The Kurland Family Foundation concentrates its giving in Marin County-area arts, culture, education and community services while also funding a few targeted academic and medical research initiatives nationally. It supports local performing arts organizations, music education, Jewish community services, and environmental/soil-carbon work, and makes both a very large unrestricted grant to the Marin Community Foundation and multiple smaller, recurring awards to hometown nonprofits. The foundation shows a mix of place-based philanthropy and select higher-education/medical philanthropy (notably ophthalmology at Columbia).
A $4,717,652 unrestricted grant to the Marin Community Foundation stands out as the largest recent award from Kurland Family Foundation and shows how strongly the funder backs place-based work in Marin. The foundation also makes repeated grants to organizations tied to arts, education, Jewish community services, and environmental projects, while reserving a smaller set of awards for university-based medical and historical work. Across the recent grants list, the pattern is clear: one very large operating gift anchors the portfolio, and a series of mid-sized and smaller grants support familiar local institutions over multiple years. In Marin County, the foundation has supported Enriching Lives Through Music, Marin Horizon School Incorporated, San Francisco Playhouse, Bernard Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, and Jewish Family and Children’s Services. Outside the region, it has backed ophthalmology at The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York and history programming at The George Washington University. The giving profile combines unrestricted support, project-specific awards, and targeted institutional support, with a strong emphasis on organizations serving the Marin community and select academic programs in New York and Washington, DC.
Arts and culture are a visible part of the foundation’s giving. It awarded $16,000 to San Francisco Playhouse in 2025 for support for My Home on the Moon, after prior grants to the same organization for play production and Rising Stars programming. Education appears through both independent schooling and music instruction. Marin Horizon School Incorporated received $50,000 for the Horizon Community School capital campaign in 2024, along with $20,000 in 2025 and $10,000 in 2024 and 2023 for Horizon Community School. Enriching Lives Through Music received $20,000 in 2024, $20,000 in 2023, and $20,000 in 2025 for operating support. Community services and relief are another thread. Jewish Family and Children’s Services received $31,000 in 2025 for operating support and the Israel Emergency Fund, plus earlier grants for support services in Marin, adoption connection, and the Jewish community of Poland Ukrainian emergency relief project.
Typical grants sit at $13,000 at the 25th percentile, $20,000 at the median, and $40,500 at the 75th percentile, though the portfolio also includes a much larger anchor grant. The repeated awards to the same organizations across 2023, 2024, and 2025 show ongoing relationships rather than one-time checks. The foundation is classified as a regular funder and does not make program-related investments or grants to individuals. The recent record also shows a mix of unrestricted operating support, project support, and capital campaign funding.
$5.1M
$0
$0
$0
Most grants fall between $13K and $41K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$41K
RHEA SUH
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Concentrated local giving with one very large pass-through/general operating grant to the Marin Community Foundation, plus a portfolio of small-to-midsize, often recurring grants to local nonprofits; occasional larger institutional gifts to academic medical programs. Grants are a mix of unrestricted/operating support and program-specific awards, favoring repeat grantees in Marin.
Notable grantees: Marin Community Foundation, The Trustees of Columbia University (Department of Ophthalmology), Marin Horizon School, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Enriching Lives Through Music
The foundation gives locally, with 82% of grants going to recipients in California, and its highest grant count in New York reflects the Columbia University awards rather than headquarters location. Recent grants reach Novato, San Rafael, Mill Valley, Point Reyes, San Francisco, and Emeryville in California, plus New York and Washington, DC. All recent grants in the provided list went to US recipients. The strongest cluster is in Marin County-area cities, especially San Rafael and Mill Valley.
Its recent grants favor Marin County arts, education, and community-serving organizations. Examples include San Francisco Playhouse, Enriching Lives Through Music, Marin Horizon School Incorporated, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, and Bernard Osher Marin Jewish Community Center. It also makes targeted awards to university departments and history programming outside California.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Columbia University, Enriching Lives Through Music, Marin Horizon School Incorporated, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, and San Francisco Playhouse. The repeated awards suggest ongoing relationships, not isolated gifts.
The typical grant size is $13,000 at the 25th percentile, $20,000 at the median, and $40,500 at the 75th percentile. The portfolio also includes a much larger operating grant of $4,717,652 to the Marin Community Foundation.
