Emmett Foundation
The Emmett Foundation is a private foundation based in Los Angeles, California. It makes grants to nonprofit organizations, with a stated focus on conservation, education, and public health.
Emmett Foundation at a glance
In short: Emmett Foundation gave $3.6M across 82 grants in 2025 (avg $44K), mostly in California. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,579,301
- +21.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 82
- -2.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $43,650
- +24.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,750
- Total assets
- $240,058
- -16.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (9 of 82, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (91% 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 Emmett 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: 11812 San Vicente Blvd Ste 210, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone: (424) 244-0035
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Emmett Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cate School ($1.1M). Together the top 10 received $3.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
439 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 398 grants of 439 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 91% of grant dollars went to recipients in California. Other recipient states and jurisdictions were New York (3%), the District of Columbia (2%), Vermont (1%), and Massachusetts (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 82 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Emmett Foundation open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 82 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $48K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 55% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 57% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 551% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
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 $1.0M (2021) to $3.6M (2025). In 2025 it made 82 grants totaling $3.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cate School Carpinteria, CA | To Benefit Education | $1,138,801 |
| UCLA Foundation Los Angeles, CA | To Benefit Education | $1,000,000 |
| Stanford University Stanford, CA | To Benefit Education | $500,000 |
| The Trust for Public Land San Francisco, CA | To Protect and Create Parks | $250,000 |
| One Percent for the Planet Burlington, VT | To support an alliance of businesses for a healthy planet | $50,000 |
| Sustainable Conservation San Francisco, CA | To Conserve California's Land, Air and Water | $50,000 |
| Natural Resources Defense Council Santa Monica, CA | To Benefit Wildlife | $50,000 |
| Environmental Defense Fund New York, NY | To Preserve the Land and Wildlife | $50,000 |
| Environmental Defense Center Santa Barbara, CA | To benefit endeavors to protect the environment and promote environmental education | $30,000 |
| Riviera Ridge School Santa Barbara, CA | To Benefit Education | $30,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Emmett 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $240,058 | $3,563,017 | $3,602,455 | $3,579,301 | 82 | $3,602,455 | $638,017 | $654,328 |
| 2024 | $289,026 | $1,838,011 | $2,966,948 | $2,940,768 | 84 | $2,966,948 | $638,011 | $619,783 |
| 2023 | $1,441,963 | $2,414,289 | $3,359,778 | $3,324,760 | 101 | $3,359,778 | $1,574,474 | $591,714 |
| 2022 | $2,415,452 | $2,379,168 | $2,285,750 | $2,281,650 | 99 | $2,285,750 | $2,219,403 | $1,160,250 |
| 2021 | $2,345,720 | $3,240,176 | $1,028,383 | $1,024,778 | 73 | — | $1,751,257 | $1,343,363 |
| 2020 | $158,927 | $582,851 | $1,158,029 | $1,154,328 | 89 | — | $582,851 | $1,253,155 |
| 2019 | $743,864 | $512,157 | $1,318,963 | $1,315,350 | 94 | — | $498,324 | $1,577,525 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Emmett Foundation reported a distributable amount of $654K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s 2024 filing says it makes grants to various nonprofit organizations focused on conservation, education, and public health. Its 2025 grants included support for education, parks, wildlife, and environmental protection.
Grantees describe their work in those areas in their own terms. Cate School says it educates high school students through commitment, scholarship, and service; the UCLA Foundation says it helps advance UCLA as an academic and research institution. The Trust for Public Land says it creates parks and protects land for people, while the Environmental Defense Center says it protects and enhances the local environment through education, advocacy, and legal action.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 82 grants totaling $3,579,301. Grants ranged from $500 to $1,138,801, with a median of $3,750.
The largest 2025 grants included $1,138,801 to Cate School, $1,000,000 to the UCLA Foundation, and $500,000 to Stanford University, each for education. The Trust for Public Land received $250,000 to protect and create parks. Environmental grants included $50,000 to Sustainable Conservation to conserve California’s land, air, and water; $50,000 to the Natural Resources Defense Council to benefit wildlife; and $50,000 to the Environmental Defense Fund to preserve land and wildlife.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dan A Emmett as director and president; Rosalind Emmett Nieman, Daniel W Emmett, and Tyler A Emmett as directors, vice presidents, and assistant secretaries; Morgan W Emmett as director, vice president, and secretary; and Amanda White as CFO, treasurer, and assistant secretary.
Emmett Foundation is led by Dan A. Emmett, Director & President on every filing since 2019; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Dan A. Emmett
Director & President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Daniel W. Emmett
Director, Vice President & Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Morgan W. Emmett
Director, Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Rosalind Emmett Nieman
Director, Vice President & Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Tyler A. Emmett
Director, Vice President & Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Amanda White
CFO, Trsr & Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Rae M. Emmett (2019–2024) — Director, Vice President & Assistant Secretary
- Former: Kyra Goodman (2019–2022) — Assistant Secretary
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.
Frequently asked questions about Emmett Foundation
How much does Emmett Foundation give each year?
Emmett Foundation gave $3.6M across 82 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.9M across 84 grants.
What is Emmett Foundation's typical grant size?
Emmett Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,750, and its average grant was $43,650, across 82 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Emmett Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does Emmett Foundation give grants?
Emmett Foundation gives mostly in California: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Santa Barbara, CA (13 grants), Washington, DC (12 grants), Santa Monica, CA (6 grants) and Los Angeles, CA (5 grants).
Does Emmett Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 82 grants with a stated purpose on Emmett Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Benefit Education" (14 grants), "To Benefit Environment" (4 grants) and "To Benefit Climate Change" (3 grants).
Who are Emmett Foundation's largest grantees?
Emmett Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Cate School ($1,138,801), UCLA Foundation ($1,000,000) and Stanford University ($500,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 74% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Emmett Foundation?
Emmett Foundation reported $240K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $654K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Emmett Foundation fund?
The foundation’s 2024 filing says it makes grants to various nonprofit organizations focused on conservation, education, and public health. Its 2025 grants included support for education, parks, wildlife, and environmental protection. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Emmett 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 Emmett Foundation's EIN?
Emmett Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-0429029. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Emmett 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 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 June 15, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Emmett Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Emmett Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/emmett-foundation-morg_3bf42fe4861643d998e17c4fed38f5da
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_200429029_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Emmett Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/emmett-foundation-morg_3bf42fe4861643d998e17c4fed38f5da},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Emmett 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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