The Louis B. Mayer Foundation concentrates almost exclusively on arts and cultural heritage, funding museum conservation, film preservation, and performing arts organizations. Grants are directed to major cultural institutions for preservation projects, conservation infrastructure, and general operating support, often tied to safeguarding film and museum collections. The foundation favors established, high-profile institutions across the U.S. rather than small grassroots groups.
The Louis B Mayer Foundation’s most distinctive recent pattern is its concentration on film heritage preservation, with repeated support for the same archival projects over multiple years. In 2025, it gave $101,000 to George Eastman Museum for digitization of the personal papers of independent filmmaker Leo Hurwitz, and in the same year it also funded UCLA Film and Television Archive for preservation of The Forbidden Valley. That preservation focus runs alongside support for museum conservation infrastructure, including grants to strengthen the George Eastman Museum conservation center and its backup generator system. The foundation also supports performing arts institutions and biomedical research, showing a grantmaking profile that reaches beyond cultural preservation into cancer and neuroscience research. Miami City Ballet received operating support in 2023 and 2024, while Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Mt Sinai Medical Center, and MD Anderson Cancer Center all appear in the recent grants list. The foundation’s grants are typically in the tens of thousands of dollars, and its recent record shows both project-specific funding and recurring support for institutions that reappear across years.
Film preservation and archival work are central to the foundation’s grantmaking. It gave $70,000 in both 2023 and 2024 to Museum of Modern Art to preserve the film heritage of William S. Hart, and it also supported UCLA Film and Television Archive for restoration of The Microscope Mystery in 2023. A separate UCLA grant in 2024 funded preservation of five shorts, including Doctor Cupid (1911) and The Hicksville Terrors (1921). The foundation also funds preservation infrastructure. George Eastman Museum received $64,500 in 2025 for an upgrade to the LBM Conservation Center back-up generator and installation, and $40,000 in 2023 for acquisition of a sprocketless drive. In 2024, Film Preservation Society received $39,000 for preparation and scanning of eight titles as part of The Biograph Project. On the performing arts side, Miami City Ballet received $100,000 for general operating support in 2023.
Typical grants cluster around the mid-five-figure range: p25 is $25,000, median is $35,000, and p75 is $49,625. The recent record shows repeat support for several recipients across years, including George Eastman Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Miami City Ballet, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, UCLA Film and Television Archive, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and Memorial Sloan Kettering. The foundation also uses a donor-advised structure: Vanguard Charitable appears in the grants list with The Louis B. Mayer Donor Advised Fund. Grants are project-specific, operating, and research-oriented rather than limited to a single mechanism.
$583K
$7.6M
$340K
$737K
Most grants fall between $25K and $50K, with a median of $35K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$35K
75th Percentile
$50K
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Relatively concentrated giving: a small number of mid-to-large grants to established cultural institutions, including repeat support to select grantees; funding mixes project-specific capital/equipment grants and general operating or preservation project support.
Notable grantees: George Eastman Museum, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Miami City Ballet, UCLA Film and Television Archive
Grants land mostly in the United States, and recipients in New York account for 46% of grants in the data. New York City appears repeatedly through Museum of Modern Art, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and Mt Sinai Medical Center, while Rochester, New York, shows up through George Eastman Museum. Other recurring recipient cities include Miami Beach, Los Angeles, Brookline, Houston, and Cincinnati. The country distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the recent grants list.
The recent grants list shows support for film and cultural heritage institutions, performing arts organizations, and biomedical research centers. Examples include museum and archive preservation work, ballet operating support, and research grants at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Mt Sinai Medical Center, and MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Typical grants are in the five-figure range. The distribution provided is p25 at $25,000, median at $35,000, and p75 at $49,625.
Yes. George Eastman Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Miami City Ballet, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, UCLA Film and Television Archive, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and Memorial Sloan Kettering all appear more than once in the recent grants list, including across 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Recipients in New York receive the largest share in the data, at 46% of grants. New York City, Rochester, Miami Beach, Los Angeles, Brookline, Houston, and Cincinnati all appear as recipient locations in the recent grants list.
