Cheeryble Foundation
Cheeryble Foundation is a private foundation based in Encino, California. In 2024, it awarded 44 grants totaling $268,150 to organizations including arts and cultural institutions, health organizations, human-services nonprofits, and groups working on environmental issues.
Cheeryble Foundation at a glance
In short: Cheeryble Foundation gave $268K across 44 grants in 2024 (avg $6K), mostly in California. 41% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $268,150
- -41.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 44
- -8.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $6,094
- -36.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $1,625
- Total assets
- $2,669,803
- -4.2% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (18 of 44, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (86% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Cheeryble Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing lists no specific form or materials, no award restrictions, and no deadlines. It says giving is not restricted to preselected organizations.
- Contact
Application contact: Zora Charles Co Singer Burke
Mailing address: 6345 Balboa Blvd 375, Encino, CA 91316
Phone: (818) 774-1000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Cheeryble Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was The Thriving Initiative ($100K). Together the top 10 received $203K.
Grant Size Distribution
200 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 186 grants of 200 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 86% of grant dollars went to recipients in California. Other reported shares were Washington, D.C. (5%), Hawaii (4%), New York (2%), and Illinois (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 44 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Cheeryble Foundation open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 18 of 44 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 57% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 28% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 172% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $268K (2024) to $458K (2023). In 2024 it made 44 grants totaling $268K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Thriving Initiative Goleta, CA | Unrestricted | $100,000 |
| The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Santa Barbara, CA | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | Unrestricted | $15,450 |
| Santa Barbara Museum of Art Santa Barbara, CA | Unrestricted | $14,000 |
| World Central Kitchen Washington, DC | Unrestricted | $12,311 |
| Monterey Bay Aquarium Monterey, CA | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| TMA (Third Millennium Awakening) Malibu, CA | Unrestricted | $8,000 |
| Domestic Violence Solutions Santa Barbara, CA | Unrestricted | $6,000 |
| PBS Hawaii Honolulu, HI | Unrestricted | $6,000 |
| Santa Barbara Public Library Santa Barbara, CA | Unrestricted | $6,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Cheeryble 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,669,803 | $157,437 | $275,209 | $268,150 | 44 | $268,150 | $157,437 | $156,120 |
| 2023 | $2,787,575 | $412,575 | $464,610 | $458,459 | 48 | $458,459 | $306,913 | $146,599 |
| 2022 | $2,839,610 | $106,560 | $374,348 | $368,286 | 45 | $368,286 | $79,112 | $154,348 |
| 2021 | $3,107,398 | $287,217 | $406,078 | $371,942 | 26 | $371,942 | $233,091 | $174,838 |
| 2020 | $3,226,259 | $2,152,219 | $453,100 | $443,410 | 37 | — | $2,266,503 | $132,436 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Cheeryble Foundation reported a distributable amount of $156K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, The Thriving Initiative describes its work as providing free healing and recovery programs for survivors of sexual assault, stalking, and domestic violence. The Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara says it supports cancer diagnosis, treatment, research, technology, and support programs. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art describes its mission as integrating art into people’s lives.
Other 2024 grantees include World Central Kitchen, which says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises; Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, which says it advances research, builds community, shares knowledge, and advocates for patients; and Heal the Ocean, which says it works to reduce ocean pollution and improve ocean and coastal health.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 44 grants totaling $268,150. Grants ranged from $155 to $100,000, with a median grant of $1,625. The largest award was $100,000 to The Thriving Initiative. Other notable grants included $25,000 to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, $15,450 to the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara, $14,000 to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and $12,311 to World Central Kitchen.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Zora Charles as president and Les Charles as CFO/secretary.
Cheeryble Foundation is led by Zora Charles, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Zora Charles
President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Les Charles
CFO & Secretary
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Cheeryble Foundation
How much does Cheeryble Foundation give each year?
Cheeryble Foundation gave $268K across 44 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $458K across 48 grants.
What is Cheeryble Foundation's typical grant size?
Cheeryble Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $1,625, and its average grant was $6,094, across 44 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Cheeryble Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Cheeryble Foundation give grants?
Cheeryble Foundation gives mostly in California: 86% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Santa Barbara, CA (16 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Washington, DC (2 grants) and Honolulu, HI (2 grants).
Does Cheeryble Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 98% of Cheeryble Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (43 of 44) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Cheeryble Foundation's largest grantees?
Cheeryble Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include The Thriving Initiative ($100,000), The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art ($25,000) and Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara ($15,450), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Cheeryble Foundation?
Cheeryble Foundation reported $2.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $268K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $156K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Cheeryble Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, The Thriving Initiative describes its work as providing free healing and recovery programs for survivors of sexual assault, stalking, and domestic violence. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cheeryble Foundation?
The filing lists no specific form or materials, no award restrictions, and no deadlines. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Cheeryble Foundation's EIN?
Cheeryble Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-4121906. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Cheeryble Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cheeryble-foundation-morg_027e3cde02374c15acaf479da62d366a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_954121906_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Cheeryble Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cheeryble-foundation-morg_027e3cde02374c15acaf479da62d366a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Cheeryble 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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