Mike Curb Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- Mike Curb Foundation names Nashville, Tennessee and Los Angeles, California as its priority geographic focus, and its stated interests are music education, music cultural policy, music museums, historic music sites, and underserved populations, including people experiencing homelessness.
- Grant inquiries and applications are by invitation only, and the foundation does not accept unsolicited requests, so a small charity should not send a cold application and should instead seek an introduction.
- About 8 in 10 of its grants to organisations fall between $10,000 and $200,000, with a median of $100,000, though its largest grant was $1,100,000, so a typical request would sit within that band rather than at its upper limit.
- Repeat giving is substantial: 88% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded earlier, and the foundation describes itself as supporting a select group of preeminent organisations, so the relationship is likely to matter a great deal.
Overview
Mike Curb Foundation is a US private foundation based in Nashville, TN.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation says it supports music education, music cultural policy, music museums and historic music sites. It also advances partnerships that address discrimination in all forms and the needs of underserved populations, including people experiencing homelessness, while supporting a wide range of services in communities associated with Curb music enterprises. Its grants focus on a select group of preeminent nonprofit organisations and social-service agencies in Nashville, Los Angeles and other Curb-related communities. It describes its approach as partnering with government, community leaders and other nonprofit organisations on music-related projects and work serving marginalised people. Grant inquiries and applications are by invitation only.
Themes
- Music education
- Music cultural policy
- Music museums
- Historic music sites
- Underserved populations
- Discrimination
Geographic Focus
Priority: Nashville, Tennessee; Los Angeles, California.
How to apply
Grant inquiries and applications for funding are by invitation only.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 88% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 40 grants to organisations were $100,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- It supports a select group of preeminent nonprofit organisations and social-service agencies.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
1 other state: 1%
- The largest single recipient received 29% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 88% of grant dollars went to organisations Mike Curb Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 8 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $100k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Belmont University · General$1,100,0002024 tax year
- Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History · General$200,0002024 tax year
- Middle Tennessee Council · General$112,6002024 tax year
- Grammy Museum Foundation · General$100,0002024 tax year
- Nashville Public Media · General$100,0002024 tax year
- North Carolina Music Hall of Fame · General$75,0002024 tax year
- White House Historical Association · General$30,0002024 tax year
- Safe Haven Family Shelter · General$20,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Tracy Moore — Director And Secretary
- Linda Curb — Director
- Michael C Curb — President And Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $3,063,222 | $2,226,143 | $32,163,262 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $1,551,852 | $542,266 | $40,736,591 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $2,610,940 | $1,737,600 | $40,090,214 | Filing for 2024 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 Mike Curb Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Nashville, TN
- mikecurbfoundation.com
Applying to Mike Curb Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Nashville, TN
- mikecurbfoundation.com