The Charles Bloom Foundation concentrates its support on arts and cultural institutions, with an emphasis on Santa Barbara-area museums and performing arts organizations, while also funding LGBTQ community services and higher-level museum philanthropy. Grants are often sizeable and directed to a small set of repeat recipients, showing a preference for established cultural institutions and locally anchored organizations.
Concentrated, relatively large grants to a small number of repeat grantees—primarily local cultural institutions—with occasional support for major national museums and community-service nonprofits.
Charles Bloom Foundation’s largest recent gifts go to Santa Barbara cultural institutions and local community services, including a $101,000 grant to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and a $100,000 grant to Pacific Pride Foundation in 2024. The pattern points to a funder that supports arts, museums, performing arts, and LGBTQ services, with flexible support appearing in multiple awards. In 2025, the foundation continued that approach with a $50,000 unrestricted grant to Pacific Pride Foundation and a $46,761 unrestricted grant to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. It also backed the Music Academy of the West with a $25,000 unrestricted grant, reinforcing its interest in classical music training and performance. Beyond Santa Barbara, the foundation makes occasional gifts to major art institutions and other organizations outside its local base. Recent examples include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which received $25,000 in 2025, and smaller grants to museums and service organizations in other states. The recurring presence of the same recipients over several years suggests ongoing support for a small set of established organizations rather than broad, one-time giving.
Arts and museum support is central to the foundation’s giving. It awarded $101,000 to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art for general support in 2024, and later gave the same institution $46,761 unrestricted in 2025. Classical music is another visible area. Music Academy of the West received $25,000 in 2025 unrestricted support after a $25,000 general grant in 2024, showing continued backing for training and performance. The foundation also funds LGBTQ services and advocacy. Pacific Pride Foundation received $100,000 in 2024 general support and $50,000 in 2025 unrestricted support. Smaller grants extend to additional cultural and community institutions, including $11,650 to All Saints Church and $10,000 to Sbcc Foundation - Quire of Voyces, both in 2025.
Typical grants are small at the lower end and occasionally much larger: the reported p25 and median are both $1,000, while the p75 is $25,000. That spread matches a pattern of many modest gifts alongside a few large operating or unrestricted grants. The same recipients appear across multiple years, including Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Pacific Pride Foundation, Music Academy of the West, and Metropolitan Museum of Art, indicating repeat support rather than one-time awards. The foundation does not fund individuals and is not making program-related investments. Recent grants include both general and unrestricted support, suggesting flexible funding is a consistent approach.
$176K
$947K
$110K
$185K
Most grants fall between $1K and $25K, with a median of $1K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$1K
75th Percentile
$25K
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Notable grantees: Pacific Pride Foundation, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Music Academy of the West, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Grantmaking is heavily centered in California, with 79% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Santa Barbara accounts for many of the awards, including organizations such as Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Music Academy of the West, and Pacific Pride Foundation. The foundation’s giving is regional, but it also reaches beyond California. Named out-of-state recipients include Henry Sheldon Museum in Middlebury, Vermont; All Classical Portland in Portland, Oregon; and Crafts Alliance in St. Louis, Missouri. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 29 grants in the United States.
The foundation funds arts and cultural institutions, including museums, exhibition spaces, and performing arts organizations, as well as LGBTQ community services and advocacy. Recent grants also show support for a church music program, hospice care, and other community organizations.
Yes. Recent awards include unrestricted and general support grants, such as unrestricted funding to Pacific Pride Foundation and Santa Barbara Museum of Art in 2025, plus general support grants to those same organizations in earlier years.
The reported typical grant size is $1,000 at both the 25th percentile and the median, with a 75th percentile of $25,000. That points to many small grants and a smaller number of larger awards.
Recipients in California receive 79% of the grants, and Santa Barbara appears frequently in the recent grants list. The broader grantmaking footprint is regional, with occasional awards outside California.
Yes. Several organizations appear in multiple years, including Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Pacific Pride Foundation, Music Academy of the West, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Hospice of Santa Barbara. That pattern shows repeated support for a limited set of recipients.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PACIFIC PRIDE FOUNDATION | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $46,761 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ALL SAINTS CHURCH | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $11,650 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SBCC FOUNDATION - QUIRE OF VOYCES | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HOSPICE OF SANTA BARBARA | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $2,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HENRY SHELDON MUSEUM | MIDDLEBURY, VT | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| COMMUNITY PARTNERS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF SANTA BARBARA | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FRIENDSHIP CENTER OF SANTA BARBARA | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| KUSC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ALL CLASSICAL PORTLAND | PORTLAND, OR | $500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| COMMUNITY PARTNERS SHEER POST | LOS ANGELES, CA | $250 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TOYS FOR TOTS | LOMPOC, CA | $250 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SB MUSEUM OF ART | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $101,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| PACIFIC PRIDE FOUNDATION | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK NY, NY | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| CRAFTS ALLIANCE | STLOIUS, MO | $1,000 | 2024 | general |
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK NY, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| PACIFIC PRIDE FOUNDATION | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $8,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| HOSPICE OF SANTA BARBARA | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| SB MUSEUM OF ART | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| ENSEMBLE THEATER COMPANY | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | santa barbara, CA | $1,000 | 2023 | general |
| FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $599 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| DELTA RESCUE | GLENDALE, CA | $500 | 2023 | GENERAL |
SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART
$46,761UNRESTRICTED
ALL SAINTS CHURCH
$11,650UNRESTRICTED
SBCC FOUNDATION - QUIRE OF VOYCES
UNRESTRICTED
HENRY SHELDON MUSEUM
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
FRIENDSHIP CENTER OF SANTA BARBARA
$500UNRESTRICTED
KUSC
$500UNRESTRICTED
COMMUNITY PARTNERS SHEER POST
$250UNRESTRICTED
TOYS FOR TOTS
$250UNRESTRICTED
SB MUSEUM OF ART
$101,000GENERAL
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
$25,000GENERAL
CRAFTS ALLIANCE
$1,000general
SB MUSEUM OF ART
$1,000GENERAL
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$1,000general
FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
$599GENERAL
DELTA RESCUE
$500GENERAL