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Ohio · Public charity

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

The DAVE THOMAS FOUNDATION FOR ADOPTION is a national nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for more than 150,000 children waiting in north america's foster care systems. See schedule o for additional narrative on the organization's mission.created by wendy's founder dave thomas, who was adopted, the…

$32M
Granted FY2025(still arriving)
135
Grants FY2025
121
Organizations funded FY2024
15%
First-time grantees FY2024
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2025
$95,000
Largest grant, FY2025
$3,056,524
Organizations funded a year
111 to 128
FY2018 to FY2024
States reached, FY2025
45
Total assets, FY2025
$117M

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2024, 15% of the organizations Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption funded were first-time grantees, receiving 13% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 87% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $3.3M went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Human ServicesEducationCivil RightsArts & CulturePhilanthropyYouth DevelopmentOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2025still arriving133$31M9%
FY2024121$26M15%
FY2023128$26M9%
FY2022120$25M9%
FY2021111$20M4%
FY2020125$22M3%
FY2019123$19M15%
FY2018123$21M24%
100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Human Services$200MHealth$2.0MPhilanthropy$2.0MYouth Development$1.7MArts & Culture$1.5MCommunity Improvement$971kEducation$717kEmployment$645kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

AK
ME
VT
NH
WA
ID
MT
ND
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
CO
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
AZ
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
DC
HI
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
TX
FL

