The Cotsen Foundation for the ART of TEACHING
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The foundation centres its work on teacher development, collaborative teaching, family engagement and classroom libraries, so a request fits best if its project is content-based, collaborative and focused on learning and results.
- Half of its grants were $12,000 or less, so a modest request, within the stated programme limits such as up to $10,000 for the Alumni Strategic Opportunity Grant, is realistic.
- Applications are accepted daily through a Blackbaud User Account under the relevant grant heading, without deadlines, and the foundation says to expect a response within two weeks.
- In the filing, 99% of grant dollars went to organisations it had also funded the year before, so its money flows largely to established grantees, though that is no reason not to apply.
- Schools need the support of the superintendent, teacher union leadership and principal to be selected, and recipients must file a final report to be considered for the following school year; requests for participant stipends, and for consumable materials under the Teaching & Learning Tools Grant, are excluded.
Overview
The Cotsen Foundation for the ART of TEACHING is a US private foundation based in Los Angeles, CA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Cotsen Foundation for the ART of TEACHING centres its work on transforming good teachers into great teachers. Its core programme develops effective educators through coaching, mentoring and collaborative professional learning in Cotsen-affiliated schools. Its further grants are for current and alumni mentors and fellows, and principals and administrators working in its affiliated school and district network. The grants promote artful teaching and learning, effective teaching practices, and collaborative projects focused on learning and results; they also support home-school family engagement and classroom libraries. Projects are expected to be content-based and collaborative, with a focus on high-quality professional learning and research- and data-driven practice.
Themes
- Teacher development
- Collaborative teaching
- Family engagement
- Classroom libraries
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in California.
What They Don't Fund
- Alumni Strategic Opportunity Grant only: stipends for participants, except for those paid for planning and/or facilitating the group
- Alumni Study Grant only: stipends or refreshments for participants; funds solely used for materials
- Family Engagement Grant only: participant stipends, financial compensation, or gift card purchases
- Alumni Conference Grant only: per diem expenses such as mileage, ground transportation, and meals
- Alumni Classroom Library Grant only: guided reading text sets or library organization materials such as bins and shelves
- Teaching & Learning Tools Grant only: materials that are consumable or for organization materials such as bins and shelves
How to apply
Applicants select the application under the relevant grant heading and create a Blackbaud User Account; the foundation accepts applications daily without deadlines and says applicants can expect a response within two weeks.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2023 filing, 99% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022 and TY2023 filings, half of its 88 grants to organisations were $12,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The ART of TEACHING selection process considers whether teachers, school leaders and district administrators have the capacity and commitment to participate successfully.
- A school needs full support from the superintendent, teacher union leadership and principal to be selected.
- The Alumni Strategic Opportunity Grant expects the principal to be directly involved and at least half the staff, or all upper or lower grades, to participate.
- It favours sustainable collaborative projects focused on learning and results that embed teaching practices in daily work.
- Teaching and Learning Tools proposals should show a clear impact, support best practices, and focus on learning and independence, collaboration, and sustainable practices embedded in daily teaching.
- Grant recipients must submit a final report to be considered for the following school year.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2023.
Grant dollars by state
2 other states: <1%
- The largest single recipient received 22% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2023, 99% of grant dollars went to organisations The Cotsen Foundation for the ART of TEACHING had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- <1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 41 grants in tax year 2023 by size
Median $15,000 (tax year 2023)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Los Angeles Unified School District · Mentor program$1,564,9932023 tax year
- Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District · Mentor program$755,1562023 tax year
- Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District · Mentor program$752,9882023 tax year
- Long Beach Unified School District · Mentor program$743,6082023 tax year
- Buena Park School District · Mentor program$635,9432023 tax year
- Fullerton School District · Mentor program$563,3772023 tax year
- Centralia School District · Mentor program$458,6722023 tax year
- Whittier City School District · Mentor program$420,0132023 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Charles Stanish — Board Member
- Leslie Lockhart — Board Member
- Steven Lavine — Board Member
- Lucia Laguarda — Board Member
- Steven Koblik — Board Member
- Jonathan Victor — Board Chair
- Jolie Godoy — Chief Administrative Officer
- Kamyab Hashemi-Nejad — Chief Financial Officer
- Jerold Harris — Executive Director
- Barry Munitz — President / CEO
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
2 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $14,432,946 | $6,262,409 | $259,058,588 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $15,881,461 | $8,329,565 | $277,978,128 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to The Cotsen Foundation for the ART of TEACHING?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- lcatayong@cotsen.org
- tsanders@cotsen.org
- Los Angeles, CA
- cotsen.org
Applying to The Cotsen Foundation for the ART of TEACHING?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- lcatayong@cotsen.org
- tsanders@cotsen.org
- Los Angeles, CA
- cotsen.org