Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation
The Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation is a private foundation based in Bakersfield, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants for capital improvements to organizations including a museum, a homeless center, a youth club, and groups providing family and community services.
Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation at a glance
In short: Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation gave $137K across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in California. 28% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $136,639
- +5.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- -21.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,466
- +34.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $4,983,885
- -0.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 28% first-time grantees (7 of 25, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (98% 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 Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing lists Richard G McBurnie as the contact and a letter as the application material. It states that grants are generally limited to Kern County, California.
- Review Cycle
- None listed.
- Deadline
- None listed.
- Contact
Application contact: Richard G Mcburnie
Mailing address: PO Box 1825, Bakersfield, CA 93303
Phone: (661) 873-0360
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Junk a Tique Outlet ($33K). Together the top 10 received $118K.
Grant Size Distribution
129 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 129 grants of 129 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s filing states that grants are generally limited to Kern County, California. For 2025, 98% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 2% to Florida, and less than 1% to Minnesota as reported.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation open to new grantees?
28%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 25 grantees (28%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $2K repeat.
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 $104K (2021) to $138K (2019). In 2025 it made 25 grants totaling $137K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Junk a Tique Outlet Bakersfield, CA | Capital Improvements | $32,975 |
| Kern Co Museum Bakersfield, CA | Capital Improvements | $23,000 |
| Bakersfield Homeless Center Bakersfield, CA | Capital Imrpovements | $18,000 |
| Boys Girls Club of Kern County Bakersfield, CA | Capital Improvements | $12,000 |
| Flood Ministries Bakersfield, CA | Capital Improvements | $9,000 |
| Alliance Against Fam Violence Bakersfield, CA | Capital Improvements | $6,000 |
| Child Guidance Center Bakersfield, CA | Capital Improvements | $5,000 |
| JJ'S Legacy Bakersfield, CA | Capital Improvements | $5,000 |
| Resurrection Church Bakersfield, CA | Capital Improvements | $4,914 |
| Mare Bakersfield, CA | Capital Improvements | $2,500 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $4,983,885 | $345,575 | $315,349 | $136,639 | 25 | $136,639 | $166,864 |
| 2024 | $4,984,816 | $353,314 | $309,103 | $129,724 | 32 | $129,724 | $173,934 |
| 2023 | $4,953,161 | $311,700 | $289,363 | $114,723 | 25 | $114,723 | $137,044 |
| 2022 | $4,909,099 | $252,340 | $285,409 | $111,847 | 23 | $111,847 | $111,846 |
| 2021 | $4,940,103 | $336,677 | $266,345 | $104,352 | 24 | $104,352 | $174,632 |
| 2020 | $4,863,892 | $282,405 | $274,295 | $120,988 | 23 | — | $129,097 |
| 2019 | $4,883,432 | $323,888 | $285,795 | $138,295 | 28 | — | $176,387 |
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 show support for a range of organizations. Among them, JJ’s Legacy says its mission is to educate Kern County residents about organ, eye, and tissue donation, increase donor registrations, and support donor and recipient families. Child Guidance Center Inc. describes its work as providing mental health programs and services to empower children, youth, and families. Global Family Care Network Inc. says it works to protect children and preserve families, with emphasis on addressing commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Monarch Joint Venture describes its work as protecting monarchs and their migration through habitat conservation, education, and science.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 25 grants totaling $136,639. Awards ranged from $300 to $32,975, with a median of $2,500. Its largest grants included $32,975 to Junk A Tique Outlet and $23,000 to Kern Co Museum, both for capital improvements. Other notable awards included $18,000 to Bakersfield Homeless Center, $12,000 to Boys Girls Club of Kern County, and $9,000 to Flood Ministries, each for capital improvements. JJ’s Legacy received $5,000, Child Guidance Center Inc. received $5,000, Global Family Care Network Inc. received $2,500, and Monarch Joint Venture received $500.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Richard G McBurnie as president and Silver D Sack as director.
Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation is led by Richard G. McBurnie, President on every filing since 2019; all 2 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Richard G. McBurnie
President
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$78K (2019) → $92K (2025)
Silver D. Sack
Director
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
$25K (2019) → $36K (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 $92K, to Richard G McBurnie (President). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation
How much does Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation give each year?
Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation gave $137K across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $130K across 32 grants.
What is Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation's typical grant size?
Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $5,466, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation give grants?
Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation gives mostly in California: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Bakersfield, CA (20 grants).
Does Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 25 grants with a stated purpose on Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Capital Improvements" (24 grants).
Who are Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation's largest grantees?
Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Junk a Tique Outlet ($32,975), Kern Co Museum ($23,000) and Bakersfield Homeless Center ($18,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation?
Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation reported $5.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $346K.
What does Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. Among them, JJ’s Legacy says its mission is to educate Kern County residents about organ, eye, and tissue donation, increase donor registrations, and support donor and recipient families. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation?
The filing lists Richard G McBurnie as the contact and a letter as the application material. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation's EIN?
Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-6103223. 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 September 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 May 21, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 25, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ben-h-and-gladys-arkelian-foundation-morg_52dc92a37b6842e2921d7eac43f59df4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_956103223_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ben H and Gladys Arkelian Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ben-h-and-gladys-arkelian-foundation-morg_52dc92a37b6842e2921d7eac43f59df4},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Ben H and Gladys Arkelian 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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