Dozen Dimes Foundation

The Dozen Dimes Foundation operates as a concentrated, single-officer private foundation controlled entirely by James C. Kieffer, an Atlanta-based philanthropist who holds every leadership role — President, Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary — without compensation. Founded in January 2016 with an initial $10.2 million endowment, the foundation has grown to $48.7 million in assets by fiscal year 2024, reflecting disciplined asset management and substantial investment returns over nine years.

The foundation's defining characteristic for prospective partners is its preselected-only grantmaking model: it explicitly does not solicit or accept unsolicited grant applications. No RFP process, open grant cycles, LOI submission portal, or application guidelines have ever been published. The website (dozendimesfoundation.org) has remained a bare placeholder since launch. This architecture reflects a deeply personal giving philosophy — Kieffer funds organizations he has personally elected to support, typically through prior personal engagement, board connections, or community relationships within Atlanta's philanthropic ecosystem.

The grantee portfolio reveals Kieffer's priorities clearly. Medical research for serious diseases is the dominant national thread: pancreatic cancer (Lustgarten Foundation, 4+ grants totaling $318,587), Alzheimer's disease (Cure Alzheimer's Fund, 4+ grants totaling $250,000), breast cancer (Breast Cancer Research Fund, 4 grants), and brain/behavioral health (Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, Skyland Trail) all receive consistent multi-year support. Locally, Kieffer concentrates giving on Atlanta institutions that serve vulnerable populations — Kate's Club (grieving children, $233,382 cumulative), Camp Twin Lakes (children with serious illnesses, $225,000), Skyland Trail (mental health, $75,000) — as well as public media (WABE, $170,000), arts and culture (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Alliance Theatre, High Museum), and community development (Westside Future Fund, Atlanta Community Food Bank).

A notable structural feature is the use of Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund as a parallel grantmaking vehicle: five transfers totaling $11.4 million represent the largest nominal 'grantee' category in IRS filings. These are donor-advised fund contributions where Kieffer retains advisory control over ultimate distribution. This mechanism inflates headline disbursement totals; direct grants to named operating organizations average approximately $35,000 per disbursement.

For any organization seeking to enter this funder's portfolio, the path begins with authentic Atlanta community presence, genuine mission alignment with Kieffer's documented interests, and patient relationship cultivation over 12–24 months — not grant applications.

Annual direct giving has grown steadily across six years of available data: $1.47M (2019), $1.95M (2020), $2.27M (2021), $3.04M (2022), $2.94M (2023), and $2.95M (2024). Total assets have grown from $35.2M in 2019 to $48.7M in 2024, generating net investment income of $695,000–$972,626 annually in recent years — sufficient to sustain grantmaking near $3M per year without drawing down principal.

Excluding the Fidelity DAF passthrough ($11.4M across 5 transfers), direct grants to named operating organizations span approximately 52 disbursements totaling roughly $1.81 million in tracked grant history. The average direct grant is approximately $34,845, with a documented per-disbursement range from $5,000 (Good Mews Animal Foundation) to $100,000 (Cure Alzheimer's Fund in FY2024). In FY2024 specifically, 12 grants were made including $100,000 to Cure Alzheimer's Fund, $75,000 to Camp Twin Lakes, and $55,000 to the Lustgarten Foundation — suggesting typical annual per-recipient grants fall in the $10,000–$100,000 range for established relationships.

By program area (direct grants only): - Medical and health research (~40%): Lustgarten Foundation $318,587 (pancreatic cancer), Cure Alzheimer's Fund $250,000, Breast Cancer Research Fund $50,000, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation $45,000, Skyland Trail $75,000 (mental health), Hearing Health Foundation $10,000 - Atlanta civic and cultural organizations (~45%): Kate's Club $233,382, Camp Twin Lakes $225,000, WABE public media $170,000, Westside Future Fund $100,000, Atlanta History Center $45,000, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra $40,000, Alliance Theatre $30,000, Atlanta Botanical Garden $30,000, Atlanta Community Food Bank $25,000, High Museum of Art $10,000, Girls Inc $10,000 - National policy and other (~6%): Nuclear Threat Initiative $50,000, Smithsonian Institution $30,000, Marine Toys for Tots $10,000, Good Mews Animal Foundation $5,000

Geographic distribution of discrete grants: Georgia 45.6% (26 grants), New York 28.1% (16 grants, primarily national organizations headquartered there), Massachusetts 15.8% (9 grants, primarily Cure Alzheimer's Fund in Wellesley Hills), Washington DC 7% (4 grants), Indiana and Virginia 1.8% combined. No international grantmaking has been documented. All grant purposes in IRS filings are recorded as 'General Fund' or 'General Fund, Capital Campaign' — no restricted-purpose grants appear in the public record.

