Anderson Childrens Foundation
Anderson Children's Foundation is a private foundation based in Palm Springs, California, that funds nonprofit programs serving children and youth in the Coachella Valley. Established in 1970 by Irene W. Anderson in memory of her husband, Guy L. Anderson, the foundation aims to address children’s unmet needs and nurture young people through health, education, recreation, and the arts.
Anderson Childrens Foundation at a glance
In short: Anderson Childrens Foundation gave $2.5M across 115 grants in 2025 (avg $22K), mostly in California. 25% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,501,816
- +24.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 115
- +7.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $21,755
- +15.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $19,900
- Total assets
- $24,042,836
- -4.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 25% first-time grantees (28 of 113, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (99% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Anderson Childrens Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Submit a formal grant application. Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations with official 501(c)(3) or other tax-exempt status that directly serve youth under age 18 in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California. Applications are available beginning February 1 and due April 30. The foundation offers applicant consultations from August through December and says technical or other assistance is available only until April 23. Funded projects are subject to site visits.
- Review Cycle
- The next stated application deadline is April 30, 2027. The 2026–2027 cycle is closed.
- Deadline
- The next stated application deadline is April 30, 2027.
- Next open deadline
- April 30, 2027 (Anderson Children's Foundation Grants)
- Contact
Application contact: Anderson Children'S Foundation
Mailing address: 1111 E Tahquitz Canyon Way Suite 10, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Phone: (760) 318-8146
Website: https://andersonchildrensfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Anderson Childrens Foundation
Who Anderson Childrens Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Shadow Hills High School ($70K). Together the top 10 received $520K.
Organizations only. It also paid 3 grants to individuals ($51,271), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
528 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 512 grants of 528 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s application criteria focus on organizations serving youth in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California. In filing year 2025, 99% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 1% to recipients in North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 115 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Anderson Childrens Foundation open to new grantees?
25%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 28 of 113 grantees (25%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $18K; repeat grants $23K. How we count
Medians: $17K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 49% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 75% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 113% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.4M (2020) to $2.5M (2025). In 2025 it made 115 grants totaling $2.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow Hills High School Indio, CA | Girls wrestling - gymnasium wall padding replacement and theater arts - scenery storage containers and wind instruments and percussion equipment | $70,250 |
| Coachella Valley Rescue Mission Indio, CA | Women and Children's Shelter Expansion Sustainability | $50,000 |
| Nickerson-Rossi Dance Company Palm Springs, CA | Dance Education Fund | $50,000 |
| Friends of the Desert Mountains Palm Desert, CA | Environmental Connections Por Vida and CV Wildflower Festival | $50,000 |
| Variety Children's Charity of the D Palm Desert, CA | Core Program Expansion | $50,000 |
| Rancho Mirage Library and Observato Rancho Mirage, CA | Children's events including youth theatre, summer reading club, and observatory trips | $50,000 |
| Find Food Bank Indio, CA | Children's Programs | $50,000 |
| Palm Springs Art Museum Palm Springs, CA | Youth Impact Initiative - Family + Art Program | $50,000 |
| Raices Cultura Coachella, CA | Art Workshops and Cultural Excursions | $49,800 |
| The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens Palm Desert, CA | Nature's classroom - stem in the wild field trip scholarships | $49,689 |
Ready to take the next step with Anderson Childrens Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $24,042,836 | $20,007,226 | $3,400,962 | $2,501,816 | 115 | $2,739,759 | $19,706,040 | $2,423,741 |
| 2024 | $25,287,510 | $3,729,415 | $2,567,932 | $2,016,573 | 107 | $2,242,115 | $3,492,748 | $2,055,038 |
| 2023 | $6,273,566 | $2,549,683 | $2,680,481 | $2,202,799 | 111 | $2,397,000 | $2,342,850 | $2,067,210 |
| 2022 | $6,403,263 | $1,971,459 | $1,864,365 | $1,432,258 | 100 | $1,609,126 | $1,786,647 | $2,287,337 |
| 2021 | $6,265,377 | $1,592,015 | $1,885,166 | $1,430,091 | 95 | — | $1,402,334 | $1,497,357 |
| 2020 | $6,556,983 | $1,560,635 | $1,777,630 | $1,350,481 | 86 | — | $1,457,822 | $1,517,587 |
| 2019 | $6,773,056 | $1,571,085 | $1,767,241 | $1,369,301 | 91 | — | $1,341,215 | $1,423,171 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Anderson Childrens Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.4M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated purpose is to provide for the unmet needs of children of every race, culture, and creed. Its website describes support for programs that promote health, develop skills, cultivate creativity, and expand young people’s horizons.
