The Louis B Mayer Foundation
The Louis B Mayer Foundation is a private foundation based in Montclair, New Jersey. It makes grants to charitable organizations; its 2025 giving included support for film and media preservation, cultural organizations, and medical research.
The Louis B Mayer Foundation at a glance
In short: The Louis B Mayer Foundation gave $583K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $34K), top state California. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $583,000
- +10.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- +30.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $34,294
- -15.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $40,000
- Total assets
- $7,614,760
- -4.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (3 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (39% 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 The Louis B Mayer 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: 31 West 34Th Street 7Th Floor 7010, New York, NY 10001
Phone: (212) 812-4362
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Louis B Mayer Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was George Eastman Museum ($152K across 5 grants). Together the top 10 received $583K.
Grant Size Distribution
77 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 54 grants of 77 (70%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in California (39%), New York (32%), Texas (16%), Maine (9%), and Ohio (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Louis B Mayer Foundation open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 10 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $52K; repeat grants $61K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $50K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−3%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 91% 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 (2020–2025). 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 $520K (2020) to $600K (2022). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $583K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| George Eastman Museum Rochester, NY | Roof replacement for LBM Conservation Center. | $85,000 |
| American Cinematheque Los Angeles, CA | For upgraded projection equipment. | $57,000 |
| MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX | Dr. Ray - Targeting Alzheimer's Disease with Immunotherapy. | $51,000 |
| George Eastman Museum Rochester, NY | Film Atlas Project with Seaver Center. | $50,000 |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA | Small vessel disease in the heart and brain; identifying biomarkers for dementia treatment targets. | $50,000 |
| Northeast Historic Film Bucksport, ME | Unrestricted, one-time emergency funding. | $50,000 |
| Association of Moving Image Archivi Los Angeles, CA | For film restoration support including fellowships, "The Moving Image" journal, equipment kits for loan, and training via webinars and a conversation series. | $47,500 |
| UC Berkeley Art MuseumPacific Film Berkeley, CA | Preservation of 5 short films by Jordon Belson. | $45,000 |
| MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX | Dr. Gordon - Targeting metabolic adaptations to boost immunotherapy effectiveness in Osteosarcoma. | $40,000 |
| Cincinnati Children's Hospital Cincinnati, OH | Dr. Zheng / Understanding the mechanism of how normal blood cells transition to MDS and Leukemia cells for developing novel therapeutics. | $30,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Louis B Mayer 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 | $7,614,760 | $339,999 | $736,980 | $583,000 | 17 | $620,904 | $259,706 | $684,300 |
| 2024 | $8,008,892 | $970,143 | $660,870 | $530,000 | 13 | $564,398 | $723,291 | $618,507 |
| 2023 | $7,715,592 | $420,222 | $701,822 | $575,000 | 17 | $606,655 | $334,934 | $572,475 |
| 2022 | $7,993,841 | $551,321 | $720,517 | $600,000 | 16 | $629,837 | $467,841 | $605,232 |
| 2021 | $8,162,281 | $588,003 | $683,517 | $566,210 | 14 | $594,916 | $502,767 | $626,805 |
| 2020 | $8,253,346 | $325,446 | $633,566 | $520,000 | 11 | — | $245,248 | $590,926 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Louis B Mayer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $684K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for projects in film and media preservation, arts and cultural archives, and medical research.
The George Eastman Museum describes its own mission as providing leadership in photography and cinema, preserving and developing its collections and George Eastman’s estate, and serving its communities. The American Cinematheque says it builds a diverse film community through film curation, conversation, and presentation. Northeast Historic Film describes its mission as collecting and preserving the film and video record of Northern New England and providing public access to the region’s history and culture.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $583,000. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $85,000, with a median grant of $40,000.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $85,000 to the George Eastman Museum for roof replacement at its LBM Conservation Center; $57,000 to the American Cinematheque for upgraded projection equipment; $51,000 to MD Anderson Cancer Center for research on targeting Alzheimer’s disease with immunotherapy; and $50,000 each to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for research on small vessel disease and dementia treatment targets, and to Northeast Historic Film for unrestricted, one-time emergency funding. The foundation also awarded $50,000 to the George Eastman Museum for a Film Atlas Project with the Seaver Center.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the foundation’s 2025 filing are Elizabeth Gottlieb, Trustee/Treasurer; Judi Farkas, President/Secretary; Elliot R. Cattarulla, Trustee; and Paolo Cherchi Usai, Trustee.
The Louis B Mayer Foundation is led by Judi Farkas, President & Secretary since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Judi Farkas
President & Secretary
Secretary & Treasurer → President & Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elliot R Cattarulla
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paolo Cherchi Usai
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Gottlieb
Trustee & Treasurer
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Robert A Gottlieb (2020–2023) — Trustee
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Louis B Mayer Foundation
How much does The Louis B Mayer Foundation give each year?
The Louis B Mayer Foundation gave $583K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $530K across 13 grants.
What is The Louis B Mayer Foundation's typical grant size?
The Louis B Mayer Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $40,000, and its average grant was $34,294, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Louis B Mayer Foundation that year got $52K on average.
Where does The Louis B Mayer Foundation give grants?
The Louis B Mayer Foundation's top state is California, with 39% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (32%) and Texas (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were Rochester, NY (5 grants), Los Angeles, CA (3 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Houston, TX (2 grants).
Does The Louis B Mayer Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 12% of The Louis B Mayer Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Louis B Mayer Foundation's largest grantees?
The Louis B Mayer Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include George Eastman Museum ($151,500 across 5 grants), MD Anderson Cancer Center ($91,000 across 2 grants) and UC Berkeley Art MuseumPacific Film ($70,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Louis B Mayer Foundation?
The Louis B Mayer Foundation reported $7.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $621K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $684K (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 Louis B Mayer Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for projects in film and media preservation, arts and cultural archives, and medical research. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Louis B Mayer 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 Louis B Mayer Foundation's EIN?
The Louis B Mayer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-2232340. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Louis B Mayer 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 9, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 1, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 25, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 8, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 16, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Louis B Mayer Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-louis-b-mayer-foundation-morg_27ed8688a950403d85c101731e8347f1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_952232340_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Louis B Mayer Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-louis-b-mayer-foundation-morg_27ed8688a950403d85c101731e8347f1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. 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 Louis B Mayer 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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