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The Michael and Lori Milken Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Michael and Lori Milken Family Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$23M
Granted FY2023
88
Grants FY2023
10
States reached
$19M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

77% of The Michael and Lori Milken Family Foundation’s FY2024 grant dollars went to The Jewish Community Foundation Charitable Fund, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2024 names 69 organizations directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2023, the last year The Michael and Lori Milken Family Foundation named its own grantees at scale: 69 organizations, $23M. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

95
’20
69
’21
67
’22
69
’23
69
’24

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Social Science$46MPhilanthropy$40MHealth$7.0MEducation$5.7MArts & Culture$2.8MReligion$1.6MCommunity Improvement$1.1MInternational$190kOther$0
02FY2023 · 88 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2023

  • Under $10k55 grants · $150k
  • $10k–50k14 grants · $290k
  • $50k–250k14 grants · $1.3M
  • $250k+5 grants · $21M
$5,000
Median grant
10
States reached
$402M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
MILKEN INSTITUTE$18,956,703
PROSTATE CANCER FOUNDATION$1,158,000
LOS ANGELES BALLET$455,000
OWNERSHIP WORKS$250,000
AMERICAN EXCHANGE PROJECT$250,000
WINDWARD SCHOOL$200,000
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - MARSHALL SCHOOL OF BUSINESS$130,000
UCLA FOUNDATIONMATTEL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL$122,000
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION$100,000
MILKEN COMMUNITY SCHOOL$100,000
LOS ANGELES DODGERS FOUNDATION$100,000
STANFORD UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS$100,000
KEHILLAT ISRAEL$100,000
DREAM$100,000
KEEP MEMORY ALIVE$75,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY20–24, $233k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 97% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%ISRAEL GUIDE DOG CENTER FOR THE BLIND: $2k → 6%MARC LUSTGARTEN PANCREATIC CANCER FOUNDATION: $1k → 6%ISRAEL SPECIAL KIDS FUND: $1k → 7%ISRAEL GUIDE DOG CENTER FOR THE BLIND: $1k → 6%ISRAEL GUIDE DOG CENTER FOR THE BLIND: $1k → 6%ISRAEL GUIDE DOG CENTER FOR THE BLIND: $1k → 6%PRESENT NOW: $5k → 14%VISTA DEL MAR: $3k → 14%HAPPY TRAILS FOR KIDS: $1k → 14%UNION RESCUE MISSION: $5k → 14%HAPPY TRAILS FOR KIDS: $1k → 14%UNION RESCUE MISSION: $300 → 14%HAPPY TRAILS FOR KIDS: $1k → 14%WAYFINDER FAMILY SERVICES: $2k → 14%WAYFINDER FAMILY SERVICES: $2k → 14%WAYFINDER FAMILY SERVICES: $2k → 14%WAYFINDER FAMILY SERVICES: $1k → 14%WAYFINDER FAMILY SERVICES: $1k → 14%JOE TORRE SAFE AT HOME FOUNDATION: $15k → 14%JOE TORRE SAFE AT HOME FOUNDATION: $15k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $3k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $3k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $3k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $3k → 14%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $3k → 14%MEND - MEET EACH NEED WITH DIGNITY: $2k → 14%JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE OF LOS ANGELES: $2k → 14%MEND - MEET EACH NEED WITH DIGNITY: $2k → 14%ST JOSEPH CENTER: $3k → 14%ST JOSEPH CENTER: $3k → 14%UNITED FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN: $3k → 14%ST JOSEPH CENTER: $3k → 14%YOUNG EISNER SCHOLARS: $100k → 14%ST JOSEPH CENTER: $3k → 14%JOE TORRE SAFE AT HOME FOUNDATION: $13k → 14%JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE OF LOS ANGELES: $2k → 14%JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE OF LOS ANGELES: $2k → 14%LOS ANGELES POLICE FOUNDATION: $5k → 14%LOS ANGELES POLICE FOUNDATION: $5k → 14%LOS ANGELES POLICE FOUNDATION: $5k → 14%LOS ANGELES POLICE FOUNDATION: $5k → 14%LOS ANGELES POLICE FOUNDATION: $5k → 14%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

IL
NY
MA
OR
NV
IN
PA
NJ
CT
CA
CO
VA
MD
TN
DC
HI
TX
FL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

95%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$62M · 113 repeat orgs$3.4M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +43% since the first grant, against +26% for those funded once.

