Karsten Family Foundation
The Karsten Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Los Angeles, California. Its 2024 filing reports grants to organizations working in areas including civic participation, democracy, social justice, refugee support, and community engagement; these are grantees’ activities, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Karsten Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Karsten Family Foundation gave $203K across 21 grants in 2024 (avg $10K), top state New York. 62% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $202,845
- +26.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 21
- +31.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $9,659
- -4.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $1,011,772
- -13.1% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 62% first-time grantees (13 of 21, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (31% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Karsten Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 11693 San Vicente Blvd 299, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone: (707) 575-9416
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Karsten Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was The Brennan Center for Justice ($20K). Together the top 10 received $128K.
Grant Size Distribution
114 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 114 grants of 114 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in New York (31%), North Carolina (16%), California (13%), Washington, DC (12%), and Montana (10%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Karsten Family Foundation open to new grantees?
62%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 13 of 21 grantees (62%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 29% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 50% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 353% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $124K (2020) to $203K (2024). In 2024 it made 21 grants totaling $203K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Brennan Center for Justice New York, NY | Public Support of Organization Mission | $20,000 |
| Project Shema New York, NY | Public Support of Organization Mission | $15,000 |
| Rock the Vote Washington, DC | Public Support of Organization Mission | $15,000 |
| Tides Foundation San Francisco, CA | Public Support of Organization Mission | $15,000 |
| Down Home North Carolina Burlington, NC | Public Support of Organization Mission | $12,500 |
| Democracy North Carolina Morrisville, NC | Public Support of Organization Mission | $10,000 |
| Forward Montana Foundation Missoula, MT | Public Support of Organization Mission | $10,000 |
| Hias Silver Spring, MD | Public Support of Organization Mission | $10,000 |
| Mi Familia Vota Phoenix, AZ | Public Support of Organization Mission | $10,000 |
| Michigan Voices Detroit, MI | Public Support of Organization Mission | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Karsten Family 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,011,772 | $51,929 | $214,539 | $202,845 | 21 | $205,037 | $43,724 | $58,047 |
| 2023 | $1,164,146 | $44,586 | $173,471 | $161,025 | 16 | $163,577 | $35,675 | $63,725 |
| 2022 | $1,293,031 | $79,000 | $173,113 | $156,250 | 17 | $161,434 | $68,920 | $68,265 |
| 2021 | $1,387,144 | $135,705 | $157,574 | $135,258 | 30 | $136,808 | $115,059 | $81,367 |
| 2020 | $1,409,013 | $94,886 | $157,820 | $123,941 | 30 | — | $8,044 | $71,356 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Karsten Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $58K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Rock the Vote says it builds young people’s civic power through voter registration, education, and mobilization. HIAS describes its work as helping refugees find welcome, safety, and opportunity, while Mi Familia Vota says it expands civic engagement and the electorate, including through voter registration and community organizing. Democracy North Carolina says it works to strengthen democratic structures and build power among disenfranchised communities.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 21 grants totaling $202,845. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $20,000, with a median grant of $10,000. The largest listed awards included $20,000 to the Brennan Center for Justice; $15,000 each to Project Shema, Rock the Vote, and Tides Foundation; and $12,500 to Down Home North Carolina. Other listed $10,000 grants went to Democracy North Carolina, Forward Montana Foundation, HIAS, Mi Familia Vota, Michigan Voices, Montana Women Vote, and Public Wise.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Lesley Karsten as director and president, Thomas Karsten Jr. as director and secretary, and Liza Karsten-Nienaltow as director and CFO.
Karsten Family Foundation is led by Lesley Karsten, Director & President since 2021 (on filings since 2020); none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Lesley Karsten
Director & President
Director & Secretary → Director & President, 2021
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Liza Karsten-Nienaltow
Director & CFO
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Karsten Jr.
Director & Secretary
Vice President → Director & Secretary, 2021
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Timothy Karsten JD (2020) — Director & President
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.
Frequently asked questions about Karsten Family Foundation
How much does Karsten Family Foundation give each year?
Karsten Family Foundation gave $203K across 21 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $161K across 16 grants.
What is Karsten Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Karsten Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $9,659, across 21 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Karsten Family Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does Karsten Family Foundation give grants?
Karsten Family Foundation's top state is New York, with 31% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were North Carolina (16%) and California (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (5 grants), Washington, DC (2 grants), Missoula, MT (2 grants) and San Francisco, CA (2 grants).
Does Karsten Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 21 grants with a stated purpose on Karsten Family Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Public Support of Organization Mission" (21 grants).
Who are Karsten Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Karsten Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include The Brennan Center for Justice ($20,000), Project Shema ($15,000) and Rock the Vote ($15,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 25% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Karsten Family Foundation?
Karsten Family Foundation reported $1.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $205K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $58K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Karsten Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Rock the Vote says it builds young people’s civic power through voter registration, education, and mobilization. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Karsten Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Karsten Family Foundation's EIN?
Karsten Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-4247359. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Karsten Family 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Karsten Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/karsten-family-foundation-morg_985ea4f06d3a431c94030cbb17d8fd47
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_954247359_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Karsten Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/karsten-family-foundation-morg_985ea4f06d3a431c94030cbb17d8fd47},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Karsten Family 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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