Yes. The foundation is marked as funding individuals, and the recent grants list also includes research support connected to named investigators at institutions such as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and MD Anderson Cancer Center.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Eastman Museum | Rochester, NY | $85,000 | 2026 | Roof replacement for LBM Conservation Center. |
| American Cinematheque | Los Angeles, CA | $57,000 | 2026 | For upgraded projection equipment. |
| MD Anderson Cancer Center | Houston, TX | $51,000 | 2026 | Dr. Ray - Targeting Alzheimer's Disease with Immunotherapy. |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center | Los Angeles, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | Small vessel disease in the heart and brain; identifying biomarkers for dementia treatment targets. |
| Northeast Historic Film | Bucksport, ME | $50,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted, one-time emergency funding. |
| George Eastman Museum | Rochester, NY | $50,000 | 2026 | Film Atlas Project with Seaver Center. |
| Association of Moving Image Archivi | Los Angeles, CA | $47,500 | 2026 | For film restoration support including fellowships, "The Moving Image" journal, equipment kits for loan, and training via webinars and a conversation series. |
| UC Berkeley Art MuseumPacific Film | Berkeley, CA | $45,000 | 2026 | Preservation of 5 short films by Jordon Belson. |
| MD Anderson Cancer Center | Houston, TX | $40,000 | 2026 | Dr. Gordon - Targeting metabolic adaptations to boost immunotherapy effectiveness in Osteosarcoma. |
| Cincinnati Children's Hospital | Cincinnati, OH | $30,000 | 2026 | Dr. Zheng / Understanding the mechanism of how normal blood cells transition to MDS and Leukemia cells for developing novel therapeutics. |
| UC Berkeley Art MuseumPacific Film | Berkeley, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | CineFiles Film Document Imaging Project. |
| Arts Resources in Collaboration Inc | New York, NY | $20,000 | 2026 | To support the Eye on Dance Archive Legacy Project |
| Columbia University | New York, NY | $11,000 | 2026 | The Robert Gottlieb Memorial Scholarship - Columbia Publishing Course. |
| George Eastman Museum | Rochester, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | Louis B. Mayer Foundation Fellowship Program. |
| Arts Resources in Collaboration Inc | New York, NY | $5,000 | 2026 | Further support of the Eye on Dance Archive Legacy Project. |
| George Eastman Museum | Rochester, NY | $4,000 | 2026 | Selznick School's 2025-2026 academic year. |
| George Eastman Museum | Rochester, NY | $2,500 | 2026 | Unrestricted. |
| George Eastman Museum | Rochester, NY | $101,000 | 2025 | Digitization of the personal papers of independent filmmaker Leo Hurwitz. |
| George Eastman Museum | Rochester, NY | $64,500 | 2025 | Upgrade to LBM Conservation Center back-up generator and installation. |
| UCLA Film and Television Archive | Los Angeles, CA | $55,000 | 2025 | TBD - Preservation of The Forbidden Valley. |
| MD Anderson Cancer Center | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | Dr. Ray - Targeting Alzheimer's Disease with Immuno-therapy. |
| Mt Sinai Medical Center | New York, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | Enhancing Anti-tumor immune Response and Flash Radiation in Pediatric Diffuse Midline Glioma. |
| Vanguard Charitable | Warwick, RI | $48,500 | 2025 | The Louis B. Mayer Donor Advised Fund. |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | Brookline, MA | $45,000 | 2025 | Dr. Reinherz - Harnessing T Cells for Immune-oncology. |
| George Eastman Museum | Rochester, NY | $40,000 | 2025 | Film Atlas Project with Seaver Center. |
| Arts Resources in Collaboration Inc | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | To support the Eye on Dance Archive Legacy Project |
| UC Berkeley Art MuseumPacific Film | Berkeley, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | For the CineFiles Film Document Imaging Project. |
| Columbia University | New York, NY | $11,000 | 2025 | Columbia Publishing Course 5-year Scholarship. |
| George Eastman Museum | Rochester, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | Louis B. Mayer Foundation Fellowship Program. |
| George Eastman Museum | Rochester, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | Selznick School's 2024-2025 academic year. |
| Museum of Modern Art | New York, NY | $70,000 | 2024 | To preserve the film heritage of William S. Hart. |
| Miami City Ballet | Miami Beach, FL | $50,000 | 2024 | For general operating support in 2023. |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | Brookline, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | Dr. Ahn / Dr. Wu Neoantigen Vaccine for CLL. |
| Memorial Sloan Kettering | New York, NY | $48,000 | 2024 | Dr. Tammela / Dissection of Cancer Cell States in Solid Tumors (Intra-Tumoral Heterogeneity). |
| Film Preservation Society | Los Angeles, CA | $39,000 | 2024 | Funding the preparation and scanning of eight titles as part of The Biograph Project. |
| George Eastman Museum | Rochester, NY | $36,600 | 2024 | Film Atlas Project with Seaver Center. |
| Miami City Ballet | Miami Beach, FL | $36,400 | 2024 | Second half of annual gift. |
| Cincinnati Children's Hospital | Cincinnati, OH | $35,000 | 2024 | Dr. Zheng / Acute Myeloid Leukemia. |
| George Eastman Museum | Rochester, NY | $30,000 | 2024 | William S. Hart films supplemental grant and extension to 12/31/2025. |
| Cincinnati Children's Hospital | Cincinnati, OH | $30,000 | 2024 | Dr. Zheng / Improving Cancer Immunotherapy. |
| UCLA Film and Television Archive | Los Angeles, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | For 5 shorts: Doctor Cupid (1911), Cursed by His Beauty (1914), Nearly a Widow (1914), Twixt Love and the Iceman (1916) and The Hicksville Terrors (1921). |
| UC Berkeley Art MuseumPacific Film | Berkeley, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | CineFiles Film Document Imaging Project. |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | Brookline, MA | $25,000 | 2024 | Dr. Perez's Neuroendocrine Tumor (NET)Clinical Trial Correlative Studies. |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | Brookline, MA | $25,000 | 2024 | Dr. Waks/HER2+ Breast CAncer (matched internally by (DFCI). |
| UCLA Film and Television Archive | Los Angeles, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | Preservation of The Confession (1920). |
| Arts Resources in Collaboration Inc | New York, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | To support the Eye on Dance Archive Legacy Project |
| George Eastman Museum | Rochester, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | Selznick School's 2023-2024 academic year. |
| Miami City Ballet | Miami Beach, FL | $100,000 | 2023 | For general operating support. |
| Museum of Modern Art | New York, NY | $70,000 | 2023 | To preserve the film heritage of William S. Hart. |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | Brookline, MA | $50,000 | 2023 | Dr. Rizwan Romee - CAR Therapies for HER2 Positive Breast Cancer. |
George Eastman Museum
$85,000Roof replacement for LBM Conservation Center.
