About California Humanities
To connect Californians to ideas and one another in order to understand our shared heritage and diverse cultures, inspire civic participation, and shape our future.
Focus Areas
public humanities programminggrants for documentary media (film, audio, digital)library capacity-building (Library Innovation Lab)community dialogue and civic engagementarts and humanities projectsrapid/quick grants (community connection)
Funding Style
core program supportprogram-restricted fundingongoing/recurring support
Topics
organizational program delivery
About California Humanities
California Humanities centers documentary media, public humanities, and community connection across California. Its recent grantmaking shows a strong preference for core program support, with larger awards going to organizations that produce nonfiction film, audio, and digital projects, as well as public media and humanities groups. Women Make Movies received $140,000 in 2023, while Independent Arts & Media received $80,000 in 2024, both under core programs. Other major awards went to Gotham Film and Media Institute, Kalw Public Media, and the International Documentary Association, reflecting a pattern of funding organizations that shape how California stories are researched, produced, and shared. The foundation also supports public-facing humanities work that builds understanding across communities, including quick grants for social connection and a cohort-based library program focused on immigrant communities. Across the recent grants list, the same kinds of institutions appear repeatedly: documentary producers, public media organizations, universities, and community-serving nonprofits. That combination suggests a funder that backs both the content side of humanities work and the public systems that help those projects reach audiences and communities.
What California Humanities Funds
Documentary media is a central theme in the foundation’s grantmaking. California Humanities awarded $50,000 to From the Heart Productions Inc in 2025 and another $50,000 in 2024 for core programs, and it gave $45,000 to Kartemquin Educational Films in 2025. It also funded Visual Communications twice at $40,000, in 2024 and 2025, showing sustained support for nonfiction storytelling organizations. The foundation also backs public media and documentary infrastructure. It granted $55,000 to Kalw Public Media Inc in both 2023 and 2024, and $40,000 to the International Documentary Association in 2023, followed by $35,000 awards in 2024 and 2025. In education and research settings, San Diego State University Research Foundation received $50,000 in 2023, and The Regents of the University of California Berkeley received $38,206 in 2024. Community connection and library-based public humanities are another clear thread. Quick grants support publicly accessible activities that bring people together across differences, while the Library Innovation Lab supports public library professionals serving immigrant communities in California.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$858K
Total Assets
$1.9M
Total Revenue
$3.4M
Total Expenses
$3.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $15K and $25K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$25K
Geographic Reach
Local6 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
RICK NOGUCHI
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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 FreeExplore related grant guides
Want a Personalized Pitch for California Humanities?
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