Dancing Star Foundation

Dancing Star Foundation (DSF) operates as a closed, preselection-only funder — it does not accept unsolicited grant applications. The IRS databases, Candid, GuideStar, and the foundation's own website all confirm the same status: contributions go only to preselected charitable organizations. This is not a temporary policy but a reflection of DSF's fundamental identity as an operating foundation (IRS foundation code 03) that channels most of its roughly $1.3–$1.4 million in annual giving through programs it directly controls: animal sanctuaries in Central California and New Mexico, and a prolific output of documentary films, books, and lectures on global biodiversity.

The foundation's philosophical DNA is rooted in Jain ethics, ecological interconnectedness, and a conviction that human and animal well-being are inseparable. Michael Tobias (President, $184K annual compensation) and Jane Gray Morrison (Executive VP, $134K) are the creative and intellectual engine of the organization — they drive the giving agenda through their own research networks and decades of academic partnerships across India, New Zealand, Bhutan, Latin America, and Africa. Any organization hoping to enter DSF's sphere must be visible within those networks.

The foundation was founded in 1993 and has produced significant cultural output, including the documentary *No Vacancy* (population stabilization), the photography book *Sanctuary* (showcasing 24 animal sanctuaries), and the film *Mad Cowboy*. In 2001 it co-founded the Sue Stiles Program in Integrative Oncology at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, demonstrating a willingness to partner beyond its core ecology mandate when personal relationships and mission alignment converge.

External grantees are few but telling: PETA ($10,500 across two grants, including for Yucatan compassion fund work), EBR Trust India ($11,392 for Toda Peoples cultural preservation), and individual researcher Dr. Ugyen Tshewang ($10,000 for a Bhutan ecosystem conservation lecture series). This range confirms that mission alignment and an existing intellectual relationship with DSF leadership matters far more than organizational size. A small, academically credible conservation NGO or field researcher with direct ties to Tobias or Morrison's published work has as strong a case as any major advocacy organization.

Dancing Star Foundation manages $21.25 million in assets as of FY2024, down from a peak of $27.9M in FY2012. Revenue is driven almost entirely by net investment income — $1.44M in FY2021, $1.02M in FY2019, $410K in FY2022 — with zero external contributions received in FY2019, FY2020, FY2022, and FY2023. The single exception was $197K in contributions received in FY2021, an outlier across the decade.

Annual total giving has ranged from $1.27M (FY2020) to $2.35M (FY2012), with the most recent confirmed figures at $1.40M (FY2023) and $1.33M (FY2022). The ten-year trend shows a consistent decline from the early 2010s peak, tracking the gradual drawdown of the asset base.

The overwhelming majority of DSF's giving supports its own internal programs. Reported program expenditures break into two buckets: (1) animal sanctuaries in Central California and New Mexico, which consumed approximately $774,890 in a recent fiscal year; and (2) biodiversity education through films, books, and lectures, which accounted for approximately $174,507. Together these two lines represent nearly all of the foundation's annual distribution.

External grants paid are minimal by comparison: $27,892 in FY2021, $4,000 in FY2020, $40,000 in FY2019, $4,300 in FY2012. The three confirmed top grantees received between $10,000 and $11,392 each. DSF's own reported typical grant size runs from a minimum of $7,892 to a maximum of $10,000 (median $10,000, average $9,297 across three recorded grants). There is no documented history of six-figure external grants.

Officer compensation totaled $324,260 in FY2023 (Tobias: $184,419; Morrison: $133,841), a significant fixed operating cost against the foundation's investment-driven revenue. Board directors Michael Bostick and Geoffrey Holland each receive nominal $3,000 annual stipends.

Geographically, internal program spending concentrates in California and New Mexico, while documented external grants skew international — confirmed grantee locations include India and Bhutan. No U.S.-based external nonprofits appear in the top grantee list, suggesting international conservation and indigenous cultural documentation work is more likely to attract external funding from DSF.

Dancing Star Foundation sits in a mid-tier cohort of animal welfare and sanctuary foundations with $18–23M in assets. All five identified peer foundations lack public websites, suggesting the entire cohort skews toward private, operating-style organizations rather than open-application grantmakers.