113 repeat relationships: 73 still active in FY2023, 40 since wound down; 34 grantees were first funded in FY2023 (too recent to call). Read against FY2023, the last year this funder named its own grantees directly; its giving has since run through a sponsor, which reports no donor behind each grant.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

113
66

Total granted

$62M
$1.4M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+43%
+26%

Still filing today

72%
71%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 71% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $1.7M went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’20’21’22’23’24
HealthArts & CultureEducationHuman ServicesInternationalPhilanthropyOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • TM
    THE MILKEN INSTITUTE
    5× · 2020–2024 · $46M · revenue +182%
  • PC
    PROSTATE CANCER FOUNDATION
    5× · 2020–2024 · $4.5M · revenue +57%
  • LA
    LOS ANGELES BALLET INC
    5× · 2020–2024 · $1.4M · revenue +83%

Funded once

  • JF
    JEWISH FEDERATION
    one grant, 2020 · $303k
  • SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
    one grant, 2021 · $200k · revenue +6%
  • FO
    FRIENDS OF UNITED HATZALAH INCgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $100k · revenue +127%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Jewish Federation Council of Greater La

Based on jewish values, the jewish federation of greater los angeles convenes and leads the community and leverages its resources to assure the continuity of the jewish people, support a secure state of israel, care for jews in need here…

Philanthropy
2
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Committed to exceptional healthcare quality for all and actively engaged with our community, einstein drives scientific discovery and educates compassionate leaders in health and science.

Education
3
University of California Irvine Foundation

The mission of the university of california, irvine foundation (uc irvine foundation) is to raise and manage private funds to support uc irvine's broader mission of excellence in teaching, research and public service. to this end, the uc…

Education
4
University of Southern California Hillel Foundation

To create an informed, celebratory and satisfying jewish community for students at the university of southern california, to deepen jewish identity through social, intellectual and spiritual participation, to offer diversified…

—
5
Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles

We steward $1.5 billion in charitable assets through donor-advised funds, endowments, and other giving vehicles. partnering with 1,400 individuals, families, and organizations, we build enduring legacies and multigenerational impact. in…

Philanthropy
6
American Society for Technion Israel Institute of Technology Inc

The american technion society supports the technion's critical research and (continued on sch o)

International
7
Weizmann Institute of Science

The weizmann institute of science, located in rehovot, israel, is one of the worlds top-ranking, multidisciplinary research institutions. at any one time, several thousand scientists, staff and students are involved in hundreds of research…

Science & Tech
8
The Shalom Hartman Institute of North America

The shalom hartman institute (shi) is a leading research and educational center serving israel and world jewry. we work to enrich the moral and spiritual life of israel and the jewish people, deepen the commitment to pluralism and israel's…

International
9
California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy

To harness the power of the human immune system and advanced computing technologies to create and translate scientific discoveries into next generation vaccines and therapies for prevention, control and cure of chronic diseases, enabling…

Health
10
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
11
The Jewish Agency for Israel

The jewish agency binds jews across ideologies and civilizations together in a worldwide jewish family with israel at its center. it provides the global framework for aliyah, ensures global jewish safety, strengthens jewish identity and…

—
12
Association of California School Administrators

The association serves its members by creating resources that enable california school administrators to develop and apply creative leadership and management skills and in turn, improve the educational process for all students.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is American Friends of Hebrew University Inc; the most unlike its peers is The Jewish Community Foundation Charitable Fund. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

157 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 157 of the 220 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
27
Early backer (in before they grew)
153/157
Grantees still filing
114/157
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE MILKEN INSTITUTE: $46,210,173 · OtherTHE MILKEN INSTITUTETHE JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION CHARITABLE FUND: $20,000,000 · OtherTHE JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION CHARITABLE FUNDTHE JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $19,800,000 · OtherTHE JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION+119 more: $7,016,500 · Other+119 morePROSTATE CANCER FOUNDATION: $4,477,000 · Philanthropy+6 more: $52,500 · PhilanthropyWINDWARD SCHOOL: $900,000 · EducationTHE AMERICAN EXCHANGE PROJECT INC: $750,000 · EducationBRENTWOOD SCHOOL: $550,000 · EducationThe George Washington University: $400,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: $305,000 · EducationUCLA FOUNDATION: $280,000 · EducationTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $200,000 · Education'IOLANI SCHOOL: $150,000 · Education+16 more: $432,400 · EducationLOS ANGELES BALLET INC: $1,415,000 · Arts & CultureLOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION: $250,000 · Arts & CultureSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $200,000 · Arts & CultureFRIENDS OF UNITED HATZALAH INC: $100,000 · Arts & Culture+14 more: $241,000 · Arts & CultureOWNERSHIP WORKS INC: $750,000 · Community ImprovementCapital Caring Health: $150,000 · HealthFOCUSED ULTRASOUND FOUNDATION: $100,000 · HealthPREVENTIVE MEDICINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE: $100,000 · HealthVISION TO LEARN: $100,000 · HealthPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $45,000 · HealthPEDIATRIC VICTORY FOUNDATION: $35,000 · HealthASIAN HEALTH SERVICES: $25,000 · HealthCHILDREN'S DIABETES FOUNDATION: $25,000 · HealthAMERICAN FRIENDS OF SHEBA MEDICAL CENTER INC: $25,000 · Health+17 more: $128,750 · HealthTHE LOS ANGELES DODGERS FOUNDATION: $275,000 · Recreation & Sports+1 more: $5,000 · Recreation & Sports
Other$93,026,673Philanthropy$4,529,500Education$3,967,400Arts & Culture$2,206,000Community Improvement$750,000Health$733,750Recreation & Sports$280,000

