Just months after the unexpected death of Dole Foundation president Paul G. Hearne in May of complications from pneumonia, the Dole Foundation began shutting its doors.
"The consequences of the Dole fund's closing are expected to reach far beyond the loss of the $700,000 or so a year in grants the organization awarded to help people with disabilities find and keep jobs," said an article in the July 16 issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy. "The foundation also has been a major voice on Capitol Hill . . . It has also served as a friendly agitator to other grant makers" in the area of disability.
Though the foundation was named for Dole, Hearne was its driving force, and advocates interviewed by the Chronicle said a mistake was made in not naming a successor to Mr. Hearne.
Lack of interest by Senator Dole was another factor, said the Chronicle report. People often believed, mistakenly, that the foundation was endowed by the former Senator. Dole, who served as the foundation's chairman, "made no financial contributions during the past decade." The foundation received its income " from a mix of individual, corporate, and foundation donors."
Dole declined to be interviewed for the Chronicle article.
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