Ebrahimi Family Foundation

The Ebrahimi Family Foundation operates as a strictly personal, invitation-only philanthropy — the single most important fact for any grant seeker is that the foundation explicitly funds only preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. No open RFP exists, no submission portal exists, and no LOI template is published. The standard grant application process simply does not apply here.

F. Fred Ebrahimi (President) and Mary P. Ebrahimi (Secretary) control grantmaking decisions, supported by Treasurer Bradford C. Nelson (c/o Seemorgh Investments Inc., Denver, CO). All three officers serve without compensation — a hallmark of family foundations where principals are personally invested in outcomes rather than delegating to a program staff. The portfolio directly reflects the Ebrahimis' personal institutional relationships: Brigham & Women's Hospital has received $600,000 across at least two grant categories; the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries have received over $776,000 across five distinct grant purposes (fellowships, museum acquisitions, board support, general operations); UCLA Foundation has received $435,000 across five grants; and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains received $335,000 in FY2024 alone.

The giving philosophy is defined by sustained, deepening relationships rather than competitive merit review. Once an organization enters the portfolio, it tends to receive recurring and escalating support. Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains moved from small early grants to a $335,000 single-year gift. Brigham & Women's Hospital has received grants both to its general operations and specifically to its Professional Nurses Chapter — reflecting personal engagement at an institutional depth beyond check-writing.

First-time applicants must focus entirely on relationship cultivation rather than proposal preparation. Identify board members, major donors, or institutional leaders with personal connections to the Ebrahimi family or to their known institutions. Attend events at the Smithsonian Freer/Sackler Galleries. If your organization performs medical research at a research hospital level, conducts work in Colorado, engages with Cuban culture or architecture, or advocates for civil liberties and reproductive rights in the American West, you are in the right thematic territory — but a personal introduction is the prerequisite that no amount of proposal quality can substitute for.

Annual giving has ranged from $173,148 (FY2019) to $1,046,404 (FY2024), excluding the exceptional FY2013 distribution of $4,313,500 — likely a planned giving event or large liquidation rather than a representative operating year. The three-year average (FY2022-2024) runs approximately $720,000/year; the five-year average (FY2020-2024) lands near $591,000. Total disbursements from 2011 through 2024 reached approximately $11.8M across 14 filing years.

Grant sizes have evolved with the foundation's asset growth. Historically, individual grants ranged from $1,500 to $250,000, with a tracked median of $16,974 and an average of $43,181. FY2024 data reveals meaningful upward movement: approximately 10 grants totaled $1,046,404 at a median near $45,000, with a new high watermark of $335,000 to Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. First-year gifts to new relationships are typically $10,000-$25,000; multi-year partnerships yield $100,000-$335,000.

By program area, the tracked grantee portfolio ($2.3M across 38 historical grants) breaks down as: - Arts and cultural institutions: ~35% ($806K — Friends of Freer Sackler entities across fellowships, acquisition funds, and board support; Denver Botanic Gardens $30K) - Medical and health: ~27% ($630K — Brigham & Women's Hospital $600K, Project Cure $10K, Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains cumulatively; FY2024 added $335K+ to Planned Parenthood and $250K to Mass General) - Higher education: ~21% ($492K — UCLA $435K, UCI $50K, Cornell $6K, Hollins University $1K) - Civil rights and advocacy: ~12% ($275K — Texas Freedom Network $250K, CLLARO $25K) - Cuba/Latin America: ~5% ($107K — Cuba Study Group $20K, Friends of Caritas Cuba $15.5K, CE12 Foundation $70K)

Geographically, Washington DC-area organizations lead grant activity by count (10 of 38 tracked grants), followed by Massachusetts (7), California (6), and Colorado (6). Foundation assets have grown from $3.8M (2015) to $23.3M (2024), with FY2024 revenue of $983,909 drawn entirely from investment income — positioning the foundation for continued growth.

The five closest asset-size peers to the Ebrahimi Family Foundation are all classified under NTEE code T20 (Philanthropic Trusts) with total assets within $25,000 of Ebrahimi's $23.3M. None of the peer foundations maintain public websites or published grantmaking guidelines.

