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California · Nonprofit

THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION

THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION (California) receives grants from 21 organizations whose IRS filings report $614,465 to it, the largest being HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION ($299,784). 12 of them have funded it in more than one year.

Revenue FY2025
$651k
Funders on record
21
Grants received
$614k
Net assets
$737k
12/21 repeat funderspeak grant-dependency 44%
01What it does

What The Film Noir Foundation does

Mission

It is the mission of The Film Noir Foundation to find and preserve films in danger of being lost or irreparably damaged and to ensure that high quality prints of these classic films remain in circulation for theatrical exhibition for future generations. Once these films are unearthed, restored and returned to circulation, the chances increase that the films will be made available on blu-ray and/or for online streaming for future generations of film lovers to appreciate.

As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.

Programs

  1. Noir city film festivals fiscal year 2024 (fye 3/31/25):flagship festival: noir city 22 (2025) - january 24-february 2, 2025 grand lake theatre - oakland, cafy 2024 satellite festivals:noir city: hollywood 2024 - march 22-31, 2024 - egyptian theatrenoir city: boston 2024 - june 14-16,2024 - the brattlenoir city: portland 2024 - july 19-21, 2024 - hollywood theatrenoir city: chicago 2024 - september 6-12, 2024 - music box theatrenoir city: detroit 2024 - september 20-22, 2024 - redford theatrenoir city: d.c. 2024 - october 11-24, 2024 - afi silver theatre & cultural ctrnoir city: philadelphia 2024 - november 15-17, 2024 - the colonial theatrenoir city: seattle 2025 - february 14-20, 2025 - siff cinema downtownspecial event:noir city xmas 2024 - december 18, 2024 - grand lake theatre - oakland, ca

    $85,707 spent$285,946 earned by the program
    67% of program spending
  2. Digital preservation of the 1952 argentine film "si muero antes de despertar" included as a special feature on the flicker alley blu-ray/dvd 2024 release of the fnf restoration of the 1952 argentine film "no abras nunca esa puerta".

    $29,498 spent
    23% of program spending
  3. Production of two featurettes included on the flicker alley blu-ray/dvd 2024 release of the fnf restoration of the 1952 argentine film "no abras nunca esa puerta". Featurette #1 - master of suspense author cornell woolrich; featurette #2 - interview with cinema historian and archivist fernando martin pena.

    $12,000 spent
    9% of program spending
  4. Other general and administrative expenses related to program service objectives.

The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $127,205.

02The organization over time

The organization over time

Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.

100 = 20172017 Revenue 100 ($285k) Expenses 100 ($257k) Net assets 100 ($215k)2018 Revenue 119 ($339k) Expenses 118 ($303k) Net assets 116 ($251k)2019 Revenue 109 ($311k) Expenses 161 ($413k) Net assets 73 ($156k)2020 Revenue 185 ($527k) Expenses 177 ($453k) Net assets 110 ($237k)2021 Revenue 88 ($251k) Expenses 41 ($104k) Net assets 180 ($388k)2022 Revenue 132 ($375k) Expenses 119 ($307k) Net assets 221 ($475k)2023 Revenue 177 ($503k) Expenses 171 ($440k) Net assets 241 ($518k)2024 Revenue 164 ($467k) Expenses 193 ($495k) Net assets 247 ($532k)2025 Revenue 229 ($651k) Expenses 173 ($445k) Net assets 342 ($737k)
'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
Revenue (229)Expenses (173)Net assets (342)Peer revenue range

Balance sheet

Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2024 to 2025, from $532k to $737k (+39%).

$215k
$251k
$156k
$237k
$388k
$475k
$518k
$532k
$737k
'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
Total assetsTotal liabilities

How it's funded, over time

Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.

2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
ContributionsProgram revenueInvestmentOther

42% of THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (64% for the typical peer).

This organization
Typical peer · 19,547 orgs

Surplus & reserves

Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 2 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.

$28k
’17
$35k
’18
−$102k
’19
$74k
’20
$146k
’21
$68k
’22
$63k
’23
−$29k
’24
$206k
’25
17
months of
reserve

Leadership and staff

The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.

'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
Listed555555555
Joined·+0+0+1+1+0+0+0+0
No longer listed·00110000
03Who funds it

Who funds it, year by year

2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 2 funders to 6 funders, grant income rose $30k → $101k.

8 of 21 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 31% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.

From the IRS filings of THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 20 of 21 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.

How concentrated its funding is

THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION leans on a few funders — its largest provides 49% of grant income and the top three 69%; half comes from just 2 funders.

the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left

80% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION.

49%
largest funder
69%
top three
~4
effective funders

Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 83% · 2018 33% · 2019 62% · 2020 66% · 2021 76% · 2022 44% · 2023 74% — diversifying over time.

“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.

How long its funders stay

18% of THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 57% give in more than one year at all.

first grant+1y+2y+3y+4y+5y

Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.

Where its funders are

91% of THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION's grant income comes from California funders.

WA
ND
MN
NY
OR
PA
CA
DE

In-state vs out-of-state, by year

’17
’18
’19
’20
’21
’22
’23
California out of state home

Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $191k arriving through sponsors registered in 6 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.

04Its place in the field

Against its field

THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION runs a healthier operating margin than three-quarters of the 11,634 arts & culture nonprofits its size.

Operating margin32% · top quartile
Months of reserve17.2mo · top quartile
Revenue growth (annualized)11% · above the median

this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 11,634 arts & culture nonprofits $100k–$1M, FY2025

Organizations like THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION

Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.

In California

Nationally

05Profile & governance

Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.

Where the money goes

29% of spending goes to programs.

Program 29%Management 49%Fundraising 22%

Governance

5
board members
0%
independent
–Conflict-of-interest policy–Whistleblower policy–Document retention–Board reviewed the 990–Audited financials

Public support

98%

Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.

Footprint & structure

Files a return copy in 1 state

CA

Screen this organization

A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.

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Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf

Questions and answers

Who funds THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION?
THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION (California) receives grants from 21 organizations whose IRS filings report $614,465 to it, the largest being HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION ($299,784). 12 of them have funded it in more than one year.
How many funders does THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION have?
IRS filings report 21 organizations giving $614,465 in grants to THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION, 12 of which have funded it in more than one year.
Who is the largest funder of THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION?
HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION is the largest funder on record, with $299,784 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
How can an organization like THE FILM NOIR FOUNDATION find more funders?
Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in California. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.

Play a game about who funds Film Noir →

These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 21 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing