The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts
The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts is a private foundation based in Los Angeles, California. Established by Kelley in 2007, it supports arts organizations and artists through grants for innovative projects and also works to preserve and foster understanding of Kelley’s life and creative achievements.
The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts at a glance
In short: The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts gave $665K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $39K), mostly in California. 29% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $665,000
- -6.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- -15.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $39,118
- +10.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $40,000
- Total assets
- $87,212,377
- +1.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 29% first-time grantees (5 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (75% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts
- How to Apply
-
The website directs applicants to submit a Letter of Inquiry through its online application portal. For the 2027 cycle, the LOI was due by August 14, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PST. Applicants are asked to propose an upcoming project with confirmed participating artists; projects by artists who are members of the applicant organization’s staff are ineligible. The Foundation’s 2024 filing says awards must be spent on art-related activities, including education, promotion, and advancement of the arts.
- Review Cycle
- August 14, 2026, for the 2027 Infinite Expansion Grants cycle; this deadline has passed. The 2024 filing separately lists October 31 of each year as a deadline.
- Deadline
- August 14, 2026, for the 2027 Infinite Expansion Grants cycle; this deadline has passed.
- Contact
Application contact: The Organization
Mailing address: 7019 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Phone: (323) 257-7856
Website: https://mikekelleyfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts
Who The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Center for Cultural Innovation ($100K). Together the top 10 received $533K.
Grant Size Distribution
95 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 86 grants of 95 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The current Infinite Expansion Grants are for projects publicly presented in Los Angeles County. In 2024, 75% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 12% to New York, 8% to New Jersey, 5% to Michigan, and 1% to the District of Columbia, as reported by the filing.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts open to new grantees?
29%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 17 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $34K; repeat grants $41K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $40K repeat.
- 53% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 51% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 170% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $440K (2022) to $709K (2024). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $665K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Center for Cultural Innovation Los Angeles, CA | La Arts Community Fire Fund | $100,000 |
| Tate Americas Foundation New York, NY | Grant to Support Ghost and Spirit Exhibition | $85,000 |
| The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit Detroit, MI | 2025 Infinite Expansion Grants Initiative | $50,000 |
| 18TH Street Arts Complex Santa Monica, CA | 2025 Infinite Expansion Grants Initiative | $45,000 |
| California Institute of the Arstredcat Valencia, CA | 2025 Infinite Expansion Grants Initiative | $45,000 |
| Fulcrum Arts Pasadena, CA | 2025 Infinite Expansion Grants Initiative | $45,000 |
| Pieter Performance Space Los Angeles, CA | 2025 Infinite Expansion Grants Initiative | $45,000 |
| Future Roots Los Angeles, CA | 2025 Infinite Expansion Grants Initiative | $40,000 |
| Joan Los Angeles, CA | 2025 Infinite Expansion Grants Initiative | $40,000 |
| Los Angeles Nomadic Division Los Angeles, CA | 2025 Infinite Expansion Grants Initiative | $38,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts?
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 | $87,212,377 | $1,411,953 | $2,281,930 | $665,000 | 17 | $2,191,419 | $1,288,073 | $1,292,715 |
| 2024 | $85,850,768 | $1,446,428 | $2,385,526 | $709,000 | 20 | $2,304,369 | $1,326,924 | $1,358,083 |
| 2023 | $85,840,729 | $925,206 | $2,584,646 | $563,000 | 19 | $2,118,595 | $801,721 | $1,346,395 |
| 2022 | $84,343,550 | $540,491 | $2,050,705 | $440,000 | 20 | $1,912,753 | $446,145 | $1,297,354 |
| 2021 | $90,605,718 | $1,598,591 | $1,819,309 | $450,000 | 19 | $1,391,805 | $1,464,895 | $1,295,393 |
| 2020 | $89,634,712 | $1,318,406 | $1,735,192 | $530,000 | 12 | — | $1,201,580 | $1,210,830 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts reported a distributable amount of $1.3M for 2025 — 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 mission is to advance Kelley’s spirit of critical thinking, risk taking, and provocation in the arts. It seeks to further his philanthropic work through grants for innovative projects that reflect his multifaceted artistic practice. Its other activities include educational initiatives, exhibitions, events, publications, and the preservation and care of its art collections and archives.
For the Infinite Expansion Grants, the Foundation emphasizes artist projects that may be challenging to undertake or fund because of their content, experimental nature, complexity, or other factors. Projects must culminate in a public presentation in Los Angeles County by December 2028. Grants prioritize project expenses, with a portion available for general operating support.
The 2024 grantees illustrate a range of arts work. Clockshop describes its mission as connecting communities and public land through work with artists, public-space art, free programs, and youth programming. Coaxial Arts Foundation says it runs an art space for experimental video, sound, and performance. Self Help Graphics & Art describes its work as producing, interpreting, and distributing prints and other media by Chicana/o and Latinx artists. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the Foundation reported 20 grants totaling $709,000. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $130,000, with a median of $28,000. The largest award was $130,000 to ArtCenter College of Design for organizational support. Other large grants included $85,000 to Tate Americas Foundation for exhibition support, $54,000 to The American Friends of the Centre Pompidou for exhibition and conservation support, and $35,000 to The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit for support for Mobile Homestead. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 17 grants totaling $665,000.
Other 2024 awards included $30,000 each to Clockshop, Human Resources Los Angeles, and LAXART DBA The Brick for organizational support; and $28,000 each to Coaxial Arts Foundation, Fulcrum Arts, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), Self Help Graphics & Art, and The Museum of Jurassic Technology for organizational support.
