The Michael J Connell Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on major cultural and environmental institutions in Southern California, awarding large, targeted gifts rather than many small grants. Its giving emphasizes sustaining classical music/performance institutions and supporting botanical conservation and environmental education through endowed funding. Grantees are regional, well-established organizations and the foundation makes repeat, sizable commitments to preferred partners.
A $300,000 endowed gift to Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden sets the tone for Michael J Connell Foundation’s recent grantmaking: the foundation backs institutions with durable programs, especially in environmental education and classical music. Its largest publicly listed awards also show repeat support for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with six-figure program funding in consecutive years, alongside other long-running commitments in the Pasadena and greater Los Angeles area. The foundation’s portfolio mixes cultural institutions, conservation organizations, and selected community-serving nonprofits. It gave $75,000 to Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy, $40,000 to Concerned Resource & Environmental Workers, and $35,000 to Harmony Project, showing how environmental priorities sit alongside music and arts education. Grants also reach education and family-service groups such as Reading Partners, Boys and Girls Club, and Young and Healthy. Across the recent grants list, the foundation tends to favor established organizations and targeted uses rather than open-ended experiment. Several awards are labeled program support, general operations, or endowment funding, and multiple grantees appear more than once across years, indicating a pattern of continuing relationships rather than isolated gifts.
Environmental and conservation work appears in both endowment and project support. Michael J Connell Foundation gave $300,000 to Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden for the Elena Grant Cahir Environmental Education Endowment Fund, then followed with $75,000 to Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy and $40,000 to Concerned Resource & Environmental Workers. Its arts funding centers on classical music and performance. The foundation awarded $217,000 to Los Angeles Philharmonic Association for program support in 2024 and $167,000 for the same purpose in 2023. It also supported Pasadena Conservatory of Music, A Noise Within, Antaeus Company, and Camerata Pacifica. Education and youth-serving work show up through direct program grants. Reading Partners received $50,000 in one award and $30,000 in another, while Maker Learning Network received $30,000 for a VR educational curriculum and Rediscover Center received funding to deliver tinker kits and create online resources.
$962K
$12.7M
$1.1M
$1.2M
Most grants fall between $11K and $37K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$11K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$37K
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants with repeat funding to select regional cultural and conservation institutions; mix of program support and endowed gifts rather than broad small grants.
Notable grantees: Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Typical grants cluster around a median of $30,000, with a lower quartile of $10,750 and an upper quartile of $37,250. Recent awards range from $10,000 to $300,000, with several gifts in the $20,000 to $50,000 band. The foundation appears to use both one-off donations and repeated support: Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Reading Partners, Antaeus Company, and Rediscover Center each received more than one grant across the recent record. Michael J Connell Foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it accepts unsolicited applications in its Arts and Music, Healthcare, Environmental, Education, and Seed Grants programs.
Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in California, which accounts for 82% of grants and is the top state by count. Pasadena and Los Angeles appear frequently among recipient cities, with additional awards in Claremont, Glendale, Altadena, Monterey Park, Ojai, Oakland, Palmdale, and San Jose. Outside California, recent grants went to organizations in New York, Texas, Montana, and Virginia, but the overall pattern remains local and Southern California-centered.
The foundation supports arts and music, healthcare, environmental work, education, and seed grants for start-up or new projects. Recent grants show emphasis on classical music organizations, botanical conservation, environmental education, and youth-focused education programming.
Yes. Its Arts and Music, Healthcare, Environmental, Education, and Seed Grants programs all accept unsolicited requests. The seed-grant program is aimed at start-up projects and new initiatives within existing organizations.
The typical grant size is $30,000 at the median, with a lower quartile of $10,750 and an upper quartile of $37,250. Recent awards include both smaller $10,000 gifts and larger six-figure commitments.
Very concentrated. California recipients account for 82% of grants, and California is also the top state by grant count. Recent California recipients include organizations in Pasadena, Los Angeles, Claremont, Glendale, Altadena, Monterey Park, Ojai, Oakland, Palmdale, and San Jose.
