Twiford Foundation
Twiford Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation based in Phoenix, Arizona, established in 1999. The foundation focuses on supporting humanities and cultural arts education, with a particular emphasis on music and arts programs.
Key facts about Twiford Foundation
- EIN
- 86-0938381
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $788,200
- Grants made (2025)
- 31
- Average grant
- $25,426
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Primary geography
- Arizona (70% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Twiford Foundation funds
By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Twiford Foundation's 31 itemized 2025 grants were Arizona (70%), New York (13%) and California (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Phoenix, AZ (20 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants). None of its 31 grants with a stated purpose were described as general or operating support.
How Twiford Foundation gives
Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with Twiford Foundation
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Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
Annual Giving
$788K
+242.7% YoY
Grant Count
31
+287.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$25K
-11.6% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's mission is to assist in the sustainability of humanities and cultural arts education, primarily within Arizona. The foundation aims to help fill the deficit in humanities funding and education by supporting organizations that provide cultural arts enrichment to all populations and communities.
The foundation believes that culture and arts education are critical to peaceful, just, inclusive and sustainable societies, and that the humanities can offer transformative avenues for reimagining ways of living harmoniously with the earth and preserving social cohesion during times of interrelated global challenges, social isolation and environmental crises.
Primary funding areas include:
- Arts and cultural education
- Music education and programs
- Arts access and participation
- Education programs with arts components
Grantmaking
Grant Range
$2,500–$65,000
How to Apply
**
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds organizations in Arizona, with some grants extending to New York, California, and New Mexico.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 31 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of FY2025:
- Total Assets: $12,056,616
- Total Revenue: $661,046
- Total Expenses: $1,246,430
- Net Assets: $11,472,691
Revenue Sources (FY2025):
- Dividends: $353,099 (53.4%)
- Sales of Assets: $186,817 (28.3%)
- Other Income: $121,130 (18.3%)
Expenses (FY2025):
- Charitable Disbursements: $1,104,884 (88.6% of total expenses)
- Compensation of Officers: $224,924 (18.0%)
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | — | — | — |
| Revenue | — | — | — |
| Expenses | — | — | — |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 6, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 25, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
55 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2025 grants, the largest recipients include The Phoenix Zoo ($61,000), Children First Foundation ($60,000), Manhattan School of Music ($50,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| THE PHOENIX ZOO Phoenix, AZ | SECRETARY BIRD HABITAT/ SECRETARY BIRD BALANCE - CURASSOW FEED | $61,000 |
| CHILDREN FIRST FOUNDATION Phoenix, AZ | ART TEACHER FOR TITLE 1 / ART SUPPLIES | $60,000 |
| MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC New York, NY | SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT FUND | $50,000 |
| THE UCLA FOUNDATION Los Angeles, CA | SCHOLARSHIP FUND | $50,000 |
| JEWISH FREE LOAN Scottsdale, AZ | JFL EDUCATION PROGRAM | $50,000 |
| MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MUSEUM Phoenix, AZ | FIELD TRIPS/MEMORY CARE | $50,000 |
| ROSIE'S HOUSE Phoenix, AZ | MIND OVER MATTER CAMPAIGN/ MARIACHI AND SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS | $35,000 |
| DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN Phoenix, AZ | EROICA BALLET | $25,000 |
| BALLET ARIZONA Chandler, AZ | EROICA BALLET | $25,000 |
| PHOENIX PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION Phoenix, AZ | EMERGING READERS PROJECT | $25,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Lynn Running – Executive Director (compensation: $210,649 as of 2026)
- Arthur D. Ehrenreich – Principal Officer; served as president and helped establish the foundation
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 IRS filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lynn M Running | President/Exec.d | 40 | $210,649 |
| Theresa H Ehrenreich | Vice President/Director | 1 | $5,400 |
| Joan Lipson | Secretary/Community Engagement Liason | 11 | $8,768 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
In 2020, the Twiford Foundation donated a 12-piece collection of rare violins and bows to UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music. The collection includes masterpieces by Antonio Stradivarius and Sanctus Seraphin, valued at approximately $3.5 million. The foundation also established a fund for the maintenance and repair of these instruments.
The collection originated with Lavern "L." John Twiford, whose brother Glen Twiford graduated from UCLA in 1948 with a bachelor's degree in art. The foundation maintains scholarship programs including the L. John Twiford Violin Scholarship and Glen K. Twiford Piano Scholarship.
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Twiford Foundation fund?
The foundation's mission is to assist in the sustainability of humanities and cultural arts education, primarily within Arizona. The foundation aims to help fill the deficit in humanities funding and education by supporting organizations that provide cultural arts enrichment to all populations and communities. The foundation believes that culture and arts education are critical to peaceful, just, inclusive and sustainable societies, and that the humanities can offer transformative avenues for r…
How do I apply for a grant from Twiford Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
Where does Twiford Foundation make grants?
The foundation primarily funds organizations in Arizona, with some grants extending to New York, California, and New Mexico.
What size grants does Twiford Foundation award?
In 2025, Twiford Foundation awarded 31 grants totaling $788K — an average of about $25K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
What is Twiford Foundation's EIN?
Twiford Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 86-0938381. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Twiford Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.