Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy
The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy is an applied research center at Grand Valley State University that conducts original research on family and community philanthropy, donor-advised funds, and collective giving, and delivers professional development courses, consulting, and peer-reviewed publications to foundations, nonprofits, and grantmakers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersGrand Rapids, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy does
The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy is an applied research center at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, founded in 1992 to study and advance effective philanthropy. The Center conducts original research on family philanthropy, community philanthropy, donor-advised funds, and collective giving; offers competency-based professional development courses for grantmakers and foundation staff; publishes The Foundation Review (a peer-reviewed journal) and the annual 11 Trends in Philanthropy report; and provides tailored consulting, evaluation, and data services to philanthropy practitioners. It houses the nation's first two endowed chairs in its field — the Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy (2010) and the W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair (2015) — and co-leads the Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative (DAFRC), which aggregates account-level data from more than 50,000 donor-advised fund accounts across 111 programs.
The Center operates a diversified revenue model with three primary streams: (1) research grants and contracted projects funded by major foundations including the Gates Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and C.S. Mott Foundation; (2) professional development and training fees for courses such as Philanthropy 101, Professional Writing for Grantmakers, Proposal Analysis in Grantmaking, and the Intermediate Guide to Reading Form 990 (priced at $195-$495 per individual registration with group discounts); and (3) publication revenue from The Foundation Review journal and research reports such as the Annual DAF Report (independently produced from 2025) and the National Study on Donor Advised Funds. Its go-to-market motion is sales-led and content-driven, combining direct professional learning enrollment with thought leadership distributed through its website, email newsletter, annual conferences, webinars, and partnerships with field organizations including Philanthropy Together, the Council of Michigan Foundations, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, and GivingTuesday Data Commons. Geographic reach centers on the United States with active research extensions into Mexico (Comunalia) and Colombia (TerritoriA), and globally distributed course delivery and publication access.
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy
- Legal name
- Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy
- Website
- https://johnsoncenter.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy is an applied research center at Grand Valley State University that conducts original research on family and community philanthropy, donor-advised funds, and collective giving, and delivers professional development courses, consulting, and peer-reviewed publications to foundations, nonprofits, and grantmakers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Philanthropy Research and Consulting
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD), Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH)
Keywords
Where Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grand Rapids
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Research Grants and Funded Projects: The Johnson Center receives grants from foundations and institutional funders to conduct research on philanthropy topics. Major funders include Gates Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, C.S. Mott Foundation, and others. Research is both client-funded and grant-funded.
- Professional Development and Training Fees: The organization generates revenue through course registration fees for professional learning programs. Individual and group rates are offered for courses like Philanthropy 101 ($495 individual, $445 per person for groups of 3+), Professional Writing for Grantmakers, and other grantmaker training programs.
- The Foundation Review Publication: The organization publishes The Foundation Review, a journal of philanthropy, which serves as both a knowledge-building resource and a publication supporting the field.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Professional Writing for Grantmakers - Individual Rate |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Professional Writing for Grantmakers - Group Rate |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Intermediate Guide to Reading Form 990 - Early Bird |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Intermediate Guide to Reading Form 990 - Standard |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy provides applied research, evaluation, and consulting services to philanthropic organizations, alongside professional learning programs and publications for the grantmaking sector. Its offerings include peer-reviewed journals, recurring national studies (e.g., on donor-advised funds), data platforms, and continuing education courses for foundation staff and leaders.
Product overview
The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy is an applied research center at Grand Valley State University that offers a portfolio of research publications, professional education programs, and data services focused on advancing effective philanthropy. The core offerings include The Foundation Review (a peer-reviewed journal), the Community Insight Data Platform, annual research reports (Annual DAF Report, 11 Trends in Philanthropy, National Study on Donor Advised Funds), professional learning programs (courses for grantmakers such as Philanthropy 101 and Professional Writing), research initiatives led by endowed chairs (Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy, W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair), and consulting/data services. These products and services are designed to help nonprofit professionals, foundation staff, and donors understand, strengthen, and advance effective philanthropy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Foundation Review: Peer-reviewed journal of philanthropy published by the Johnson Center
- Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative (DAFRC)
- Community Insight Data Platform
Products and services
- The Foundation Review
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $3.1 billion mobilized through collective giving research
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Philanthropy TogethercorePartnership to better understand the impact of collective giving groups in the U.S. across race, gender, and sexual orientation. Co-leading the U.S. Collective Giving Research Initiative with Dr. Michael Layton and Dr. Adriana Loson-Ceballos of Colmena-Consulting. Research supported by W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Lodestar Foundation, and Gates Foundation.
- Colmena-ConsultingcoreDr. Adriana Loson-Ceballos serves as co-researcher with Dr. Michael Layton on the U.S. Collective Giving Research Initiative in partnership with Philanthropy Together.