DSF distinguishes itself within this peer group through its intellectual and media footprint: unlike peers that primarily operate domestic animal care facilities with low public visibility, DSF produces internationally distributed documentary films, academic books, and global lecture series — giving it a higher scholarly profile and broader geographic reach than any confirmed peer. Its interdisciplinary identity linking ecological ethics, Jain philosophy, indigenous rights, and film production makes it the most programmatically sophisticated organization in this cohort. Grant seekers should approach DSF not as a conventional animal welfare funder but as a research and media institution that also funds conservation — any alignment narrative must engage both dimensions credibly.

No new public announcements from Dancing Star Foundation have been indexed in 2025 or 2026. The foundation's most recent confirmed public activity dates to May 2020, when Michael Tobias and Jane Morrison presented five virtual talks at the Globalistics 2020/Sixth International Science Congress in Moscow, covering biodiversity and planetary sustainability. The prior confirmed event was the December 2019 K.C. Jain Memorial Lecture at the International School of Jain Studies in New Delhi — a recurring engagement that reflects DSF's deep ties to the global Jain academic community.

The foundation's website archives document activity from approximately 2013 through 2020 but have not been updated since. Its Foundation Directory profile was refreshed as of January 16, 2026, confirming active IRS registration but providing no new programmatic announcements.

FY2024 IRS filings show $21.25M in assets and $2.09M in total revenue (primarily investment gains), though grants_paid and total_giving figures for FY2024 have not yet been reported publicly. The FY2023 filing confirmed $1.40M in total giving and $0 in external grants paid, continuing the pattern of near-total internal program spending.

Given Tobias and Morrison's history of prolific publishing and international travel, current DSF activity is most likely traceable through new book releases, academic conference proceedings, or the Stanford MAHB (Millennium Assessment of Human Behavior) network, where DSF is listed as an affiliated group. Practitioners monitoring this foundation should watch those channels for signals of renewed external grantmaking or new partnership opportunities.

The single most important operational fact about Dancing Star Foundation is that it does not accept unsolicited applications. IRS filings, Candid, GuideStar, and the foundation's own website uniformly reflect this: DSF makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. This is not a temporary closed-cycle status — it is the foundation's permanent operating model.

That said, DSF has a documented history of directing modest external grants ($7,000–$11,000 range) to organizations and individuals whose work intersects directly with the published interests of Michael Tobias and Jane Morrison. These grants appear to flow from personal academic relationships, shared conference platforms, and co-publication networks rather than any formal application process. The practical implication: relationship is the application.

How to position for consideration:

• Publish and present within DSF's intellectual ecosystem. Tobias and Morrison have authored more than 40 books combined; work that engages their documented themes — Jain ethics, ecological ethics, indigenous rights, or biodiversity documentation in South Asia, Bhutan, the Pacific, or Latin America — is most likely to surface organically on their radar.
• Pursue co-authored or co-produced projects. Confirmed grantee Dr. Ugyen Tshewang received $10,000 for a Bhutan ecosystem lecture series — a co-production model. EBR Trust India received $11,392 for a Toda Peoples cultural preservation proposal authored by Dr. Tarun Chhabra. This pattern strongly suggests that scholarly co-sponsorship is the primary entry vehicle.
• Connect through PETA's international network. PETA is a confirmed DSF grantee ($10,500 for 40th anniversary sponsorship and Yucatan compassion fund work). Organizations already embedded in PETA's global campaigns ecosystem have a credible referral pathway.
• Use the Stanford MAHB network. DSF is an affiliate of the Millennium Assessment of Human Behavior at Stanford. Outreach through MAHB-connected researchers provides a legitimate, low-pressure introduction.
• Never cold-approach with a formal proposal. An unsolicited LOI or grant request will be ignored. All relationship-building should be organic, publication-driven, and conference-anchored.
• Phone contact at (310) 966-1424 is available but should be reserved for substantive dialogue after a relationship has been partially established — not for requesting application guidelines that do not exist.
• Budget expectations: Any concept note or project co-sponsorship ask should be calibrated to the $7,000–$11,000 range consistent with all documented external grants.