A Mark Foundation

The A Mark Foundation presents grant seekers with a critical structural distinction: its public identity and its actual grantmaking scope do not fully overlap. The foundation's website at amarkfoundation.org presents an exclusive focus on investigative journalism, operating three formal programs — the A-Mark Prizes for Investigative Reporting (distributed through 38 state press associations), A-Mark Journalism Master's Scholarships (at 28 universities), and A-Mark Student Journalism Awards (through 29 community colleges). These programs are explicitly closed to unsolicited proposals, with the website stating plainly: "Please, no unsolicited proposals." However, IRS 990 filings reveal a broader discretionary grantmaking stream supporting human services, youth development, food security, civil rights, and community organizations across California and Idaho — work that does not appear on the website at all.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered at 530 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401, the foundation is led by Co-Chair and founder Steven C. Markoff, whose personal interests — civic accountability, nonpartisan public information, investigative journalism, and community empowerment — are legible throughout the grantee list. Board Chair Justin Jampol (president of the Wende Museum of the Cold War) shapes institutional direction alongside Co-Chair Kris Fredrickson, directors Mike Gatto (former California Assemblymember), John Kurtz, Jeannie Gorman, and Jadwiga Markoff.

For journalism organizations, entry is exclusively through the foundation's established institutional network. If your state press association, journalism master's program, or community college is not yet a partner, the pathway is to contact the foundation and propose joining an existing program channel — not to request a standalone grant. For human services and advocacy organizations, the pathway is entirely relationship-driven. The 990 grantee record shows that funded organizations typically share personal or professional connections to board members, geographic roots in LA or Idaho, and alignment with accountability and civic empowerment values.

Organizations that have built multi-year relationships — Whistleblower Aid ($350,000 over four grants), ProCon.org ($117,393 over three grants), Meals on Wheels West ($23,750 over five grants), Feeding America ($30,000 over four grants) — demonstrate that sustained engagement is the engine of growing support. A $10 million personal gift from Steven Markoff announced January 15, 2025 signals expanded capacity through at least 2026, making this an optimal moment for new relationship cultivation with board members.

The A Mark Foundation sustains consistent annual giving between $1.1 million and $1.3 million in recent years, with an outlier high of $2.08 million in FY2021. Total assets stood at $24.5 million in FY2024, generating $627,519 in revenue. The foundation distributes roughly 4-6% of assets annually in total giving.

Annual total giving: $1.28M (FY2023, 66 contributions), $1.14M (FY2022), $2.08M (FY2021), $1.06M (FY2020), $1.11M (FY2019), $0.92M (FY2015), $0.94M (FY2014). Grants paid as direct external disbursements: $543K (FY2023), $424K (FY2022), $292K (FY2021), $621K (FY2020), $753K (FY2019). The January 2025 receipt of a $10 million gift from Steven Markoff is expected to push FY2025-2026 total giving materially higher.

Grant sizes across 269 historical disbursements: average $8,573; median approximately $3,000 (weighted down by hundreds of journalism prizes and student awards in the $250-$5,000 range); range for organizational grants runs from $5,000 to roughly $87,500 per individual grant; cumulative multi-year maximums reach $350,000 (Whistleblower Aid, four grants). Largest single-year disbursements in the record include $158,559 (COVID mask distribution to the public), $50,000 (Southern California Public Radio/KPCC), and $49,980 (UC Davis ghost gun research).

Thematic allocation (estimated from top grantees by cumulative volume across all years): - Whistleblower protection and government accountability: ~22% ($510K+, dominated by Whistleblower Aid) - Journalism and media: ~15% (KPCC, LA Press Club, The 19th, The Trace, The War Horse, First Look Media, PEN America) - Youth development and education: ~14% (Watts Empowerment Center, The Tuition Magician, Culver City Education Foundation, First Tee of Idaho, Operation Progress) - Human services, hunger, and direct relief: ~12% (Feeding America, Feed the Children, LA Mission, Meals on Wheels West, Salvation Army) - Civil rights and advocacy: ~10% (ACLU, Human Rights Watch, ADL, Planned Parenthood, Gold House Foundation) - Arts, culture, and public information: ~8% (Wende Museum, ProCon.org, Wikimedia Foundation) - Idaho community organizations: ~5% - Health and research: ~6%

Geography: 142 of 238 grantees with state data are California-based; 36 are Idaho-based, reflecting Markoff family ties to Boise.

