The Arzak Foundation makes large, targeted gifts to major Los Angeles cultural and educational institutions, concentrating its support on flagship organizations rather than many small nonprofits. Its giving is dominated by substantial support for The Huntington Library and a meaningful gift to the Los Angeles Opera, indicating a preference for established institutions that combine scholarship, collections, and public programming.
The Arzak Foundation Ms Susan R Shapiro shows a clear pattern of concentrated support for research libraries, cultural institutions, and Jewish community organizations, with some of its largest recent grants going to The Huntington Library and Los Angeles Opera. Those gifts point to a funder that backs established organizations with scholarship, collections, performances, and public access. Recent awards also include support for the Library of Congress and WGBH Educational Foundation, extending the foundation’s education and cultural portfolio beyond Southern California. The foundation’s giving is not limited to a single field. Alongside major arts and research-library support, it has funded religious education, social service, historical preservation, and selected youth-oriented activities. Grants in the recent list include repeat support for organizations in Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, DC, Nantucket, and New York. The recurring appearances of a few institutions suggest ongoing relationships rather than one-time gifts, while the size range runs from modest five-figure grants to a seven-figure award. Across the recent record, the foundation appears to favor recognizable institutions with defined programs, public-facing missions, and the capacity to use both operating and program support.
In research-library and collections work, The Arzak Foundation Ms Susan R Shapiro gave $25,000 to the Library of Congress in 2025, adding to its broader support for institutions that preserve and circulate knowledge. In media and education, it gave $25,000 to WGBH Educational Foundation in 2023 and another $25,000 in 2024, showing repeated support for educational broadcasting. The foundation also funds religious education and Jewish communal life. It gave $18,100 to Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion in 2024, $14,200 to Temple Akiba in 2025, and multiple grants to Temple Israel of Hollywood across 2023, 2024, and 2025. In social welfare, it supported Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles with $16,000 in both 2023 and 2024, and gave $5,000 to American Jewish World Service in 2025. Its portfolio reaches into preservation and youth activity as well. Nantucket Conservation Foundation received three grants between 2023 and 2025, and Nantucket Community Sailing received $10,000 in 2025.
$212K
$4.4M
$174K
$218K
Most grants fall between $500 and $3K, with a median of $1K.
25th Percentile
$500
Median
$1K
75th Percentile
$3K
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Highly concentrated: very few grants but large dollar amounts, repeat funding to a single primary grantee (The Huntington) alongside selective support for other prominent cultural organizations.
Notable grantees: THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, LOS ANGELES OPERA, Other major Los Angeles cultural and educational institutions
Typical grants cluster at the low end of five figures or below, with a p25 of $500, a median of $1,000, and a p75 of $3,000. The recent file also includes several larger targeted awards, showing a bimodal pattern rather than a single grant size. Multiple organizations recur across years, including The Huntington Library, Los Angeles Opera, WGBH Educational Foundation, and Temple Israel of Hollywood, which points to ongoing relationships. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, and the recent grants list shows conventional grantmaking rather than program-related investments or individual giving.
Grant recipients are entirely in the United States, and 44% of grants go to organizations in California. San Marino and Los Angeles appear repeatedly in the recent list, with San Marino tied to The Huntington Library and Los Angeles tied to Los Angeles Opera, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Temple Israel of Hollywood, and Mazon. Outside California, Boston, Washington, DC, Nantucket, and New York each appear multiple times across the recent grants. The state distribution shows a strong California center, but the recent record also reaches the Northeast and the District of Columbia.
The recent grants show a strong emphasis on cultural and educational institutions, especially research libraries, opera, and educational broadcasters. It also funds Jewish religious education, social service organizations, preservation groups, and selected youth-oriented activities such as community sailing.
Yes. The recent list shows repeat support for The Huntington Library in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Los Angeles Opera in 2023, 2024, and 2025; WGBH Educational Foundation in 2023 and 2024; and Temple Israel of Hollywood in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The grant-size distribution is small relative to the largest awards: p25 is $500, median is $1,000, and p75 is $3,000. That means many grants are modest, even though the recent record also includes much larger targeted gifts.
California is the top state by grant count, with 44% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Recent California recipients include organizations in San Marino, Los Angeles, Culver City, and Hollywood.