By grant count, New York is the top state in the recent grants list because of multiple awards to The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York. California still receives the bulk of grants overall, with 82% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MARIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | NOVATO, CA | $4,717,652 | 2025 | PROVIDE GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT DEPARTMENT OF OPHTHALMOLOGY |
| JEWISH FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $31,000 | 2025 | PROVIDE OPERATING SUPPORT AND ISRAEL EMERGENCY FUND |
| MARIN HORIZON SCHOOL INCORPORATED | MILL VALLEY, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT THE HORIZON COMMUNITY SCHOOL |
| ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH MUSIC | SAN RAFAEL, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | PROVIDE OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SAN FRANCISCO PLAYHOUSE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $16,000 | 2025 | PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR MY HOME ON THE MOON |
| MOTHER JONES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $15,000 | 2025 | PROVIDE OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BERNARD OSHER MARIN JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER | SAN RAFAEL, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | HELP LOW-INCOME SENIORS ACCESS PROGRAMS |
| THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENT OF OPHTHALMOLOGY |
| MARIN COUNTY SOIL CONSERVATION DISTRICT | POINT REYES, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | MARIN CARBON PROJECT (MCP) |
| MARIN HORIZON SCHOOL INCORPORATED | MILL VALLEY, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | HORIZON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CAPITAL CAMPAIGN |
| THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY | WASHINGTON, DC | $20,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT THE C. THOMAS LONG HISTORY FUND |
| ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH MUSIC | SAN RAFAEL, CA | $20,000 | 2024 | PROVIDE OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SAN FRANCISCO PLAYHOUSE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $16,000 | 2024 | PLAY PRODUCTION ($15,000) AND RISING STARS ($1,000) |
| CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING | EMERYVILLE, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | PROVIDE OPERATING SUPPORT |
| JEWISH FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $11,000 | 2024 | SERVICES IN MARIN/ADOPTION CONNECTION |
| MARIN HORIZON SCHOOL INCORPORATED | MILL VALLEY, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | HORIZON COMMUNITY SCHOOL |
| THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT THE ANNE S. COHEN PROFESSOR IN PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY |
| COUNTY OF MARIN | SAN RAFAEL, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT DRAWDOWN: MARIN |
| THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY | WASHINGTON, DC | $20,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT THE C. THOMAS LONG HISTORY FUND |
| ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH MUSIC | SAN RAFAEL, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | PROVIDE OPERATING SUPPORT |
| THE PLAYHOUSE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $16,000 | 2023 | PLAY PRODUCTION, RISING STAR PROGRAM |
| CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING | EMERYVILLE, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | PROVIDE OPERATING SUPPORT |
| JEWISH FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $11,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT SERVICES IN MARIN |
| MARIN HORIZON SCHOOL INCORPORATED | MILL VALLEY, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | HORIZON COMMUNITY SCHOOL |
| JEWISH FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | JEWISH COMMUNITY OF POLAND UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY RELIEF PROJECT |
| BERNARD OSHER MARIN JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER | SAN RAFAEL, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | LOW-INCOME SENIORS PROGRAM SUPPORT |
SUPPORT DEPARTMENT OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
PROVIDE OPERATING SUPPORT AND ISRAEL EMERGENCY FUND
PROVIDE OPERATING SUPPORT
MOTHER JONES
$15,000PROVIDE OPERATING SUPPORT
HELP LOW-INCOME SENIORS ACCESS PROGRAMS
SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENT OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
MARIN COUNTY SOIL CONSERVATION DISTRICT
$50,000MARIN CARBON PROJECT (MCP)
HORIZON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
PLAY PRODUCTION ($15,000) AND RISING STARS ($1,000)
CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
$15,000PROVIDE OPERATING SUPPORT
SERVICES IN MARIN/ADOPTION CONNECTION
SUPPORT THE ANNE S. COHEN PROFESSOR IN PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY
COUNTY OF MARIN
$100,000SUPPORT DRAWDOWN: MARIN
CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
$15,000PROVIDE OPERATING SUPPORT
JEWISH COMMUNITY OF POLAND UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY RELIEF PROJECT
LOW-INCOME SENIORS PROGRAM SUPPORT