MD Anderson Cancer Center
$51,000Dr. Ray - Targeting Alzheimer's Disease with Immunotherapy.
Small vessel disease in the heart and brain; identifying biomarkers for dementia treatment targets.
Northeast Historic Film
$50,000Unrestricted, one-time emergency funding.
George Eastman Museum
Film Atlas Project with Seaver Center.
Association of Moving Image Archivi
$47,500For film restoration support including fellowships, "The Moving Image" journal, equipment kits for loan, and training via webinars and a conversation series.
UC Berkeley Art MuseumPacific Film
$45,000Preservation of 5 short films by Jordon Belson.
MD Anderson Cancer Center
$40,000Dr. Gordon - Targeting metabolic adaptations to boost immunotherapy effectiveness in Osteosarcoma.
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
$30,000Dr. Zheng / Understanding the mechanism of how normal blood cells transition to MDS and Leukemia cells for developing novel therapeutics.
UC Berkeley Art MuseumPacific Film
$25,000CineFiles Film Document Imaging Project.
Arts Resources in Collaboration Inc
$20,000To support the Eye on Dance Archive Legacy Project
Columbia University
$11,000The Robert Gottlieb Memorial Scholarship - Columbia Publishing Course.
George Eastman Museum
$10,000Louis B. Mayer Foundation Fellowship Program.
Arts Resources in Collaboration Inc
$5,000Further support of the Eye on Dance Archive Legacy Project.
George Eastman Museum
$4,000Selznick School's 2025-2026 academic year.
George Eastman Museum
$2,500Unrestricted.
George Eastman Museum
$101,000Digitization of the personal papers of independent filmmaker Leo Hurwitz.
George Eastman Museum
$64,500Upgrade to LBM Conservation Center back-up generator and installation.
UCLA Film and Television Archive
$55,000TBD - Preservation of The Forbidden Valley.
MD Anderson Cancer Center
$50,000Dr. Ray - Targeting Alzheimer's Disease with Immuno-therapy.
Enhancing Anti-tumor immune Response and Flash Radiation in Pediatric Diffuse Midline Glioma.
Dr. Reinherz - Harnessing T Cells for Immune-oncology.
George Eastman Museum
$40,000Film Atlas Project with Seaver Center.
Arts Resources in Collaboration Inc
$25,000To support the Eye on Dance Archive Legacy Project
UC Berkeley Art MuseumPacific Film
$25,000For the CineFiles Film Document Imaging Project.
Columbia University
$11,000Columbia Publishing Course 5-year Scholarship.
George Eastman Museum
$10,000Louis B. Mayer Foundation Fellowship Program.
George Eastman Museum
$5,000Selznick School's 2024-2025 academic year.
Memorial Sloan Kettering
$48,000Dr. Tammela / Dissection of Cancer Cell States in Solid Tumors (Intra-Tumoral Heterogeneity).
Film Preservation Society
$39,000Funding the preparation and scanning of eight titles as part of The Biograph Project.
George Eastman Museum
$36,600Film Atlas Project with Seaver Center.
George Eastman Museum
$30,000William S. Hart films supplemental grant and extension to 12/31/2025.
UCLA Film and Television Archive
$25,000For 5 shorts: Doctor Cupid (1911), Cursed by His Beauty (1914), Nearly a Widow (1914), Twixt Love and the Iceman (1916) and The Hicksville Terrors (1921).
UC Berkeley Art MuseumPacific Film
$25,000CineFiles Film Document Imaging Project.
Dr. Perez's Neuroendocrine Tumor (NET)Clinical Trial Correlative Studies.
Dr. Waks/HER2+ Breast CAncer (matched internally by (DFCI).
UCLA Film and Television Archive
$25,000Preservation of The Confession (1920).
Arts Resources in Collaboration Inc
$20,000To support the Eye on Dance Archive Legacy Project
George Eastman Museum
$5,000Selznick School's 2023-2024 academic year.
Dr. Rizwan Romee - CAR Therapies for HER2 Positive Breast Cancer.