Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US
Comic Relief Inc., doing business as Comic Relief US, is a public charity based in New York, NY. It raises awareness and money to address childhood poverty, using comedy and fundraising campaigns such as Red Nose Day to support programs that help children succeed.
Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US at a glance
In short: Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US gave $3.7M across 8 grants in 2024 (avg $458K), top state Massachusetts. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $3,665,000
- -78.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 8
- -70.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $458,125
- -26.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $505,000
- Total assets
- $33,508,639
- -31.2% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (40% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US
- Contact
Mailing address: 120 Broadway 22Nd Floor, New York, NY 10271
Phone: (332) 333-1824
Website: https://comicrelief.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 8 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was City Year Inc ($950K). Together the top 8 received $3.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
105 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $500K–1M range: 32 grants of 105 (30%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant dollars were reported across recipients in Massachusetts (40%), New York (33%), Illinois (16%), and Georgia (11%). The listed grants also included a recipient in North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 8 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US gives
- Giving fell 80% from 2021 to 2024. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $3.7M (2024) to $21.3M (2019). In 2024 it made 8 grants totaling $3.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City Year Inc Boston, MA | Program Support | $950,000 |
| Laureus Sport for Good Foundation New York, NY | Program Support | $650,000 |
| Start Early Chicago, IL | Program Support | $600,000 |
| The Children's Health Fund New York, NY | Program Support | $510,000 |
| Jumpstart for Young Children Inc Boston, MA | Program Support | $500,000 |
| Boys and Girls Club of America Atlanta, GA | Program Support | $400,000 |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc New York, NY | Program Support | $48,000 |
| Youth Outright WNC Inc Asheville, NC | Program Support | $7,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $33,508,639 | $10,075,693 | $20,261,695 | $3,665,000 | 8 | $1,678,758 |
| 2023 | $48,676,610 | $47,477,210 | $39,583,286 | $16,897,000 | 27 | $1,487,957 |
| 2022 | $40,884,512 | $53,328,304 | $40,354,443 | $19,059,250 | 30 | $366,540 |
| 2021 | $28,941,799 | $35,831,552 | $39,682,286 | $18,259,455 | 27 | $11,776 |
| 2020 | $22,447,780 | $42,376,626 | $39,317,166 | $18,405,971 | 13 | $15,269 |
| 2019 | $19,150,424 | $52,341,405 | $48,769,840 | $21,300,000 | 15 | $156,293 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Comic Relief US states that it works to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. It seeks to galvanize the public by amplifying the stories of people and communities directly affected by poverty, and to invest donations in nonprofit, community-rooted organizations addressing poverty and social injustice.
The organization describes its funding areas as children’s safety, healthcare, education, and empowerment. Its grantees illustrate the range of work supported: Start Early says it advances early learning for families with children from before birth through their earliest years; The Children’s Health Fund says it brings comprehensive healthcare to children in under-resourced communities; and Jumpstart for Young Children says it provides language, literacy, and social-emotional programming for preschool children from underserved communities. Youth OUTRight WNC describes its work as supporting queer and trans youth through community-building, healing, and self-determination.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, Comic Relief US reported 8 grants totaling $3,665,000. Grant amounts ranged from $7,000 to $950,000, with a median of $505,000. The largest awards included $950,000 to City Year Inc. for program support, $650,000 to Laureus Sport for Good Foundation for program support, $600,000 to Start Early for program support, $510,000 to The Children’s Health Fund for program support, and $500,000 to Jumpstart for Young Children Inc. for program support. The remaining reported grants were $400,000 to Boys and Girls Club of America, $48,000 to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc., and $7,000 to Youth OUTRight WNC Inc.; each was listed for program support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing listed Randy Newcomb as board chair and Richard Curtis as founder. Other listed directors were Richard Hofstetter, Austyn Biggers, Yvonne Moore, Ida Rezvani, and Alia Lamborghini, who joined in August 2024. David Horne was listed as treasurer, and Michele Ganeless as secretary and incoming CEO for January 2025. The filing noted that Natalye Paquin left in January 2024.
Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US is led by Alison Moore Non-Voting, CEO since 2024 (on filings since 2020); 7 of 18 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Alison Moore Non-Voting
CEO
Chief Executive Officer → CEO, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$369K (2020) → $442K (2024)
Michele Ganeless
Secretary & Incoming CEO
Director → Secretary, 2023
Secretary → Secretary & Incoming CEO, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Randy Newcomb
Board Chair
Director → Board Chair, 2022
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard Hofstetter
Director
Secretary → Director, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Yvonne Moore
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Austyn Biggers
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ida Rezvani
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alia Lamborghini Joined Aug
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Evan Segal Joined Aug
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Natalye Paquin Left Jan
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lauren Spitzer
Senior Vice President of Fundraising & Development
Senior Vice President Fundraising & Development → Senior Vice President of Fundraising & Development, 2024
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$193K (2019) → $248K (2024)
Mary Catherine Burdine
Vice President of Partnership Development
Director Partner Development → Director Partnership Development, 2023
Director Partnership Development → Vice President of Partnership Development, 2024
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$188K (2019) → $178K (2024)
Mary Corigliano
Senior Vice President of Brand & Marketing
Senior Vice President Brand & Marketing → Senior Vice President of Brand & Marketing, 2024
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$226K (2019) → $251K (2024)
Ayodele Roach
Senior Vice President of Grants
Vice President Grants → Senior Vice President Grants, 2023
Senior Vice President Grants → Senior Vice President of Grants, 2024
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$138K (2021) → $216K (2024)
Lisa Gadson-Clark
Senior Vice President of Hr & Operations
Vice President Hr & People → Senior Vice President Hr & Operations, 2022
Senior Vice President Hr & Operations → Senior Vice President of Hr & Operations, 2024
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$164K (2021) → $211K (2024)
William Kehoe
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2021
20 hrs/week
$147K (2021) → $140K (2024)
Richard Curtis
Founder
Founder & Vice President of the Board → Founder & Co-Chair, 2020
Founder & Co-Chair → Founder, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Horne
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (22)
- Former: Natalye Paquin (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Andy Cook (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Jacki Kelley (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Ridwan Adhami (2021–2022) — Creative Director
- Former: John Makinson (2019–2021) — Board Chair
- Former: Kevin Cahill (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Brooke Wood (2019–2020) — Director of Communications
- Former: Christy Gibb (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Elizabeth Breslauer (2019–2020) — Director of Schools & Youth
- Former: Kristin Ellington (2019–2020) — Senior Vice President Operations & Finance
- Former: Michael Lynton (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Mitchell Hansen (2019–2020) — Director of Digital
- Former: Paul Telegdy (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Richard Scott (2019–2020) — Senior Vice President
- Former: Rick Trowbridge (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: David Margolies (2020) — Associate Creative Director
- Former: Lorelei Williams (2020) — Senior Vice President Grant Programs
- Former: Alison Moore non-voti (2019) — Chief Executive Officer
- Former: Catherine Cottrell (2019) — Director
- Former: JANET SCARDINO non-vo (2019) — Chief Executive Officer
- Former: Karen Brown (2019) — Senior Vice President of Grants Program · Filing note: Thru 112
- Former: Susanna Graves (2019) — Vice President Campaign Operations
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 $442K, to Alison Moore Non-Voting (CEO - Outgoing (Jan 2025)). 7 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US
How much does Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US give each year?
Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US gave $3.7M across 8 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $16.9M across 27 grants.
What is Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US's typical grant size?
Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US's median grant in 2024 was $505,000, and its average grant was $458,125, across 8 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US give grants?
Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US's top state is Massachusetts, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were New York (33%) and Illinois (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (3 grants) and Boston, MA (2 grants).
Does Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 8 grants with a stated purpose on Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (8 grants).
Who are Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US's largest grantees?
Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US's largest 2024 grantees include City Year Inc ($950,000), Laureus Sport for Good Foundation ($650,000) and Start Early ($600,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US?
Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US reported $33.5M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $10.1M.
What does Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US fund?
Comic Relief US states that it works to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US?
Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check comicrelief.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US's EIN?
Comic Relief Inc DBA Comic Relief US's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 01-0885377. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 3, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 15, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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