The Laff Foundation
The LAFF Foundation is a private foundation based in Denver, Colorado. Its 2024 filing reports charitable and educational grants to organizations in Colorado and other states, including Massachusetts, California, and Illinois.
The Laff Foundation at a glance
In short: The Laff Foundation gave $51K across 13 grants in 2024 (avg $4K), top state Massachusetts. 23% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $51,315
- +46.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 13
- -13.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $3,947
- +69.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $162,855
- -8.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (3 of 13, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (49% 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 Laff 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: 7781 E 8Th Avenue, Denver, CO 80230
Phone: (303) 366-6571
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Laff Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Amherst College Annual Fund ($25K). Together the top 10 received $50K.
Grant Size Distribution
59 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 59 grants of 59 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts (49%), Colorado (46%), California (4%), and Illinois (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Laff Foundation open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 13 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $750 repeat.
- 77% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 177% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 354% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $13K (2020) to $51K (2024). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $51K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Amherst College Annual Fund Amherst, MA | Charitable | $25,200 |
| VAR Cash Donations of 500 or Less Denver, CO | Charitable | $8,044 |
| Nathan Yip Foundation Greenwood Village, CO | Charitable | $8,000 |
| Community College of Denver Found Denver, CO | Educational | $2,621 |
| Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado Denver, CO | Charitable | $2,600 |
| JVS Socal Los Angeles, CA | Educational | $1,000 |
| Project Pave Denver, CO | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Alzheimer's Greater Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Charitable | $750 |
| Stanford Law School Stanford, CA | Charitable | $500 |
| Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Chicago, IL | Educational | $500 |
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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 | $162,855 | $37,027 | $53,015 | $51,315 | 13 | $51,315 | $5,327 | $14,492 |
| 2023 | $178,843 | $39,261 | $35,240 | $35,025 | 15 | $35,025 | $6,546 | $13,327 |
| 2022 | $174,822 | $34,329 | $28,885 | $27,175 | 11 | $27,175 | $2,619 | $13,857 |
| 2021 | $169,378 | $37,733 | $21,960 | $18,500 | 8 | $18,500 | $24,273 | $14,204 |
| 2020 | $153,605 | $18,570 | $16,525 | $13,010 | 12 | — | $1,880 | $12,206 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Laff Foundation reported a distributable amount of $14K 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 grants included support for educational, legal-aid, youth violence-prevention, employment-training, dementia-support, judicial-education, and opera organizations. For example, Nathan Yip Foundation describes its mission as closing the educational opportunity and equality gap between rural and urban areas by supporting rural education in Colorado. Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado says it distributes funds in cooperation with Colorado Legal Services, which provides civil legal aid to low-income people. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation gave 13 grants totaling $51,315. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $25,200, with a median grant of $1,000.
The largest listed grants were $25,200 to Amherst College Annual Fund, $8,044 in cash donations of $500 or less, and $8,000 to Nathan Yip Foundation. Other listed recipients included Community College of Denver Foundation ($2,621), Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado ($2,600), JVS SoCal ($1,000), Project PAVE ($1,000), Alzheimer’s Greater Los Angeles ($750), Stanford Law School ($500), Northwestern Pritzker School of Law ($500), Central City Opera ($500), and Colorado Judicial Institute ($500).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Kenneth M. Laff was listed as president on the 2024 filing.
The Laff Foundation is led by Kenneth M. Laff, President on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Kenneth M. Laff
President
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 Laff Foundation
How much does The Laff Foundation give each year?
The Laff Foundation gave $51K across 13 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $35K across 15 grants.
What is The Laff Foundation's typical grant size?
The Laff Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $1,000, and its average grant was $3,947, across 13 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Laff Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does The Laff Foundation give grants?
The Laff Foundation's top state is Massachusetts, with 49% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest state was Colorado (46%). The most frequent recipient cities were Denver, CO (6 grants) and Los Angeles, CA (2 grants).
Does The Laff Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on The Laff Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (10 grants) and "Educational" (3 grants).
Who are The Laff Foundation's largest grantees?
The Laff Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Amherst College Annual Fund ($25,200), VAR Cash Donations of 500 or Less ($8,044) and Nathan Yip Foundation ($8,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 80% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Laff Foundation?
The Laff Foundation reported $163K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $51K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $14K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Laff Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for educational, legal-aid, youth violence-prevention, employment-training, dementia-support, judicial-education, and opera organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Laff 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 Laff Foundation's EIN?
The Laff Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-6021279. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Laff 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 Laff Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-laff-foundation-morg_df27391803a84d8a896141a48f8b2000
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_846021279_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Laff Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-laff-foundation-morg_df27391803a84d8a896141a48f8b2000},
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 Laff 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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