Dorothy B Hersh Foundation Inc.

The Dorothy B. Hersh Foundation operates with a narrowly defined mandate: capital grants only, exclusively for New Jersey organizations serving underprivileged, handicapped, and special needs children. This is not a program funder. There are no RFPs, no online portal, and no interest in operating budgets, salaries, or program delivery costs. Every dollar the foundation awards must go toward tangible, durable physical infrastructure — buildings, specialized vehicles, equipment, or property improvements that directly serve children in need.

The grantee list reveals a clear preference for established, credentialed institutions: major hospital systems (Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Overlook Hospital Foundation, Centrastate Healthcare Foundation, Virtua Health), accredited schools for children with disabilities (PG Chambers School, Reed Academy), therapeutic programs and camps (Camp Nejeda Foundation, Allaire Community Farm), and community organizations with documented children's capital needs (Good Grief, Women Aware). First-time applicants should lead with institutional credibility and concrete documentation rather than narrative alone.

The application process is deliberately traditional. Proposals are submitted as formal letters in electronic format (PDF) or on USB drive, addressed to Administrator Harriet L. Donnelly at hdonnelly@e5marketing.com. She is the essential gatekeeper and manages all intake. The board of four directors — President Robert Donnelly Jr., Diana Kelly, Christopher Reed, and Paul Schack — reviews proposals at 3–4 annual meetings, with decisions communicated within 30 days of each meeting. The family connection between leadership (Robert Donnelly Jr. as president and Harriet L. Donnelly as administrator) reflects a tightly managed, relationship-oriented grantmaking culture.

For first-time applicants, the most important strategic move is emailing Harriet Donnelly before writing anything to confirm project fit and learn the next meeting date. Given that total annual giving typically runs $600K–$970K and the foundation may fund 8–15 projects per year, competition is genuine. Reed Academy has received two separate grants, confirming that ongoing relationships are valued and repeat funding is achievable.

The landmark $2.5 million grant to Atlantic Health in June 2025 — establishing New Jersey's only comprehensive fetal center — signals that transformative multi-million-dollar capital commitments are within scope for extraordinary projects. However, such commitments almost certainly follow sustained institutional relationships and multiple prior interactions rather than a single cold proposal.

Financial data across 10 fiscal years reveals a foundation with steadily growing assets and variable but rising annual giving. Total assets expanded from $11.5 million (FY2011) to $28.5 million (FY2024), a 148% increase driven entirely by investment income — the foundation has never received outside contributions. Net investment income peaked at $2,256,511 in FY2023 and typically ranges $700K–$1.4M in non-exceptional years.

Annual charitable giving has ranged from a pandemic-low of $351,277 (FY2020) to a current high of approximately $970,868 (FY2024), with FY2019 close behind at $967,081. A useful working assumption is that the board distributes roughly 3–5% of assets annually, calibrated loosely to investment performance. The practical implication for grant seekers: larger capital requests may be more viable in years following strong returns — FY2023 and FY2024 are both strong years.

Note that the foundation's financials show a persistent gap between total_giving (commitments made) and grants_paid (cash disbursed) in each year — for example, FY2023 shows $926,358 committed but only $573,320 disbursed. This pattern suggests multi-year grant commitments are standard practice, meaning the foundation's true funding capacity in any single year may exceed the cash-out figure.

From the documented 12-grant cohort totaling $1,430,220 (average: $119,185), grants fall into recognizable tiers: - Large capital ($200K–$285K): Jersey Shore UMC ($285,717 — Pediatric Hematology & Oncology Center), Overlook Hospital Foundation ($281,183 — Children's Center construction), Camp Nejeda Foundation ($250,000 — van purchase), Centrastate Healthcare Foundation ($200,000 — pediatric center renovation) - Mid-range ($100K): Allaire Community Farm, PG Chambers School, and Virtua Health (each $100,000 general capital) - Small ($25K–$35K): Reed Academy ($35,000 across 2 grants), Good Grief ($28,320 — recarpeting), Rising Treetops ($25,000), Women Aware ($25,000 — playground equipment and canopy) - Exceptional: Atlantic Health/Morristown Medical Center ($2.5 million — Hersh Fetal Center, June 2025)

The foundation's internal typical grant metrics — median $27,786, average $45,064 across 9 measured grants — reflect a broader historical base that includes many smaller equipment and renovation grants not listed in top-50 grantee data. Healthcare and hospital systems account for approximately 61% of documented grant value; therapeutic programs and camps roughly 24%; specialized schools about 9%; community social services the remainder. All documented grants are in New Jersey.

