About Us
The David B. Jones Foundation is a private foundation. It was established in May 1998 to make grants to domestic 501 (c)(3) organizations in furtherance of educational, research, and charitable activities working in the science of paleontology who primarily promote those activities within the United States of America.
Foundation Mission
Support research in paleontology, to encourage writing and publication of articles relating to paleontology, and to support educational programs and training for young and amateur fossil hunters.
Grant Information
Grant Guidelines
Application Deadline:
Applications may be sent at any time throughout the fiscal year for consideration.
Who May Apply:
The David B. Jones Foundation makes grants to qualified 501 (c)(3) charitable organizations that address the Foundation’s mission in paleontology.
The Foundation makes grants in the following forms:
- One-Time Grants: single-year grants used for a specific purpose
- Multiyear Grants: commitments for funding a project or program to be paid in increments over a period of time no longer than five years.
- Start-Up Program Grant: funding to support the development of a new program.
- Challenge or Matching Grants: proposals that stipulate that the applicant will provide a percentage of the funding to implement their project or program.
Grant Exclusions:
The Foundation will not make the following types of grants. Any request for funding for these purposes will be denied:
- Grants to individuals for any purpose;
- Grants to religious organizations for religious purposes;
- Grants to international organizations that do not have a qualified domestic § 501(c) (3) representative;
- Grants to private foundations (other than operating foundations);
- Grants to endowments or other discretionary funding pools;
- Grants for dinners, balls, or other ticketed events;
- Grants for political purposes;
- Grants for lobbying activities; and
- Grants for purposes outside of the foundation's funding priorities as listed in the prior section.
As you prepare your grant application, please also keep the following in mind:
- If the applicant’s institution requires charging indirect costs/overhead expenses, the Foundation will allow an indirect rate of up to 10%.
- The Foundation is most interested in supporting programs and research at the pre-college and undergraduate level. The Foundation also prioritizes museum-based projects and exhibitions that educate and impact the public.
- All applications must include detailed budgets. Multiyear projects must have detailed budgets for each year.
- The Foundation does not typically fund faculty or staff salaries.
- The Board meets twice a year, usually in late November and late May, to consider grant applications. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Those seeking funding for summer programs should plan accordingly.
Grant Requirements
If your grant request is approved you will be required to submit the following:
- Organizations receiving funds must provide a certified statement that the funds received from the Foundation have been used for the purpose intended. This statement, which must be signed by the nonprofit’s accounting firm and chief financial officer (or accounting firm), must be filed with the Foundation no later than 18 months after the date such funds are awarded.
- Awardees must submit a short project or program summary and photo upon completion. News releases and press clippings would also be appropriate.
You will receive a link via email to complete these steps electronically approximately 12 months after the grant is issued.
About David B Jones
David B. Jones was born in Los Angeles in 1928 and grew up in Glendale, CA until he was 17 and then moved to Wayzata, MN where he finished high school. After high school he attend the University of Minnesota where he studied business. For thirty-two years he owned and operated a farm management business in Minnesota. When David was 37 years old he decided to go back to college. It was at Macalester college, after taking a course in geology, that David developed his passion for paleontology. He has since expanded his knowledge and passion with extensive reading, seminars, and hands on experience.
David B. Jones is an American amateur paleontologist specializing in Mid-Tertiary mammals and late Cretaceous marine fossils. He has conducted field research in Utah, Wyoming, and South Dakota and has discovered various dinosaur fossils in Utah and mammal fossils in Wyoming. Since 1976 he has been sharing his knowledge of paleontology with the boy scouts at the Lewis & Clark Scout Camp. He is dedicated to bringing the excitement of paleontology and scientific discovery to the public and this is one of the reasons he began the David B. Jones Foundation in 1998.
David Jones passed away September 6th 2013 doing what he loved best on a paleontology dig in Wyoming. He was loved and appreciated by many who’s lives he touched through his life’s journey. His tireless and enthusiastic participation in the Boy Scout summer camps influenced and encouraged many young men to better understand the geological wonders in our world. He will long be remembered and appreciated by many.
Foundation Officers
Past Recipients
Anthropology/Archeology Department - Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD
The David B. Jones foundation has gifted Augustana University with $1,000,000 dollars to endow a chair in the name of David B. Jones in the Anthropology/Archeology Department.....
A T. Rex Named Sue - Kirby Science Discovery Center
The David B. Jones foundation grant helped to bring SUE who is the largest, most complete, Tyrannosaurus rex ever discovered to the Kirby Science Discovery Center.....
Ghost Ranch’s Ruth Hall Museum of Paleontology, Abiquiu, NM
The David B. Jones foundation grant helped the Ghost Ranch’s Ruth Hall Museum of Paleontology in Abiquiu, New Mexico to update and improve ....