About Farhang Foundation
Farhang Foundation is a member-supported, non-religious, non-political, not-for-profit organization established in 2008 to celebrate and promote Iranian art and culture for the benefit of the community-at-large.
Focus Areas
Iranian art and culturePerforming arts (music, dance, theater)Film and cinemaVisual arts and exhibitionsLiterature and book programsPersian language educationAcademic programs and Iranian StudiesCommunity cultural events (Nowruz, Shab-e Yalda)
Who They Fund
Iranian artists and creatorsIranian cultural organizations and museumsIranian diaspora communitiesgeneral public / audiences interested in Iranian culture
About Farhang Foundation
Farhang Foundation’s grantmaking is built around Iranian art and culture, and it shows up in major gifts to universities and cultural institutions in Southern California. A standout example is the $1 million institutional gift to the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music to launch the first Iranian Music Degree Program outside Iran. Another long-running thread is academic support: the foundation backed the University of Southern California’s Iranian Studies initiative and the Persian Studies program at the University of California, Irvine. Its cultural portfolio also reaches museums and performance venues, with grants to places such as The Getty, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and Pacific Symphony. The pattern is consistent with the organization’s stated purpose: celebrating and promoting Iranian art and culture through public-facing programs, education, exhibitions, and artistic collaborations. Across the recent grants list, the recipients are mostly established institutions in Los Angeles, Irvine, and other Southern California cities, indicating a local, partnership-based approach rather than open individual funding. The foundation also supports awards and exhibitions that recognize artists, scholars, and cultural work connected to Iranian heritage.
What Farhang Foundation Funds
Educational programming is a central theme. Farhang Foundation gave $18,772 to UCLA for promotion of Iranian art, culture, and history, and it has also supported Persian Studies at UCI and an Iranian Studies initiative at USC. In music, the foundation made a $20,000 grant to Pacific Symphony in Irvine, alongside other support for performance-based programming tied to Iranian culture. Visual arts and exhibitions are another clear area: it gave $15,000 to The Museum of Contemporary Art and $10,000 to Los Angeles County Museum of Art for promotion of Iranian art, culture, and history. Film appears as well, through grants of $10,000 to the American Film Institute in both 2024 and 2025. These examples show a mix of higher education, museums, and performing arts institutions as delivery partners.
How Farhang Foundation Gives
Farhang Foundation’s typical grant size sits at $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $10,000 at the median, and $16,886 at the 75th percentile, with a much larger outlier in the $1 million UCLA music gift. The recent record shows repeat support to the same organizations across years, including the American Film Institute, Grand Performances, Pacific Symphony, and The UCLA Foundation. That points to ongoing institutional partnerships rather than isolated one-time awards. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF or an individual-giving vehicle, and it does not make program-related investments. Most grants appear to be project-based gifts tied to exhibitions, programs, conferences, and cultural collaborations.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.4M
Total Assets
$6.9M
Total Revenue
$3.1M
Total Expenses
$4.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $17K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$17K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
ALIREZA ARDEKANI
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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