Nicholas Endowment
Nicholas Endowment is a private foundation based in Irvine, California. Its 2024 grants supported charitable organizations in California, including arts and cultural institutions, education and workforce initiatives, and health-related organizations.
Nicholas Endowment at a glance
In short: Nicholas Endowment gave $2.0M across 31 grants in 2024 (avg $63K), mostly in California. 5% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,967,400
- +0.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 31
- -11.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $63,465
- +13.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $60,000
- Total assets
- $44,230,530
- +3.4% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 5% first-time grantees (1 of 22, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (100% 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 Nicholas Endowment
- 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: 5319 University Drive Suite 314, Irvine, CA 92612
Phone: (949) 338-9611
Website: https://nicholas-endowment.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Nicholas Endowment funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Orange County Community Foundation ($241K across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
171 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 70 grants of 171 (41%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars in 2024 went to recipients in California. Listed recipients include organizations in Orange County and Los Angeles.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 31 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Nicholas Endowment open to new grantees?
5%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 1 of 22 grantees (5%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $75K; repeat grants $90K. How we count
Medians: $75K first-time, $70K repeat.
- 95% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+0%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 96% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 $1.9M (2020) to $2.1M (2022). In 2024 it made 31 grants totaling $2.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| South Coast Repertory Costa Mesa, CA | Core Support | $175,000 |
| Ocean Institute Dana Point, CA | Program Support | $150,000 |
| Pacific Symphony Irvine, CA | Core Support | $150,000 |
| Orange County Community Foundation Newport Beach, CA | Trustee Recommended Grants | $122,400 |
| Bowers Museum Santa Ana, CA | Art Access Program | $115,000 |
| Children's Hospital of Orange County Orange, CA | Child Protection Team Expansion | $115,000 |
| Mission San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano, CA | Program Support | $115,000 |
| Orange County Community Foundation Newport Beach, CA | Work Force Development | $115,000 |
| St Margaret's of Scotland Episcopal School San Juan Capistrano, CA | Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano | $115,000 |
| UCI - Gavin Herbert Eye Institute Irvine, CA | Mobile Eye Clinic | $75,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Nicholas Endowment?
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 | $44,230,530 | $2,697,853 | $2,211,317 | $1,967,400 | 31 | $2,085,575 | $2,430,727 | $2,172,673 |
| 2023 | $42,787,117 | $2,396,340 | $2,182,543 | $1,961,950 | 35 | $2,068,502 | $2,252,815 | $2,066,774 |
| 2022 | $40,678,422 | $3,316,507 | $2,270,727 | $2,057,400 | 36 | $2,156,899 | $3,132,340 | $2,105,948 |
| 2021 | $48,039,081 | $3,148,302 | $2,179,585 | $1,967,400 | 35 | $2,067,952 | $3,069,224 | $2,274,751 |
| 2020 | $43,855,886 | $1,176,101 | $2,071,130 | $1,854,920 | 34 | — | $1,060,661 | $1,911,371 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Nicholas Endowment reported a distributable amount of $2.2M 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 Endowment is provided here. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including performing arts, museums, ocean and maritime education, child health and protection, workforce development, and veterans’ education and legal services.
Among its grantees, South Coast Repertory describes its work as educating and serving the community through stage productions and drama classes. Ocean Institute says it uses the ocean as a classroom and provides ocean and maritime history learning experiences for children. Children’s Hospital of Orange County describes its mission as nurturing, advancing, and protecting children’s health and well-being.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the Endowment made 31 grants totaling $1,967,400. Grants ranged from $4,000 to $175,000, with a median of $60,000. The largest awards included $175,000 to South Coast Repertory for core support; $150,000 each to Ocean Institute for program support and Pacific Symphony for core support; and $122,400 to Orange County Community Foundation for trustee-recommended grants. Other notable awards included $115,000 each to Bowers Museum for its Art Access Program, Children’s Hospital of Orange County for Child Protection Team expansion, Mission San Juan Capistrano for program support, Orange County Community Foundation for workforce development, and St Margaret’s of Scotland Episcopal School for Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Daniel T. Stetson as trustee and executive director, Claudia Sangster as trustee and chair, and Paula Tomei and Robert Feller as trustees.
Nicholas Endowment is led by Daniel T. Stetson, Trustee & Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 4 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Daniel T. Stetson
Trustee & Executive Director
On filings since 2020
30 hrs/week
$71K (2020) → $83K (2024)
Claudia Sangster
Trustee & Chair
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paula Tomei
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert Feller
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $83K, to Daniel T Stetson (Trustee and Executive Dire).
Frequently asked questions about Nicholas Endowment
How much does Nicholas Endowment give each year?
Nicholas Endowment gave $2.0M across 31 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.0M across 35 grants.
What is Nicholas Endowment's typical grant size?
Nicholas Endowment's median grant in 2024 was $60,000, and its average grant was $63,465, across 31 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Nicholas Endowment that year got $75K on average.
Where does Nicholas Endowment give grants?
Nicholas Endowment gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Irvine, CA (10 grants), Los Angeles, CA (6 grants), San Juan Capistrano, CA (4 grants) and Newport Beach, CA (3 grants).
Does Nicholas Endowment give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 31 grants with a stated purpose on Nicholas Endowment's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Professional Development" (10 grants).
Who are Nicholas Endowment's largest grantees?
Nicholas Endowment's largest 2024 grantees include Orange County Community Foundation ($241,400 across 3 grants), South Coast Repertory ($179,000 across 2 grants) and Ocean Institute ($154,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 29% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Nicholas Endowment?
Nicholas Endowment reported $44.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.2M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Nicholas Endowment fund?
No mission statement for the Endowment is provided here. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including performing arts, museums, ocean and maritime education, child health and protection, workforce development, and veterans’ education and legal services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Nicholas Endowment?
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 Nicholas Endowment's EIN?
Nicholas Endowment's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-6117991. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Nicholas Endowment 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 6, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 3, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Nicholas Endowment funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/nicholas-endowment-morg_8fa2d043120a451496d5dcadb4c0c00b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_466117991_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Nicholas Endowment funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/nicholas-endowment-morg_8fa2d043120a451496d5dcadb4c0c00b},
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 Nicholas Endowment'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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