The Peter and Candis Doerken Foundation concentrates locally on Los Angeles-area social services with an emphasis on supporting vulnerable women, girls and at-risk youth. They favor unrestricted general operating support to mission-driven nonprofits that provide housing and wraparound services, youth workforce and development programs, and girls’ STEM/empowerment initiatives. Grants are sizable and targeted to a small set of organizations rather than spread thinly across many recipients.
Concentrated portfolio of relatively large, unrestricted grants to a small number of repeat and mission-aligned grantees; emphasis on general operating support rather than project-specific funding.
Peter and Candis Doerken Foundation repeatedly makes large general-support grants to a small circle of Los Angeles-area nonprofits serving women, youth, and girls. The largest recent award in the data is $100,000 to Jovenes Inc in Los Angeles for general support, followed by $89,000 to Alexandria House in Los Angeles. Those grants reflect the foundation’s local approach: it gives mostly in California, with 80% of grants going to recipients in the headquarters state. The pattern is not broad-based program-by-program funding; instead, the foundation backs core organizational work for groups providing housing, youth development, and empowerment services. Recent grants also show repeat support across years. Jovenes Inc received awards in both 2024 and 2025, while Worthy Beyond Purpose Inc appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The grants are typically unrestricted general support, which points to an emphasis on operating stability rather than project-only funding. In practice, the foundation’s recent giving centers on a small set of nonprofits that work with vulnerable women, court-involved or at-risk youth, and girls in STEM and leadership settings.
Supportive housing is one of the clearest themes in the foundation’s recent giving. Alexandria House received $89,000 in 2023 for general support, linking the foundation to housing and services for women and families. Youth development is another recurring area: Jovenes Inc received $75,000 in 2024 and $100,000 in 2025, both listed as general support. The foundation also backs girls’ empowerment and STEM programming. DIY Girls in Pacoima received $60,010 in 2023 and later grants of $10,000 in both 2024 and 2025, again for general support. A fourth line of support appears in broader community and enrichment work. Worthy Beyond Purpose Inc in Santa Monica received $35,000 in 2024 and additional general-support grants of $22,000 in both 2023 and 2025. The shared pattern across these areas is unrestricted funding for organizational capacity rather than narrowly defined projects.
Typical grant size sits at $12,125 at the 25th percentile, $23,500 at the median, and $53,758 at the 75th percentile. The recent record shows a mix of one-time awards and repeat support: Jovenes Inc, Worthy Beyond Purpose Inc, Change the Air Foundation Inc, Children Now, and DIY Girls all appear in more than one year. The foundation’s grants are labeled general support across the recent list, and the profile indicates a small set of recipients rather than a dispersed portfolio. It does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$182K
$3.8M
$194K
$200K
Most grants fall between $12K and $54K, with a median of $24K.
25th Percentile
$12K
Median
$24K
75th Percentile
$54K
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Notable grantees: Alexandria House, Jovenes Inc, DIY Girls, Worthy Beyond Purpose Inc, Change The Air Foundation Inc
Giving is concentrated in California, which accounts for 80% of grants. Los Angeles is the most visible recipient city, with multiple awards to organizations there, including Jovenes Inc and Alexandria House. Pacoima and Santa Monica also appear among California recipients, alongside Irvine and Oakland. Outside California, the recent record includes Freehold, New Jersey, and New York, New York. The recipient-country distribution is entirely domestic: all grants in the data went to U.S. organizations.
The recent record shows support for organizations working in supportive housing, youth development, and girls’ empowerment or STEM education. Grants went to groups such as Alexandria House, Jovenes Inc, DIY Girls, and Worthy Beyond Purpose Inc, all listed as general support awards.
Yes. Every recent grant in the provided list is described as general support, including awards of $100,000 to Jovenes Inc and $89,000 to Alexandria House. The pattern suggests core operating support rather than project-specific funding.
The foundation gives locally and primarily in California. The data says 80% of grants go to recipients in the headquarters state, and California is the top state by grant count. The recent list also shows multiple awards to the same organizations across different years.
The grant-size distribution is centered in the low-to-mid five figures: the 25th percentile is $12,125, the median is $23,500, and the 75th percentile is $53,758. Recent awards range from $2,500 to $100,000.
Yes. Several organizations appear more than once, including Jovenes Inc in 2024 and 2025, Worthy Beyond Purpose Inc in 2023, 2024, and 2025, Change the Air Foundation Inc in 2024 and 2025, Children Now in 2023 and 2024, and DIY Girls in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOVENES INC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| OC MUSIC & DANCE | IRVINE, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHANGE THE AIR FOUNDATION INC | FREEHOLD, NJ | $25,000 | 2025 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WORTHY BEYOND PURPOSE INC | SANTA MONICA, CA | $22,000 | 2025 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DIY GIRLS | PACOIMA, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JOVENES INC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $75,000 | 2024 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WORTHY BEYOND PURPOSE INC | SANTA MONICA, CA | $35,000 | 2024 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHANGE THE AIR FOUNDATION INC | FREEHOLD, NJ | $25,000 | 2024 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DIY GIRLS | PACOIMA, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHILDREN NOW | OAKLAND, CA | $2,500 | 2024 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ALEXANDRIA HOUSE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $89,000 | 2023 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DIY GIRLS | PACOIMA, CA | $60,010 | 2023 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WORTHY BEYOND PURPOSE INC | SANTA MONICA, CA | $22,000 | 2023 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHILDREN NOW | OAKLAND, CA | $12,500 | 2023 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GRAPEVINE GIVING FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $12,000 | 2023 | GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT |
OC MUSIC & DANCE
$25,000GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT
CHANGE THE AIR FOUNDATION INC
$25,000GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT
WORTHY BEYOND PURPOSE INC
$22,000GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT
DIY GIRLS
$10,000GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT
GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT
WORTHY BEYOND PURPOSE INC
$35,000GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT
CHANGE THE AIR FOUNDATION INC
$25,000GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT
WORTHY BEYOND PURPOSE INC
$22,000GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT
GRAPEVINE GIVING FOUNDATION
$12,000GRANT - GENERAL SUPPORT