Ornest Family Foundation
The Ornest Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Santa Monica, California. Its 2025 filing lists 48 grants totaling $393,850 to organizations working in areas including Jewish activities, health, education, athletics, environmental education, and legal advocacy.
Ornest Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Ornest Family Foundation gave $394K across 48 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in California. 35% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $393,850
- -24.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 48
- -36.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,205
- +18.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,500
- Total assets
- $4,039,776
- -20.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 35% first-time grantees (17 of 48, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (61% 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 Ornest Family 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: 15 Latimer Rd, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Phone: (310) 459-4254
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ornest Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Jewish Federation ($45K). Together the top 10 received $215K.
Grant Size Distribution
298 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 296 grants of 298 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, California organizations received 61% of grant dollars. The next-largest recipient-state shares were Washington, D.C. and Maine at 7% each, New York at 6%, and Massachusetts at 5%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 48 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Ornest Family Foundation open to new grantees?
35%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 17 of 48 grantees (35%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+3%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 114% 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 $384K (2022) to $520K (2024). In 2025 it made 48 grants totaling $394K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish Federation Los Angeles, CA | Support of American Jewish Activities | $45,000 |
| Cedars Sinai Cardiology Los Angeles, CA | Support Cardiology Research | $35,000 |
| Ucsb Santa Barbara, CA | Support for the University of California, Santa Barbara | $26,000 |
| Beverly Hills Athletic Alumni Association Beverly Hills, CA | To Support High School Athletics | $25,000 |
| Friends of Vancouver Foundation Seattle, WA | To support creating healthy, vibrant, equitable, and inclusive communities. | $20,000 |
| Hillel Washington, DC | To Support Jewish Students | $18,000 |
| Chewonki Foundation Wiscasset, ME | Support Environmental Education | $14,000 |
| Saint John's Health Center Foundation Santa Monica, CA | Support for Saint John's Health Center | $11,500 |
| The Foundation for Art & Healing Brighton, MA | To support the improvement of personal and public health. | $10,500 |
| ACLU Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Support of Phuman Rights Through Legal Advocacy | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Ornest 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $4,039,776 | $3,142,508 | $528,081 | $393,850 | 48 | $421,736 | $3,010,491 | $369,295 |
| 2024 | $5,054,521 | $160,329 | $653,509 | $520,350 | 75 | $591,913 | $153,290 | $499,821 |
| 2023 | $5,547,701 | $403,660 | $524,550 | $384,800 | 61 | $443,262 | $330,472 | $489,229 |
| 2022 | $5,658,591 | $693,331 | $539,518 | $383,500 | 58 | $444,730 | $608,118 | $540,124 |
| 2021 | $5,504,778 | $385,298 | $598,872 | $466,059 | 56 | — | $313,806 | $465,502 |
| 2020 | $5,718,352 | $260,599 | $532,029 | $411,076 | 51 | — | $192,991 | $449,159 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ornest Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $369K 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 separate mission statement is provided. The foundation’s 2025 grants include support for organizations involved in Jewish activities and student support, cardiology research, university programs, high school athletics, environmental education, and legal advocacy.
The grantees describe their own work in varied terms. The Beverly Hills Athletic Alumni Association says it raises funds to enhance Beverly Hills High School’s athletic department and provide scholarships to student athletes. Chewonki Foundation says it promotes appreciation and stewardship of the natural world and sustainable communities. The Foundation for Art & Healing says it promotes creative expression as a path to health and wellbeing. These are descriptions of the grantees, not stated priorities of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 48 grants totaling $393,850. Grants ranged from $500 to $45,000, with a median of $5,500. Among the largest were $45,000 to Jewish Federation for American Jewish activities; $35,000 to Cedars Sinai Cardiology for cardiology research; $26,000 to UCSB; and $25,000 to the Beverly Hills Athletic Alumni Association for high school athletics. Other awards included $20,000 to Friends of Vancouver Foundation and $14,000 to Chewonki Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Laura Ornest as president, CFO, and director; Cindy Ornest as director; and Michael Ornest as director, with “resigned 53124” appearing alongside his listing.
Ornest Family Foundation is led by Laura Ornest, President, CFO & Director on every filing since 2020; all 2 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Laura Ornest
President, CFO & Director
On filings since 2020
8 hrs/week
$18K (2020) → $18K (2025)
Cindy Ornest
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$12K (2020) → $12K (2025)
Former officers (1)
- Former: Michael Ornest (2020–2025) — Director · Filing note: Resigned 53124
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 $18K, to Laura Ornest (President, CFO, Director). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Ornest Family Foundation
How much does Ornest Family Foundation give each year?
Ornest Family Foundation gave $394K across 48 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $520K across 75 grants.
What is Ornest Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Ornest Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,500, and its average grant was $8,205, across 48 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ornest Family Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does Ornest Family Foundation give grants?
Ornest Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (7%) and Maine (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (17 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Wiscasset, ME (3 grants) and Beverly Hills, CA (2 grants).
Does Ornest Family Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 2% of Ornest Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 48) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Ornest Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Ornest Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Jewish Federation ($45,000), Cedars Sinai Cardiology ($35,000) and Ucsb ($26,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ornest Family Foundation?
Ornest Family Foundation reported $4.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $422K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $369K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Ornest Family Foundation fund?
No separate mission statement is provided. The foundation’s 2025 grants include support for organizations involved in Jewish activities and student support, cardiology research, university programs, high school athletics, environmental education, and legal advocacy. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ornest Family 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 Ornest Family Foundation's EIN?
Ornest Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-4436139. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Ornest 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 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ornest Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ornest-family-foundation-morg_ecc2813a14e94b4e9bacc95574a4dbc1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_954436139_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ornest Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ornest-family-foundation-morg_ecc2813a14e94b4e9bacc95574a4dbc1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Ornest 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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