The Morf Foundation
The Morf Foundation is a private foundation based in Los Angeles, California. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations including universities, arts and film organizations, a children’s hospital, and housing and homelessness-service organizations.
The Morf Foundation at a glance
In short: The Morf Foundation gave $3.7M across 13 grants in 2024 (avg $284K), mostly in California. 31% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $3,690,000
- +84.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 13
- +62.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $283,846
- +13.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $150,000
- Total assets
- $6,986,034
- +3.2% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (4 of 13, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (66% 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 Morf Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: Co Gcbm 2049 Century Pk E 1400, Los Angeles, CA 90067
Phone: (310) 315-6200
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Morf Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Motion Picture & Television Fund ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $3.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
54 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 17 grants of 54 (31%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 66% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 31% to recipients in New York. Massachusetts and Washington, DC, each accounted for 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Morf Foundation open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 13 grantees (31%) 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 $535K; repeat grants $172K. How we count
Medians: $550K first-time, $150K repeat.
- 62% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 33% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 976% 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 $1.9M (2022) to $5.5M (2021). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $3.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Motion Picture & Television Fund Woodland Hills, CA | General Support | $1,000,000 |
| New York University New York, NY | General Support | $1,000,000 |
| The Film Foundation Los Angeles, CA | General Support | $500,000 |
| Children's Hospital of Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | General Support | $250,000 |
| Friends of the British Film Institute San Francisco, CA | General Support | $250,000 |
| Los Angeles Philharmonic Association Los Angeles, CA | General Support | $150,000 |
| Uclfaa Inc New York, NY | General Support | $150,000 |
| Directors Guild Foundation Los Angeles, CA | General Support | $100,000 |
| American Film Institute Los Angeles, CA | General Support | $100,000 |
| La Family Housing North Hollywood, CA | General Support | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Morf 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $6,986,034 | $3,974,058 | $3,758,698 | $3,690,000 | 13 | $3,709,702 | $262,802 | $380,121 |
| 2023 | $6,770,458 | $409,509 | $2,079,872 | $2,000,000 | 8 | $2,024,746 | $337,434 | $422,684 |
| 2022 | $8,434,913 | $586,711 | $2,026,155 | $1,873,719 | 9 | $1,959,856 | $503,380 | $508,191 |
| 2021 | $9,881,679 | $4,909,755 | $5,631,463 | $5,525,000 | 9 | $5,549,963 | $1,848,716 | $657,701 |
| 2020 | $10,604,910 | $3,137,890 | $4,703,844 | $4,595,000 | 15 | — | $550,112 | $615,688 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Morf Foundation reported a distributable amount of $380K 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 show support for organizations working in areas including higher education, film preservation, music and the arts, health care, and housing and homelessness services. For example, New York University describes its missions as education, research and scholarship, and patient care. The Film Foundation describes its work as protecting and preserving motion picture history, while LA Family Housing says it helps homeless and low-income people transition out of poverty and build stability.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 13 grants totaling $3,690,000. Grant amounts ranged from $40,000 to $1,000,000, with a median of $150,000. The largest awards included $1,000,000 each to the Motion Picture & Television Fund and New York University; $500,000 to The Film Foundation; and $250,000 each to Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and Friends of the British Film Institute. Other grants included $150,000 to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and $100,000 each to the Directors Guild Foundation and the American Film Institute. The listed grants were for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists C Nolan as president and E Nolan as secretary and treasurer.
The Morf Foundation is led by C. Nolan, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
C. Nolan
President
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
E. Nolan
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.2 hrs/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 Morf Foundation
How much does The Morf Foundation give each year?
The Morf Foundation gave $3.7M across 13 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.0M across 8 grants.
What is The Morf Foundation's typical grant size?
The Morf Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $150,000, and its average grant was $283,846, across 13 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Morf Foundation that year got $535K on average.
Where does The Morf Foundation give grants?
The Morf Foundation gives mostly in California: 66% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (31%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (5 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does The Morf Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Morf Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Morf Foundation's largest grantees?
The Morf Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Motion Picture & Television Fund ($1,000,000), New York University ($1,000,000) and The Film Foundation ($500,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 68% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Morf Foundation?
The Morf Foundation reported $7.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $380K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Morf Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including higher education, film preservation, music and the arts, health care, and housing and homelessness services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Morf Foundation?
The foundation 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 Morf Foundation's EIN?
The Morf Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-4154417. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Morf 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
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Morf Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Morf Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-morf-foundation-morg_31bb88e89b674bb498bd07f5d5b6b5e5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_274154417_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Morf Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-morf-foundation-morg_31bb88e89b674bb498bd07f5d5b6b5e5},
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 Morf 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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