Grantmaking Guidelines

Eligibility

The Doll Family Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. It considers proposals on an invitation-only basis, and invited applicants will be provided further instructions as part of the Foundation’s annual grantmaking cycle.

The Foundation places a high value on its relationship with grant partners, and understands the importance of continued funding. As a small-asset foundation, the Doll Family Foundation Board also recognizes the inherent challenge in balancing the value of such continued support while remaining open to new opportunities in its geographic and grant priority areas.

The Foundation unfortunately cannot guarantee year-to-year funding for any organization. We can, though, be transparent in setting expectations with our partners. The Foundation limits funding relationships with recipients to up to five consecutive years. At that stage, we would ask grant partners to skip a year before again submitting a grant request.

Mission Statement

The Doll Family Foundation was created in 1993 from an inheritance that Henry C. Doll received from his father, Edward C. Doll.

With the involvement of three generations of the Doll family, the Foundation supports:

• The empowerment of low-income women to improve their lives after a significant life challenge
• The promotion of philanthropy with an emphasis on engaging underrepresented communities (i.e., women, youth and communities of color), and
• Media campaigns fostering stronger environmental policy development
  
  

The Foundation focuses its grantmaking on the communities of Astoria, Oregon; Bozeman, Montana; Cleveland, Ohio; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington. On rare occasions, the Foundation will consider supporting a national organization or project that hews closely to our priority interest areas.

We look to make investments in programs and services which are aligned with our one or more of our grantmaking priority areas and which are linked to:

• Increasing the effectiveness of organizations
• Developing leadership, and
• Building movements that create positive change.
  
  

Increasing Effectiveness strategies strengthen organizations and develop leaders who work for the social good as a powerful way to accelerate and sustain positive change. Increasing Effectiveness efforts aim to increase an organization’s long-term sustainability and impact by sharpening strategic planning capabilities, improving efficiency, building capacity, and/or scaling services. Examples include leadership development programs, developing best practices, implementing technology improvements, strategic planning, and scaling-up to expand or open new service outlets. (From www.wisergiving.org)

Developing Leadership activities improve the skills, abilities and confidence of leaders. Programs vary massively in complexity, cost and style of teaching. Coaching and mentoring are two forms of development often used to guide and develop leaders. (From www.hrzone.com)

Building Movements efforts inspire and support people to take action together to achieve deep and lasting social, cultural or political change. Activities often include advocacy, grassroots organizing, public education, media campaigns, and social action. (From www.wisergiving.org)

Grantmaking Priority Interest Areas

In 2026, we are maintaining our three, pre-pandemic priority areas:

• The empowerment of low-income women to improve their lives after a significant life challenge
• The promotion of philanthropy with an emphasis on engaging underrepresented communities (i.e., women, youth and communities of color), and
• The support of media campaigns fostering stronger environmental policy development
  
  

Geographic Focus

The Foundation maintains its geographic focus on organizations and projects in the communities in which our Trustees live:

• Astoria, OR
• Bozeman, MT
• Cleveland, OH
• Portland, OR
• Seattle, WA
  
  

On rare occasions, the Foundation will consider supporting a national organization or project that hews closely to our priority interest areas.