The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation
The Leonetti/O’Connell Family Foundation is a private foundation based in an individual recipient, California. It supports initiatives and organizations serving an individual recipient County, with stated areas of grantmaking that include education, emergency relief, philanthropy, medical disciplines, healthcare, and community issues.
The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation gave $1.9M across 48 grants in 2024 (avg $40K), mostly in California. 47% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,927,013
- -22.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 48
- +84.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $40,146
- -57.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $93,633,533
- -5.1% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 47% first-time grantees (15 of 32, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (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 Leonettio'connell Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Grants are made to preselected organizations and based on alignment with its interests and priorities.
- Contact
Mailing address: 515 S Figueroa St 650, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Phone: (213) 622-0066
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was The UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center ($325K). Together the top 10 received $1.4M.
Organizations only. It also paid 16 individual scholarships ($67,051), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
165 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 98 grants of 165 (59%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says significant weight is given to programs serving an individual recipient County and describes its work as serving Southern California. In 2024, California recipients received 72% of grant dollars. Recipients in Massachusetts received 8%, Connecticut 5%, Rhode Island 5%, and New York 4%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 48 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation open to new grantees?
47%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 15 of 32 grantees (47%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $59K; repeat grants $47K. How we count
Medians: $30K first-time, $27K repeat.
- 50% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 32% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 70% 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 (2024) to $3.2M (2020). In 2024 it made 48 grants totaling $1.9M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center Los Angeles, CA | Medical Disciplines | $325,000 |
| Grants Under 1K for Financial Hards Los Angeles, CA | Financial Hardship | $187,409 |
| Rivet School Richmond, CA | Education | $175,000 |
| Young Eisner Scholars Inglewood, CA | Philanthropy, Volunteerism & Grantmaking | $125,000 |
| Roxbury Latin School West Roxbury, MA | Education | $115,000 |
| Nativity High School San Francisco, CA | Education | $100,000 |
| Yale University New Haven, CT | Scholarship | $93,060 |
| Brown University Providence, RI | Scholarship | $90,916 |
| Fordham University Bronx, NY | Scholarship | $78,528 |
| Carlthorp School Santa Monica, CA | Education | $75,000 |
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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 | $93,633,533 | $7,623,005 | $3,836,046 | $1,927,013 | 48 | $3,072,687 | $7,551,783 | $4,383,137 |
| 2023 | $98,662,922 | $2,768,074 | $4,169,921 | $2,482,104 | 26 | $3,525,474 | $1,876,814 | $4,882,911 |
| 2022 | $104,319,065 | $2,950,119 | $4,034,526 | $2,769,107 | 31 | $3,377,337 | $2,024,183 | $5,351,540 |
| 2021 | $99,299,834 | $18,516,530 | $6,247,783 | $2,834,337 | 30 | $3,001,627 | $7,727,710 | $2,595,973 |
| 2020 | $80,014,873 | $13,284,592 | $6,524,452 | $3,166,582 | 30 | — | $738,451 | $1,790,206 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.4M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s website identifies education, excellence, innovation, and commitment as pillars of its work. It highlights support for young people, nonprofits, and the general public, and says its initiatives include evaluation to contribute to broader systems change.
Its 2024 grants included education, scholarship, medical disciplines, financial hardship, and philanthropy, volunteerism, and grantmaking. The grantees describe a range of education-related work: Young Eisner Scholars says it identifies promising students from low-income communities; Roxbury Latin School says it provides secondary education to boys in grades 7–12; and Carlthorp School describes itself as a nonprofit day school serving children in grades K–6. Strive Foundation says it provides academic and guidance support to children, youth, and families in Los Angeles’s Watts community.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 48 grants totaling $1,927,013. Grants ranged from $1,500 to $325,000, with a median of $10,000. Among the largest were $325,000 to The UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center for medical disciplines, $187,409 for grants under $1,000 for financial hardships, $175,000 to Rivet School for education, and $125,000 to Young Eisner Scholars for philanthropy, volunteerism, and grantmaking. Other notable awards included $115,000 to Roxbury Latin School, $100,000 to Nativity High School, and scholarships of $93,060 to Yale University, $90,916 to Brown University, and $78,528 to Fordham University.
The foundation describes four channels for its giving: initiatives, core grants, memberships, and affiliates. It says core grants are awarded annually in alignment with the foundation’s strategy and focus, while memberships support affinity groups and partnerships with other funders. Its website says grants are awarded based on alignment with foundation interests and priorities in designated strategic areas. The foundation’s filing states that contributions are made only to preselected charitable organizations; its website says eligible recipients are tax-exempt organizations under §501(c)(3) and federal and state entities described in §170(c).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Cara Esposito as executive director and director; Margo Leonetti O’Connell as president and director; Michael F. O’Connell as secretary, CFO, and director; and Michael Kevin O’Connell as vice president and director. It also lists Diana Adamson as CEO of Arete Rising LLC and Veronica Ponce-Navarrete as COO of Arete Rising LLC. The foundation’s website lists Alexa O’Connor as vice president, grants and initiatives.
The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation is led by Diana Adamson, CEO & Arete Rising Llc on every filing since 2022; 2 of 5 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Diana Adamson
CEO & Arete Rising Llc
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$138K (2022) → $154K (2024)
Cara Esposito
Executive Director & Director
Executive Director → Executive Director & Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
25 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Margo Leonetti O'Connell
President & Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Kevin O'Connell
Secretary, CFO, Director, Vice President & Director
Secretary, CFO & Director → Secretary, CFO, Director & Vice President, 2021
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Veronica Ponce-Navarrete
COO & Arete Rising Llc
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$110K (2022) → $152K (2024)
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 $154K, to Diana Adamson (CEO, Arete Rising LLC). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation
How much does The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation give each year?
The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation gave $1.9M across 48 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.5M across 26 grants.
What is The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $40,146, across 48 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation that year got $59K on average.
Where does The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation give grants?
The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation gives mostly in California: 72% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Massachusetts (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (13 grants), San Francisco, CA (2 grants) and Culver City, CA (2 grants).
Does The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 2% of The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 48) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (22 grants), "Education" (10 grants) and "Program Support" (6 grants).
Who are The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include The UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center ($325,000), Grants Under 1K for Financial Hards ($187,409) and Rivet School ($175,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 16 individual scholarships ($67,051), which are not listed by name. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation?
The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation reported $93.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.4M (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 Leonettio'connell Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s website identifies education, excellence, innovation, and commitment as pillars of its work. It highlights support for young people, nonprofits, and the general public, and says its initiatives include evaluation to contribute to broader systems change. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation's EIN?
The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3889415. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Leonettio'connell 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 October 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 Leonettio'connell Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-leonettio-connell-family-foundation-morg_56cfcf3eeedf448db709c94044ad4d9d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203889415_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Leonettio'connell Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-leonettio-connell-family-foundation-morg_56cfcf3eeedf448db709c94044ad4d9d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Leonettio'connell 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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