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Raise the Future$15,655,405937%
The Villages of Indiana Inc$9,940,678910%
Commonwealth of Kentucky$9,193,5008n/a
Caring for Kids Inc$9,018,970931%
Children's Home Society of North Carolina Inc$7,332,26489%
Northeast Ohio Adoption Services$6,177,475938%
Adopt America Network$5,608,900939%
Bethany Christian Services$5,046,3089n/a
Hamilton County - Board of Elections$4,849,2799n/a
Childrens Home Society of Washington$4,492,000410%
Show all 211 grantees
All grantees of Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Raise the Future$15,655,405937%
The Villages of Indiana Inc$9,940,678910%
Commonwealth of Kentucky$9,193,5008n/a
Caring for Kids Inc$9,018,970931%
Children's Home Society of North Carolina Inc$7,332,26489%
Northeast Ohio Adoption Services$6,177,475938%
Adopt America Network$5,608,900939%
Bethany Christian Services$5,046,3089n/a
Hamilton County - Board of Elections$4,849,2799n/a
Childrens Home Society of Washington$4,492,000410%
Alcohol Drug and Mental Health Board Of$3,202,3009n/a
Michigan Dep of Health & Human Services$3,197,5006n/a
Montgomery County Montgomery County$2,806,2159n/a
Summit County Children Services$2,793,2957n/a
Louisiana Dept of Children & Family Services$2,715,0007n/a
The Boys & Girls Aid Society of Oregon$2,581,00095%
Aid to Adoption of Special Kids Aask Arizona$2,310,00084%
Specialized Alternatives for Families & Youth of Indiana Inc$2,239,40078%
Parsons Child and Family Center$2,197,90081%
Growing Home Southeast Inc$2,125,000610%
The Children's Village Inc$2,117,46280%
Lutheran Family Services of Ne Inc$2,067,50091%
Lutheran Social Services of the South Inc$1,988,50090%
Children's Home of Wyoming Conference$1,975,00081%
Cape Cod Community College$1,968,7492n/a
Gateway-Longview Foundation$1,900,000747%
Focus on Youth Inc$1,818,600412%
Center for Adoption Support and Education Inc$1,771,70193%
Alabama Dept Conservation & Natural Res$1,741,2509n/a
Children's Network of Stark County$1,682,0009n/a
Hope for Youth Inc$1,615,00082%
Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services$1,575,0004n/a
Nexus-Kindred Family Healing$1,569,0007n/a
United Methodist Family Services of Virginia$1,559,16091%
Klingberg Comprehensive Family Services Inc$1,520,00073%
Adoption Rhode Island$1,440,00097%
Licking County Department of Job and Family Services$1,433,8009n/a
Butler County Board of Elections$1,431,2505n/a
Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange Inc$1,390,000917%
Mission West Virginia Inc$1,389,90096%
Spaulding for Children$1,387,00092%
Lund Family Center Inc$1,374,50093%
Four Oaks Family and Children's Services$1,325,0009n/a
Spaulding for Children$1,325,00097%
Woodfords Family Services$1,322,50091%
Hillside Foundation$1,310,000710%
Cornerstones of Care$1,306,95090%
Family & Children's Service$1,290,00093%
Childnet Inc$1,290,00090%
Catholic Charities North Dakota$1,290,00084%
Helping Hand Home for Children Inc$1,290,00092%
Greenlight Family Services$1,254,666819%
Children's Home of Poughkeepsie Inc$1,175,00081%
Jewish Child Care Association of New York$1,156,61680%
Allies for Every Child Inc$1,095,00044%
Children's Network of Southwest Florida LLC$1,082,5009n/a
Sco Family of Services$1,066,61680%
Together for Youth$1,050,00060%
Citrus Health Network Inc$1,010,00070%
The Children's Home Society of Florida$995,00090%
Children's Home Society of South Dakota$970,00091%
Specialized Alternatives for Families & Youth of Ohio Inc$904,10022%
Department of Children Youth and Families$900,0004n/a
Children's Network of Hillsborough LLC$883,8244n/a
Families Rising$833,00098%
One Hope United - Florida Region$809,60062%
Adoption Center of Delaware Valley$804,750781%
County of Santa Clara$756,0009n/a
Sierra Forever Families$745,00072%
Family Builders by Adoption$744,25085%
Greene County Public Health$736,1009n/a
Wayne County Children Services Board$733,0009n/a
New York Foundling$717,46270%
Catholic Guardian Services$716,43370%
Clermont County Mental Health$710,2509n/a
Johnny Appleseed Metro Park$706,2009n/a
St Vincent's Services Inc$702,46280%
Eckerd Youth Alternatives Inc$700,00050%
Children's Aid and Family Services Inc$690,40081%
Hillside Children's Center$680,00020%
Fairfield County Commissioners$679,5489n/a
Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute$675,000915%
Family Programs Hawaii$652,00092%
Children's Home Society of Virginia$645,00095%
Family Support Services of North Florida Inc$645,00090%
Kids Above All Illinois$645,00091%
St John's Lutheran Ministries Inc$645,00090%
Depaul Community Resources$645,00090%
Children's Service Society of Wisconsin$645,00090%
Goodwill Industries of Wy Inc$645,00093%
Childrens Svc Ctr of Wyom Valley Inc$636,30090%
Families Thrive Inc$625,000823%
Graham Windham$603,93380%
Kinship Center$586,5002n/a
Tabor Children's Services Inc$570,00062%
Good Shepherd Services$563,30880%
Sjrc Texas Inc$562,50020%
