The River Foundation
The River Foundation is a private foundation based in Sherman Oaks, California. It reported 27 grants totaling $61,900 in filing year 2025, supporting organizations whose work includes humanitarian aid, journalism, civil liberties, democracy and justice, and Indigenous rights.
The River Foundation at a glance
In short: The River Foundation gave $62K across 27 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in California. 41% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $61,900
- -4.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 27
- +42.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,293
- -32.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $1,194,477
- -2.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (11 of 27, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (52% 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 River 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: 15260 Ventura Blvd Suite 1040, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Phone: (818) 382-7800
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The River Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Doctors Without Borders USA ($5K). Together the top 10 received $36K.
Grant Size Distribution
97 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 97 grants of 97 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in California (52%), Washington, DC (15%), New York (15%), Oregon (5%), and Ohio (5%). These figures describe recipient locations.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The River Foundation open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 27 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 59% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+13%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 104% 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 $55K (2022) to $110K (2020). In 2025 it made 27 grants totaling $62K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors Without Borders USA New York, NY | To support work of providing quality medical care and deliving emergency medical aid to people in crisis. | $5,000 |
| Freedom of the Press Foundation San Francisco, CA | To protect and defend adversarial journalism in the 21st century | $5,000 |
| The Bail Project Pasadena, CA | To support mission of ending cash bail and creating a more just, equitable and humane pretrial system | $5,000 |
| Civil Liberties Defense Center Eugene, OR | To support movements that seek to dismantle political and economic structures at the root of social inequality and environmental destruction | $3,000 |
| Heal Palestine Kent, OH | To Support Humanitarian Relief Work in Gaza | $3,000 |
| Palestine Children's Relief Fund Los Angeles, CA | To support work of providing vital medical and humanitarian relief efforts for children in the middle east | $3,000 |
| Survival International USA San Francisco, CA | To Support Tribal Peoples' Rights Around the World | $3,000 |
| The Electronic Intifada Chicago, IL | To support powerful, independent reporting and to help inspire, educate and mobilize people to work for justice in palestine | $3,000 |
| World Central Kitchen Washington, DC | To help support work of providing meals to the people who need them most | $3,000 |
| Drop Site News Washington, DC | To Support Mission of Providing Independent Investigative Journalism | $2,500 |
Ready to take the next step with The River 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 | $1,194,477 | $38,937 | $73,329 | $61,900 | 27 | $61,900 | $28,627 | $59,257 |
| 2024 | $1,228,869 | $34,836 | $72,038 | $64,610 | 19 | $64,610 | $30,500 | $59,521 |
| 2023 | $1,266,071 | $25,135 | $77,153 | $62,800 | 20 | $62,800 | $18,585 | $61,148 |
| 2022 | $1,318,089 | $-6,717 | $64,208 | $54,984 | 14 | $54,984 | $24,364 | $64,634 |
| 2021 | $1,389,014 | $39,767 | $78,018 | $67,000 | 17 | $67,000 | $28,239 | $72,354 |
| 2020 | $1,427,265 | $18,118 | $126,342 | $110,460 | 33 | — | $21,297 | $77,650 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The River Foundation reported a distributable amount of $59K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for medical and humanitarian relief, independent reporting, civil liberties, and justice-related work. The grantees describe their own missions in varied terms: for example, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund says it provides non-political humanitarian relief focused on healthcare for children in Palestine; World Central Kitchen says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises; and the Civil Liberties Defense Center says it educates the public about constitutional rights and provides free legal support to climate and social justice activists.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 27 grants totaling $61,900. Grants ranged from $400 to $5,000, with a median grant of $2,000. Among the largest were $5,000 to Doctors Without Borders USA for medical care and emergency aid, $5,000 to Freedom of the Press Foundation for adversarial journalism, and $5,000 to The Bail Project to support its work on cash bail and pretrial justice. Other notable grants included $3,000 each to Heal Palestine for humanitarian relief in Gaza, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund for medical and humanitarian relief, and World Central Kitchen for meal provision.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Neal Marlens as president, secretary, and treasurer.
The River Foundation is led by Neal Marlens, President, Secretary & Treasurer since 2021 (on filings since 2020) — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Neal Marlens
President, Secretary & Treasurer
Secretary & Treasurer → President, Secretary & Treasurer, 2021
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Carol Black (2020) — President
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 River Foundation
How much does The River Foundation give each year?
The River Foundation gave $62K across 27 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $65K across 19 grants.
What is The River Foundation's typical grant size?
The River Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,293, across 27 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The River Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does The River Foundation give grants?
The River Foundation gives mostly in California: 52% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (15%) and New York (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (5 grants), Washington, DC (4 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Santa Barbara, CA (3 grants).
Does The River Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 27 grants with a stated purpose on The River Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are The River Foundation's largest grantees?
The River Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Doctors Without Borders USA ($5,000), Freedom of the Press Foundation ($5,000) and The Bail Project ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The River Foundation?
The River Foundation reported $1.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $62K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $59K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The River Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for medical and humanitarian relief, independent reporting, civil liberties, and justice-related work. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The River 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 River Foundation's EIN?
The River Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-1657417. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The River 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The River Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-river-foundation-morg_62ab421a131c4e819e6bf8326216791c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_061657417_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The River Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-river-foundation-morg_62ab421a131c4e819e6bf8326216791c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 River 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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