The Righteous Persons Foundation
Los Angeles, CA · EIN 95-4497916. Reported 136 grants totalling $21.2M to 59 recipients across tax years 2020-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. The Righteous Persons Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $100,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $70,000 and $150,000; the smallest was $7,500 and the largest $5,000,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | $5,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jewish Story Partners | Los Angeles, CA | $1,750,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Reboot Inc | Washington, DC | $1,320,000 | 8 | 5 | 2024 |
| Jewish Funders Network | New York, NY | $1,250,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Jews United for Justice Inc | Washington, DC | $665,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Katahdin Productions Inc | Los Angeles, CA | $625,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Jews of Color Initiative | Berkeley, CA | $600,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Western States Center Inc | Portland, OR | $580,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Institute for Jewish Spirituality Inc | New York, NY | $525,000 | 6 | 5 | 2024 |
| Avodah the Jewish Service Corps Inc | New York, NY | $500,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| T'ruah | New York, NY | $500,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Bend the Arc-a Jewish Partnership for Justice | New York, NY | $450,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Anti-Defamation League | Los Angeles, CA | $400,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Encounter Programs Inc | New York, NY | $400,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Union for Reform Judaism | Washington, DC | $363,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| The Blue Card Inc | New York, NY | $362,500 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Friends of Israel Story | New York, NY | $350,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Repair the World Inc | New York, NY | $340,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Bend the Arc | New York, NY | $310,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Chronicle of a People Foundation Inc | Tappan, NY | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Social Good Fund Inc | Richmond, CA | $300,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Jewish Council for Public Affairs | New York, NY | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| National Council of Jewish Women | Washington, DC | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| PBS Foundation | Arlington, VA | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Witness Institute Inc | Silver Spring, MD | $250,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Ammud the Joc Torah Academy Inc | New York, NY | $200,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Auburn Theological Seminary | New York, NY | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Bet Tzedek | Los Angeles, CA | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Tides Center | Fremont, CA | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Jewish Film Institute | San Francisco, CA | $175,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| President & Trustees of Colby College | Waterville, ME | $175,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $150,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| New Venture Fund | Washington, DC | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| American Jewish Historical Society | New York, NY | $125,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Bend the Arc (jewish Social Justice Roundtable) | New York, NY | $110,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Bend the Arc (uprise - Consulting for Good Guys) | New York, NY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Council of American Jewish Museums | New York, NY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| George Street Playhouse Inc | New Brunswick, NJ | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Interfaith America | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Proteus Fund Inc | Amherst, MA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Shabbat Project Inc | New York, NY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Aspen Institue Inc | Washington, DC | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Union for Reform Judaism | New York, NY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Fjc - a Foundation of Philanthropic Funds | Sharon, MA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Fjc - a Foundation of Philanthropic Funds | New York, NY | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Gesher Foundation Inc | New York, NY | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Lincoln Presidential Foundation | Springfield, IL | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jerusalem Foundation Inc (jerusalem Cinematheque) | New York, NY | $70,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Issue One (a More Perfect Union) | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Join for Justice Inc | Quincy, MA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Skirball Cultural Center | Los Angeles, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Tides Center (a More Perfect Union) | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| United States Holocaust Memorial Council | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Fractured Atlas Inc | Hartsdale, NY | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| New Israel Fund | Washington, DC | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Fjc (the Kirva Instituteinside Out Wisdom and Action Project) | Sharon, MA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Fjc - a Foundation of Philanthropic Funds (inside Out Wisdom Project) | Sharon, MA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ikar | Los Angeles, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| New York Foundation for the Arts Inc | New York, NY | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
31 of 59 (53%) received money in more than one year over the 5 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 69%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- University of Southern California
SUPPORT FOR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORST FOR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS - Jewish Story Partners
ARTS & CULTURE/JEWISH COMMUNITY - Jewish Council for Public Affairs
SOCIAL JUSTICE/COMBATING ANTISEMITISM - Repair the World Inc
BRIDGING COMMUNITIES/SOCIAL JUSTICE - Jews United for Justice Inc
SOCIAL JUSTICE COMBATTING ANTISEMITISM - T'ruah
SOCIAL JUSTICE/COMBATING ANTISEMITISMSOCIAL JUSTICE/COMBATING ANTISEMITISM
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 99 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 22 | $2,655,500 | $100,000 |
| 2021 | 23 | $2,635,000 | $100,000 |
| 2022 | 31 | $3,370,000 | $100,000 |
| 2023 | 30 | $3,600,000 | $100,000 |
| 2024 | 30 | $8,900,000 | $100,000 |
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.
Already committed for future years
Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. The Righteous Persons Foundation has 56 of them, worth $13.2M. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back.
| Organization | Location | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California(usc Shoah Foundation) | Los Angeles, CA | $5,000,000 |
| Jewish Story Partners | Los Angeles, CA | $500,000 |
| Jewish Story Partners | Los Angeles, CA | $500,000 |
| Reboot Inc | Washington, DC | $500,000 |
| Jewish Story Partners | Los Angeles, CA | $500,000 |
| Katahdin Productions Inc | Los Angeles, CA | $450,000 |
| Chronicle of a People Foundation | Tappan, NY | $300,000 |
| Jewish Funders Network | New York, NY | $250,000 |
| Jewish Funders Network | New York, NY | $250,000 |
| Jewish Funders Network | New York, NY | $250,000 |
| Jews of Color Field Building Initiative | Berkeley, CA | $200,000 |
| Jews of Color Initiative | Berkeley, CA | $200,000 |
| Reboot Inc | Washington, DC | $200,000 |
| Bend the Arc | New York, NY | $200,000 |
| Bend the Arc | New York, NY | $200,000 |
Where its money goes
45% of its giving went to organizations in California. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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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: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $100,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in California.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from The Righteous Persons Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2020-2024). 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: 11400 W Olympic Blvd 550, Los Angeles, CA, 90064. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 95-4497916 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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