Elia Philanthropies
Elia Philanthropies is a private foundation based in Los Angeles, California. Its 2024 grants supported organizations working in areas including health care, food security, humanitarian relief, suicide prevention, and dance education.
Key facts about Elia Philanthropies
In short: Elia Philanthropies gave $2.6M across 16 grants in 2024 (avg $161K), mostly in California. 13% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 04-3428609
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $2,579,000
- Grants made (2024)
- 16
- Average grant
- $161,188
- Median grant
- $17,500
- New grantees (estimate)
- 13% first-time grantees (2 of 16, 2024)
- Total assets
- $53,604,494
- Primary geography
- California (95% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Quick answers about Elia Philanthropies
How much does Elia Philanthropies give each year?
Elia Philanthropies gave $2.6M across 16 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.3M across 25 grants.
What is Elia Philanthropies's typical grant size?
Elia Philanthropies's median grant in 2024 was $17,500, and its average grant was $161,188, across 16 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Elia Philanthropies that year got $3K on average.
Where does Elia Philanthropies give grants?
Elia Philanthropies gives mostly in California: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Aspen, CO (3 grants), Washington, DC (2 grants) and Irvine, CA (2 grants).
Does Elia Philanthropies give general operating support?
Yes: 50% of Elia Philanthropies's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (8 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Elia Philanthropies's largest grantees?
Elia Philanthropies's largest 2024 grantees include City of Hope ($2,250,000), World Central Kitchen Inc ($60,000) and Food Forward ($60,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 92% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
Is Elia Philanthropies open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 2 of 16 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $184K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 81% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 86% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 113% 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.
Next steps with Elia Philanthropies
- How to evaluate Elia Philanthropies as a funder
Our grant prospecting guide: read the 990-PF, check fit, and decide whether to apply.
- Draft an LOI to Elia Philanthropies with AI
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- Track this opportunity in a free grant tracker
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Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$53.6M
+44.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$2.6M
+102.9% YoY
Grant Count
16
-36.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$161K
+217.0% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Elia Philanthropies reported a distributable amount of $2.4M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for health care, food security, general operating support, suicide prevention, education, and education and health.
The grantees describe their work in their own terms. City of Hope says its mission is to make hope a reality for people touched by cancer and diabetes. Food Forward says it fights hunger and prevents food waste by rescuing surplus produce and connecting it with people experiencing food insecurity. World Central Kitchen says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. The Trevor Project says it works to end suicide among LGBTQ+ young people. Aspen Santa Fe Ballet says it cultivates appreciation of dance, brings dance companies to its two home cities, and offers a dance school for pre-collegiate students.
Grantmaking
In 2024, Elia Philanthropies made 16 grants totaling $2,579,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $2,250,000, with a median grant of $17,500. Its largest grant was $2,250,000 to City of Hope for health care. Other notable grants included $60,000 each to World Central Kitchen for general operating support and Food Forward for food security; $40,000 each to ShelterBox USA for general operating support, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County for food security, and the Trevor Project for suicide prevention; and $25,000 to Aspen Santa Fe Ballet for education.
Ready to take the next step with Elia Philanthropies?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in California. Recipients in Washington, DC, Colorado, and New Hampshire received 2%, 1%, and 1% of grant dollars, respectively.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 16 itemized 2024 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grant sum | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $53,604,494 | $5,525,209 | $17,888,646 | $2,579,000 | 16 |
| 2023 | $37,225,865 | $7,287,828 | $1,749,221 | $1,271,000 | 25 |
| 2022 | $31,638,489 | $15,567,090 | $2,097,538 | $1,624,080 | 17 |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $53,604,494 | $37,225,865 | $31,638,489 |
| Revenue | $5,525,209 | $7,287,828 | $15,567,090 |
| Expenses | $17,888,646 | $1,749,221 | $2,097,538 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $2,695,604 | $1,349,544 | $1,674,170 |
| Net Investment Income | $8,699,278 | $5,501,243 | $10,334,524 |
| Distributable Amount | $2,383,429 | $1,959,452 | $1,684,525 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
84 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City of Hope Los Angeles, CA | HEALTH CARE | $2,250,000 |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC Washington, DC | general operating support | $60,000 |
| FOOD FORWARD North Hollywood, CA | FOOD SECURITY | $60,000 |
| SHELTER BOX USA Santa Barbara, CA | general operating support | $40,000 |
| SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF ORANGE COUNTY Irvine, CA | FOOD SECURITY | $40,000 |
| Trevor Project West Hollywood, CA | SUICIDE PREVENTION | $40,000 |
| Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Aspen, CO | EDUCATION | $25,000 |
| Dartmouth Medical School Lebanon, NH | HEALTH CARE | $25,000 |
| Aspen Center for Environmental Studies Aspen, CO | EDUCATION | $10,000 |
| Coastal Roots Farms Encinitas, CA | general operating support | $5,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Norman C Payson, Melinda B Payson, and Robin Paule as trustees.
Elia Philanthropies's 2024 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Melinda B. Payson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Norman C. Payson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robin Paule
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Robert L. Carson (2020–2023) — Trustee
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.
Contact
Mailing address: 11444 W Olympic Blvd 11Th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90064
Phone: (805) 374-8555
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Elia Philanthropies fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for health care, food security, general operating support, suicide prevention, education, and education and health. The grantees describe their work in their own terms. City of Hope says its mission is to make hope a reality for people touched by cancer and diabetes. Food Forward says it fights hunger and prevents food waste by rescuing surplus produce and connecting it with people experiencing food insecurity. Wo…
How do I apply for a grant from Elia Philanthropies?
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 ↑
How much is Elia Philanthropies required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Elia Philanthropies reported a distributable amount of $2.4M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Elia Philanthropies's EIN?
Elia Philanthropies's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3428609. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Elia Philanthropies accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.