The Ebrahimi Foundation distinguishes itself from its asset-size peers in two meaningful ways. First, it operates a dual identity: alongside grantmaking, it functions as an active media production organization creating educational documentaries on Cuban architecture — an operating program unusual among foundations of this size and asset class. Second, its 990-PF filings document a well-developed and diversified grantmaking portfolio with strong institutional relationships spanning elite research hospitals, Smithsonian-affiliated museums, and major research universities. All five peer foundations in this size class operate as quiet family vehicles; none are known to accept unsolicited applications, and none publish detailed giving data beyond mandatory IRS filings — making Ebrahimi somewhat more traceable than its peers despite its own minimal public presence.

Fiscal year 2024 was the Ebrahimi Family Foundation's most active grantmaking year in over a decade, with $1,046,404 in charitable disbursements — a 265% increase over FY2023's $286,295 and the highest annual payout since 2013. The FY2024 990-PF was filed in November 2025.

Confirmed FY2024 grants include: Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains ($335,000 — the largest single grant in recent records); Catholic Church Extension Society of the United States ($118,558 — a new grantee, possibly aligned with the Cuba documentary project's humanitarian themes); and the Professional Nurses Chapter of Brigham & Women's Hospital ($100,000 — continuing a cumulative institutional relationship exceeding $600,000). Additional FY2024 recipients reported through third-party aggregators include Massachusetts General Hospital ($250,000) and Smithsonian Freer/Sackler entities ($143K+ combined).

Foundation assets grew from $21.1M (FY2023) to $23.3M (FY2024), driven by $553,033 in dividend income and $425,212 in proceeds from investment asset sales. Leadership has remained completely stable across all available filing history: F. Fred Ebrahimi (President), Mary P. Ebrahimi (Secretary), and Bradford C. Nelson (Treasurer) — all uncompensated.

No public press releases, grant announcements, or media coverage specific to 2025-2026 were found. The ebrahimi.org domain serves as a personal family portal rather than a foundation website. The foundation's signature operating program, the 'Colonial Cuba' documentary documenting architecture in Cuba's earliest seven towns, remained in active production as of the most recent IRS filing.

Because the Ebrahimi Family Foundation funds only preselected organizations and does not review unsolicited materials, every tip below is oriented toward relationship cultivation rather than proposal mechanics.

Secure a warm introduction first — everything else is secondary. Map your organization's board, senior staff, and major donors against all known Ebrahimi grantees: Brigham & Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, UCLA Foundation, UCI Foundation, the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries, Denver Botanic Gardens, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Texas Freedom Network, CLLARO (Colorado Latino Leadership Advocacy & Research Organization), Cuba Study Group, and Friends of Caritas Cuba. One genuine personal connection at any of these institutions creates a viable introduction path.

Prioritize Smithsonian Freer/Sackler as an entry point. The Ebrahimis have made at least five distinct types of gifts to Freer/Sackler entities — fellowships, museum acquisitions, board support, and general operations — strongly suggesting personal board-level involvement. Donor events and leadership engagement at those galleries place your organization within the Ebrahimi orbit more efficiently than any other strategy.

Calibrate your initial ask to relationship stage. First relationships typically begin at $10,000-$50,000. Requesting $250,000+ is only appropriate for organizations already receiving multi-year support. The 2024 high of $335,000 (Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains) reflects a relationship built across multiple grant cycles.

Use mission-specific alignment language. Effective themes: medical research and nursing excellence at major teaching hospitals; preservation of endangered architectural heritage (especially Cuban and Latin American); Smithsonian-caliber cultural stewardship; reproductive health and civil liberties in the Mountain West; and Colorado civic, environmental, and Latino community organizations.

Contact Bradford C. Nelson (Treasurer) only after a warm introduction is established: (303) 333-0959, c/o Seemorgh Investments Inc., PO Box 61339, Denver, CO 80206. There is no online submission form, no published grant cycle, and no deadline calendar. Cold outreach before an introduction has been arranged risks permanently closing the door.