Little Flower Children Family Services of New York$540,80880%
The Children's Aid Society$540,80880%
Arrow Child and Family Ministries$525,0002n/a
Bethany Christian Services$495,0007n/a
Lutheran Senior Services East$495,00070%
Beech Acres$489,84322%
Trauma Free World$470,000235%
Special Needs Adoptive Parent Services Inc$455,000396%
Klingberg Family Centers Inc$450,000231%
Arrow Child & Family Ministries$446,2501n/a
Fostering Media Connections$442,50098%
Three Rivers Adoption Council$440,20073%
Rising Ground Inc$428,30860%
Mississippi Families for Kids$420,00069%
Partnership for Strong Families Inc$420,00060%
Catholic Social Services$420,00042%
Eastern Washington University Foundation$420,00022%
Tfi Family Services Inc$416,25030%
DC Public Schools$412,5004n/a
Puerto Rico Department of the Family$385,0001n/a
Generations United Inc$370,00092%
Alaska Adoption Services$361,200510%
Southern Christian Services for Children and Youth Inc$350,00052%
Inspiritus Inc$350,00031%
Arizona's Children Association$349,40050%
Emberhope Inc$348,70051%
Children's Bureau Inc$345,40050%
Second Nurture$343,400720%
Alliance for Children's Rights$330,00061%
Pressley Ridge Texas$326,25021%
National Council for Adoption$319,50094%
Kvc Behavioral Healthcare Inc$308,74040%
Camelot Community Care Inc$295,00040%
University of Oklahoma$287,5005n/a
St Vincent Catholic Charities$285,00041%
Nexus-Kindred Family Healing$281,25024%
Our Kids of Miami-Dademonroe Inc$280,00020%
Foster Care Coalition of Greater St Louis$280,00042%
Saint Dominic's Family Services (Formerly Saint Dominic's Home)$274,15460%
State of Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Contro$262,5002n/a
STANFORD YOUTH SOLUTIONS dba STANFORD SIERRA YOUTH & FAMILIES$262,50021%
Lilyfield Inc$239,50045%
Adoptive & Foster Family Coalition of New York$230,00035%
Athens County Children Services$228,7504n/a
Abbott House$214,15470%
Mercyfirst$214,15470%
Forestdale Inc$214,15470%
Northwest Technical Institute$210,0003n/a
Adoption Connection PA$206,25022%
Family Service and Childrens Aid$205,00032%
Family to Family Support Network$195,000440%
The Treehouse Foundation Inc$190,00045%
Community Based Care of Brevard Inc$175,00010%
New Directions Youth and Family Services$168,75011%
Lakeview Center Inc$157,50030%
Sheltering Arms Children and Family Services Inc$154,15450%
Fostering Change for Children Ltd$150,000212%
Diakon Child Family & Community Ministries$150,00020%
Embrace Families Inc$150,00011%
Illinois Department of Children & Family Services$140,0001n/a
Catholic Social Services of Montana$140,000213%
Voice for Adoption$107,000642%
Ena Inc$105,00020%
Northeast Treatment Centers Inc$100,0001n/a
Center for the Rights of Abused Children$100,00023%
Medina County Job & Family Services$95,0001n/a
Kent State University Foundation$90,00030%
Highland County Children's Home$87,5002n/a
Think of US$84,6001n/a
Clark County Combined Health Distri$81,6002n/a
Adoption Exchange Association Inc Dba National Adoption Association$81,00030%
Family Equality$76,60051%
Child Welfare League of America$75,00013%
The University of Connecticut Foundation Inc$75,00010%
Albany County Department of Health$70,0001n/a
Schenectady County Public Library$70,0001n/a
Adoptee Mentoring Society$65,000223%
Valley Beit Midrash$65,00053%
Cardinal McCloskey School and Home for Children$63,12520%
Seamen's Society for Children and Families$63,12520%
Jewish Board of Family & Children's Services Inc$63,12520%
Ohio Children's Alliance$60,00020%
Choice Network Inc$60,00021%
Paint Valley Alcohol Drug Addictio$52,5001n/a
American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education$50,00010%
First Focus on Children$50,00021%
Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona Inc$45,00010%
All In Empowering Futures Inc$45,000211%
You Gotta Believe - the Older Child Adoption & Permanency Movement Inc$40,20012%
Youth Catalytics Inc$40,00013%
Coalition for Hispanic Family Services$37,50010%
The Contingent$30,00020%
Family Focused Treatment Association$28,00031%
Children's Home Society of America$27,00026%
The Bay Area Video Coalition Incorporated$25,00011%
FosterClub Inc$25,00011%
Colorado State University Foundation$24,94910%
Ohio Family Care Association$20,000127%
Ohio Casagal Association$20,00011%
All Kids & Families Thrive Inc$20,0001n/a
Children's Defense Fund$20,00010%
Louisiana First Foundation Inc$15,00019%
Diego Fuller Big Records & Foundation$15,0003n/a
Baffrey Media LLC Dba Destiny Creative Co$15,0001n/a
Journey Fort Worth Inc$15,0002n/a
Bolder Horizon Strategies LLC Dba Child Welfare Wonk$12,5001n/a
Philanthropy Northwest$10,00020%
Christian Alliance for Orphans$10,00010%
National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association$10,00010%
Promise686 Inc$10,0001n/a
Candid$7,92010%
Health Disparities Collaborative of Ohio$7,50012%
Creating a Family$7,00012%
Women Make Movies Inc$5,0001n/a

