Appel Family Foundation
The Appel Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Santa Monica, California. Its 2025 grants supported organizations working in areas including medical and scientific research, Jewish community life, education, and humanitarian services.
Appel Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Appel Family Foundation gave $164K across 30 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in California. 41% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $163,810
- +13.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 30
- +36.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,460
- -17.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,750
- Total assets
- $2,631,264
- -1.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (12 of 29, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (90% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Appel Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1616 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Phone: (310) 477-7222
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Appel Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was UCLA Foundation ($50K). Together the top 10 received $140K.
Grant Size Distribution
153 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 149 grants of 153 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 8% to New York, 1% to Washington, DC, 1% to Ohio, and less than 1% to Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 30 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Appel Family Foundation open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 29 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 34% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−17%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 76% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 $100K (2021) to $198K (2022). In 2025 it made 30 grants totaling $164K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| UCLA Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Medical research | $50,000 |
| Jay Schapira Med Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Cardiac disease research | $25,000 |
| Jewish Federation Los Angeles, CA | create safe, joyful, and connected Jewish life in Los Angeles, Israel, and around the world | $15,000 |
| UCLA Medical Hospitality Fund Los Angeles, CA | advancing excellence in education, research and service | $14,500 |
| Los Angeles Giving Circle Los Angeles, CA | supports economic self-sufficiency programs for women and girls | $7,614 |
| Concern Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Support cancer researchers | $7,500 |
| American Committe for Weizmann Institue of Science New York, NY | Support scientific research | $5,000 |
| American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra New York, NY | supports the world-class Israel Philharmonic | $5,000 |
| American Jewish University Sherman Oaks, CA | supporting transformative educational experiences that strengthen communities and enrich the Jewish world | $5,000 |
| City of Hope Duarte, CA | conquer cancer and diabetes for people everywhere by integrating scientific discovery, clinical ingenuity and compassion. | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Appel Family 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 | $2,631,264 | $158,295 | $207,629 | $163,810 | 30 | $158,010 | $155,295 | $208,358 |
| 2024 | $2,667,127 | $219,685 | $183,403 | $144,800 | 22 | $144,800 | $160,439 | $191,998 |
| 2023 | $2,626,694 | $164,430 | $165,328 | $129,648 | 30 | $129,648 | $153,482 | $159,810 |
| 2022 | $2,619,443 | $333,950 | $236,972 | $198,139 | 37 | $198,139 | $301,548 | $169,061 |
| 2021 | $2,536,616 | $93,268 | $144,346 | $100,453 | 34 | — | $61,718 | $173,409 |
| 2020 | $2,586,348 | $458,113 | $167,801 | $130,779 | 30 | — | $181,355 | $147,029 |
| 2019 | $2,551,004 | $154,518 | $161,705 | $126,692 | 49 | — | $130,816 | $144,901 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Appel Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $208K for 2025 — 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for medical, cardiac disease, and cancer research; college access; Jewish organizations; and humanitarian work. The grantees describe their own missions: Concern Foundation says it distributes research grants worldwide to fund cancer research, while Determined to Succeed describes its work as providing underserved students with year-round support for high school and college goals. World Central Kitchen says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 30 grants totaling $163,810. Grants ranged from $249 to $50,000, with a median of $1,750. Its largest awards included $50,000 to UCLA Foundation for medical research, $25,000 to Jay Schapira Med Foundation for cardiac disease research, and $15,000 to Jewish Federation to support Jewish life in Los Angeles, Israel, and around the world. Other grants included $14,500 to UCLA Medical Hospitality Fund and $7,614 to Los Angeles Giving Circle for programs supporting women and girls’ economic self-sufficiency.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Teri Wilks and Lori Staff as officers.
Appel Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lori Staff
Officer
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Teri Wilks
Officer
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Carol Appel (2019–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Sheldon Appel (2019–2024) — Trustee
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.
Frequently asked questions about Appel Family Foundation
How much does Appel Family Foundation give each year?
Appel Family Foundation gave $164K across 30 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $145K across 22 grants.
What is Appel Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Appel Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,750, and its average grant was $5,460, across 30 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Appel Family Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Appel Family Foundation give grants?
Appel Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (14 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Santa Monica, CA (3 grants).
Does Appel Family Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 7% of Appel Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 30) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Appel Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Appel Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include UCLA Foundation ($50,000), Jay Schapira Med Foundation ($25,000) and Jewish Federation ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 55% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Appel Family Foundation?
Appel Family Foundation reported $2.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $158K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $208K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Appel Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for medical, cardiac disease, and cancer research; college access; Jewish organizations; and humanitarian work. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Appel Family Foundation?
The foundation 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 Appel Family Foundation's EIN?
Appel Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-3190683. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Appel Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 7, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 18, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 8, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 26, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Appel Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Appel Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/appel-family-foundation-morg_670b2e2e31ec4f60a1df3078c5b85178
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_953190683_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Appel Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/appel-family-foundation-morg_670b2e2e31ec4f60a1df3078c5b85178},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Appel Family 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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