No. The recent grants span cultural and educational programming, religious education, social welfare, sports education, and park maintenance or conservation. The portfolio includes both major institutions and smaller community-based organizations.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOS ANGELES OPERA | LOS ANGELES, CA | $75,000 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| LIBRARY OF CONGRESS | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY | SAN MARINO, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| TEMPLE AKIBA | CULVER CITY, CA | $14,200 | 2025 | RELIGIOUS |
| NANTUCKET CONSERVATION FOUNDATION | NANTUCKET, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| NANTUCKET COMMUNITY SAILING | NANTUCKET, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | SPORTS EDUCATION |
| TEMPLE ISRAEL OF HOLLYWOOD | LOS ANGELES, CA | $7,200 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE | NEW YORK, NY | $6,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL WELFARE |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD | NEW YORK, NY | $4,600 | 2025 | EDUCATINAL AND SOCIAL WELFARE |
| MAZON | LOS ANGELES, CA | $4,500 | 2025 | SOCIAL WELFARE |
| ACLU FOUNDATION | BOSTON, MA | $3,500 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| NANTUCKET COTTAGE HOSPITAL | NANTUCKET, MA | $3,500 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $3,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICE |
| IEEE FOUNDATION | PISCATAWAY, NJ | $2,500 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,500 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| TEMPLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $1,800 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL & RELIGIOUS |
| GOOD PLUS FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| BROADSTAGE | SANTA MONICA, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION | NANTUCKET, MA | $1,000 | 2025 | CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES |
| JEWISH COMMUNITY FEDERATION AND ENDOWMENT FUND | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $500 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| KENYON COLLEGE | GAMBIER, OH | $500 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| BETH MORRISON PROJECTS | BROOKLYN, NY | $500 | 2025 | CULTURAL |
| HARVARD LAW SCHOOL | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $500 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARK CONS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $500 | 2025 | MAINTAINING NATIONAL PARK |
| HAND IN HAND USA | OAK BROOK, IL | $500 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIAL WELFARE |
| NANTUCKET ATHENEUM | NANTUCKET, MA | $500 | 2025 | CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES |
| INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS | Los Angeles, CA | $500 | 2025 | social welfare |
| NANTUCKET LAND COUNCIL | NANTUCKET, MA | $500 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| KALW | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $350 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| KQED | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| KCSM JAZZ | SAN MATEO, CA | $250 | 2025 | CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL |
| THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY | SAN MARINO, CA | $861,234 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| LOS ANGELES OPERA | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | CULTURAL |
| WGBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| HEBREW UNION COLLEGE JEWISH INSTITUTE OF RELIGION | NEW YORK, NY | $18,100 | 2024 | RELIGIOUS EDUCATION |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $16,000 | 2024 | SOCIAL SERVICE |
| NANTUCKET CONSERVATION FOUNDATION | NANTUCKET, MA | $7,500 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| HARVARD-WESTLAKE SCHOOL | LOS ANGELES, CA | $7,500 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| TEMPLE ISRAEL OF HOLLYWOOD | LOS ANGELES, CA | $6,000 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION | NANTUCKET, MA | $5,000 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000 | 2024 | SOCIAL WELFARE |
| GOOD PLUS FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000 | 2024 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,500 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| IEEE FOUNDATION | PISCATAWAY, NJ | $2,500 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| INDIAN LAW RESOURCE CENTER | HELENA, MT | $2,000 | 2024 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| JEWISH COMMUNITY FEDERATION AND ENDOWMENT FUND | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $2,000 | 2024 | EDUCATIONAL |
| JEWISH FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $2,000 | 2024 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| SHIRAT HAYAM CONGREGATION | NANTUCKET, MA | $1,800 | 2024 | RELIGIOUS |
| MAZON | LOS ANGELES, CA | $1,500 | 2024 | SOCIAL WELFARE |
LOS ANGELES OPERA
$75,000CULTURAL
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
$25,000EDUCATIONAL
TEMPLE AKIBA
$14,200RELIGIOUS
NANTUCKET COMMUNITY SAILING
$10,000SPORTS EDUCATION
TEMPLE ISRAEL OF HOLLYWOOD
$7,200EDUCATIONAL
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
$4,600EDUCATINAL AND SOCIAL WELFARE
NANTUCKET COTTAGE HOSPITAL
$3,500EDUCATIONAL
JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER LOS ANGELES
$3,000SOCIAL SERVICE
TEMPLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
$1,800EDUCATIONAL & RELIGIOUS
BROADSTAGE
$1,000CULTURAL
JEWISH COMMUNITY FEDERATION AND ENDOWMENT FUND
$500EDUCATIONAL
HARVARD LAW SCHOOL
$500EDUCATIONAL
GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARK CONS
$500MAINTAINING NATIONAL PARK
NANTUCKET LAND COUNCIL
$500SOCIAL SERVICES
KCSM JAZZ
$250CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL
LOS ANGELES OPERA
$50,000CULTURAL
HEBREW UNION COLLEGE JEWISH INSTITUTE OF RELIGION
$18,100RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER LOS ANGELES
$16,000SOCIAL SERVICE
TEMPLE ISRAEL OF HOLLYWOOD
$6,000EDUCATIONAL
SHIRAT HAYAM CONGREGATION
$1,800RELIGIOUS