Chuck Lorre Family Foundation
The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Los Angeles, California. It funds innovative and compassionate organizations in education, health, and the arts, supporting programs, services, and opportunities for people “struggling with less and striving for more.”
Chuck Lorre Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Chuck Lorre Family Foundation gave $37.5M across 68 grants in 2024 (avg $551K), mostly in California. 40% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $37,463,399
- +94.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 68
- +7.9% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $550,932
- +79.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $243,159,572
- +8.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 40% first-time grantees (27 of 68, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (93% 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 Chuck Lorre Family 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: 1880 Century Park East Suite 950, Los Angeles, CA 90067
Phone: (310) 277-3633
Website: https://chucklorrefamilyfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Chuck Lorre Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Cedars Sinai ($11.6M). Together the top 10 received $33.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
268 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 151 grants of 268 (56%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says its partnerships and programs are primarily in the Los Angeles area. In 2024, 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 7% to recipients in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 68 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Chuck Lorre Family Foundation open to new grantees?
40%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 27 of 68 grantees (40%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $39K; repeat grants $888K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $51K repeat.
- 56% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 359% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 314% 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 $4.6M (2020) to $37.5M (2024). In 2024 it made 68 grants totaling $37.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cedars Sinai Los Angeles, CA | General | $11,597,200 |
| UCLA Development Los Angeles, CA | Big Bang Theory Scholarship Fund and Cardiology Program | $6,300,000 |
| Children's Hospital of Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Latino & african American high school internship programchildren's orthopaedic center | $3,353,750 |
| Venice Family Clinic Venice, CA | Robert Levine Health Centerconstruction Project at Rose | $2,698,863 |
| Donorschooseorg New York, NY | General | $2,500,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, CA | General | $2,000,000 |
| Trust for Public Land San Francisco, CA | Community and Green Schoolyards | $2,000,000 |
| United Friends of the Children Los Angeles, CA | General Fund | $1,000,000 |
| Young Eisner Scholars Inglewood, CA | Yes STEM Programs and College STEM Support | $793,606 |
| 9 Dots Torrance, CA | Young Sheldon STEM Initiative Grant | $763,750 |
Ready to take the next step with Chuck Lorre 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $243,159,572 | $58,969,925 | $39,083,801 | $37,463,399 | 68 | $38,173,236 | $8,596,740 | $12,161,286 |
| 2023 | $223,372,857 | $53,548,182 | $20,557,620 | $19,306,839 | 63 | $19,875,402 | $4,458,024 | $10,687,452 |
| 2022 | $190,496,448 | $68,382,833 | $13,366,307 | $12,188,484 | 44 | $12,702,638 | $9,407,700 | $9,034,033 |
| 2021 | $141,428,582 | $34,550,743 | $9,127,444 | $8,164,633 | 44 | — | $4,303,364 | $7,064,252 |
| 2020 | $115,990,283 | $32,474,080 | $5,390,253 | $4,613,850 | 49 | — | $2,273,033 | $5,512,238 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Chuck Lorre Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $12.2M for 2024 — 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 describes its focus as education, health, and the arts, and says it supports organizations and institutions that inspire hope, leadership, creativity, and productivity.
Its 2024 grants include support for health care, education, youth programs, and community spaces. For example, Venice Family Clinic says its mission is to provide quality primary health care to people in need. DonorsChoose.org describes its work as engaging the public in public schools and addressing educational inequity. The Trust for Public Land says it creates parks and protects land for people and healthy, livable communities. United Friends of the Children describes its work as supporting current and former foster youth through education, housing, advocacy, and relationships. These are the grantees’ stated missions.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 68 grants totaling $37,463,399. Grants ranged from $250 to $11,597,200, with a median grant of $25,000.
Among the largest 2024 grants were $11,597,200 to Cedars-Sinai for general purposes; $6,300,000 to UCLA Development for the Big Bang Theory Scholarship Fund and Cardiology Program; $3,353,750 to Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles for its Latino & African American High School Internship Program and Children’s Orthopaedic Center; and $2,698,863 to Venice Family Clinic for the Robert Levine Health Center construction project at Rose. Other notable grants included $2,500,000 to DonorsChoose.org for general purposes, $2,000,000 to Planned Parenthood for general purposes, and $2,000,000 to the Trust for Public Land for community and green schoolyards.
The foundation also supports The Big Bang Theory Scholarship Endowment at UCLA. In a 2019 announcement, it said the endowment would support undergraduate STEM scholarships for students with financial need and described a separate graduate-school fund for graduating scholars.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Charles Lorre as director and president, Steven Gelon as director, secretary, and CFO, and Trisha Cardoso as director. The foundation’s website identifies Chuck Lorre as its founder.
Chuck Lorre Family Foundation is led by Charles Lorre, Director & President on every filing since 2020; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Charles Lorre
Director & President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Trisha Cardoso
Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$307K (2021) → $374K (2024)
Steven Gelon
Director, Secretary & CFO
On filings since 2020
1 hr/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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $374K, to Trisha Cardoso (Director).
Frequently asked questions about Chuck Lorre Family Foundation
How much does Chuck Lorre Family Foundation give each year?
Chuck Lorre Family Foundation gave $37.5M across 68 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $19.3M across 63 grants.
What is Chuck Lorre Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Chuck Lorre Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $550,932, across 68 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Chuck Lorre Family Foundation that year got $39K on average.
Where does Chuck Lorre Family Foundation give grants?
Chuck Lorre Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (34 grants), New York, NY (6 grants), Santa Monica, CA (5 grants) and Beverly Hills, CA (4 grants).
Does Chuck Lorre Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 44% of Chuck Lorre Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (30 of 68) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Youth Support" (3 grants).
Who are Chuck Lorre Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Chuck Lorre Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Cedars Sinai ($11,597,200), UCLA Development ($6,300,000) and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles ($3,353,750), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 57% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Chuck Lorre Family Foundation?
Chuck Lorre Family Foundation reported $243.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $38.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $12.2M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Chuck Lorre Family Foundation fund?
The foundation describes its focus as education, health, and the arts, and says it supports organizations and institutions that inspire hope, leadership, creativity, and productivity. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Chuck Lorre Family 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 Chuck Lorre Family Foundation's EIN?
Chuck Lorre Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-4769888. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Chuck Lorre Family 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 October 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). Chuck Lorre Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/chuck-lorre-family-foundation-morg_d6aaf0d6fb5b415f9683fcc05e7eae68
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_954769888_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Chuck Lorre Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/chuck-lorre-family-foundation-morg_d6aaf0d6fb5b415f9683fcc05e7eae68},
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 Chuck Lorre 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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