Farhang Foundation
Farhang Foundation is a public charity based in Glendale, California. It supports the celebration and promotion of Iranian art and culture for the benefit of the community at large.
Farhang Foundation at a glance
In short: Farhang Foundation gave $2.4M across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $240K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,401,460
- +2138.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +11.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $240,146
- +1914.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $14,250
- Total assets
- $6,939,753
- +12.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Farhang Foundation
- Contact
Mailing address: 521 N Orange St 1-709, Glendale, CA 91203
Phone: (310) 666-1546
Website: https://farhang.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Farhang Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Southern California ($2.2M). Together the top 10 received $2.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
35 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 31 grants of 35 (89%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All reported 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in California. The recipients were located in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Irvine, San Diego, San Francisco, Newport Beach, and Costa Mesa.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Farhang Foundation gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (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 $21K (2022) to $2.4M (2025). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $2.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | Promotion of Iranian Art/Culture/History | $2,247,460 |
| Roudaki Orchastra Inc Los Angeles, CA | Promotion of Iranian Art/Culture/History | $45,000 |
| Ucsb Santa Barbara, CA | Promotion of Iranian Art/Culture/History | $25,000 |
| Pacific Symphony Irvine, CA | Promotion of Iranian Art/Culture/History | $20,000 |
| San Diego Museum of Art San Diego, CA | Promotion of Iranian Art/Culture/History | $18,500 |
| American Film Institute Los Angeles, CA | Promotion of Iranian Art/Culture/History | $10,000 |
| Evensong Collection Los Angeles, CA | Promotion of Iranian Art/Culture/History | $10,000 |
| Yerba Buena Center for the Arts San Francisco, CA | Promotion of Iranian Art/Culture/History | $10,000 |
| Newport Beach Independent International Film Festival Newport Beach, CA | Promotion of Iranian Art/Culture/History | $10,000 |
| South Coast Repertory Costa Mesa, CA | Promotion of Iranian Art/Culture/History | $5,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $6,939,753 | $3,148,089 | $4,272,244 | $2,401,460 | 10 | $467,238 |
| 2024 | $6,154,429 | $2,116,494 | $1,792,166 | $107,272 | 9 | $125,116 |
| 2023 | $5,928,660 | $5,290,700 | $1,814,518 | $601,500 | 10 | $26,410 |
| 2022 | $2,310,744 | $1,919,260 | $1,185,868 | $21,000 | 2 | $1,649 |
| 2021 | $1,622,513 | $1,149,138 | $854,670 | $30,400 | 4 | $1,513 |
| 2020 | $1,817,644 | $1,625,619 | $1,930,647 | $803,191 | 4 | $20,249 |
| 2019 | $3,073,152 | $2,241,090 | $1,733,907 | $322,267 | 5 | $18,622 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to celebrate and promote Iranian art and culture for the benefit of the community at large. Its programs include Nowruz events, Iranian film, literature and music activities, and an Iranian Studies Initiative at USC. The foundation also describes a Persian language and culture after-school program for K–12 students, offered free to participating schools.
Its 2025 grants supported cultural programming at a range of organizations. For example, Pacific Symphony describes its work as providing orchestral performances and other music, education, and community-engagement programs; the San Diego Museum of Art says its mission is to inspire, educate, and cultivate curiosity through works of art. YBCA describes itself as a multidisciplinary contemporary arts center where artists and communities engage with art. The American Film Institute focuses on screen education and recognizing excellence in film, television, and digital media, while South Coast Repertory says it serves its community through dramatic productions and classes.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Farhang Foundation reported 10 grants totaling $2,401,460. Grant amounts ranged from $5,500 to $2,247,460, with a median grant of $14,250. The largest grant was $2,247,460 to the University of Southern California for promotion of Iranian art, culture, and history. Other notable grants included $45,000 to Roudaki Orchestra, $25,000 to UCSB, $20,000 to Pacific Symphony, and $18,500 to the San Diego Museum of Art, each for the same stated purpose.
Other 2025 recipients included the American Film Institute, Evensong Collection, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Newport Beach Independent International Film Festival, and South Coast Repertory. Each received $5,500–$10,000 for promotion of Iranian art, culture, and history.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Alireza Ardekani as executive director and Haleh Emrani as trustee and chair. Other listed trustees are Philip Cohanim, Mark Moshayedi, Andrew Tavakoli, Mehraban Khajehnouri, Michael Amin, Mehran Mavaddat, Shazad Ghanbari, and Hooshang Pak.
Farhang Foundation is led by Alireza Ardekani, Executive Director on every filing since 2019; 1 of 19 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Alireza Ardekani
Executive Director
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$164K (2019) → $283K (2025)
Haleh Emrani
Trustee & Chair
Trustee → Chair, 2022
Chair → Trustee & Chair, 2023
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ali Razi
Trustee & Vice Chair
Trustee & Vice Chair → Trustee, 2021
Trustee → Trustee & Vice Chair, 2022
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Tavakoli
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anoosheh Oskouian
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dariush Gabbay
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Farhad Mohit
Trustee & Vice Chair
Trustee & Vice Chair → Trustee, 2020
Trustee → Trustee & Vice Chair, 2022
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hooshang Pak
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hormoz Ameri
Trustee
Officer → Trustee & Vice Chair, 2022
Trustee & Vice Chair → Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark Amin
Trustee
Trustee → Trustee & Vice Chair, 2022
Trustee & Vice Chair → Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark Moshayedi
Trustee & CFO
Trustee → CFO, 2021
CFO → Trustee & CFO, 2023
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mehraban Khajehnouri
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mehran Mavaddat
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Amin
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shazad Ghanbari
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Samaneh Tahbazof
Trustee
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Philip Cohanim
Trustee
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karoon Monfared
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sara Alvarez
Secretary
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (6)
- Former: Aria Mehrabi (2019–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Hirad Dagostar (2023–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Marjaneh Afkhami (2023–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Farshad Melamed (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Hassan Izad (2019–2020) — CFO
- Former: Parto Moshayedi (2019–2020) — Trustee
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $283K, to Alireza Ardekani (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Farhang Foundation
How much does Farhang Foundation give each year?
Farhang Foundation gave $2.4M across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $107K across 9 grants.
What is Farhang Foundation's typical grant size?
Farhang Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $14,250, and its average grant was $240,146, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Farhang Foundation give grants?
Farhang Foundation gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (4 grants).
Does Farhang Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Farhang Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Promotion of Iranian Art/Culture/History" (10 grants).
Who are Farhang Foundation's largest grantees?
Farhang Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University of Southern California ($2,247,460), Roudaki Orchastra Inc ($45,000) and Ucsb ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 97% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Farhang Foundation?
Farhang Foundation reported $6.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $3.1M.
What does Farhang Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to celebrate and promote Iranian art and culture for the benefit of the community at large. Its programs include Nowruz events, Iranian film, literature and music activities, and an Iranian Studies Initiative at USC. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Farhang Foundation?
Farhang Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check farhang.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Farhang Foundation's EIN?
Farhang Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1574533. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 14, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS December 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 8, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS December 23, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Farhang Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Farhang Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/farhang-foundation-morg_9487a4499e774bcb899fd771179693ca
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_261574533_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Farhang Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/farhang-foundation-morg_9487a4499e774bcb899fd771179693ca},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Farhang 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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