Lear Family Foundation
Sierra Madre, CA · EIN 95-4661216. Reported 141 grants totalling $4,279,324 to 95 recipients across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation told the IRS it does not accept unsolicited requests: it contributes only to organizations it selects itself.
Does this foundation accept applications?
No -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation to check a box if it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds". Lear Family Foundation checked it on its most recent filing, as 78% of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered did. An unsolicited request is unlikely to go anywhere.
Organizations it funds that make grants of their own
3 of the organizations Lear Family Foundation funded make grants themselves, and it reported 3 grants totalling $32,500 to them. That is 1% of the $2,905,924 of its giving we could match to a registered organization. Each is classified by the IRS as a philanthropy or grantmaking organization, reported grants to at least 25 organizations of its own, and has at least 10 funders behind it.
All of them file Form 990, which never asks whether an organization funds only groups it picks, so there is no answer on record either way.
What that does not mean. It does not mean an application to any of them reaches this foundation's money. A private foundation's grant to a community foundation or a federated campaign is often a donor-advised fund or a gift designated for a purpose the foundation chose, and has nothing to do with any open programme the receiving organization runs. Its return's purpose text sometimes names a family fund or a designated purpose, which is the plainest case of money no applicant can reach; where it names none, neither return says which. The list is who this foundation paid that also makes grants. Whether any of them would fund you is a question for its own page.
| Grantmaker | Kind | State | Received | Grants | Years | Last | Only funds organizations it picks? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodnation Foundation Inc | grantmaking organization | New York | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 | Its form does not ask |
| Hopewell Fund | grantmaking organization | District of Columbia | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 | Its form does not ask |
| Tides Foundation | grantmaking organization | California | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 | Its form does not ask |
A floor, not a full list. A grantmaker appears here only where this foundation's return named it clearly enough for us to match the name to an EIN, which we manage for about two thirds of 990-PF grant rows, and only where that grantmaker has a page on this site. There may be more. Dollars here are summed by EIN across every spelling on its returns, so a figure can differ from the matching row in the full list below, which groups names as written. And the IRS classification cannot tell a grantmaker from a funders' association or a donor-advised fund sponsor, so a payment to one of these may be dues or an account rather than support for a grants programme.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $5,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $2,500 and $20,000; the smallest was $174 and the largest $425,000.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sundance Institute | Park City, UT | $1,101,750 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Lacma | Los Angeles, CA | $680,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Utah Film Center | Salt Lake City, UT | $525,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Sundance Institute | Los Angeles, CA | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Pfaw | Washington, DC | $225,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Entertainment Industry Fund | Los Angeles, CA | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Pbswnet | New York, NY | $115,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| People for the American Way | Washington, DC | $95,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Ballet Hispanico | New York, NY | $85,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Pal-O-Mine Equestrian Inc | Islandia, NY | $80,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Youth Represent | Brooklyn, NY | $71,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Advance Democracy Inc | Tysons Corner, VA | $70,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Film Independent | Los Angeles, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Living Archives Inc | New York, NY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Muse Ique | Pasadena, CA | $36,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Academy Foundation | Beverly Hills, CA | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Creative Visions | Malibu, CA | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Geffen Playhouse | Los Angeles, CA | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| The Climate Reality Project | Washington, DC | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| ACLU of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | $30,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Rainforest Alliance | New York, NY | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Cedar Sinai Medical Center | Los Angeles, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mangrove Arts Inc | Los Angeles, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Women's Guild Cedars-Sinai | Beverly Hills, CA | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Ojai Playwrights Conference | Ojai, CA | $22,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Good Nation Foundation | New York, NY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Leonard I Beerman Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Natural Resources Defense | New York, NY | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Big Green | Broomfield, CO | $12,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Bella Vita Rescue Foundation | Oakland, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Climate Emergency Fund | Beverly Hills, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Crystal Bridges Momentary Arts Foundation | Bentonville, AK | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Georgia Alliance Educ Fund | Atlanta, GA | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Hopewell Fund | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Motion Picture & Television | Woodland Hills, CA | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Open Collective Foundation | Walnut, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Rice University | Houston, TX | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Stanford University | Stanford, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Pollination Project | Brevard, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Scleroderma Research Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $9,750 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Calmatters | Sacramento, CA | $7,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Writers Guild Initiative | New York, NY | $7,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The UCLA Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Bellington Fund Inc | Mission, KS | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Children's Defense Fund | Los Angeles, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Didi Hirsh Mental Health Services | Culver City, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Downtown Women's Center | Los Angeles, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Glsen | New York, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Hazelden Betty Ford Found | Center City, MN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Imagen Foundation | Pasadena, CA | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Jigsaw Educational Productions | Summit, NJ | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Kcrw | Santa Monica, CA | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| La Theatre Works | Venice, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mlk Health and Wellness Cdc | Los Angeles, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| New York Theatre Workshop | New York, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pacific Council on International Policy | Los Angeles, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pen America | Los Angeles, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Public Counsel | Los Angeles, CA | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Smf - Palast Fund | Los Angeles, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| World Central Kitchen | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Inkwell Theatre | Los Angeles, CA | $3,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Masket Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | $3,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Freeschools World Literacy - USA | San Mateo, CA | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Children's Institute | Los Angeles, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Empowerment Collective Aka Locwom | Portland, OR | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Freedom of the Press Foundation | Brooklyn, NY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Goldie Hawn Foundation | Santa Monica, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Greater Greenfield Community Foundation | Greenfield, IA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lide Foundation | Agoura Hills, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| National Breast Cancer Coalition | West Hollywood, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Points North Institution | Rockport, ME | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Project Angel Food | Los Angeles, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Redford Center Inc | San Francisco, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Reford Center Inc | Los Angeles, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Scpr | Pasadena, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sharsheret | Los Angeles, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| St Monica Catholic Schools | Santa Monica, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The New Shul | Brooklyn, NY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Tides Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| USO | Arlington, VA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Nova Haifa University | New York, NY | $1,800 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Body Traffic | Los Angeles, CA | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| International Women's Media Foundation | Clinton, MD | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cii | Los Angeles, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Pachamama Alliance | San Francisco, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of Mass Foundation | Boston, MA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Climate Resolve | Los Angeles, CA | $750 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mandeville Canyon Association | Los Angeles, CA | $600 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Artworxla | Los Angeles, CA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ascend Educational Fund | Los Angeles, CA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Century City Chamber of Commer | Los Angeles, CA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Happy Trails for Kids | Santa Monica, CA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mind Body and Spirit Inc | Tallahassee, FL | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Samaritans of New York | New York, NY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Wallis Foundation | Playa Vista, CA | $174 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
29 of 95 (31%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 39%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one, and this foundation told the IRS it does not.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 77 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | $1,234,600 | $5,000 |
| 2022 | 41 | $1,461,250 | $10,000 |
| 2023 | 35 | $795,474 | $5,000 |
| 2024 | 29 | $788,000 | $5,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
38% of its giving went to organizations in California.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more. Unlike this foundation, none of them is on record as funding only organizations it picks, and each page says what its filings show.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Lear Family Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 171 W Orange Grove Avenue, Sierra Madre, CA, 91024. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS.
EIN 95-4661216 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email [email protected] and we will correct it.