← Back to US Funders Directory

Otis Booth Foundation

Annual Giving
$12.5M
Grant Range
$1K - $5.0M
0

Otis Booth Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $12,485,000 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $231 million (2024)
  • Decision Time: Not applicable (invitation-only)
  • Grant Range: $1,000 - $5,000,000
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily Los Angeles/Southern California, with grants also in California, New York, and Idaho
  • Number of Grants: Approximately 80-100 grants annually (144 in 2023, 162 in 2022)

Contact Details

Address: 10431 Bellagio Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90077

Note: The foundation does not maintain a website, phone number, or email for public inquiries. It does not accept unsolicited grant requests.

Overview

The Otis Booth Foundation was established in 1967 by Franklin Otis Booth Jr., a 1944 Caltech electrical engineering graduate who became a successful investor, newspaper executive, rancher, and philanthropist. Booth was the great-grandson of General Harrison Gray Otis, founder of The Los Angeles Times, and famously invested $1 million with Warren Buffett in 1963, with his Berkshire Hathaway shares growing to over $2 billion by his death in 2008. Today, with assets of $231 million and annual giving of approximately $12.5 million, the foundation is led by Booth's widow, Lynn A. Booth, and focuses its philanthropy primarily on education, arts and culture, human services, and hospitals in Southern California. The foundation is known for making substantial, transformational grants—often in the millions—to preselected Los Angeles-area institutions with which the trustees have longstanding relationships.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs with application cycles. Instead, grants are awarded at the discretion of the trustees to preselected organizations.

Typical Grant Sizes: $1,000 - $5,000,000, with many grants in the multi-million dollar range

Priority Areas

Education (Primary Focus)

  • K-12 education, particularly schools serving underserved communities
  • Higher education institutions
  • Educational infrastructure and capital projects
  • Recent examples: $2.25 million to Los Angeles ICEF Public Schools, $1 million to KIPP LA Schools, $2.66 million to John Thomas Dye School

Arts & Culture

  • Museums and cultural institutions
  • Capital projects and major exhibitions
  • Recent examples: $13 million to Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (largest gift in museum's 100-year history for the Otis Booth Pavilion), $5 million to Petersen Automotive Museum (renamed the Otis Booth History Floor)

Higher Education & Research

  • Support for Caltech (Franklin Otis Booth Jr.'s alma mater)
  • Research chairs and endowments
  • Recent examples: $10 million for Otis Booth Leadership Chair at Caltech, $50 million joint gift with Kent Kresa for Lynn Booth and Kent Kresa Department of Aerospace

Human Services & Child Welfare

  • Organizations serving children who have experienced trauma
  • Youth services
  • Recent examples: $4.53 million to Children's Institute, $6 million for Children's Institute's new Los Angeles campus

Healthcare

  • Hospitals and health organizations (particularly in Southern California)

Agriculture (Limited)

  • Though most grants support education and arts, the foundation occasionally supports agriculture programs, reflecting the family's Booth Ranches operations

Geographic Focus

While the foundation's grantmaking focuses primarily in California, New York, and Idaho, the overwhelming majority of grants stay in Los Angeles and Southern California. The New York and Idaho connections likely reflect personal ties, but the foundation's strategic focus remains Los Angeles-area institutions.

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications from any organizations, regardless of sector or geography.

Governance and Leadership

Lynn A. Booth - President and Trustee

  • Widow of founder Franklin Otis Booth Jr.
  • Caltech trustee
  • President of both the Otis Booth Foundation and the Evening Star Foundation
  • Prominent Los Angeles philanthropist with deep ties to Southern California institutions
  • Quote: "My husband held Caltech in high regard" and "I am excited to see what inventions and ideas become realities"
  • With husband Kent Kresa, recently donated $50 million to Caltech for aerospace research

