John and Susan Dewan Foundation

John and Susan Dewan Foundation

Founded in January 2000 by John and Susan Dewan, the foundation's corpus originates from the founders' sale of STATS, Inc. to News Corporation that same year. John Dewan, a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, had built STATS into a pioneering sports information company alongside early collaborators including baseball writer Bill James and Steve Moyer, co-founder of Baseball Info Solutions. The foundation reflects the Dewans' long-standing philanthropic focus on economic empowerment rather than broad-based grantmaking. The foundation provides hope and a future to those in poverty by supporting U.S.-based charitable organizations, with a geographic emphasis on the Chicago area and international programs. Grantmaking targets initiatives that enable self-sufficiency — microloans, job training, educational access, and basic material support — rather than general operating gifts. The foundation's modest asset base, estimated by Altss at under $5 million, means its charitable activity functions as a lean, relationship-driven operation rather than a large-scale institutional grantmaker. Maria Lefkow Sorenson serves as Executive Director, managing day-to-day grant evaluation and foundation operations. John Dewan remains President and Treasurer; Susan Dewan serves as Vice President and Director. The Dewans also maintain a personal real asset in Camp Dewan, a mixed-use property in Spring Prairie Township, Wisconsin, that includes a home theater — a nod to John Dewan's interest in blending technology with community gathering spaces. The foundation has no additional offices or affiliated investment vehicles. Structurally, the John and Susan Dewan Foundation operates as a small private foundation — a common vehicle for entrepreneurs exiting concentrated business holdings. Unlike many tech-foundation peers that build out investment teams to preserve perpetual endowments, the Dewan entity appears designed for direct, high-engagement giving during the founders' lifetimes. Its governance model, with both spouses as officers and close operational control retained by the family, places it squarely in the tradition of lean, founder-driven philanthropic architecture rather than institutionalized family-office structures.