The Foundation’s website describes Infinite Expansion Grants as ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. Eligible applicants include nonprofit arts institutions and organizations in Los Angeles County with an operating budget of $5 million or less, at least two years of nonprofit status and documented public programming, and programming aligned with the Foundation’s stated values. Fiscal-sponsor applications may be considered case by case. The website says each nonprofit may submit one application; fiscal sponsors may apply more than once for eligible organizations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Mary Clare Stevens as executive director; Miwon Kwon as chairman, with service ending in July 2024; Claire Peeps as secretary; and Ed Rada as treasurer. Listed board members are Pilar Tompkins Rivas, Connie Butler, Elizabeth Armstrong, Glenn Kaino, and Gianna Drake-Kerrison. Kaino’s service ended in December 2024.
The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts is led by Mary Clare Stevens, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 10 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mary Clare Stevens
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
50 hrs/week
$148K (2020) → $225K (2025)
Ed Rada
Chairman
Treasurer → Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Claire Peeps
Board Member
Board Member → Secretary, 2022
Secretary → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Pilar Tompkins Rivas
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Connie Butler
Secretary
Board Member → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Armstrong
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gianna Drake-Kerrison
Treasurer
Board Member → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cauleen Smith
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ken Gonzales-Day
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Mark
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (7)
- Former: Miwon Kwon (2021–2024) — Chairman
- Former: Glenn Kaino (2022–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Gary Simmons (2020–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Cathy Opie (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Joan Weinstein (2020–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Stephanie Barron (2020–2021) — Chairman
- Former: John Welchman (2020) — Chairman
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $225K, to Mary Clare Stevens (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts
How much does The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts give each year?
The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts gave $665K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $709K across 20 grants.
What is The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts's typical grant size?
The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts's median grant in 2025 was $40,000, and its average grant was $39,118, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts that year got $34K on average.
Where does The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts give grants?
The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts gives mostly in California: 75% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (17%) and Michigan (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (8 grants) and New York, NY (4 grants).
Does The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "2025 Infinite Expansion Grants Initiative" (11 grants).
Who are The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts's largest grantees?
The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts's largest 2025 grantees include Center for Cultural Innovation ($100,000), Tate Americas Foundation ($85,000) and The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts?
The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts reported $87.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.3M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts fund?
The Foundation’s mission is to advance Kelley’s spirit of critical thinking, risk taking, and provocation in the arts. It seeks to further his philanthropic work through grants for innovative projects that reflect his multifaceted artistic practice. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts?
The website directs applicants to submit a Letter of Inquiry through its online application portal. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts's EIN?
The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 30-0434789. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
California Community Foundation
Los Angeles, CA
The California Community Foundation supports nonprofits through discretionary and donor-directed grants, with discretionary priorities including education, health, housing and immigration, alongside other areas such as arts, civic engagement and economic opportunity. Its 2025 grants had a median of $50,000, and its work is focused on Los Angeles County; prospective discretionary applicants are asked to contact the relevant program officer before submitting a letter of intent.
Assets
$2.3B
Grants
2,174
Total Given
$326.6M
The J Paul Getty Trust
Los Angeles, CA
The Getty Foundation funds project-based work in art history, conservation, museum and archival collections, and professional development, supporting organizations and individuals in Los Angeles and worldwide. Giving varies widely; its 2025 grants had a median of $7,900, though many awards were substantially larger. It typically does not consider general inquiries outside its current priorities; opportunities are offered through strategic initiatives, which may invite applications or have open calls.
Assets
$13.9B
Grants
492
Total Given
$29.1M
The Wilhelm Family Foundation Co Cascade Wilhelm
Los Angeles, CA
The Wilhelm Family Foundation supports small 501(c)(3) arts organizations and programming that expand access to creative expression and public engagement, with particular interest in underserved communities; it often funds general operations and programs. Grants average about $10,000, and applicants across the United States are welcome, though many awards go to California. It accepts applications through an online portal during its annual grant cycle.
Assets
$1.4M
Grants
24
Total Given
$219K
Perenchio Foundation
Pasadena, CA
The Perenchio Foundation funds visual and performing arts organizations, primarily through operating support and capital improvements, with an emphasis on organizations serving historically underfunded communities in Los Angeles County. Its 2024 grants ranged from $15,000 to $5 million, with a median of $191,000. It makes grants only to preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Assets
$696.4M
Grants
121
Total Given
$43.5M
The Annenberg Foundation
Conshohocken, PA
The Annenberg Foundation funds arts and culture, education, and environmental work, along with varied community initiatives, with grants across multiple states; in 2024, 58% of grant dollars went to California. Its 2024 grants had a median of $25,000, though awards ranged widely, and it does not accept unsolicited requests, giving only to preselected charitable organizations.
Assets
$1.5B
Grants
543
Total Given
$53.3M
The Andy Warhol Foundation
New York, NY
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts funds U.S. arts organizations and cultural institutions advancing contemporary visual art, supporting artists, original work, experimentation, and related projects; it also supports some international organizations. Grant sizes vary widely, with a 2025 median of $50,000, and small-scale project grants are $20,000–$30,000. It accepts unsolicited proposals from U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organizations; international organizations must first submit a letter of inquiry.
Assets
$391.3M
Grants
203
Total Given
$17.2M
More similar funders
More Funders in California
Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 8, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-mike-kelley-foundation-for-the-arts-morg_648bff3eec3a41919c4b6304ecdfd1b5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_300434789_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-mike-kelley-foundation-for-the-arts-morg_648bff3eec3a41919c4b6304ecdfd1b5},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-08. 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 Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts'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.
The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts down — hundreds of funders to go?