Where it is load-bearing

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 12 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 160 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetRaise the Future: $15,655,405 over 9y, 37% of budgetThe Villages of Indiana Inc: $9,940,678 over 9y, 9.6% of budgetCaring for Kids Inc: $9,018,970 over 9y, 31% of budgetChildren's Home Society of North Carolina Inc: $7,332,264 over 8y, 8.7% of budgetNortheast Ohio Adoption Services: $6,177,475 over 9y, 38% of budgetAdopt America Network: $5,608,900 over 9y, 39% of budgetChildrens Home Society of Washington: $4,492,000 over 4y, 9.7% of budgetThe Boys & Girls Aid Society of Oregon: $2,581,000 over 9y, 5.5% of budgetAid to Adoption of Special Kids Aask Arizona: $2,310,000 over 8y, 4.1% of budgetSpecialized Alternatives for Families & Youth of Indiana Inc: $2,239,400 over 7y, 7.6% of budgetParsons Child and Family Center: $2,197,900 over 8y, 0.7% of budgetGrowing Home Southeast Inc: $2,125,000 over 6y, 10.0% of budgetThe Children's Village Inc: $2,117,462 over 8y, 0.4% of budgetLutheran Family Services of Ne Inc: $2,067,500 over 9y, 1.1% of budgetLutheran Social Services of the South Inc: $1,988,500 over 9y, 0.4% of budgetChildren's Home of Wyoming Conference: $1,975,000 over 8y, 1.0% of budgetGateway-Longview Foundation: $1,900,000 over 7y, 47% of budgetFocus on Youth Inc: $1,818,600 over 4y, 12% of budgetCenter for Adoption Support and Education Inc: $1,771,701 over 9y, 3.5% of budgetHope for Youth Inc: $1,615,000 over 8y, 2.1% of budgetUnited Methodist Family Services of Virginia: $1,559,160 over 9y, 1.0% of budgetKlingberg Comprehensive Family Services Inc: $1,520,000 over 7y, 3.3% of budgetAdoption Rhode Island: $1,440,000 over 9y, 7.3% of budgetMassachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange Inc: $1,390,000 over 9y, 17% of budgetMission West Virginia Inc: $1,389,900 over 9y, 6.0% of budgetSpaulding for Children: $1,387,000 over 9y, 2.1% of budgetLund Family Center Inc: $1,374,500 over 9y, 2.8% of budgetSpaulding for Children: $1,325,000 over 9y, 7.3% of budgetWoodfords Family Services: $1,322,500 over 9y, 0.7% of budgetHillside Foundation: $1,310,000 over 7y, 9.8% of budgetCornerstones of Care: $1,306,950 over 9y, 0.4% of budgetFamily & Children's Service: $1,290,000 over 9y, 2.6% of budgetChildnet Inc: $1,290,000 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetCatholic Charities North Dakota: $1,290,000 over 8y, 4.1% of budgetHelping Hand Home for Children Inc: $1,290,000 over 9y, 2.1% of budgetGreenlight Family Services: $1,254,666 over 8y, 19% of budgetChildren's Home of Poughkeepsie Inc: $1,175,000 over 8y, 0.9% of budgetJewish Child Care Association of New York: $1,156,616 over 8y, 0.2% of budgetAllies for Every Child Inc: $1,095,000 over 4y, 3.9% of budgetSco Family of Services: $1,066,616 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetTogether for Youth: $1,050,000 over 6y, 0.5% of budgetCitrus Health Network Inc: $1,010,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetThe Children's Home Society of Florida: $995,000 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetChildren's Home Society of South Dakota: $970,000 over 9y, 0.5% of budgetSpecialized Alternatives for Families & Youth of Ohio Inc: $904,100 over 2y, 1.7% of budgetFamilies Rising: $833,000 over 9y, 8.1% of budgetOne Hope United - Florida Region: $809,600 over 6y, 2.1% of budgetAdoption Center of Delaware Valley: $804,750 over 7y, 81% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 160.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a loosely connected circle, clustered around a few shared anchors.

Ticket to Dream FoundationCA37.3× affinity17 shared granteesties to 6 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Ticket to Dream Foundation · Casey Family Programs · Hearts to Homes Furnishings Inc · Annie E Casey Foundation Inc · Redlich Horwitz Foundation · Oneohio Recovery Foundation Inc · Tickets for Kids Foundation · Ohio Assoc Cnty Behavioral Hlth Auth Foundation · Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Inc · Ohio Children's Alliance · Interact for Health · Workforce Professionals Training Institute

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Compare Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption with peer funders

About Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

How much does Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption give?
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption reported 135 grants totaling $31,564,679 in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 111 and 128 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
What does Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Human Services (95%), Health (1%), Philanthropy (1%).
Who are Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: Raise the Future ($16M), The Villages of Indiana Inc ($9.9M), Commonwealth of Kentucky ($9.2M).
Does Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption fund new organizations?
In FY2024, 15% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Which funders back the same organizations as Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Ticket to Dream Foundation, Casey Family Programs, Hearts to Homes Furnishings Inc.
Where is Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption based?
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is based in OH.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 213 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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