The Morf Foundation concentrates its giving on the film and entertainment ecosystem—supporting film preservation, industry welfare, and film-related cultural institutions—while also funding Los Angeles-based social services and health care, particularly for children and vulnerable youth. Grants are large and targeted, often repeated to the same organizations, reflecting long-term relationships with a handful of core grantees; occasional higher-education support appears tied to film/arts programs. The foundation’s giving blends cultural philanthropy with practical safety-net services that serve the entertainment community and the LA region.
Concentrated, high-value giving to a small set of repeat core grantees—multiple large gifts to film-focused organizations and major LA nonprofits—mixing cultural/arts endowments with targeted social-service and health grants in the Los Angeles area.
A $1 million general-support grant to Motion Picture & Television Fund in 2025 captures the Morf Foundation’s center of gravity: large, repeated gifts to institutions that serve the film and entertainment world, alongside selected support for Los Angeles health and social-service organizations. The foundation’s recent grants show a consistent pattern of backing film preservation, industry welfare, and organizations tied to the lives and careers of entertainment workers. The Film Foundation appears multiple times in the recent-grants list, including $500,000 in 2024 and another $250,000 in 2023, while Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles also receives repeated support, including $500,000 in 2024 and $250,000 in 2025. That mix places cultural preservation and practical community support side by side. The Morf Foundation also gives to organizations connected to film education and the broader entertainment ecosystem, such as New York University, the American Film Institute, and the Directors Guild Foundation. Across the list, the pattern is less about many small awards than a handful of substantial commitments made at general-support level.
Film preservation is a core area of support. The Morf Foundation gave $500,000 in 2025 to The Film Foundation for general support, and the organization also received $500,000 in 2024 and $250,000 in 2023. Industry welfare is another visible thread: Motion Picture & Television Fund received $1 million in 2025 for general support, and the Directors Guild Foundation received $100,000 in 2025 after prior awards of $100,000 in 2024 and 2023. The foundation also supports children’s health care in Los Angeles, including a $500,000 grant in 2024 and a $250,000 grant in 2025 to Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Housing and services for vulnerable youth appear as well, with grants to My Friend’s Place and La Family Housing in Hollywood and North Hollywood.
Grant sizes are substantial: the 25th percentile is $98,719, the median is $100,000, and the 75th percentile is $300,000. The recent list shows recurring support to the same organizations across multiple years, including The Film Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, the Directors Guild Foundation, My Friend’s Place, La Family Housing, Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Uclfaa Inc, and The American Friends of the Royal Foundation. Awards are typically listed as general support, indicating flexible operating support rather than project-specific funding. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$3.7M
$7M
$4M
$3.8M
Most grants fall between $99K and $300K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$99K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$300K
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Notable grantees: The Film Foundation, Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF), Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, New York University, My Friend’s Place
Giving is heavily concentrated in California: 76% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state, and CA is also the top state by grant count. Los Angeles is a recurring hub, with grants to The Film Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, and the American Film Institute. Other California recipients include Woodland Hills, Hollywood, and North Hollywood. Outside California, grants also reached New York City, Washington, DC, and Newton, Massachusetts. All recent grants in the data went to US recipients.
Its recent grants focus on the film and entertainment ecosystem, including film preservation, industry welfare, and film-related cultural institutions. It also funds Los Angeles social services and health care, especially for children and vulnerable youth, through general-support grants to organizations in those areas.
Typical awards are large. The 25th percentile is $98,719, the median is $100,000, and the 75th percentile is $300,000, with several grants in the $500,000 to $1 million range in the recent list.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including The Film Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, the Directors Guild Foundation, My Friend’s Place, La Family Housing, Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Uclfaa Inc, and The American Friends of the Royal Foundation.
California dominates the grant list: 76% of grants go to recipients in CA, and CA is the top state by grant count. Recent California recipients include organizations in Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, Hollywood, and North Hollywood.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEW YORK UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MOTION PICTURE & TELEVISION FUND | WOODLAND HILLS, CA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE FILM FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FRIENDS OF THE BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UCLFAA INC | NEW YORK, NY | $150,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $150,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DIRECTORS GUILD FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MY FRIEND'S PLACE | HOLLYWOOD, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ROYAL FOUNDATION | NEWTON, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LA FAMILY HOUSING | NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SCHOOL FOR ETHICS AND GLOBAL LEADERSHIP | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $500,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE FILM FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $500,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LA FAMILY HOUSING | NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA | $300,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MY FRIEND'S PLACE | HOLLYWOOD, CA | $300,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $150,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DIRECTORS GUILD FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UCLFAA INC | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ROYAL FOUNDATION | NEWTON, MA | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MPTF | WOODLAND HILLS, CA | $1,000,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE FILM FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $250,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $200,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DIRECTORS GUILD FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UCLFAA INC | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $98,719 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LA FAMILY HOUSING | NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MY FRIEND'S PLACE | HOLLYWOOD, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ROYAL FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
MOTION PICTURE & TELEVISION FUND
$1,000,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE FILM FOUNDATION
$500,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FRIENDS OF THE BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE
$250,000GENERAL SUPPORT
UCLFAA INC
$150,000GENERAL SUPPORT
DIRECTORS GUILD FOUNDATION
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ROYAL FOUNDATION
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE FILM FOUNDATION
$500,000GENERAL SUPPORT
DIRECTORS GUILD FOUNDATION
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
UCLFAA INC
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ROYAL FOUNDATION
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MPTF
$1,000,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE FILM FOUNDATION
$250,000GENERAL SUPPORT
DIRECTORS GUILD FOUNDATION
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
UCLFAA INC
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ROYAL FOUNDATION
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT