The Meredith and Rosemary Willson Charit
Los Angeles, CA · EIN 46-1015108. Reported 153 grants totalling $14.6M to 87 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. The Meredith and Rosemary Willson Charit did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $75,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $18,000 and $140,000; the smallest was $500 and the largest $550,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education Through Music Inc | New York, NY | $1,375,000 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| Education Through Music-Los Angeles Inc | Burbank, CA | $1,050,000 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| John F Kennedy Center for Performing Arts | Washington, DC | $625,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Los Angeles Philharmonic Association | Los Angeles, CA | $625,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mason City Foundation | Mason City, IA | $608,431 | 14 | 4 | 2024 |
| Los Angeles Opera Company | Los Angeles, CA | $574,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture | Los Angeles, CA | $565,000 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| Save the Music Foundation | New York, NY | $530,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education | Highland, UT | $500,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Regents of the University of California | San Francisco, CA | $475,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Etm-La Inc | Burbank, CA | $425,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Harmony Project | Los Angeles, CA | $401,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Arts and Services for Disabled Inc | Long Beach, CA | $400,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Heart of Los Angeles Youth Inc | Los Angeles, CA | $400,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education | Oklahoma City, OK | $375,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Create Ca | Pasadena, CA | $350,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Aspen Institute | Washington, DC | $300,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| California for the Arts | Sacramento, CA | $300,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Heart of Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $300,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Music Will | Montclair, NJ | $300,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Education Through Music Colorado | Denver, CO | $275,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Educational Theatre Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | $269,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| National Guild for Community Arts Education | New York, NY | $260,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| American Music Therapy Association | Silver Spring, MD | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Braver Angels | New York, NY | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Creativets | Nashville, TN | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Arts for Healing and Justice Network | Long Beach, CA | $175,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Education Through Music Massachusetts | Boston, MA | $160,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Street Poets Inc | Los Angeles, CA | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Great American Songbook Foundation | Carmel, IN | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Equity Arc | Cincinnati, OH | $135,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Young Musicians Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | $130,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Create California | Pasadena, CA | $125,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Arts for La | West Covina, CA | $112,500 | 2 | 1 | 2024 |
| Give a Beat Foundation | Laguna Beach, CA | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Right to the City Alliance | Brooklyn, NY | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Opera America Inc | New York, NY | $90,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lifetime Arts | Pelham, NY | $80,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| National Association for Music Education | Philadelphia, PA | $80,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Art for La | West Covina, CA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Californians for the Arts | Sacramento, CA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Riverside Arts Academy | Riverside, CA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Tonality | Los Angeles, CA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| New Music USA | New York, NY | $65,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Pasadena Conservatory of Music | Pasadena, CA | $65,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Grantmakers in the Arts | Bronx, NY | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Colburn School | Los Angeles, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Etm-Colorado Inc | Denver, CO | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Grand Vision Foundation | San Pedro, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Little Kids Rock Inc | Montclair, NJ | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Neighborhood Music School Association | Los Angeles, CA | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| National Association for Music Education | Reston, VA | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Symphonic Jazz Orchestra | Culver City, CA | $36,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| A Place Called Home | Los Angeles, CA | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Arts Ignite | New York, NY | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Psarts | Los Angeles, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Musyca | Northridge, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Artists Striving to End Poverty | New York, NY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Etm-Massachusetts Inc | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Santa Monica Youth Orchestra | Santa Monica, CA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| California State University Northridge Foundation | Northridge, CA | $18,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| El Sistema USA | Durham, NC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Elemental Music | Santa Monica, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Resounding Joy Inc | San Diego, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Pasadena Symphony Association | Pasadena, CA | $14,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Long Beach Camerata Singers | Long Beach, CA | $13,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Los Angeles Children's Chorus | Pasadena, CA | $13,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra | Los Angeles, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| New York University | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Otis College of Art and Design | Los Angeles, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Music Center | Los Angeles, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Vox Femina Los Angeles | Culver City, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Arts Ed Nj | Burlington, NJ | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Broadway for Arts Education | New York, NY | $4,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| City of Hope | Duarte, CA | $3,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Arts Education Nj | Warren, NJ | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Ojai Playwrights Conference | Ojai, CA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The 5TH Avenue Theatre | Seattle, WA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Boston Court Performing Arts Center | Pasadena, CA | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Academy Museum Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Levine Music | Washington, DC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Los Angeles Master Chorale | Los Angeles, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mccallum Theatre | Palm Desert, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Merit School of Music | Chicago, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jvs Socal | Los Angeles, CA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| La County Library Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Pasadena Playhouse State Theatre of California | Pasadena, CA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
33 of 87 (38%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 47%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Education Through Music Inc
MUSIC EDUCATION RELIEF GRANT - Aspen Institute
NEUROARTS BLUEPRINT INITIATIVE - The Regents of the University of California
SCHOOL OF NURSING/SOUND HEALTH - State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education
ARTS EDUCATION DATA PROJECT - American Music Therapy Association
WEBSITE & TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE - Educational Theatre Foundation
"THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN" GRANTS
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 103 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46 | $3,194,887 | $30,000 |
| 2022 | 26 | $2,909,148 | $75,000 |
| 2023 | 40 | $4,303,866 | $82,500 |
| 2024 | 41 | $4,238,030 | $100,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 51% of this one's giving went to organizations in California. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $75,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in California.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from The Meredith and Rosemary Willson Charit's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 10474 Santa Monica Blvd 405, Los Angeles, CA, 90025. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 46-1015108 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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