The table below compares the Dorothy B. Hersh Foundation to three comparable New Jersey private foundations active in children's or capital grantmaking. Peer asset and giving figures are estimates based on publicly available Form 990 data and should be treated as approximate.

Dorothy B. Hersh is the smallest funder in this peer set by assets, but its capital-only restriction for children is the most narrowly focused mandate of any comparable NJ funder — making it the strongest match for organizations with clearly defined pediatric capital needs. Hyde and Watson funds a broader range of capital projects across social services, health, and education for both NJ and NY nonprofits, offering higher dollar volume but more diffuse competition. The Turrell Fund overlaps closely in population served (disadvantaged children) but includes program support alongside capital and extends into Vermont. F.M. Kirby is invitation-only and funds at a scale that makes it inaccessible for most smaller organizations.

For NJ nonprofits serving children with disabilities, special needs, or economic disadvantage that have a concrete capital project, Dorothy B. Hersh offers the most direct alignment in the state — and its traditional, relationship-driven process means a well-prepared first inquiry can open a sustained funding relationship.

The most significant recent development is the June 16, 2025 announcement by Atlantic Health System that Morristown Medical Center unveiled the Hersh Fetal Center — the only comprehensive fetal center in New Jersey — funded by a $2.5 million grant from the Dorothy B. Hersh Foundation. Located at 55 Madison Avenue in Morristown, the center expanded a maternal-fetal medicine program originally established in 2011 and now provides centralized, multidisciplinary care for pregnant women whose babies have congenital anomalies or fetal complications. Morristown Medical Center President Trish O'Keefe, PhD, RN, credited the grant for enabling world-class specialized care. This is the largest single grant documented in the foundation's public history.

FY2024 financial filings (submitted May 15, 2025) confirm continued financial strength: total assets reached $28,475,323, up from $24,665,304 in FY2023, with charitable disbursements of approximately $970,868. Investment income totaled $1,312,818 in FY2024, down from the exceptional $2,483,297 in FY2023.

The current board — Robert Donnelly Jr. (President/Director), Diana Kelly (Director), Christopher Reed (Director), and Paul Schack (Director) — has remained stable in recent years. Administrator Harriet L. Donnelly continues to manage all grant operations, with FY2024 compensation of $97,200. No leadership changes, new program areas, or additional public grant announcements have been identified for 2025–2026 beyond the Atlantic Health project. The foundation does not maintain active social media or issue independent press releases; news coverage is driven entirely by recipient organizations.

1. Email before you write. Contact Harriet Donnelly at hdonnelly@e5marketing.com before preparing a formal proposal. She is the sole intake point, can confirm whether your project fits current board priorities, and will give you the next board meeting date. Without this step, you risk submitting outside a review window and waiting 3–4 months for the next cycle.

2. Capital only — no blending. Frame every budget line as a capital expenditure: construction, renovation, specialized vehicles, medical or therapeutic equipment, playground structures, or property improvements. The foundation's stated restriction is unambiguous: 'limited to capital grants for children and the disadvantaged.' If your proposal mixes capital and program costs, separate them completely and request only the capital portion.

3. Lead with children's demographics. The board requires specifics: ages served, disability or disadvantage criteria, income levels, and New Jersey communities. Allaire Community Farm, Women Aware, and Good Grief all received grants despite not being exclusively children's organizations — because they documented discrete children's capital needs convincingly. A mixed-population organization must foreground and quantify the children's component.

4. Documentation is non-negotiable. Assemble before drafting: (a) current IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, (b) most recent audited financial statements, (c) architect drawings or itemized contractor cost breakdowns for any construction, (d) Terrorist Financing certification, and (e) documentation of all other funding sources. Missing any of these is disqualifying.

5. Align your ask with precedent. For equipment or small renovation, $25,000–$100,000 is well-supported (Women Aware, Allaire, PG Chambers, Virtua). For major pediatric capital construction, $200,000–$285,000 is demonstrably achievable (Jersey Shore UMC, Overlook, Centrastate, Camp Nejeda). First-time applicants should start within the documented range rather than reaching for the ceiling.

6. Time your submission precisely. Proposals must arrive at least 3 weeks before a board meeting. The board meets only 3–4 times annually — get the full-year calendar from Harriet Donnelly at your initial contact.

7. Build before you scale. The $2.5M Atlantic Health grant was not a cold ask. Establish the relationship through a smaller, well-executed initial grant and demonstrate responsible stewardship before pursuing transformative capital commitments.