8 Ball Emergency Fund for Journalists
ActivePublic Safety & Disaster Relief
About 8 Ball Emergency Fund for Journalists
The 8 Ball Emergency Fund for Journalists provides direct emergency financial assistance to journalists facing unemployment or acute need, favoring rapid aid over programmatic grants. Its giving is narrowly focused and pragmatic, supporting individual journalists (often through named aid-grant lines) and occasional undisclosed recipients when confidentiality is required.
Focus Areas
Emergency cash assistance for temporarily unemployed journalistsIndividual need-based aid for freelance and staff journalistsConfidential/undisclosed emergency relief payments
Who They Fund
temporarily unemployed journalistsneedy/low-income journalistsjournalism studentsearly-career/temporary media workers
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated, small-program portfolio: very few grants per year that are sizable relative to the fund's total, focused on direct aid to individuals rather than institutions; repeat or ongoing support appears likely for the same beneficiary type rather than many different organizations.
About 8 Ball Emergency Fund for Journalists
The largest recent award from 8 Ball Emergency Fund for Journalists was a $41,500 block of aid grants in 2023 to temporary unemployed or needy journalists, which captures the fund’s core purpose: fast emergency help for people in journalism facing sudden financial strain. The foundation’s giving is built around direct cash assistance rather than programmatic support, with one-time emergency grants used for essentials such as rent, urgent medical care, food, and other basic necessities. Recent grant records also show a steady stream of confidential aid payments, including multiple undisclosed recipients in Burbank, CA across 2024 and 2025. That pattern fits a funder that prioritizes speed and privacy in short-term relief. Alongside emergency support for working journalists, the foundation also makes smaller student grants when funds remain available, including grants tied to local Southern California journalism students. The result is a narrowly focused grantmaker centered on individual need, temporary unemployment, and direct assistance to journalists at different stages of training and work.
What 8 Ball Emergency Fund for Journalists Funds
A central cause area is emergency relief for working journalists. The foundation gave $41,500 to Aid Grants to Temporary Unemployed in 2023 for temporary unemployed or needy journalists, and its personal emergency grants are designed for current, temporary financial need. It also supports confidentiality-based aid. In 2024 and 2025, several undisclosed recipients in Burbank, CA received aid grants ranging from $1,000 to $7,500, consistent with case-by-case review. A smaller second track serves journalism students. The program description says Journalism Student Grants are limited smaller grants for students at local Southern California colleges when funds remain after emergency grants to working journalists. Recent student grants include $1,000 and $500 awards. The foundation’s stated emergency-use categories include rent, urgent medical care, food, and other basic necessities.
How 8 Ball Emergency Fund for Journalists Gives
Typical grant size is modest: p25 is $250, median is $500, and p75 is $3,000. The recent record shows a mix of larger emergency awards and smaller student grants, with many payments clustered at $3,000 or below. Recipients appear across 2024 and 2025, and the same Burbank location recurs throughout the recent grants list, reflecting repeated short-term aid rather than one-off project funding. The foundation is not structured as a vehicle for grants to organizations; it does not fund individuals, and the public program descriptions emphasize confidential, case-by-case awards. Unsolicited applications are accepted for both personal emergency grants and journalism student grants.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$148K
Total Assets
$244K
Total Revenue
$34K
Total Expenses
$71K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $250 and $3K, with a median of $500.
25th Percentile
$250
Median
$500
75th Percentile
$3K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
About 100% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Unlock Deep Analysis
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeSee Similar Funders
Free Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeWant a Personalized Pitch for 8 Ball Emergency Fund for Journalists?
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Free plan available
No contracts
Cancel anytime