Fineberg Foundation

The Fineberg Foundation is a family-guided private foundation built around the philanthropic legacy of Dr. Joseph Fineberg (born 1917, Toronto), a physician who spent more than 65 years treating underserved patients in central Los Angeles, often without charge. When Dr. Fineberg bequeathed his estate to charity, he established a giving framework rooted in three core convictions: advancing medical innovation, creating educational opportunity for economically disadvantaged youth, and sustaining Jewish and Israeli humanitarian causes globally. The foundation was formally organized in January 2011 and has grown its assets to approximately $31 million.

Day-to-day grantmaking is directed by a small group of paid trustees — primarily Rodney Chase ($160,000/year), Harvey Glasner ($53,334/year), Malka Stromer ($53,333/year), and Ian Glasner ($53,333/year) — supported by a larger circle of unpaid Chase and Glasner family members. This concentration means grantmaking decisions flow from personal relationships and shared values rather than a formal program staff or competitive review process.

Critical for first-time applicants: The foundation explicitly operates on a preselected-only basis and does not formally accept unsolicited applications. All major nonprofit intelligence databases confirm this stance. While an online application form exists at finebergfoundation.org — collecting 501(c)(3) status, mission statement, and requested amount — this form does not represent an open application cycle. There are no published deadlines, review timelines, or RFP notices.

The pathway to funding runs almost entirely through trustee relationships. Organizations most likely to secure grants either have existing connections with the Chase or Glasner families, or come recommended by current major grantees such as the UCLA Foundation, Jewish National Fund, Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, Cleveland Clinic, or Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. The typical relationship progression appears to be: introduction via mutual connection → informal conversation with lead trustee Rodney Chase → multi-year grant commitment, often sustained for 3-4 consecutive years.

Organizations should approach this foundation with the long view. The top six grantees have each received 3-4 grants totaling $300,000-$900,000 across the multi-year database, suggesting the foundation strongly values sustained partnership over one-time gifts. First-time grant sizes appear to range from $25,000-$150,000 before escalating. The foundation's Brentwood address (11812 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 500) and phone number (310-471-4300) are points of contact, but outreach without a warm introduction is unlikely to advance.

The Fineberg Foundation has maintained assets in the $27-34 million range since 2011, with annual grants paid fluctuating between $1.0 million and $1.9 million depending on investment returns and trustee priorities. The most recent confirmed data (2024 Form 990, published August 2025) shows $1.2 million in charitable distributions across 12 grants, with officer compensation fixed at $320,000 per year throughout this period.

Grant size distribution (multi-year aggregate, 48 recorded grants across top grantees): - Total recorded giving across top grantees: $5,335,300 - Average per grant (across all recorded transactions): $111,152 - 2024 median individual grant: approximately $31,000 — consistent with a bimodal pattern of 4-5 large grants ($100K-$320K) and 7-8 smaller grants ($1K-$50K) annually - 2024 maximum grant: $317,300 (UCLA Foundation) - Absolute historical range: $1,000 (Friends of the Forum) to approximately $320,000 (UCLA Foundation, single-year installment)

By focus area (estimated from multi-year cumulative grantee data): - Jewish and Israeli causes: ~45% of total giving — Jewish National Fund ($780K aggregate, 4 grants), Jewish Federation ($860K, 4 grants), Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans ($200K), Simon Wiesenthal Center ($50K), Global Jewish Assistance ($50K), Federation of Jewish Communities ($29K), Jewish Agency for Israel ($8K), Chabad Warsaw ($4K), Jewish Records Indexing ($5K) - Medical research and healthcare: ~28% — Cleveland Clinic ($900K, 3 grants), Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research ($300K, 4 grants), Children's Hospital Los Angeles ($225K), Wunderglo Foundation ($100K), American Diabetes Association ($100K) - Education: ~17% — UCLA Foundation ($861K, 4 grants), Young Eisner Scholars ($550K, 4 grants), University of Arizona Foundation ($25K) - Humanitarian relief: ~8% — World Central Kitchen ($24K, 4 grants), Kentucky Flood Relief ($10K), Skid Row Running Club ($3K) - Other community benefit: ~2% — Friends of the Forum ($1K)

Geographic concentration: California-based organizations receive approximately 50% of grants (24 of 48 recorded grantees), reflecting the Los Angeles headquarters. New York accounts for 23% (11 grantees, driven by nationally headquartered Jewish organizations). DC represents 8% (4 grantees), Ohio 6% (3 grantees, anchored by Cleveland Clinic).

