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Rosenthal Family Foundation

Annual Giving
$3.9M
Grant Range
$1K - $1.0M

Rosenthal Family Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $3,881,852 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $20.6 million
  • Grant Range: Varies widely; average grant size $77,637
  • Number of Grants: 50 grants (2023), 80 grants (2022)
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily Los Angeles, with national and international reach
  • Application Process: No public application process; invitation only

Contact Details

Address: 2049 Century Park E, Suite 1400, Los Angeles, CA 90067-3116

EIN: 26-2982710

Website: https://www.philrosenthalworld.com/philanthropy

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Overview

Founded in 2008 by Phil Rosenthal (creator of the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond) and his wife Monica Horan Rosenthal (actress), the Rosenthal Family Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation with approximately $20.6 million in assets. The foundation distributed $3.88 million through 50 grants in 2023, focusing primarily on arts education equity, food security, and progressive advocacy causes. The Rosenthals have established themselves as "strategic funders, committed funders, and passionate funders, not just check writers," according to their philanthropic adviser Rachel Levin. Their approach emphasizes deep, sustained relationships with grantees and policy-level engagement. The foundation has gained recognition for major initiatives including a seven-figure gift to the Obama Foundation and the creation of "Somebody Feed The People," which raised over $1.5 million during the COVID-19 pandemic and provided meals at polling locations during the 2020 election.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation operates through trustee discretion rather than formal grant programs. However, their giving can be organized into three primary streams:

Arts Education & Educational Equity The Rosenthals' primary focus is creating a "pipeline of young people who've become teaching artists" and ensuring that arts education "shouldn't depend on where you live or what zip code you're in." Notable grants include $200,000 to UCLA's Visual and Performing Arts Education Program (VAPAE) and over $100,000 to Arden Theatre Company.

Food Security & Community Support Through the "Somebody Feed The People" initiative, the foundation supports organizations addressing food access, worker support, and food system health. They partner with organizations like World Central Kitchen (founded by Chef José Andrés) and have raised over $1.5 million to combat food insecurity.

Progressive Advocacy & Social Justice The foundation supports left-of-center advocacy organizations working on civil rights, social justice, and democratic participation.

Priority Areas

Arts & Culture Organizations:

  • Inner City Arts (Los Angeles)
  • Ford Theatres
  • LA Philharmonic
  • Young Storytellers Foundation
  • Versa Style Dance Forum
  • Zimmer Children's Museum
  • Arden Theatre Company
  • Upper Darby Summer Stage
  • PBS SoCal
  • American Film Institute

Food Security & Justice:

  • World Central Kitchen
  • Food Forward
  • ALMA Backyard Farms
  • Homeboy Industries
  • Jewish Family Services
  • LA Food Policy Council
  • Polo's Pantry
  • Project Angel Food
  • Swipe Out Hunger
  • Westside Campaign Against Hunger

Advocacy & Social Justice:

  • Alliance for Justice
  • Demos
  • Feminist Majority Foundation
  • Obama Foundation (over $1 million contributed)
  • Planned Parenthood Los Angeles

Education:

  • UCLA Foundation (particularly VAPAE)
  • California Alliance for Arts Education
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of LA
  • City Year
  • The Students First Foundation
  • Hofstra University (diversity programs and comedy scholarships)

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not publicly specify exclusions, but their giving pattern indicates:

  • No grants outside their established relationships and areas of interest
  • Limited or no support for organizations outside arts education, food security, and progressive advocacy
  • No international organizations except those addressing food security (like World Central Kitchen's global work)

Governance and Leadership

Phil Rosenthal - Director and President Creator of Everybody Loves Raymond and host of Netflix's Somebody Feed Phil. Rosenthal has an estimated net worth of $200 million and credits his own success to comprehensive arts education from elementary school through college. He has stated: "Here in Hollywood, where we literally owe our lives and our good fortune to arts education, it's just as essential to me as breathing to feed [the arts] to people who don't have it."

