The Mark E Pollack Foundation concentrates almost all of its giving on education-related causes, with repeated, significant support for independent K–12 schools and some funding for higher education. Grants are often unrestricted or for school fundraising, and the foundation also makes occasional gifts to arts organizations. Its pattern suggests a preference for strengthening private school institutions and broad institutional support rather than project-restricted funding.
The Mark E Pollack Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by repeated support for Village School Inc, including a $77,830 grant in 2023, $45,000 in 2024, and $35,000 in 2025. That multi-year pattern is a strong signal of how the foundation works: it returns to the same institutions, often with unrestricted or general support, rather than spreading funds widely across many one-time projects. Education is the clearest throughline, especially independent K–12 schools and higher education, with occasional support for arts and cultural organizations. The foundation’s largest education grants also point to a preference for institutional strength over narrow program funding. Vanderbilt University received $50,000 in 2024 and $20,000 in 2023, while The UCLA Foundation received $10,000 in 2024 and another $5,000 in 2025. In the independent-school space, the foundation also backed the Independent School Alliance for Minority Affairs with a $33,100 grant in 2025, showing attention to access and development for minority students in that setting. Across the portfolio, the pattern is consistent: repeated gifts, broad support, and a focus on organizations that serve school communities.
Independent K–12 schooling is the foundation’s clearest focus. Village School Inc received $20,000 for a school fundraiser in 2023 and later received general or unrestricted support in 2023, 2024, and 2025, including the year’s largest grant listed. That kind of repeated support suggests a relationship built around school operations and fundraising rather than a single project. Higher education is another visible area. Vanderbilt University was awarded $20,000 in 2023 and $50,000 in 2024, both for general or unrestricted support. The UCLA Foundation also received general and unrestricted gifts in 2024 and 2025. The foundation also makes selective gifts to arts and cultural groups. Salt Lake City Film Center and Artists Collaborati received $20,000 in 2024, KCRW Foundation Inc got $10,000 in 2024, and Ballet Hispanico of New York received support in both 2023 and 2025.
Typical grant size is compact: the 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $5,000, and the 75th percentile is $10,000. That distribution shows a portfolio built around modest, repeatable awards, with a smaller set of larger institutional grants above that range. The foundation also appears to favor recurring relationships; several recipients reappear across multiple years, including Village School Inc, Vanderbilt University, The UCLA Foundation, Sharewell, Youth Represent Inc, and Ballet Hispanico of New York. The funding style is mostly general, unrestricted, or operating support, with some school fundraiser and annual event gifts. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$190K
$4.3M
$201K
$216K
Most grants fall between $5K and $10K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$10K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Concentrated and repeat giving to a small set of education-focused grantees (multiple grants to the same organizations), primarily unrestricted or fundraising support; moderate-to-large individual grants rather than many small gifts.
Notable grantees: VILLAGE SCHOOL INC, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, INDEPENDENT SCHOOL ALLIANCE FOR MINORITY AFFAIRS, SALT LAKE CITY FILM CENTER AND ARTISTS COLLABORATI
Giving is national, but the grants are heavily concentrated in California. The top state by grant count is CA, and the recipient list includes Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Culver City, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Palm Springs, and other California locations. Outside California, recurring destinations include New York, Nashville, Salt Lake City, Houston, Newton, and Washington, DC. All recent grants listed are to US recipients, and none are to organizations in Delaware.
Its recent grants are centered on education, especially independent K–12 schools and higher education. It also supports arts and cultural nonprofits, with many awards structured as general, unrestricted, or operating support rather than project-specific funding.
Recurring grants are a clear pattern. Village School Inc, Vanderbilt University, The UCLA Foundation, Sharewell, Youth Represent Inc, and Ballet Hispanico of New York each appear in more than one year, showing repeat support across 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $5,000, and the 75th percentile is $10,000. Most awards cluster at those levels, with a smaller number of larger grants such as $20,000, $33,100, $45,000, $50,000, and $77,830.
