Dunaway Foundation

The Dunaway Foundation is the private charitable vehicle of Irwin M. Jacobs, co-founder of Qualcomm and one of San Diego's most prominent technology philanthropists, and the late Joan Klein Jacobs, who died on May 6, 2024. Together, the Jacobses signed the Giving Pledge in 2010 — the same year the foundation received its IRS determination — committing to give away the majority of their fortune. Their grantmaking philosophy, drawn from the Jewish tradition of tzedakah, centers on three explicit criteria: program innovation, leadership quality, and the foundation's ability to create meaningful impact.

The foundation is unambiguously invitation-only. IRS records flag it as preselected-only, and third-party databases consistently confirm it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. There is no application portal, no published deadlines, and no RFP process. Every grant flows from a direct, often decades-long relationship between the Jacobs family and the recipient organization.

For organizations hoping to enter the Dunaway Foundation's orbit, the realistic strategy is long-term ecosystem positioning rather than a direct approach. The Jacobses' $460-million-plus relationship with UC San Diego — spanning the Jacobs School of Engineering, the 245-bed Jacobs Medical Center, and the School of Global Policy and Strategy — illustrates the depth and duration of relationships they cultivate. They maintain similarly enduring relationships with the Salk Institute (endowed chairs and innovation grants in basic science), High Tech High Charter Schools (K-12 innovation), the San Diego Symphony (major arts infrastructure gifts), and Jewish-affiliated social service organizations including Jewish Family Service and Second Chance. First-time recipients are almost certainly introduced through trusted institutional intermediaries.

Practically, organizations in San Diego STEM education, biomedical research, performing arts infrastructure, and Jewish communal services are best positioned. Given Joan Jacobs' death in 2024 and the foundation's current spending rate ($23.3M against $13.5M in revenue), the foundation appears to be in an active distribution phase, potentially accelerating giving before eventual wind-down. Organizations with existing connections to UCSD, the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego, or the San Diego Symphony should prioritize strengthening those relationships as a pathway to Dunaway Foundation visibility. Harlan Jacobs' expanded leadership role offers a second entry point: mapping his board affiliations and philanthropic interests may reveal which organizations are entering the foundation's field of view under second-generation stewardship.

The Dunaway Foundation's financial history reveals a highly irregular giving profile — a private vehicle that operates in concentrated bursts rather than steady annual cycles, with long quiet periods punctuated by transformative distributions.

From FY2020 through FY2023, annual giving was modest and relatively stable: $570,956 (FY2020), $430,366 (FY2021), $684,096 (FY2022), and $785,317 (FY2023), averaging approximately $618,000 per year. These maintenance-level disbursements likely represent ongoing smaller grants of $50,000–$200,000 each to a compact set of trusted organizations.

FY2024 marks a dramatic inflection: total giving reached $23,343,264 across 10 grants, with a documented typical grant range of $250,000–$5,500,000. At 10 grants averaging approximately $2.3 million each, this is the foundation's most active giving year since FY2019, when a single $31.3 million grant drove total disbursements to $32,248,174. Earlier spikes occurred in FY2014 ($15,770,599) and FY2015 ($7,952,697), consistent with major institutional commitments — almost certainly large tranches to UC San Diego or affiliated entities.

The FY2024 surge almost certainly reflects memorial and legacy distributions following Joan Jacobs' death on May 6, 2024. This pattern — accelerated giving by a surviving spouse or successor board following a co-founder's death — is common among family foundations in transition.

Geographically, known giving concentrates heavily in California (estimated 70–80%), particularly San Diego County. Secondary allocations flow to New York (Cornell Tech Campus, MIT-affiliated programs) and Israel (the Technion). The foundation has no stated geographic restrictions, but its leadership base and institutional relationships are firmly San Diego-anchored.

By program area, education claims the largest historical share, especially STEM at the university level and K-12 innovation (High Tech High). Healthcare and biomedical research rank second. Arts and culture (San Diego Symphony) and social services (San Diego Food Bank, Second Chance, Jewish Family Service) represent consistent smaller allocations. The foundation's total assets fell from $47.9M (FY2023) to $37.9M (FY2024), a $10 million drawdown, confirming intentional asset deployment rather than endowment preservation.

The five closest peers by asset size all cluster near $37.9–38.0M in total assets and are classified under Philanthropy & Grantmaking (NTEE code T). None publicly accepts unsolicited applications, and most provide minimal public disclosure.

The Dunaway Foundation stands apart from its asset-size peers in two critical dimensions. First, its giving volatility is extreme: a $430K year and a $23.3M year within the same four-year window reflect the episodic, relationship-driven nature of the Jacobses' philanthropy rather than a managed grant cycle. Second, the Dunaway Foundation is one component of a much larger philanthropic infrastructure — the Jacobses have given over $460M to UC San Diego alone, making the foundation's $37.9M in assets a misleading proxy for its true footprint. The Gainey Foundation offers the closest operational parallel: both are invitation-only, family-led, and arts- and education-focused. Notably, none of the four peer foundations without websites disclose any grantee information publicly, making the Dunaway Foundation typical within this asset class in its opacity.

Because the Dunaway Foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited applications, conventional grant-seeking tactics are irrelevant here. The following guidance is specific to this funder's invitation-only model and the Jacobs family's documented preferences.

Pursue the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Fund at JCF San Diego first. This donor-advised vehicle at the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego is a parallel Jacobs family giving channel that may have different inquiry protocols. Organizations serving Jewish communal needs, Israel-related education, or San Diego healthcare should contact JCF San Diego program staff directly to explore whether an introduction to the fund is possible — this is a more accessible entry point than the Dunaway Foundation itself.

Build institutional proximity, not cold pitches. The Jacobses' giving relationships span decades. Cultivate connections with UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering, the Salk Institute, High Tech High Network, and the San Diego Symphony — all institutions with proven Jacobs family trust. A warm introduction from a UCSD dean, a Salk board member, or a symphony trustee is the realistic access mechanism.

Align with the three Giving Pledge criteria explicitly. Their pledge letter names innovation, leadership quality, and meaningful impact as the three evaluation filters. Any visibility material — annual report, board bio, program summary — should specifically evidence: What is genuinely novel in your model? Who leads it and what makes them exceptional? What measurable change has already occurred?

Focus on San Diego County geography first. Despite national and international giving (Cornell Tech, Technion, MIT), the foundation's center of gravity is San Diego County. Organizations headquartered elsewhere face a steeper relationship-building challenge without local ecosystem connections.

Prioritize STEM education, biomedical research, and performing arts. These three sectors have the clearest documented track record with the Jacobses. Social justice and environmental causes, while not categorically excluded, are peripheral to stated priorities.

Monitor Harlan Jacobs' affiliations actively. With Harlan now active as Director, his personal board service and philanthropic interests may signal emerging Dunaway Foundation priorities. Research his affiliations through nonprofit board disclosures and San Diego philanthropic community events.

Track 990 filings each spring. ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer (EIN: 27-1996754) updates annually with new grantee disclosures. Monitoring these filings will reveal which organizations receive grants and help confirm alignment or identify board members whose networks overlap with yours.