Showing the 200 largest grantees by grant value.

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetTHE MILKEN INSTITUTE: $46,210,173 over 5y, 7.2% of budgetPROSTATE CANCER FOUNDATION: $4,477,000 over 5y, 3.5% of budgetLOS ANGELES BALLET INC: $1,415,000 over 5y, 11% of budgetMILKEN COMMUNITY SCHOOL: $1,100,000 over 4y, 1.4% of budgetWINDWARD SCHOOL: $900,000 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetTHE AMERICAN EXCHANGE PROJECT INC: $750,000 over 3y, 29% of budgetOWNERSHIP WORKS INC: $750,000 over 3y, 3.5% of budgetBRENTWOOD SCHOOL: $550,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetTHE JOHN THOMAS DYE SCHOOL: $400,000 over 5y, 0.8% of budgetThe George Washington University: $400,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: $305,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetUCLA FOUNDATION: $280,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE LOS ANGELES DODGERS FOUNDATION: $275,000 over 4y, 0.9% of budgetLOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION: $250,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetELLIS ISLAND HONORS SOCIETY INC: $225,000 over 1y, 17% of budgetSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: $200,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY: $200,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budget'IOLANI SCHOOL: $150,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetCENTER FOR JEWISH COMMUNITY STUDIES: $140,000 over 2y, 5.2% of budgetHORATIO ALGER ASSN OF DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS INC: $125,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetTHE BRENT SHAPIRO FOUNDATION FOR DRUG AWARENESS: $110,000 over 5y, 3.8% of budgetFRIENDS OF UNITED HATZALAH INC: $100,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetFOCUSED ULTRASOUND FOUNDATION: $100,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetYoung Eisner Scholars: $100,000 over 1y, 5.0% of budgetPREVENTIVE MEDICINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE: $100,000 over 1y, 8.3% of budgetVISION TO LEARN: $100,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetTeach for America Inc: $90,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetISRAEL EMERGENCY ALLIANCE: $55,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetPIONEER VALLEY SYMPHONY INC: $50,000 over 1y, 7.5% of budgetKHAN ACADEMY INC: $50,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBABY2BABY: $50,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC: $45,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER INC: $45,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetSTUDENTS RUN AMERICA: $42,500 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetTHE JOE TORRE SAFE AT HOME FOUNDATION: $42,500 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetRANCHO MIRAGE WRITERS FESTIVAL: $40,000 over 2y, 4.4% of budgetOREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION INC: $35,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetLOS ANGELES JEWISH SYMPHONY: $29,500 over 4y, 2.4% of budgetROOM TO READ: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCONNECT ISRAEL: $25,000 over 1y, 13% of budgetNAVY SEAL FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCALIFORNIA FORWARD: $25,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetLOS ANGELES POLICE FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetWORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNEW HEIGHTS YOUTH INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetASIAN HEALTH SERVICES: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSHARE OUR STRENGTH: $25,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Jewish Community Foun…California Community …The Stanley & Joyce B…The Ralph M Parsons F…The Annenberg Foundat…Jewish Community Foun…The Rosalinde and Art…Richard and Ellen San…The Lowell Milken Fam…Jewish Communal FundThe Ahmanson Foundati…Gs Donor Advised Phil…
Jewish Community Foundation of Los AngelesCA51.8× affinity29 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles · California Community Foundation · The Stanley & Joyce Black Family Foundation · The Ralph M Parsons Foundation · The Annenberg Foundation · Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles Group · The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation · Richard and Ellen Sandler Family Foundation · The Lowell Milken Family Foundation · Jewish Communal Fund · The Ahmanson Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization The Michael and Lori Milken Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Michael and Lori Milken Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 50%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • Pioneer Valley Symphony Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Oregon Shakespeare Festival Association Inc: 0% of income from government
  • The Aleph Institute Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
5get no government money at all
36report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Michael and Lori Milken Family Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Michael and Lori Milken Family Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 220 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2023, released 2023. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Michael and Lori Milken Family’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home