the foundation’s largest grants were given to Arizona State University Foundation ($1,150,000); the National Audubon Society ($575,000); Seven Arrows Elementary (a total of $372,000) in Pacific Palisades, California; Hawaii Community Foundation (a total of $175,000); Hawaii Island Land Trust ($175,000); San Diego Coastkeeper ($142,000); and the Kohala Center ($135,000). The foundation also provides grants to a large number of nature conservancy organizations. In 2022, it gave to American Bird Conservancy ($75,000), Hawaii Wildlife Center ($15,000), Ocean Defenders Alliance (a total of $81,000), the California Wildlife Center ($14,722), Akaka Foundation for Tropical Forests ($50,000), Friends of Rose Canyon ($34,000), Marine Mammal Center ($20,000), the Glacier National Park Conservancy ($2,000), and the Nature Conservancy ($3,000). 11
Financials
According to tax filings, in 2022 the Dorrance Family Foundation reported $33,035,602 in income, $21,455,952 of which came from sale of assets. The foundation also reported $5,191,890 in expenses, over $4 million of which was spent on contributions, gifts, and grants. That year the foundation reported $66,429,810 in assets. 12
References
- “Bennett Dorrance.” Forbes. Accessed June 27, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/profile/bennett-dorrance/.
- “The Dorrance Family Foundation.” The Dorrance Family Foundation. Accessed June 27, 2024. https://dorrancefamilyfoundation.org/.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Dorrance Family Foundation. 2022
- “The Dorrance Family Foundation.” The Dorrance Family Foundation. Accessed June 27, 2024. https://dorrancefamilyfoundation.org/.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Dorrance Family Foundation. 2022.
- “The Dorrance Family Foundation.” The Dorrance Family Foundation. Accessed June 27, 2024. https://dorrancefamilyfoundation.org/.
- “Carrie Walker-Ostroski.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 27, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-walker-ostroski-9a667277/.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Dorrance Family Foundation. 2022.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Dorrance Family Foundation. 2022.
- “Bennett Dorrance.” Forbes. Accessed June 27, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/profile/bennett-dorrance/.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Dorrance Family Foundation. 2022.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Dorrance Family Foundation. 2022.