California is the top state by grant count. Recent recipient cities in California include Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Culver City, Pasadena, Santa Monica, and Palm Springs.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals, and its recent grants go to schools, universities, and nonprofit organizations rather than to people.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VILLAGE SCHOOL INC | SANTA MONICA, CA | $70,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| PUBLIC COUNSEL | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| GIVING BACK FUND INC | BOSTON, MA | $20,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE WINDWARD SCHOOL | WHITE PLAINS, NY | $15,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| CHANGE THE REF INC | CORAL SPRINGS, FL | $10,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| FRACTURED ATLAS INC | HARTSDALE, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| INDEPENDENT SCHOOL ALLIANCE FOR MINORITY AFFAIRS | CULVER CITY, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| CONGREGATION OR AMI | CALABASAS, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| BALLET HISPANICO OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| SHAREWELL | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | cayton's children museum General & Unrestricted |
| CENTER FOR CHILDRENS ADVOCACY INC | HARTFORD, CT | $5,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| JACOB JONAS THE COMPANY INC | SANTA MONICA, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| LIBRARY FOUNDATION OF LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $3,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| INSIDEOUT WRITERS INC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| YOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF METROPOLITAN L | LOS ANGELES, CA | $1,000 | 2026 | Ketchum-Downtown YMCA |
| VILLAGE SCHOOL INC | PACAFIC PLSDS, CA | $35,000 | 2025 | GENERAL & UNRESTRICTED |
| INDEPENDENT SCHOOL ALLIANCE FOR MINORITY AFFAIRS | CULVER CITY, CA | $33,100 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE UCLA FOUNDATION | PASADENA, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL & UNRESTRICTED |
| SHAREWELL | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| BALLET HISPANICO OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| HOPE-NET | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| MARLENE F LANDY CANCER FOUNDATION | GREENWOOD VILLAGE NM, CO | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL & UNRESTRICTED |
| THE CARING COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC | CARY, NC | $1,800 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| CHARITY ON TOP FOUNDATION INC | PASADENA, CA | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL & UNRESTRICTED |
| VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY | NASHVILLE, TN | $50,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| VILLAGE SCHOOL INC | PACIFIC PLSDS, CA | $45,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| SALT LAKE CITY FILM CENTER AND ARTISTS COLLABORATI | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $20,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE UCLA FOUNDATION | PASADENA, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| KCRW FOUNDATION INC | SANTA MONICA, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| BALLET HISPANICO OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| YOUTH REPRESENT INC | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| CHILDRENS INSTITUTE INC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| SHAREWELL | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| LA CHARLA INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $3,750 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| MARLENE F LANDY CANCER FOUNDATION | GREENWOOD VILLAGE NM, CO | $2,500 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| VILLAGE SCHOOL INC | PACIFIC PLSDS, CA | $77,830 | 2023 | General Support |
| VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY | NASHVILLE, TN | $20,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| VILLAGE SCHOOL INC | PACIFIC PLSDS, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | School fundraiser |
| VILLAGE SCHOOL INC | PACIFIC PLSDS, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | Annual Fund |
| CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY INC | NEWTON, MA | $10,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| PALM SPRINGS CENTER FOR CREATIVITY | PALM SPRINGS, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | Book Project |
| SHAREWELL | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | Cayton Children's Museum, General Support |
| BALLET HISPANICO OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| FRIENDS OF THIRD STREET SCHOOL | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| THE COUNCIL ON RECOVERY | HOUSTON, TX | $5,000 | 2023 | Annual Spring Luncheon |
| MARLENE F LANDY CANCER FOUNDATION | GREENWOOD VILLAGE NM, CO | $5,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| RESILIENT PALISADES | PACIFIC PLSDS, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| PALI COMMUNITY CENTER COMMITTEE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| FILM INDEPENDENT INC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | General Support |
CONGREGATION OR AMI
$5,000General & Unrestricted
SHAREWELL
$5,000cayton's children museum General & Unrestricted
JACOB JONAS THE COMPANY INC
$5,000General & Unrestricted
YOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF METROPOLITAN L
$1,000Ketchum-Downtown YMCA
SHAREWELL
$5,000General & Unrestricted
HOPE-NET
$5,000General & Unrestricted
MARLENE F LANDY CANCER FOUNDATION
$2,500GENERAL & UNRESTRICTED
THE CARING COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC
$1,800General & Unrestricted
CHARITY ON TOP FOUNDATION INC
$500GENERAL & UNRESTRICTED
VILLAGE SCHOOL INC
$45,000General & Unrestricted
SALT LAKE CITY FILM CENTER AND ARTISTS COLLABORATI
$20,000General & Unrestricted
SHAREWELL
$5,000General & Unrestricted
LA CHARLA INC
$3,750General & Unrestricted
MARLENE F LANDY CANCER FOUNDATION
$2,500General & Unrestricted
PALM SPRINGS CENTER FOR CREATIVITY
$10,000Book Project
SHAREWELL
$5,000Cayton Children's Museum, General Support
FRIENDS OF THIRD STREET SCHOOL
$5,000General Support
MARLENE F LANDY CANCER FOUNDATION
$5,000General Support
RESILIENT PALISADES
$5,000General Support
PALI COMMUNITY CENTER COMMITTEE
$5,000General Support