Yes. Several organizations appear in multiple years, including Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Reading Partners, Antaeus Company, and Rediscover Center. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than purely one-time gifts.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Michael J Connell Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Unsolicited applicants must be located in or provide significant service to the Pasadena/Los Angeles area. Organizations with budgets over $40 million are not funded. Scholarships and capital campaigns are generally not supported. Strong applications show a track record of excellence, expected impact, qualified staff, fiscal health, and collaboration.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $142,000 | 2026 | BOARD MEMBER DUES/ ANNUAL FUND 2024 |
| FIVE ACRES | ALTADENA, CA | $80,000 | 2026 | GRANT TO SUPPORT FIRE RECOVERY & RELIEF |
| MONTANA SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKS | BOZEMAN, MT | $70,000 | 2026 | GRANT FOR 2025 SUMMER PARKS TOUR |
| CASA OF LOS ANGELES | MONTEREY PARK, CA | $60,000 | 2026 | BOARD MEMBER GRANT |
| BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF PASADENA | PASADENA, CA | $60,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| READING PARTNERS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| MUSIIQUE | PASADENA, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| BITTER ROOT | HAMILTON, MT | $50,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| EL NIDO FAMILY CENTERS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | GRANT TO SUPPORT FARMERS MARKET EXPANSION |
| ALEXANDRIA HOUSE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| PASADENA CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC | PASADENA, CA | $40,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| CONCERNED RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENTAL WORKERS | OJAI, CA | $40,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| A NOISE WITHIN | PASADENA, CA | $35,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| PASADENA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | PASADENA, CA | $35,000 | 2026 | GRANT FOR EATON FIRE FUND |
| PER SCHOLAS | BRONX, NY | $30,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| ARROYOS & FOOTHILLS CONSERVANCY | PASADENA, CA | $30,000 | 2026 | GRANT FOR EATION FIRE RECOVERY PROJECT |
| LOS ANGELES CHILDRENS CHORUS | PASADENA, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | NEED BASED SCHOLARSHIPS |
| REDISCOVER CENTER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | GRANT TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY ARTS PROGRAM |
| FROSTIG SCHOOL | PASADENA, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| RAISING CURTAIN FOUNDATION | SANTA CLARITTA, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| THE CORNER FOOD PANTRY | LAKEEVILLE, CT | $10,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD | DENVER, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | GRANT |
| LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATIO | LOS ANGELES, CA | $166,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ARROYOS & FOOTHILLS CONSERVANCY | PASADENA, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | GRANT |
| EL NIDO FAMILY CENTERS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GRANT |
| HELEN KELLER INTERNATIONAL | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GRANT TO SUPPORT DELIVERY OF ACCESSIBLE VISION CARE SERVICES |
| PER SCHOLAS | BRONX, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GRANT |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD | ALTADENA, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GRANT TO SUPPORT EXPANSION OF EDUCTAION PROGRAMS |
| BITTER ROOT LAND TRUST | HAMILTON, MT | $50,000 | 2025 | GRANT |
| PASADENA PLAYHOUSE | PASADENA, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GRANT TO SUPPORT THEATER FOR EVERYONE |
| HILLSIDES | PASADENA, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GRANT FOR YOUTH PROGRAMS |
| MONTANA SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKS | BOZEMAN, MT | $35,000 | 2025 | GRANT |
| PASADENA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT | PASADENA, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | GRANT |
| CASA OF LOS ANGELES | MONTEREY PARK, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | BOARD MEMBER GRANT |
| LOS ANGELES CHILDRENS CHORUS | PASADENA, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | NEED BASED SCHOLARSHIPS |
| NANCY EVANS DANCE THEATRE | PASADENA, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | GRANT |
| ARLINGTON GARDEN OF PASADENA | PASADENA, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | DIRECTORS GRANT |
| UC SANTA BARBARA FOUNDATION | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | IN HONOR OF RICHARD WILSON |
| LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATIO | LOS ANGELES, CA | $217,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ARROYOS & FOOTHILLS CONSERVANCY | PASADENA, CA | $75,000 | 2024 | GRANT |
| HELEN KELLER INTERNATIONAL INC | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2024 | GRANT TO SUPPORT DELIVERY OF ACCESSIBLE VISION CARE SERVICES |
| READING PARTNERS | OAKLAND, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | GRANT 2022 |
| CONCERNED RESOURCE & ENVIRONMENTAL WORKERS | OJAI, CA | $40,000 | 2024 | GRANT |
| MONTANA TROUT UNLIMITED | MISSOULA, MT | $38,000 | 2024 | GRANT TO FUND ENVIORNMENTAL PROJECTS |
| HARMONY PROJECT | LOS ANGELES, CA | $35,000 | 2024 | GRANT |
| BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB | PASADENA, CA | $30,000 | 2024 | DONATION TO PROJECT LEARN |
| PASADENA CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC | PASADENA, CA | $30,000 | 2024 | GRANT TO SUPPORT GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD | ALTADENA, CA | $30,000 | 2024 | GRANT TO SUPPORT EXPANSION OF EDUCTAION PROGRAMS |
| YOUNG AND HEALTHY | PASADENA, CA | $30,000 | 2024 | FINANCIAL LITERACY PROGRAM |
| ANTAEUS COMPANY | GLENDALE, CA | $30,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
MONTANA SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKS
$70,000GRANT FOR 2025 SUMMER PARKS TOUR
READING PARTNERS
$50,000GRANT
MUSIIQUE
$50,000GRANT
BITTER ROOT
$50,000GRANT
CONCERNED RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENTAL WORKERS
$40,000GRANT
FROSTIG SCHOOL
$20,000GRANT
RAISING CURTAIN FOUNDATION
$10,000GRANT
THE CORNER FOOD PANTRY
$10,000GRANT
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
$5,000GRANT
HELEN KELLER INTERNATIONAL
$50,000GRANT TO SUPPORT DELIVERY OF ACCESSIBLE VISION CARE SERVICES
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
$50,000GRANT TO SUPPORT EXPANSION OF EDUCTAION PROGRAMS
BITTER ROOT LAND TRUST
$50,000GRANT
PASADENA PLAYHOUSE
$50,000GRANT TO SUPPORT THEATER FOR EVERYONE
MONTANA SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKS
$35,000GRANT
PASADENA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
$30,000GRANT
NANCY EVANS DANCE THEATRE
$10,000GRANT
ARLINGTON GARDEN OF PASADENA
$10,000DIRECTORS GRANT
GRANT TO SUPPORT DELIVERY OF ACCESSIBLE VISION CARE SERVICES
MONTANA TROUT UNLIMITED
$38,000GRANT TO FUND ENVIORNMENTAL PROJECTS
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
$30,000GRANT TO SUPPORT EXPANSION OF EDUCTAION PROGRAMS
