The Amin Arasteh Foundation concentrates almost exclusively on scholarship support for the Iranian-American community, with two large, repeat grants split between an Iranian-focused scholarship fund and a women-focused Iranian-American foundation. Grants are targeted and transactional—direct scholarship funding rather than broad programmatic support—and reflect a clear cultural/ethnic emphasis tied to Los Angeles-area philanthropy. The foundation appears to prioritize educational advancement and leadership development for Iranian and Iranian-American students and women.
Highly concentrated: four grants totaling $188,660 split almost entirely between two repeat grantees; large, scholarship-focused awards rather than many small or diversified gifts.
The Amin Arasteh Foundation’s recent giving is defined by scholarship support for the Iranian-American community, with two large, repeat grants anchoring its portfolio. In 2023 and 2024, the foundation gave the Iranian Scholarship Foundation $50,000 each year, signaling sustained backing for an organization tied to domestic higher-education support. It also funded the Iranian American Women Foundation at a much larger level in 2023 and again in 2024, including an $80,000 grant and an $8,660 grant, showing a clear emphasis on scholarship administration and direct educational aid rather than broad operating support. Beyond those anchor grants, the foundation also makes direct scholarship awards to individual students, including recipients in Virginia and Massachusetts. That mix places the Amin Arasteh Foundation in a narrow but consistent pattern: it supports postsecondary advancement for Iranian and Iranian-American students and women through earmarked scholarship funding. The grant list suggests a transactional style of giving, with dollars flowing to scholarship organizations and named beneficiaries rather than through a wide program portfolio. Its giving is closely tied to diaspora educational support, especially within California-linked Iranian-American philanthropy.
A central theme is higher-education scholarship funding. The foundation gave $50,000 to the Iranian Scholarship Foundation in 2024 and the same amount in 2023, indicating repeated support for scholarship administration and tuition assistance. Women-focused scholarship and leadership support is another clear area. In 2023, it awarded $80,000 to the Iranian American Women Foundation, and in 2024 it followed with $8,660 to the same organization, tying its giving to Iranian-American women’s educational advancement. The foundation also funds individual students directly. Recent awards include $5,000 scholarships to Navid Ahmadi Segherlou, Zahra Shah Mohammady, Amiraslan Darvish, Fatemeh Hooshmand, and Fahime Asghartabarledrai, plus a $2,500 scholarship to Anita Ghorbani.
Typical grant size is $5,000 at both the 25th percentile and median, with a 75th percentile of $39,665, showing a pattern of many smaller scholarship awards alongside a few much larger institutional grants. The recent record includes repeated support to the same organizations across 2023 and 2024, especially scholarship intermediaries, which points to recurring relationships rather than one-time awards. The foundation funds individuals directly, and the grants are restricted to scholarship purposes rather than general operating support. It appears to make direct, earmarked awards without a public application process shown in the data.
$59K
$0
$12K
$64K
Most grants fall between $5K and $40K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$40K
About 40% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Notable grantees: Iranian Scholarship Foundation, Iranian American Women Foundation
The foundation gives nationally, but California is the top state by grant count and receives 40% of grants. Recent recipient cities cluster in California, including Irvine and Menlo Park, while direct scholarship recipients also appear in Charlottesville, Amherst, and Boston. The country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 10 grants in the United States and no non-U.S. recipient countries in the recent list.
It primarily funds scholarships for Iranian and Iranian-American students, including support for scholarship organizations and direct awards to individual students. The recent record centers on higher-education assistance and scholarship administration rather than broad program grants.
Yes. The foundation funds individuals directly, with recent scholarship awards of $5,000 to recipients such as Navid Ahmadi Segherlou, Zahra Shah Mohammady, Amiraslan Darvish, Fatemeh Hooshmand, and Fahime Asghartabarledrai, plus a $2,500 award to Anita Ghorbani.
The typical grant size is $5,000 at both the 25th percentile and the median, while the 75th percentile is $39,665. That distribution reflects a mix of standard individual scholarships and larger awards to scholarship organizations.
The pattern is recurring. The Iranian Scholarship Foundation received $50,000 in both 2023 and 2024, and the Iranian American Women Foundation received $80,000 in 2023 and $8,660 in 2024, showing repeated support across years.
California is the top state by grant count, and 40% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. Recent California recipients include organizations in Irvine and Menlo Park.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRANIAN SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION | MENLO PARK, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| IRANIAN AMERICAN WOMEN FOUNDATION | IRVINE, CA | $8,660 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| IRANIAN AMERICAN WOMEN FOUNDATION | IRVINE, CA | $80,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| IRANIAN SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION | MENLO PARK, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| AMIRASLAN DARVISH | AMHERST, MA | $5,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| NAVID AHMADI SEGHERLOU | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $5,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| ZAHRA SHAH MOHAMMADY | AMHERST, MA | $5,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| FAHIME ASGHARTABARLEDRAI | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $5,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| FATEMEH HOOSHMAND | BOSTON, MA | $5,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| ANITA GHORBANI | AMHERST, MA | $2,500 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP |
IRANIAN SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION
$50,000SCHOLARSHIP
IRANIAN AMERICAN WOMEN FOUNDATION
$8,660SCHOLARSHIP
IRANIAN AMERICAN WOMEN FOUNDATION
$80,000SCHOLARSHIP
IRANIAN SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION
$50,000SCHOLARSHIP
AMIRASLAN DARVISH
$5,000SCHOLARSHIP
NAVID AHMADI SEGHERLOU
$5,000SCHOLARSHIP
ZAHRA SHAH MOHAMMADY
SCHOLARSHIP
FAHIME ASGHARTABARLEDRAI
$5,000SCHOLARSHIP
FATEMEH HOOSHMAND
$5,000SCHOLARSHIP
ANITA GHORBANI
$2,500SCHOLARSHIP