Loren Booth - Vice President, Secretary, and Trustee

  • Daughter of Franklin Otis Booth Jr.
  • President of Booth Ranches
  • Deeply committed to philanthropy, particularly education
  • Quote: "I looked around our area and realized that education was the No. 1 way for people to change the trajectory of their lives"
  • Quote: "I try to set an example for people through philanthropy" and "Giving back is important in the world"
  • Active in coordinating donations to organizations including Boys & Girls Club of Orange Cove, Children's Hospital of Fresno, Los Angeles Children's Institute, and children's museum ImagineU

Palmer N. Murray - Vice President, Treasurer, and Assistant Secretary

None of the leadership team receives compensation for their foundation roles.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The Otis Booth Foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and explicitly does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Grants are awarded at the discretion of the trustees, typically to organizations with which the foundation and its leadership have longstanding relationships.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation trustees identify grant recipients through:

  • Board and trustee connections: Franklin Otis Booth Jr. served as Chairman of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, establishing the relationship that led to the museum's $13 million grant
  • Personal involvement: Lynn Booth serves as a Caltech trustee, which has facilitated major grants to that institution
  • Family business ties: Through Booth Ranches and the family's Southern California presence, trustees identify education and community organizations
  • Loren Booth's hands-on approach: As noted in her quote, "It's one thing to donate money, but it's something else entirely to spend a day getting hands-on with an organization," suggesting trustees build relationships through direct engagement

The foundation's approach is proactive rather than reactive—they identify organizations they wish to support rather than responding to incoming proposals.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept applications. Grant decisions are made by trustees on their own timeline.

Success Rates

Not applicable for unsolicited applications (0% success rate as they are not accepted).

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept applications or reapplications.

Application Success Factors

Since the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, the key "success factors" are actually relationship-building strategies:

Existing Institutional Relationships

  • The foundation shows strong loyalty to Los Angeles institutions, particularly those with historical connections to the Booth family
  • Franklin Otis Booth Jr.'s role as Natural History Museum Chairman demonstrates how board-level relationships translate to major gifts
  • Lynn Booth's trustee position at Caltech has facilitated multiple major gifts

Alignment with Family Values

  • Education as a pathway for social mobility (Loren Booth: "education was the No. 1 way for people to change the trajectory of their lives")
  • Support for children and youth, particularly those facing challenges
  • Los Angeles-focused philanthropy
  • Connection to arts, culture, and scientific research

Preference for Capital Projects and Transformational Gifts

  • The foundation makes large, visible grants that create lasting impact
  • Named facilities (Otis Booth Pavilion, Otis Booth History Floor, Otis Booth Leadership Chair) honor the family legacy
  • Multi-million dollar grants for buildings, endowments, and major programs

Direct Trustee Engagement

  • Loren Booth emphasizes hands-on involvement with organizations
  • The family's philanthropic approach includes personal time investment, not just financial support

Southern California Focus

  • Despite stating a geographic focus on California, New York, and Idaho, grants overwhelmingly stay in the Los Angeles area
  • Organizations outside Los Angeles should not expect support unless they have direct connections to the trustees

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Do not submit unsolicited proposals: The foundation explicitly will not consider them. Any application submitted will be ignored.
  • Focus on relationship-building with trustees: The only path to funding is through personal connections with Lynn Booth, Loren Booth, or Palmer Murray.
  • Target board-level engagement: The most significant grants have come from organizations where trustees serve on boards or have deep personal involvement.
  • Think transformational, not incremental: The foundation makes large grants ($1M+) for capital projects, endowments, and major initiatives—not small program grants.
  • Los Angeles institutions have overwhelming advantage: Despite the stated geographic scope, nearly all grants stay in LA/Southern California.
  • Education, arts, and children's services are priorities: These three areas dominate the grantmaking portfolio.
  • Multi-year relationships precede major gifts: Organizations receiving multi-million dollar grants typically have longstanding connections to the family.

References

🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.

Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.

✓

Data privacy and security by default

✓

Your organisation's past successful grants and experience

✓

AI analysis of what reviewers want to see

✓

A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours

Join the Launch ListLearn More
← Back to US Funders Directory