- Council of Michigan FoundationscorePartnership to develop critical research around the account-level activity of DAFs held by Michigan-based community foundations. The resulting study is among the most in-depth snapshots of DAF activity available to the field.
- Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative (DAFRC)coreJohnson Center's Jeff Williams co-leads this collaborative which produces the Annual DAF Report and National Study on Donor Advised Funds. The collaborative includes 111 DAF programs providing anonymized data covering more than 50,000 accounts.
- Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana UniversityminorPartnership on research including 'Moving Money and Shifting Power for Social Justice: Voices of Wealthy Next-Gen Donors' with the Women's Philanthropy Institute. Also collaborated with Dr. Michael Moody on Latin America philanthropy research.
- GivingTuesday Data CommonsminorPartnership for the National Study on Donor Advised Funds, pursuing data analysis and research on DAF activity and trends.
- Grand Valley State UniversitycoreThe Johnson Center is an applied research center of Grand Valley State University (GVSU), located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. GVSU provides institutional support and infrastructure.
- Comunalia (Mexico)minorPartnership with the Mexican community foundation movement for research on family and community philanthropy in Latin America, specifically Mexico.
- TerritoriA (Colombia)minorPartnership with TerritoriA for Phase Two research on community and family philanthropy in Colombia, highlighting the role of territorial foundations in promoting community-centered philanthropy.
- Sambar Nonprofit SolutionsminorPartnership with Maya Hemachandra of Sambar Nonprofit Solutions for research on Community-Centric Fundraising adoption and effectiveness, in partnership with AFP Foundation for Philanthropy.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lilly Family School of Philanthropy (Indiana University): The most direct academic peer — also a university-based philanthropy research and education center offering degree programs, research, and the Women's Philanthropy Institute. Both institutions produce major research publications, train foundation staff, and compete for the same foundation grant funding.
- Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society: University-based research center focused on philanthropy and civil society, producing influential research on giving, inequality, and the nonprofit sector. Comparable academic positioning, research output, and donor-network access to the Johnson Center.
- The Center for Effective Philanthropy: Nonprofit research and consulting organization that provides foundation performance data, surveys, and tailored advisory services. Overlaps directly with the Johnson Center's evaluation, consulting, and research offerings for grantmakers.
- National Philanthropic Trust: Major DAF sponsor and publisher of philanthropy research. The Johnson Center assumed production of the Annual DAF Report from NPT in 2025, making NPT a direct research-data and DAF-sector peer and partner.
Broad incumbents
- Candid (formerly Foundation Center + GuideStar): The dominant nonprofit data and information platform providing Foundation Directory, grants data, and research on the nonprofit sector. Overlaps with the Johnson Center's Community Insight data platform and The Foundation Review in serving researchers and foundations.
- Council on Foundations: National membership association for foundations providing research, conferences, training, and advocacy. Overlaps with the Johnson Center's professional learning programs and community-foundation research through its own foundation-support content.
- Aspen Institute Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation: Established think tank producing thought leadership on philanthropy, social innovation, and nonprofit leadership. Comparable research-and-advocacy function in the foundation sector but with broader policy framing.
Emerging players
- Philanthropy Together: National movement builder for collective giving groups and giving circles. Direct partner and co-lead of the U.S. Collective Giving Research Initiative with the Johnson Center; both organizations are mutually dependent on collective-giving research outputs.
- National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP): Research and advocacy organization focused on equitable, accountable philanthropy. Overlaps with the Johnson Center's research on community-centric fundraising, social justice philanthropy, and grantmaking effectiveness.
Others
- Inside Philanthropy: Media and research firm covering philanthropy news, foundation profiles, and sector analysis. Adjacent peer that produces complementary content for many of the same foundation decision-makers the Johnson Center serves.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy social profiles
Digital presenceDorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy
What does Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy do?
The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy provides applied research, evaluation, and consulting services to philanthropic organizations, alongside professional learning programs and publications for the grantmaking sector. Its offerings include peer-reviewed journals, recurring national studies (e.g., on donor-advised funds), data platforms, and continuing education courses for foundation staff and leaders.
Is Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy a public or private company?
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy founded?
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy was founded in 1992. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy based?
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy is headquartered in Grand Rapids, United States, in the North America region.
How does Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Research Grants and Funded Projects are the primary driver. The others are professional Development and Training Fees and the Foundation Review Publication.
Who are Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lilly Family School of Philanthropy (Indiana University), Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, The Center for Effective Philanthropy and National Philanthropic Trust. Broad incumbents are Candid (formerly Foundation Center + GuideStar), Council on Foundations and Aspen Institute Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation. Emerging players are Philanthropy Together and National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). Inside Philanthropy is listed as an others.
Does Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.
What industry is Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy in?
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy's product category is Philanthropy Research and Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAE, Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAB, Community Foundations. Its NAICS code is 81321 and its SIC code is 8200.