OVERVIEW: The Karsh Family Foundation supports a variety of education, community, and democracy projects.
IP TAKE: The Karsh Family Foundation is neither a transparent nor an accessible funder. It prefers a proactive approach to grantmaking, and does not ccept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding. The absence of a significant web presence makes it difficult for new grantseekers to follow the foundation’s activities. It’s also not approachable, preferring not to be contacted. This is a tough funder to crack unless you know a family member.
PROFILE: Established in 1997, The Karsh Family Foundation was founded by Martha and Bruce Karsh, the cofounder of Oaktree Capital. Karsh is a graduate of Duke University, and he earned a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He also clerked for Anthony M. Kennedy, the retired Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He worked at SunAmerica and TCW Asset Management Company before co-founding Oaktree. Based in Beverly Hills, California, the Karsh Family Foundation does not maintain a website or outline its funding priorities. but tax filings suggest that this foundation broadly supports education, community, and democracy grantmaking.
Grants for K-12 and Higher Education
While the Karsh Family Foundation does not maintain a website or appear to have formal funding programs, tax records show that higher education is a clear funding priority, and it broadly makes substantial donations to colleges and universities throughout the country.
- Duke University, Bruce Karsh’s alma mater and home to the Karsh International Scholarship program and the Karsh STEM+ Scholars Program, has seen more than $100 million in support.
- University of Virginia Law School, where Bruce earned his J.D., has received at least $76 million, including $25 million in 2018 to establish the Karsh Center for Law and Democracy. The University of Virginia itself has also been given millions in grants, including $50 million in 2021 to establish the Karsh Institute of Democracy.
- University of Pennsylvania received $ 11 million, and Brown University saw $2.7 million in grants.
- Karsh’s support for HBCUs includes $20.1 million to Howard University, $10 million to United Negro College Fund, and $7.1 million to Spelman College. Bruce and Martha were awarded Honorary Doctorates from Howard University in 2023.
The foundation does not give to a large number of K-12 schools or organizations; however, it does make grants to select charter school groups.
- KIPP Foundation, a network of over 200 public charter schools in the United States and where Martha Karsh has served on the Board of Directors since 2012, has received more than $76 million in support over the years. The family also fund the annual Karsh Family KIPPStar Awards.
- The foundation has also given $24.5 million to Teach for America and $10 million to Charter School Growth Fund.
Karsh has also funded education-related nonprofits and other organizations like the Children’s Bureau of Los Angeles, which provides prevention, treatment and advocacy for at-risk children in the greater Los Angeles area, and iCivics, an online resource that offers free educational materials for teaching K-12 students about government.
Grants for Democracy and Civic Engagement
Karsh’s giving in the area of democracy is not as robust as in higher education; however, it has made a handful of significant grants over the last decade.
- The University of Virginia was given $50 million in 2021 to establish the Karsh Institute of Democracy.
- The School of Law at the University of Virginia received $25 million in 2018 to establish the Karsh Center for Law and Democracy.
- Other grantees include Voto Latino, When We All Vote, and The Mission Continues.
Grants for Community Development, Public Health, Jewish Causes, and Arts and Culture
The Karsh Family Foundation has stated that their third focus can be broadly categorized as Community. This includes everything from community improvement to healthcare and from human services to arts and culture.
The foundation has supported arts and cultural institutions in and around Los Angeles, California, as well as other parts of the country.
- Grantees include Skirball Cultural Center, KCRW, LA County Museum of Art, and the Los Angeles Parks Foundation.
Tax filings show that the Karsh Family Foundation has a history of broad health-related philanthropy.
- Cedars-Sinai received more than $25 million in 2020 to create the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
- Other health-related grants have gone to Weill Cornell Medical School, Tourette Syndrome Association, and Crim Fitness Foundation.
Community improvement and human services have gone to a number of different organizations, primarily in Southern California.
- Jewish organizations that have seen support include $11.4 million to Wilshire Boulevard Temple, $5.2 million to Jewish Federation, and $2.1 million to Stephen Wise Temple.
- Other grantees include $5 million to Lulu’s Place (formerly Kimmelman), $1.6 million to Painted Turtle, a summer camp co-founded by the Karsh family, and at least $40,000 to TreePeople.
Important Grant Details:
Grants generally range from $10,000 to $100,000, but some grants may run into the tens of millions. The foundation gave away over $28.7 million in grants in a recent year and held more than $334.6 million in assets. The family has given at least $400 million to philanthropy since 1998.
The Karsh Family Foundation does not review unsolicited proposals and accepts applications by invitation only.
A mailing address is provided below.
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CONTACT:
The Karsh Family Foundation
9595 Wilshire Blvd Ste 1010
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(213) 830-6402