Delta Dental Fund
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
DELTA DENTAL FUND'S MISSION IS TO IMPROVE THE ORAL HEALTH OF THE PUBLIC AND TO ADVANCE DENTAL SCIENCE AND THE DENTAL PROFESSION THROUGH RESEARCH AND EDUCATION.
- Income
- $10.7 million
- Spending
- $7.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 91%
- Reserves
- Over 10 years of spending
- Largest source of income
- investment income, 75%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $12.2 million, president & board trustee
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100.
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover more than ten years of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 28% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 107% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1591% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 95 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 257 of 11 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $7.0 million spent. The Delta Dental Fund's (DDF) mission is to develop and enhance partnerships and programs to improve oral and overall health. The DDF has been committed to this purpose for over four decades. Over that time, millions of people have benefited from grants, programming, scholarships and continuing education programs provided by the DDF. Since it was established in 1980, the DDF has continually increased its efforts to achieve these goals in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina. In 2024, the DDF committed nearly $6.1 million in grants, scholarships, and educational resources, impacting more than 4.3 million lives in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana North Carolina and beyond. More than 354,000 educational brochures, flyers and posters, along with 351 miles of floss and 282,554 toothbrushes were donated to nonprofit organizations to disseminate in their communities. The DDF also began implementing a new strategic plan, which focuses on five strategic pillars-access to care, advocacy, education, emerging initiatives, and workforce development. Throughout the year, 72% of the programs funded most closely aligned with access to care, 15% with education, 11% with workforce development and 2% with advocacy and emerging initiatives. At the end of the day, access to care initiatives make up the majority of the requests. Tens of thousands of people need help getting dental care, and many safety-net clinics need training and equipment to offer those services. With one in twenty Americans living with an intellectual or developmental disability, oral health equity cannot be achieved until their needs are met. Through the DDF's Centers for Inclusive Dentistry program, 78 individuals at 12 safety-net dental clinics have been provided with the training and resources necessary to deliver high-quality dental treatment to people with disabilities. The DDF has partnered with NYU and Nisonger Center at Ohio State University to offer the training free of charge. Free virtual continuing education credits are also available to providers through Penn Dental as a result of DDF funding. In 2024, 50 nonprofit organizations received Community Mini-Grants, totaling $300,000. The DDF's Community Mini-grant Program provides grants of $10,000 or less to nonprofits that promote or provide oral health care and initiatives that align with the foundation's five strategic pillars. The DDF continued its support of the Victors for Veterans program with the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. The program provides free, comprehensive dental care to qualifying veterans, performed by third- and fourth-year dental interns, who gain valuable learning opportunities in community health settings. They also provide oral hygiene education to their patients. Through a partnership with TeamSmile, hundreds of children in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Detroit were provided with free dental care and oral health education. The events were held at professional sports stadiums and staffed by volunteer dental professionals. At the end of the day, when the events were done and the volunteers had gone home, the TeamSmile staff continued to find dental homes for the children who needed it. The dental workforce is experiencing an unprecedented staffing shortage, particularly with hygienists. In 2024, the DDF partnered with the American Dental Hygienists Association (ADHA) to create Hygienists Inspired, a chairside recruitment program. The program is designed to diversify and strengthen the hygiene profession by providing resources for practicing hygienists to recruit through meaningful chairside interactions with patients. The DDF and ADHA have identified at least three individuals in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana to serve as ambassadors to promote the profession. In conjunction with the Michigan Primary Care Association, the DDF convened oral health advocates from around the state of Michigan to hold its Third Annual Workforce Development Summit. Professional facilitators guided the discussion about strengthening the oral health safety net in Michigan. This initiative also convened throughout the year in sub-committees to continue focused development related to recruitment, career pathways, and workforce retention and environment. With grant funding from the DDF, the Institute for Exceptional Care formed an advisory committee composed of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) advocates, clinical educational experts and oral health professionals to determine how best to improve dental care delivery for patients with IDD. Collectively, the group will develop a dental-office toolkit to support pre-appointment preparation for patients with IDD. The DDF continued its longstanding partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services by providing funding for the SEAL Michigan school-based sealant and Community Water Fluoridation programs. Support was also renewed for the Ohio Department of Health's Fluoridation Assistance program. The DDF's total grants have now exceeded $68 million since its inception. This funding has improved oral and overall health and health equity, helped students achieve their goals, and improved the well-being of millions of children and adults in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina. Empowered people and communities are critical to making creative solutions to systemic challenges possible-and that means supporting work by and for the communities being served. The DDF is committed to continuing and establishing strong two-way relationships with the people and organizations aligned with its aims.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since November 1982.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.