Johnny Carson Foundation
The Johnny Carson Foundation is a private foundation based in Encino, California, established in 2006. It makes grants to charitable organizations; its 2025 grants included support for a university, health care, food assistance, education, and research.
Johnny Carson Foundation at a glance
In short: Johnny Carson Foundation gave $13.3M across 259 grants in 2025 (avg $51K), mostly in California. 8% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $13,336,100
- +0.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 259
- +2.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $51,491
- -2.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $120,740,620
- +0.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 8% first-time grantees (21 of 257, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (51% 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 Johnny Carson Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 16030 Ventura Blvd 320, Encino, CA 91436
Phone: (310) 980-7502
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Johnny Carson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Nebraska Foundation ($4.5M). Together the top 10 received $6.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
1,213 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 1,004 grants of 1,213 (83%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 51% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 43% to recipients in Nebraska. Illinois, Colorado, and New York each received 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 259 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Johnny Carson Foundation open to new grantees?
8%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 21 of 257 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $17K; repeat grants $55K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 91% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 188% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $8.6M (2020) to $15.5M (2023). In 2025 it made 259 grants totaling $13.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Nebraska Foundation Lincoln, NE | Carson center for emerging media arts - $2,000,000lied center building fund-$2,500,000cyfs program - $25,000husker pantry - $20,000 | $4,545,000 |
| Faith Regional Health Services Foundation Norfolk, NE | Varian Trubeam Radiotherapy System & Vault | $500,000 |
| La Regional Food Bank Los Angeles, CA | Unrestricted Support | $330,000 |
| Homeboy Industries Los Angeles, CA | Unrestricted Support | $290,000 |
| Uc Regents Los Angeles, CA | Drakaki Cancer Research Project | $250,000 |
| Westside Food Bank Santa Monica, CA | Unrestricted Support | $230,000 |
| Nebraska Cultural Endowment Omaha, NE | Unrestricted Support | $200,000 |
| Alliance for College Ready Public Schools Los Angeles, CA | Scholarships - $120,000black, proud and college bound initiative - $50,000unrestricted support-$20,000 | $190,000 |
| National Jewish Health Denver, CO | Copd Research - $125,000UNRESTRICTED Support - $30,000 | $155,000 |
| Pat Tillman Foundation Chicago, IL | Tillman Scholars Program | $155,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Amounts are reported by filing year.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $120,740,620 | $16,657,170 | $16,386,445 | $13,336,100 | 259 | $14,109,712 | $15,745,160 | $7,502,744 |
| 2024 | $120,469,895 | $13,128,284 | $16,317,304 | $13,302,700 | 252 | $13,964,881 | $11,914,560 | $7,690,449 |
| 2023 | $123,658,915 | $10,509,086 | $18,820,169 | $15,466,600 | 250 | $16,075,717 | $8,167,315 | $8,025,607 |
| 2022 | $131,959,998 | $12,550,122 | $16,466,077 | $13,249,300 | 240 | $13,828,024 | $10,531,682 | $8,912,588 |
| 2021 | $135,875,953 | $14,900,668 | $17,800,834 | $14,368,365 | 212 | — | $11,500,260 | $8,324,275 |
| 2020 | $138,749,732 | $11,854,293 | $11,459,584 | $8,564,200 | 196 | — | $9,276,453 | $7,813,603 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Johnny Carson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $7.5M 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for organizations and projects across several areas. For example, the University of Nebraska Foundation says it grows relationships and resources to help the University of Nebraska “change lives and save lives.” Homeboy Industries says it provides hope, training, and support to formerly incarcerated and formerly gang-involved people. Westside Food Bank says it addresses hunger in West Los Angeles County, and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment says it supports the activities of the Nebraska Arts Council and Humanities Nebraska.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 259 grants totaling $13,336,100. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $4,545,000, with a median of $20,000.
The largest grant was $4,545,000 to the University of Nebraska Foundation, for the Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts, the Lied Center Building Fund, the CYFS Program, and Husker Pantry. Other notable grants included $500,000 to Faith Regional Health Services Foundation for a Varian TrueBeam radiotherapy system and vault; $330,000 to LA Regional Food Bank for unrestricted support; $290,000 to Homeboy Industries for unrestricted support; and $250,000 to UC Regents for a Drakaki cancer research project. The foundation also gave $230,000 to Westside Food Bank and $200,000 to Nebraska Cultural Endowment, both for unrestricted support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lawrence L Witzer as COO/CFO/Secretary and director; Allan L Alexander as CEO, president, general counsel, and director; Steven Sotzing as director; Lawrence Heller as director; and Jeffrey Sotzing as chief program officer and director.
Johnny Carson Foundation is led by Allan L. Alexander, CEO, President, General Counsel & Director on every filing since 2020; all 5 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Allan L. Alexander
CEO, President, General Counsel & Director
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$242K (2020) → $271K (2025)
Jeffrey Sotzing
Chief Program Officer & Director
On filings since 2020
16 hrs/week
$85K (2020) → $111K (2025)
Lawrence Heller
Director
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
$42K (2020) → $45K (2025)
Lawrence L. Witzer
COO, CFO, Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$242K (2020) → $271K (2025)
Steven Sotzing
Director
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
$42K (2020) → $47K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 $271K, to Lawrence L Witzer (COO/CFO/Sec/Director). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Johnny Carson Foundation
How much does Johnny Carson Foundation give each year?
Johnny Carson Foundation gave $13.3M across 259 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $13.3M across 252 grants.
What is Johnny Carson Foundation's typical grant size?
Johnny Carson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $51,491, across 259 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Johnny Carson Foundation that year got $17K on average.
Where does Johnny Carson Foundation give grants?
Johnny Carson Foundation gives mostly in California: 51% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Nebraska (43%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (113 grants), Santa Monica, CA (10 grants), Norfolk, NE (8 grants) and Culver City, CA (6 grants).
Does Johnny Carson Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 83% of Johnny Carson Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (215 of 259) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Scholarships" (3 grants).
Who are Johnny Carson Foundation's largest grantees?
Johnny Carson Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University of Nebraska Foundation ($4,545,000), Faith Regional Health Services Foundation ($500,000) and La Regional Food Bank ($330,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Johnny Carson Foundation?
Johnny Carson Foundation reported $120.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $14.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $7.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Johnny Carson Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for organizations and projects across several areas. For example, the University of Nebraska Foundation says it grows relationships and resources to help the University of Nebraska “change lives and save lives.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Johnny Carson Foundation?
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 ↑
What is Johnny Carson Foundation's EIN?
Johnny Carson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-5885752. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Johnny Carson 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Johnny Carson Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Johnny Carson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/johnny-carson-foundation-morg_b73b7a831f1b4d88b33f25a21e2d7752
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_205885752_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Johnny Carson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/johnny-carson-foundation-morg_b73b7a831f1b4d88b33f25a21e2d7752},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Johnny Carson 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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