Monica Horan Rosenthal - CFO Acclaimed actress best known for her role in Everybody Loves Raymond. Monica maintains long-term relationships with grantee organizations and credits a public high school theater program with enabling her college attendance, which motivates the couple's focus on equitable access to arts education.

Other Leadership:

  • Christine Porter
  • Ben Rosenthal
  • Jeremy Shartar

All key personnel work on a voluntary basis and receive no compensation for their roles.

Leadership Philosophy

The Rosenthals demonstrate a hands-on approach to philanthropy. According to their adviser Rachel Levin, they engage at the policy level, funding research on arts education funding mechanisms and pilot studies testing parcel taxes for arts education revenue. Phil Rosenthal articulates his giving perspective: "I feel like the world would be a better place if more people experienced a little bit of someone else's experience."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Rosenthal Family Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

Grants are awarded based on trustee discretion, with the Rosenthals identifying organizations aligned with their philanthropic priorities and building sustained relationships with them over time.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation identifies grantees through:

Phil Rosenthal's Professional Network: Organizations visited during his television travels (particularly for Somebody Feed Phil) are highlighted on his website's charity directory at philrosenthalworld.com.

Existing Relationships in the Arts Education Sector: The Rosenthals work closely with organizations like the California Alliance for Arts Education and have partnered with KPCC (Southern California Public Radio) to hire a full-time arts education reporter, suggesting they are connected to sector convenings and leadership.

Co-Founded Initiatives: The couple co-founded the Flourish Foundation to develop teaching artist pipelines, indicating they proactively create vehicles for their giving rather than responding to applications.

Personal Connection to Causes: Monica's personal experience with public school theater programs and the couple's Los Angeles roots influence their grantee selection, particularly for LA-based organizations.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional success factors do not apply. However, organizations that have received funding share these characteristics:

Alignment with Core Values The Rosenthals support organizations that embody their belief that access to arts, food, and opportunity "shouldn't depend on where you live or what zip code you're in." Equity-focused missions are central.

Los Angeles Connection While the foundation makes some national and international grants, the majority of funding goes to LA-based organizations, particularly those serving under-resourced communities in Los Angeles.

Long-Term Relationship Approach The Rosenthals are described as "committed funders" who maintain sustained partnerships rather than one-off grants. Organizations like Inner City Arts have received ongoing support over many years.

Teaching Artist Pipeline Model For arts education organizations, those focused on training teaching artists and bringing arts to public schools are particularly aligned with the foundation's strategic focus.

Food as Community Builder Food security organizations that view food as a vehicle for building community and addressing systemic issues (like Food Forward's food waste reduction or World Central Kitchen's crisis response) align with Phil's philosophy from Somebody Feed Phil.

Specific Project Examples Organizations the foundation has funded recently include:

  • Inner City Arts: Creates "an oasis" providing comprehensive arts programming to children in under-resourced neighborhoods
  • UCLA's VAPAE: Trains future teachers while providing arts education to K–12 students in under-resourced communities
  • World Central Kitchen: Provides fresh meals in crisis response situations globally
  • Food Forward: "Rescues fresh local produce that would go to waste, connecting this abundance with people in need"

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Do not submit unsolicited proposals - The foundation only funds preselected organizations and explicitly does not accept applications
  • Los Angeles focus matters - The majority of grants go to LA-based organizations serving local communities
  • Arts education equity is the primary passion - Organizations creating teaching artist pipelines and bringing arts to under-resourced schools are core to their mission
  • Food security is the second pillar - Food access organizations that build community and address systemic issues align with the "Somebody Feed The People" initiative
  • Personal connection drives giving - Monica's experience with public school theater and Phil's television travels influence grantee selection
  • Long-term commitment over one-off grants - The foundation values sustained relationships and multi-year partnerships
  • Policy engagement is valued - The Rosenthals fund not just direct services but also research, advocacy, and systemic change efforts

References

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