Adams Cowan Foundation
The Adams Cowan Foundation is a private foundation based in Los Angeles, California. Its 2026 filing reports grants to charitable organizations working in areas including education, community benefit, and the arts.
Adams Cowan Foundation at a glance
In short: Adams Cowan Foundation gave $127K across 41 grants in 2026 (avg $3K), mostly in California. 41% of 2026 grantees were new. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2026)
- $127,170
- +39.1% vs 2025
- Grants made (2026)
- 41
- +24.2% vs 2025
- Average grant
- $3,102
- +12.0% vs 2025
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $15,538
- -70.4% vs 2025
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (17 of 41, 2026)
- Primary geography
- California (69% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Adams Cowan Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2240 Mandeville Canyon Road, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Adams Cowan Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2026
The largest 2026 recipient was Partnership for Los Angeles Schools ($10K). Together the top 10 received $69K.
Grant Size Distribution
155 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 155 grants of 155 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2026, California recipients received 69% of grant dollars, Massachusetts recipients 26%, recipients in Washington, DC 4%, and Connecticut recipients 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 41 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Adams Cowan Foundation open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2026
In 2026, 17 of 41 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 51% of 2026 grantees were also funded in 2025. Method
- Giving grew 139% from 2023 to 2026. Method
- In 2026 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2026). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $53K (2023) to $127K (2026). In 2026 it made 41 grants totaling $127K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Partnership for Los Angeles Schools Los Angeles, CA | Educational | $10,000 |
| Martha's Vineyard Fishermen's Perse Menemsha, MA | Community Benefit | $10,000 |
| Smith College Northampton, MA | Educational | $10,000 |
| American Academy of Arts Sciences Cambridge, MA | Promote Art | $7,000 |
| UCLA Development Los Angeles, CA | Educational | $6,500 |
| Common Sense Media San Francisco, CA | Educational | $5,000 |
| Muse Ique Pasadena, CA | Educational | $5,000 |
| Alliance for Children's Right Los Angeles, CA | To Support the Foundation's Operations. | $5,000 |
| Bluedot Institute Westlake Village, CA | Educational | $5,000 |
| International Women's Media Foundat Washington, DC | Promote Art | $5,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $15,538 | $172,809 | $132,458 | $127,170 | 41 | $127,170 | $73,141 | $900 |
| 2025 | $52,437 | $190,195 | $96,701 | $91,430 | 33 | $96,430 | $62,757 | $676 |
| 2024 | $21,415 | $98,449 | $75,543 | $70,500 | 25 | $75,300 | $26,399 | $549 |
| 2023 | $24,084 | $65,238 | $58,010 | $53,200 | 29 | $53,200 | $220 | $695 |
| 2022 | $16,856 | $60,000 | $53,525 | $53,500 | 27 | $53,500 | — | $1,053 |
| 2021 | $10,681 | $81,310 | $74,405 | $69,900 | 32 | — | $19,810 | $584 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Adams Cowan Foundation reported a distributable amount of $900 for 2026 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2026 grants include support for educational organizations, arts organizations, and community-benefit work. The grantees describe their own missions in varied terms: for example, Partnership for Los Angeles Schools says it works to improve educational outcomes and remove barriers for students, while the American Academy of Arts & Sciences says it convenes leaders to examine ideas and address issues of importance. Common Sense Media describes its work as helping children thrive in a world of media and technology, and the BlueDot Institute says it develops environmental programs for high school students.
Other 2026 recipients include organizations whose stated missions concern early education, equality and women’s leadership, traditional and representational art, and Holocaust education.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2026, the foundation reported 41 grants totaling $127,170. Grants ranged from $880 to $10,000, with a median of $2,500.
Among the larger reported grants were $10,000 each to Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Perse, and Smith College; $7,000 to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences; and $6,500 to UCLA Development. Other grants included $5,000 each to Common Sense Media, Muse Ique, BlueDot Institute, the International Women’s Media Foundation, and UC Merced.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2026 filing lists L. Geoffrey Cowan as Chairman and Aileen Adams as President.
Adams Cowan Foundation is led by Aileen Adams, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 2 officers listed in 2026 report compensation.
Officers on the 2026 filing
Aileen Adams
President
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
L. Geoffrey Cowan
Chairman
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2026. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Adams Cowan Foundation
How much does Adams Cowan Foundation give each year?
Adams Cowan Foundation gave $127K across 41 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $91K across 33 grants.
What is Adams Cowan Foundation's typical grant size?
Adams Cowan Foundation's median grant in 2026 was $2,500, and its average grant was $3,102, across 41 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Adams Cowan Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Adams Cowan Foundation give grants?
Adams Cowan Foundation gives mostly in California: 69% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Massachusetts (26%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (10 grants), Pasadena, CA (3 grants), Cambridge, MA (2 grants) and Beverly Hills, CA (2 grants).
Does Adams Cowan Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2026: none of the 41 grants with a stated purpose on Adams Cowan Foundation's 2026 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Educational" (15 grants), "Community Benefit" (14 grants) and "Promote Art" (6 grants).
Who are Adams Cowan Foundation's largest grantees?
Adams Cowan Foundation's largest 2026 grantees include Partnership for Los Angeles Schools ($10,000), Martha's Vineyard Fishermen's Perse ($10,000) and Smith College ($10,000), according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2026 grant dollars.
How large is Adams Cowan Foundation?
Adams Cowan Foundation reported $16K in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $127K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $900 (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Adams Cowan Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2026 grants include support for educational organizations, arts organizations, and community-benefit work. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Adams Cowan Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Adams Cowan Foundation's EIN?
Adams Cowan Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-3696010. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2026.
Does Adams Cowan Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Adams Cowan Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Adams Cowan Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/adams-cowan-foundation-morg_5d4208d1983b4e74914fcca718f58e05
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_953696010_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Adams Cowan Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/adams-cowan-foundation-morg_5d4208d1983b4e74914fcca718f58e05},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Adams Cowan Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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