LJ Scenic Foundation
LJ Scenic Foundation is a private foundation based in San Diego, California. Its 2024 filing describes grants to individuals pursuing specified research or improving skills in the arts, literature, teaching, scholarly research, or writing.
LJ Scenic Foundation at a glance
In short: LJ Scenic Foundation gave $1.0M across 15 grants in 2024 (avg $67K), mostly in California. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,004,482
- -9.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 15
- -28.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $66,965
- +27.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $22,500
- Total assets
- $547,324
- +23.1% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- California (95% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to LJ Scenic Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s 2024 filing names Harlan A. Jacobs as the application contact. Applicants are required to submit an individual grant application with a complete educational and biographical record and supporting materials, including a report on academic and professional careers, a detailed plan and budget for use of the grant, plans and commitments after the grant, letters of reference, and publication lists. Applicants must also demonstrate financial need. The filing says there are no deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Harlan A Jacobs
Mailing address: 12626 High Bluff Dr Ste 400, San Diego, CA 92130
Phone: (858) 299-5900
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who LJ Scenic Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was San Diego Symphony ($500K). Together the top 10 received $970K.
Grant Size Distribution
36 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 24 grants of 36 (67%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 2% to Nevada, 1% to Utah, and 1% to New Jersey.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
How LJ Scenic Foundation gives
- 40% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 2023 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.0M (2024) to $1.1M (2023). In 2024 it made 15 grants totaling $1.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Symphony San Diego, CA | General Fund | $500,000 |
| Uplift Youth Foundation San Diego, CA | General Fund | $125,000 |
| Hero World Challenge-TGR Foundation Irvine, CA | General Fund | $80,196 |
| Challenged Athletes Foundation San Diego, CA | General Fund | $77,000 |
| La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla, CA | General Fund | $60,000 |
| The Legacy Del Mar, CA | General Fund | $56,036 |
| UNLV Foundation Las Vegas, NV | General Fund | $25,000 |
| Museum of Contemporary Art San Dieg La Jolla, CA | General Fund | $22,500 |
| US Ski Snowboard Foundation Park City, UT | General Fund | $14,000 |
| Beth Israel - Ner Tamid Leaders San Diego, CA | General Fund | $10,000 |
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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 | $547,324 | $1,119,416 | $1,016,706 | $1,004,482 | 15 | $1,010,040 | $1,107,568 | $3,162 |
| 2023 | $444,614 | $616,867 | $1,121,585 | $1,105,632 | 21 | $1,111,548 | $606,879 | $28,806 |
| 2021 | $1,798,313 | $1,814,670 | $16,357 | — | — | $8,178 | $876,616 | — |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, LJ Scenic Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3K 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 filing says grants to individuals are restricted to those pursuing economic, scientific, medical, historical, legal, or literary research and producing a report, or improving skills in the visual or performing arts, literature, teaching, scholarly research, or writing.
Among its 2024 organizational grantees, Uplift Youth Foundation received $125,000. The grantee describes its mission as providing youth with tools for movement, mindfulness, and peer connection to support wellbeing, create community, and nurture growth.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 15 grants totaling $1,004,482. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $500,000, with a median of $22,500. In 2023, it reported 21 grants totaling $1,105,632. Its 2024 filing, the latest on this page, reports 15 grants totaling $1 million.
The largest listed 2024 grants were $500,000 to San Diego Symphony, $125,000 to Uplift Youth Foundation, $80,196 to Hero World Challenge-TGR Foundation, $77,000 to Challenged Athletes Foundation, $60,000 to La Jolla Playhouse, and $56,036 to The Legacy. Each was listed for “GENERAL FUND.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Harlan A. Jacobs as President & CFO, Debby Jacobs as VP & Secretary, and Conner Jacobs and Lindsey Jacobs as directors.
LJ Scenic Foundation is led by Harlan A. Jacobs, President & CFO on every filing since 2021; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Harlan A. Jacobs
President & CFO
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Conner Jacobs
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lindsey Jacobs
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Debby Jacobs
Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Linsdey Jacobs (2021) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2024. "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 LJ Scenic Foundation
How much does LJ Scenic Foundation give each year?
LJ Scenic Foundation gave $1.0M across 15 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.1M across 21 grants.
What is LJ Scenic Foundation's typical grant size?
LJ Scenic Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $22,500, and its average grant was $66,965, across 15 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does LJ Scenic Foundation give grants?
LJ Scenic Foundation 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 San Diego, CA (7 grants) and La Jolla, CA (3 grants).
Does LJ Scenic Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of LJ Scenic Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are LJ Scenic Foundation's largest grantees?
LJ Scenic Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include San Diego Symphony ($500,000), Uplift Youth Foundation ($125,000) and Hero World Challenge-TGR Foundation ($80,196), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 70% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is LJ Scenic Foundation?
LJ Scenic Foundation reported $547K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does LJ Scenic Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from LJ Scenic Foundation?
The foundation’s 2024 filing names Harlan A. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is LJ Scenic Foundation's EIN?
LJ Scenic Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-3506925. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2024.
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 2021–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). LJ Scenic Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/lj-scenic-foundation-morg_c6eacd53858d478880cf410bcd465da0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_873506925_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{LJ Scenic Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/lj-scenic-foundation-morg_c6eacd53858d478880cf410bcd465da0},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 LJ Scenic 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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