The A Mark Foundation sits in a cohort of similarly capitalized private foundations classified under Human Services. The comparison below draws on available IRS 990 data and public records:

The A Mark Foundation distinguishes itself from this peer cohort in three key respects. First, it is the only foundation in this group with a structured, institutionally documented public program — its journalism prizes infrastructure involving 95 institutional partners (38 press associations, 28 universities, 29 community colleges) represents unusual operational sophistication for a foundation of this asset size. Second, the January 2025 infusion of $10 million from founder Steven Markoff gives A Mark a growth trajectory no peer in this cohort currently matches; most Human Services foundations at this capitalization level are stable or contracting. Third, the Issa Foundation is the only peer with a comparable public web presence, confirming that within the $24-25M asset class, public-facing grantmaking programs remain the exception — making A Mark meaningfully more accessible than its peers to applicants who understand its journalism entry channels.

The defining recent development is the January 15, 2025 announcement that founder and Co-Chair Steven C. Markoff made a personal gift of $10 million to the foundation he established in 1997. Board Chair Justin Jampol framed the donation as "a powerful catalyst for what comes next," confirming plans to significantly expand investigative journalism funding throughout 2026. This gift nearly doubled the foundation's effective asset base in a single transaction, moving total assets from approximately $22-24M to a post-gift level estimated above $34 million.

In calendar year 2025, the foundation distributed nearly $1 million across its three journalism programs. The foundation publicly highlighted that these grants funded investigations leading to criminal convictions being vacated, legislative reforms enacted, and policy changes benefiting vulnerable communities — an outcome-reporting posture that is uncommon at this scale and suggests the board is raising its evidentiary bar for future journalism grantees.

Justin Jampol continues as board chair, bringing the Wende Museum of the Cold War's archival and civic-engagement sensibility to the foundation's direction. Mike Gatto (former California Assemblymember, 43rd Assembly District) and John Kurtz remain as directors, maintaining the foundation's deep ties to California civic and legislative networks. No board departures were documented in 2025-2026. The foundation's FY2023 990 recorded 66 contributions totaling $1.28 million — consistent with prior-year patterns — and Idaho operations encompassing First Tee of Idaho, Special Olympics Idaho, Children's Home Society of Idaho, and Idaho Botanical Gardens appear to be holding steady.

The single most critical fact about the A Mark Foundation's application process: the website explicitly states "Please, no unsolicited proposals." This is not a technicality — it reflects the operating culture across both the journalism programs and the broader human services grantmaking visible in the 990 record. There is no grant portal, no LOI form, and no published application deadline cycle.

For journalism organizations: The only pathway in is through the foundation's institutional network. State press associations, accredited journalism master's programs, and community college student media programs are the channels. If your organization is not yet a partner, contact the foundation via amarkfoundation.org/contact-us/ with a brief, specific proposal to join the program. Emphasize statewide or regional reach, institutional credibility, experience administering prize competitions, and any geographic gaps in the current 38-state press association network. Prize awards to press associations range from $5,000 to $18,500 annually based on 2025 program data.

For human services and advocacy organizations: Getting funded requires a personal introduction to a board member — no exceptions are visible from the 990 record. Justin Jampol (museum and arts networks), Mike Gatto (California legislative and civic sphere), John Kurtz (arts patron community), and Jeannie Gorman are accessible entry points via LinkedIn or mutual professional contacts. Alignment language that resonates with this board: "public accountability," "civic transparency," "community empowerment," "investigative," and "underserved communities in Los Angeles or Idaho."

Timing: No published grant cycle exists, but the $10 million Markoff gift makes 2025-2026 the most active grantmaking expansion in the foundation's history. Relationship-building now improves positioning for FY2026 discretionary awards.

First-grant strategy: Treat the first grant as a relationship test. Whistleblower Aid's growth to $350,000 cumulative across four grants demonstrates the return on sustained engagement. Report back proactively with specific, named outcomes: legislation passed, investigations published, community members served.

What to avoid: Never cold-submit a multi-page proposal or formal budget narrative. Do not cite administrative overhead positively — the foundation's own grant purpose descriptions specifically praise grantees for "no administrative overhead." Do not request amounts inconsistent with your relationship stage; first-time organizational asks above $50,000 are not supported by the historical grantee record.