The Brunson Foundation
The Brunson Foundation is a private foundation based in Beverly Hills, California. Its 2025 filing describes charitable activity in education, animal welfare, and health, and reports grants to organizations in California.
The Brunson Foundation at a glance
In short: The Brunson Foundation gave $4.8M across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $400K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $4,803,300
- +490.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +71.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $400,275
- +244.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $83,950
- Total assets
- $104,123,869
- -1.0% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to The Brunson Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 12006 Talus Pl, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: (310) 228-7651
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Brunson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
46 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 21 grants of 46 (46%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All reported grant dollars in filing year 2025 went to recipients in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Brunson Foundation gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $169K (2019) to $4.8M (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $4.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 12 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $4,803,300 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $104,123,869 | $3,979,496 | $5,024,518 | $4,803,300 | 12 | $5,024,518 | $4,136,315 | $5,171,955 |
| 2024 | $105,168,891 | $15,847,875 | $903,384 | $812,970 | 7 | $903,384 | $4,947,374 | $793,854 |
| 2023 | $90,224,400 | $88,517,477 | $2,152,991 | $2,007,500 | 2 | — | $576,838 | — |
| 2022 | $3,859,914 | $7,655 | $5,146,133 | $4,754,870 | 17 | — | $36 | — |
| 2021 | $9,898,392 | $9,410,299 | $693,913 | $303,994 | 8 | — | $38 | — |
| 2020 | $282,006 | $500,139 | $498,188 | $191,170 | 7 | — | $139 | — |
| 2019 | $280,055 | $388,009 | $637,208 | $168,999 | 10 | — | $28,433 | — |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Brunson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $5.2M 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
The foundation’s 2025 filing describes direct charitable activity in three areas: advancing education through distributions to organizations providing educational services to young people; promoting animal welfare through spay and neuter services and other charitable and educational services; and promoting health through distributions to organizations engaged in medical research and medical treatment.
The supported organizations’ own descriptions illustrate the range of grantees. CHOC Foundation says it supports pediatric services, medical education, and research. Eastwood Ranch Foundation describes its work rescuing dogs and cats and finding them homes. Child Guidance Center says it provides mental health programs and services for children, youth, and families. 4th Watch Educational Services describes workforce training for precision manufacturing careers, and Oak Valley College describes a business degree framed by a Christian worldview. Jessie Rees Foundation says it supports families affected by childhood cancer.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $4,803,300. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $3,100,000, with a median grant of $83,950.
The largest reported grants were $3,100,000 to UC Irvine Foundation for medical research and $1,000,000 to Michelson Foundation Animals Foundation for animal welfare. Other grants included $150,400 to CHOC Foundation for support for children in need of hospital care; $150,000 to Eastwood Ranch Foundation for animal preservation; $100,000 to an individual recipient Episcopal School for elementary and secondary education; and $97,900 to Child Guidance Center for a youth mental health program. The foundation also gave $70,000 to an individual recipient, $50,000 to an individual recipient, $35,000 to 4th Watch Educational Services, $25,000 to Oak Valley College, $20,000 to Boys Girls Club of Whittier, and $5,000 to Jessie Rees Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Cynthia L. DeBoard as President & CEO, James R. DeBoard as Secretary, and Jaclyn M. Kurzawa as Director.
The Brunson Foundation is led by Cynthia L DeBoard, President & CEO on every filing since 2023; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Cynthia L DeBoard
President & CEO
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jaclyn M Kurzawa
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James R DeBoard
Secretary
Board Member → Trustee, 2022
Trustee → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Robert M Brunson to (2023) — President & CEO
- Former: Erika Brunson (2019–2022) — Executive Director · Filing note: Thru 5-2022
- Former: Robert M Brunson (2019–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Jim Deboard (2020–2021) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 The Brunson Foundation
How much does The Brunson Foundation give each year?
The Brunson Foundation gave $4.8M across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $813K across 7 grants.
What is The Brunson Foundation's typical grant size?
The Brunson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $83,950, and its average grant was $400,275, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Brunson Foundation give grants?
The Brunson Foundation gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there.
Does The Brunson Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on The Brunson Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
How large is The Brunson Foundation?
The Brunson Foundation reported $104.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $5.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $5.2M (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 The Brunson Foundation fund?
The foundation’s 2025 filing describes direct charitable activity in three areas: advancing education through distributions to organizations providing educational services to young people; promoting animal welfare through spay and neuter services and other charitable and educational services; and promoting health through distributions to organizations engaged in medical research and medical treatment. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Brunson Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it 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 The Brunson Foundation's EIN?
The Brunson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-4531132. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Brunson Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 18, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 17, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 23, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 31, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 2, 2022)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Brunson Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Brunson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-brunson-foundation-morg_27edb827a0904451811a6036e4806562
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_954531132_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Brunson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-brunson-foundation-morg_27edb827a0904451811a6036e4806562},
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 The Brunson 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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