About Ronald M Simon Family Foundation
The Ronald M Simon Family Foundation concentrates its giving on large, targeted gifts with a strong local/regional orientation in Southern California. The foundation prioritizes higher-education scholarships for university students (the vast majority of dollars) and also supports performing arts institutions through general operating grants. Its giving style favors a small number of substantial awards rather than many small grants.
Focus Areas
University student scholarships / higher-education financial aidGeneral operating support for regional performing arts (Pacific Symphony / orchestras)Local Southern California cultural institutions
Giving Approach
Very concentrated: only three grants totaling about $3.14M, with two large scholarship grants making up most of the dollars and one significant arts operating grant. Prefers few, large awards and repeat support for scholarship programs rather than broad, distributed grantmaking.
Funding Style
general operating supportunrestricted supportcore operating expensesorganizational sustainability
About Ronald M Simon Family Foundation
The Ronald M Simon Family Foundation’s defining pattern is a small number of very large awards, led by scholarship support for university students. In 2025, it gave $1,737,251 to Scholarships to University Students in San Clemente, following $1,506,353 in 2024 and $1,433,183 in 2023 to the same purpose. That multi-year stream shows a sustained commitment to higher-education financial aid rather than one-off project grants. The foundation also backs Southern California arts and cultural organizations. In 2025 it gave $1,000,000 to Orange County Music and Dance Inc in Irvine, and in 2024 it provided $200,000 in general operating support to Pacific Symphony. Those awards sit alongside a broader mix of education, youth, health, and community-serving grantees in Orange County and nearby parts of California. The foundation’s recent record reflects targeted support for organizations that provide scholarships, sustain operating capacity, or serve local cultural and civic needs.
What Ronald M Simon Family Foundation Funds
Higher-education scholarship support is the clearest focus. The foundation gave $110,000 to Chapman University in 2025, and its active Chapman physician assistant scholarship program is aimed at helping eligible students in the Master of Medical Science degree program graduate debt-free in two years. It also supported a high school scholarship effort with $86,487 in 2024 to Scholarships to High School Student in San Clemente. Arts and culture is another recurring area. In 2025, Orange County Music and Dance Inc received $1,000,000, while Pacific Symphony received $200,000 in 2024 for general operating expenses. Community and health-related grants appear as well, including $75,000 each in 2025 to Young Lives Redeemed and Community Service Project Hope Alliance, plus $34,171 to Choc Children's Foundation.
How Ronald M Simon Family Foundation Gives
The foundation’s grant sizes are uneven and skew large: the 25th percentile is $6,480, the median is $18,267, and the 75th percentile is $114,865. That spread reflects a portfolio with a few very large scholarship and institutional awards alongside smaller operating and program grants. The recent record shows repeated support over multiple years for scholarship purposes, especially the university-student scholarship line that appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation is a family foundation, does not fund individuals, and does not make program-related investments. Its active programs are named initiatives such as Simon Scholars, Simon Builders, and the Chapman physician assistant scholarship program.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3.8M
Total Assets
$15M
Total Revenue
$12.8M
Total Expenses
$10.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $6K and $115K, with a median of $18K.
25th Percentile
$6K
Median
$18K
75th Percentile
$115K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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