The Nesbitt Foundation concentrates its giving on a small number of large, general-support grants to social service organizations, primarily funding hunger relief and community behavioral health providers. Although based in Chicago, the foundation’s largest commitments are to California-based service agencies and to a religious charitable organization, indicating a mix of geographic flexibility and faith-linked philanthropy. Grants are sizable and often repeated to the same institutions, suggesting long-term core support rather than many small, one-off awards.
Concentrated, high-dollar giving with repeated general operating grants to a few core grantees rather than many small or highly restricted awards.
The Nesbitt Foundation’s recent giving is marked by repeated large general-support grants to the same community service organizations, especially Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Pacific Clinics. That pattern points to a funder that appears to favor core operating support over one-time project awards, with several recipients receiving funding in both 2024 and 2025. The foundation’s largest recent commitments are concentrated in California-based providers, including food relief, behavioral health, and services for children, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. Across the recent grant list, the foundation also supports faith-linked and community-based nonprofits such as Nazareth House, Sisters of Nazareth, and All Peoples Christian Center. Those awards sit alongside grants to organizations serving youth, older adults, and families, suggesting a broad social-service orientation rather than a single narrow program area. The repeated award sizes at $50,000, $100,000, $150,000, and $190,000 show a structured approach to multi-year support, with the same institutions returning in successive years and often with similar general or general-support purposes.
Hunger relief is a clear priority. In 2025, the foundation gave $190,000 to Los Angeles Regional Food Bank for general support, matching a $190,000 grant in 2024 for general purposes. Community behavioral health is another major area: Pacific Clinics received $150,000 in both 2024 and 2025, again for general support or general purposes. The foundation also backs services for children and youth. United Friends of the Children received $100,000 in 2024 and $100,000 in 2025, while Fulfillment Fund received $50,000 in 2024 and $60,000 in 2025. Senior and community care appear as well. Pasadena Senior Center and Pasadena Meals on Wheels each received grants in 2025, both for general support, and All Peoples Christian Center received awards in 2024 and 2025. The grant list also includes support for organizations serving veterans, people who are blind, and religious charitable institutions.
Typical awards cluster tightly: p25 is $50,000, the median is $50,000, and p75 is $100,000. That distribution fits a grantmaking pattern centered on substantial core support rather than small, exploratory grants. The recent record also shows repeat funding to the same organizations across 2024 and 2025, including multiple recipients that reappear with similar purposes. The foundation is classified as a regular funder and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The grant descriptions are predominantly general, general support, or unrestricted in tone, which reinforces the impression of operating support.
$2M
$43K
$334K
$2.1M
Most grants fall between $50K and $100K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$100K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Notable grantees: Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Pacific Clinics, Sisters of Nazareth
Grantmaking is heavily California-centered. Los Angeles appears frequently, with recipients in Los Angeles, Los Gatos, Whitewater, Pasadena, Chatsworth, and San Diego. Los Angeles-based organizations make up much of the recent list, while Pasadena and Los Gatos also recur. Outside California, Milwaukee appears twice through Journey House, showing some regional flexibility beyond the state’s largest recipient concentration. All recent grants in the data go to US recipients.
The recent grant list is dominated by social service organizations: a regional food bank, behavioral health providers, youth-serving nonprofits, senior services, and groups connected to disability support and religious charitable work. Several recipients received general support rather than project-specific awards, suggesting a preference for core operating support.
The foundation’s typical grant size is $50,000 at the 25th percentile, $50,000 at the median, and $100,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent list also includes larger awards of $150,000 and $190,000, but the center of gravity is around $50,000.
Yes. Several organizations appear in both 2024 and 2025 with similar general or general-support purposes, including Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Pacific Clinics, United Friends of the Children, and All Peoples Christian Center. That pattern suggests recurring support rather than one-time grants.
California is the clear center of recent grant activity, with the top state by grant count listed as CA. The recent grants include multiple recipients in Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Diego, Chatsworth, Whitewater, and Los Gatos, plus one recipient in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PASADENA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | PASADENA, CA | $200,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NAZARETH HOUSE | SAN DIEGO, CA | $200,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK | VERNON, CA | $200,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GUIDE DOGS OF THE DESERT | WHITEWATER, CA | $200,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PASADENA SENIOR CENTER | PASADENA, CA | $150,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNITED STATES VETERANS INITIATIVE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $150,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PACIFIC CLINICS | LOS GATOS, CA | $150,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNITED FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN | LOS ANGELES, CA | $125,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HELPING HANDS FOR THE BLIND | CHATSWORTH, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PASADENA MEALS ON WHEELS | PASADENA, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ALL PEOPLES CHRISTIAN CENTER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $90,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WOODCRAFT RANGERS INC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $90,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FULFILLMENT FUND | LOS ANGELES, CA | $75,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JEWISH BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $75,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JOURNEY HOUSE | PASADENA, CA | $75,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $60,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK | LOS ANGELES, CA | $190,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PACIFIC CLINICS | LOS GATOS, CA | $150,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NAZARETH HOUSE | SAN DIEGO, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GUIDE DOGS OF THE DESERT | WHITEWATER, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNITED FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HELPING HANDS FOR THE BLIND | CHATSWORTH, CA | $80,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNITED STATES VETERANS INITIATIVE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $60,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FULFILLMENT FUND | LOS ANGELES, CA | $60,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PASADENA MEALS ON WHEELS | PASADENA, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WOODCRAFT RANGERS INC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JEWISH BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JOURNEY HOUSE | MILWAUKEE, WI | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PASADENA SENIOR CENTER | PASADENA, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ALL PEOPLES CHRISTIAN CENTER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK | LOS ANGELES, CA | $190,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| PACIFIC CLINICS | LOS GATOS, CA | $150,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| UNITED FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| SISTERS OF NAZARETH | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| GUIDE DOGS OF THE DESERT | WHITEWATER, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| HELPING HANDS FOR THE BLIND | CHATSWORTH, CA | $75,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| UNITED STATES VETERANS INITIATIVE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| WOODCRAFT RANGERS INC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| FULFILLMENT FUND | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ALL PEOPLES CHRISTIAN CENTER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $45,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| JOURNEY HOUSE | MILWAUKEE, WI | $40,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $40,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| PASADENA MEALS ON WHEELS | PASADENA, CA | $35,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| JEWISH BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| PASADENA SENIOR CENTER | PASADENA, CA | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
NAZARETH HOUSE
$200,000GENERAL SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT
HELPING HANDS FOR THE BLIND
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PASADENA MEALS ON WHEELS
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ALL PEOPLES CHRISTIAN CENTER
$90,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FULFILLMENT FUND
$75,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NAZARETH HOUSE
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
GUIDE DOGS OF THE DESERT
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
HELPING HANDS FOR THE BLIND
$80,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PASADENA MEALS ON WHEELS
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
JOURNEY HOUSE
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ALL PEOPLES CHRISTIAN CENTER
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SISTERS OF NAZARETH
$100,000GENERAL
HELPING HANDS FOR THE BLIND
$75,000GENERAL
JOURNEY HOUSE
$40,000GENERAL
PASADENA MEALS ON WHEELS
$35,000GENERAL