The five peer foundations listed below were identified by the foundation database as organizations of comparable asset size (~$48–49M) in the same NTEE category (T — Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations).

Among foundations of comparable asset size, the Dozen Dimes Foundation is notable for its documented grantmaking transparency through IRS 990-PF filings, revealing consistent multi-year grantee relationships and a clear bimodal focus on disease research and Atlanta's civic sector. Most peer foundations at this asset tier operate with similarly low public profiles and single-officer structures, making direct comparison of program areas or giving rates difficult.

The Acacia Foundation (California, $48.7M assets) is the only peer with an active public website, suggesting a potentially more accessible application process for organizations unable to access Kieffer's personal network. Organizations in the national disease research space should consider that several of Dozen Dimes' peer foundations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York may support comparable medical causes — the narrow asset band among all six peers ($48.7M–$48.8M) reflects similar investment timelines rather than coordinated giving strategies.

The most recent publicly available financial data comes from the Form 990-PF filed August 6, 2025 (covering fiscal year 2024). In FY2024, the foundation reported total revenue of $9.6 million — the highest since FY2020 — primarily driven by $8.3 million in asset sales (86.2% of revenue) and $1.3 million in dividends (13.7%). Net assets reached $48.7 million, up from $42.1 million in FY2023, a 15.7% increase.

Charitable disbursements in 2024 totaled $2.95 million across 12 documented grants. Confirmed FY2024 recipients include Cure Alzheimer's Fund ($100,000), Camp Twin Lakes ($75,000), and Lustgarten Foundation ($55,000). The Cure Alzheimer's Fund grant represents the largest documented single-year gift to a named operating organization in the foundation's public history.

No press releases, media coverage, new program announcements, or leadership changes were identified for 2025 or 2026. The foundation's website has remained a bare placeholder since 2016. James C. Kieffer continues as the sole officer with no indication of board expansion, succession planning, or staff additions. The foundation maintains zero employees and zero officer compensation across all filing years.

The foundation's nine-year asset trajectory — from $10.2M at founding (2015) to $48.7M at year-end 2024 — represents 377% growth, positioning it for continued or potentially increased grantmaking. With net investment income of $972,626 in FY2023 and strong FY2024 asset sales, the foundation can sustain annual giving near $3M without principal depletion, barring significant market downturns.

The single most critical fact for any organization approaching the Dozen Dimes Foundation is that it does not accept unsolicited applications. IRS records explicitly flag the foundation as 'preselected only,' and no application portal, grant guidelines, LOI requirements, or submission process has ever been publicly released. Cold outreach via mail, email, or phone is unlikely to succeed and may permanently close the door at a foundation with no staff buffer between the funder and applicants.

Relationship-first strategies that align with this funder's documented behavior:

• Map shared board connections. Examine the boards of Kieffer's current long-term grantees — Kate's Club, Camp Twin Lakes, WABE, Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Atlanta History Center. Any individual who serves on both a Kieffer grantee board and your organization's board is a potential warm-introduction pathway. This is the closest functional equivalent to a grant application this foundation has.

• Align language to documented disease priorities. If your organization addresses Alzheimer's disease, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, brain/behavioral health, or hearing health, these are the specific medical causes Kieffer has funded for 4+ consecutive years. Frame your mission in terms of these specific conditions — not generic 'health' or 'medical research' — in any materials where Kieffer might encounter your work.

• Build Atlanta civic presence. Kieffer's local giving covers the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, High Museum of Art, Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta History Center, and WABE. Attending and being visible at these institutions' donor events, galas, and cultivation nights puts your leadership in the same rooms as Kieffer without a transactional ask.

• Prioritize demonstrated multi-year impact over new program pitches. Every long-term Kieffer grantee (Kate's Club, Camp Twin Lakes, Lustgarten Foundation) shows stable, measurable outcomes over many years. If and when an introduction occurs, lead with depth of impact over time — not a new initiative.

• Avoid premature asks. This foundation's giving is entirely relationship-driven. Presenting a formal funding request before a genuine relationship is established will likely terminate any emerging connection. Invest in 12–24 months of authentic engagement before any funding conversation.

• Optimal timing for any eventual conversation: No formal grant cycle exists. Kieffer appears to make giving decisions on a rolling, relationship-based calendar. If a warm introduction is secured, the timing of any ask should follow the relationship's natural development rather than any external deadline.