The Gordon Foundation
The Gordon Foundation is a private foundation based in Laguna Beach, California. It reported 15 grants totaling $128,459 in 2024, including support for charitable organizations in New York, California, and Washington, DC.
The Gordon Foundation at a glance
In short: The Gordon Foundation gave $128K across 15 grants in 2024 (avg $9K), mostly in New York. 58% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $128,459
- -47.9% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 15
- +36.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $8,564
- -61.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $1,540
- Total assets
- $3,742,172
- +23.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 58% first-time grantees (7 of 12, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (72% 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 The Gordon Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 110 Irvine Cove Circle, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Phone: (310) 446-2700
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Gordon Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was American Friends Israel Philharmonic ($90K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $127K.
Grant Size Distribution
46 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 42 grants of 46 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
For 2024, the reported shares of grant dollars by recipient state were New York 72%, California 24%, Washington, DC 4%, and Pennsylvania 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Gordon Foundation open to new grantees?
58%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 7 of 12 grantees (58%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $22K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 42% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 34% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 81% 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 $96K (2021) to $439K (2022). In 2024 it made 15 grants totaling $128K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American Friends Israel Philharmonic New York, NY | General Donation | $65,000 |
| American Friends Israel Philharmonic New York, NY | General Donation | $25,000 |
| Yeshiva University High School Los Angeles, CA | General Donation | $12,500 |
| Orangewood Foundation Santa Ana, CA | General Donation | $6,000 |
| Congregation Shir Ha-Ma'alot Irvine, CA | Donation | $5,000 |
| Oceanaorg Washington, DC | General Donation | $5,000 |
| Hoag Hospital Foundation Newport Beach, CA | General Donation | $3,000 |
| American Friends of Magen David Adom New York, NY | General Donation | $1,540 |
| Live Like Noah Foundation Winnetka, CA | General Donation | $1,041 |
| Orange County United Way Irvine, CA | General Donation | $1,040 |
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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 | $3,742,172 | $160,409 | $150,516 | $128,459 | 15 | $128,459 | $160,409 | $158,684 |
| 2023 | $3,021,782 | $160,263 | $254,072 | $246,657 | 11 | $246,657 | $160,263 | $158,828 |
| 2022 | $4,896,898 | $3,090,236 | $446,808 | $439,300 | 7 | $439,300 | $168,046 | $216,226 |
| 2021 | $2,563,047 | $343,018 | $125,080 | $95,688 | 9 | — | $83,028 | $127,921 |
| 2020 | $1,713,983 | $205,945 | $213,924 | $211,019 | 4 | — | $44,259 | $69,357 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Gordon Foundation reported a distributable amount of $159K 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 foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose own missions include raising funds for a hospital, supporting youth equity, and aiding life-saving efforts in Israel. For example, the Orangewood Foundation says it strives for equity for youth by valuing and supporting the life they envision; Hoag Hospital Foundation says its primary exempt purpose is to raise funds for Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian; and American Friends of Magen David Adom says it is the sole authorized U.S. fundraising and advocacy organization supporting Magen David Adom’s life-saving efforts in Israel.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation gave 15 grants totaling $128,459. Grant amounts ranged from $88 to $65,000, with a median of $1,540. Among the largest grants were $65,000 and $25,000 to American Friends Israel Philharmonic, $12,500 to Yeshiva University High School, $6,000 to Orangewood Foundation, and $5,000 each to Congregation Shir Ha-Ma'alot and Oceanaorg. Other listed grants included $3,000 to Hoag Hospital Foundation and $1,540 to American Friends of Magen David Adom.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Stephen H Gordon as president and Madaline R Gordon as secretary.
The Gordon Foundation is led by Stephen H. Gordon, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Stephen H. Gordon
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Madaline R. Gordon
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/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.
Frequently asked questions about The Gordon Foundation
How much does The Gordon Foundation give each year?
The Gordon Foundation gave $128K across 15 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $247K across 11 grants.
What is The Gordon Foundation's typical grant size?
The Gordon Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $1,540, and its average grant was $8,564, across 15 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Gordon Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does The Gordon Foundation give grants?
The Gordon Foundation gives mostly in New York: 72% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (24%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (4 grants), Irvine, CA (3 grants) and Santa Ana, CA (2 grants).
Does The Gordon Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 93% of The Gordon Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Gordon Foundation's largest grantees?
The Gordon Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include American Friends Israel Philharmonic ($90,000 across 2 grants), Yeshiva University High School ($12,500) and Orangewood Foundation ($6,088 across 2 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 85% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Gordon Foundation?
The Gordon Foundation reported $3.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $128K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $159K (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 Gordon Foundation fund?
No foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose own missions include raising funds for a hospital, supporting youth equity, and aiding life-saving efforts in Israel. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Gordon Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 The Gordon Foundation's EIN?
The Gordon Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-0480752. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Gordon 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). The Gordon Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-gordon-foundation-morg_774157dd09e04ec0a4091667e2abe98f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_200480752_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Gordon Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-gordon-foundation-morg_774157dd09e04ec0a4091667e2abe98f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Gordon 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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