Examples of supported work include arts education, food and shelter programs, school facilities and activities, environmental education, and cultural programming. Among its 2025 grantees, Palm Springs Art Museum describes its mission as creating experiences that expand understanding of ourselves and the world; Friends of the Desert Mountains says it works to preserve land and support education, conservation, and research in the Coachella Valley. Raices Cultura describes its work as creating space for artistic and cultural expression and strengthening the voice of the Eastern Coachella Valley.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 115 grants totaling $2,501,816. Grants ranged from $2,400 to $70,250, with a median award of $19,900. The largest reported award was $70,250 to Shadow Hills High School for girls’ wrestling gymnasium wall padding and theatre arts equipment and storage. Other 2025 awards included $50,000 to Coachella Valley Rescue Mission for women and children’s shelter expansion sustainability, $50,000 to Nickerson-Rossi Dance Company for its dance education fund, and $50,000 to Find Food Bank for children’s programs.
The foundation’s website says it has awarded $27,777,000 for 1,602 projects from 1993 through 2025. It funds projects for one year at a time, with a July 1–June 30 funding cycle, and applicants may reapply annually. The foundation encourages one application per organization, though separate departments of large organizations, such as schools, may apply. Project funding is all or none, and the foundation recommends requests over $25,000 only for programs it already knows and trusts.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Roberta D. Schlesinger as trustee. The foundation’s website identifies Diane Schlesinger as trustee and Brianna Uhlhorn as director of grants and media.
Anderson Childrens Foundation is led by Roberta D. Schlesinger, Trustee on every filing since 2019 — the only officer listed, and compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Roberta D. Schlesinger
Trustee
On filings since 2019
25 hrs/week
$108K (2020) → $151K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $151K, to Roberta D Schlesinger (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Anderson Childrens Foundation
How much does Anderson Childrens Foundation give each year?
Anderson Childrens Foundation gave $2.5M across 115 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.0M across 107 grants.
What is Anderson Childrens Foundation's typical grant size?
Anderson Childrens Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $19,900, and its average grant was $21,755, across 115 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Anderson Childrens Foundation that year got $18K on average.
Where does Anderson Childrens Foundation give grants?
Anderson Childrens Foundation gives mostly in California: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Palm Desert, CA (24 grants), Palm Springs, CA (18 grants), Indio, CA (12 grants) and Rancho Mirage, CA (9 grants).
Does Anderson Childrens Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 115 grants with a stated purpose on Anderson Childrens Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Anderson Childrens Foundation's largest grantees?
Anderson Childrens Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Shadow Hills High School ($70,250), Coachella Valley Rescue Mission ($50,000) and Nickerson-Rossi Dance Company ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 3 grants to individuals ($51,271), which are not listed by name. Together they received 7% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Anderson Childrens Foundation?
Anderson Childrens Foundation reported $24.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.4M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Anderson Childrens Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated purpose is to provide for the unmet needs of children of every race, culture, and creed. Its website describes support for programs that promote health, develop skills, cultivate creativity, and expand young people’s horizons. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Anderson Childrens Foundation?
Submit a formal grant application. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Anderson Childrens Foundation's EIN?
Anderson Childrens Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7089096. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 6, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 21, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Anderson Childrens Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Anderson Childrens Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/anderson-childrens-foundation-morg_206dd78dc8a5499e9a1c8336b23981e7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237089096_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Anderson Childrens Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/anderson-childrens-foundation-morg_206dd78dc8a5499e9a1c8336b23981e7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Anderson Childrens 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.
Anderson Childrens Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?