Giving trend (annual grants paid): $1.0M (2011 baseline) → $1.9M (2020 peak) → $1.6M (2021) → $1.2M (2022) → $1.0M (2023) → $1.2M (2024). This investment-correlated pattern means the foundation's generosity tracks equity markets: 2021's record $2.1M total giving coincided with $2.7M in investment revenue that year.

The Fineberg Foundation belongs to a peer cluster of approximately $31 million family private foundations classified under NTEE T21 (Philanthropic Services). Direct asset-size comparables from the database include foundations in four different states, offering useful contrast in accessibility and focus:

The Fineberg Foundation distinguishes itself from this peer group in three important ways. First, it allocates an unusually high proportion of disbursements — $320,000 per year, roughly 25-32% of annual grants paid — to trustee officer compensation, reflecting a tightly family-managed structure where paid trustees take active management roles rather than delegating to professional staff. Second, its geographic giving is deliberately national rather than purely local, channeling funds to Jewish organizations and research medical centers across California, New York, Ohio, and DC. Third, unlike the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation (which maintains an open website application process), Fineberg operates exclusively through trustee relationships, making it far less accessible to the general nonprofit market. Among California peers, the Kenneth Leventhal Foundation is the closest structural parallel — also an invitation-only Los Angeles family foundation — and grant seekers should approach both through overlapping LA Jewish philanthropic community networks.

The Fineberg Foundation's most concrete and dateable recent activity is its February 2025 co-sponsorship of JNF-USA's $1 million disability awareness matching gift challenge during Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAAIM). Alongside the Bookbinder Family Foundation, the Fineberg Foundation provided co-anchor support for a campaign benefiting JNF-USA's disability and special needs programming in Israel, including the Special in Uniform program, which integrates Israeli youth with disabilities into IDF service and civilian employment pathways. The specific dollar contribution by the Fineberg Foundation was not publicly disclosed.

The 2024 Form 990 (published August 2025 via Grantmakers.io and ProPublica) confirmed $1.2 million in total charitable distributions across 12 grants. The UCLA Foundation remained among the top recipients at approximately $317,300, and net assets recovered to $31,068,083 after a dip to $27.4 million in 2022.

Trustee composition has been stable throughout the foundation's history. Rodney Chase has served as lead paid trustee (approximately 3 hours per week, $160,000 annually) since the foundation's 2011 formation. Harvey Glasner, Malka Stromer, and Ian Glasner continue in secondary paid trustee roles at approximately $53,000-$79,000 each per year. No leadership transitions, new program initiatives, or RFP announcements have been publicly disclosed for 2025-2026. The foundation's public web presence remains minimal — a single-page website with program descriptions and an application intake form, with no news section, press releases, or social media accounts identified.

Because the Fineberg Foundation is explicitly preselected-only, effective strategy here means relationship positioning rather than proposal writing. The following tips are specific to this funder's actual decision model.

1. Map trustee connections before any outreach. The four paid trustees — Rodney Chase, Harvey Glasner, Malka Stromer, and Ian Glasner — make all material grantmaking decisions. Research these individuals via LinkedIn, shared board affiliations at organizations like the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles or Cedars-Sinai, and Los Angeles Bar or medical professional directories. The foundation's office at 11812 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 500 (Brentwood, CA 90049) places it squarely in the West Side LA professional community. A second-degree board connection is worth more than a perfect proposal.

2. Be specific about programmatic fit — not generic. The four funded programs are Medical Device Development, Scholarships for low-income high-achieving students, Humanitarian Relief (poverty/disaster/war), and Jewish/Israeli causes. Vague language about 'community benefit' will not move trustees. Instead, explicitly tie your program to Dr. Fineberg's founding biography — his 65+ years treating patients without charge, his regret at never having attended summer camp — and use the phrase 'tangible projects that positively impact lives,' which is the foundation's own mission language.

3. Size requests to your relationship stage. Historical data suggests first-time recipients receive $25,000-$150,000. Multi-year grantees (Young Eisner Scholars, Hirshberg Foundation, JNF) escalate to $195,000-$320,000 per year. Opening a cold relationship with a $500,000 request is a mismatch with the foundation's pattern.

4. Submit the online form as a record of interest. The form at finebergfoundation.org collects 501(c)(3) status, mission, and requested amount. Submit a two-sentence mission statement, a one-sentence program description, and a dollar amount within historical range. Do not attach lengthy proposals. This creates a file record that may be reviewed if a trustee connection later emerges.

5. Pursue warm introductions through existing grantees. If your organization works in medical research, explore whether your leadership shares networks with Cleveland Clinic or Hirshberg Foundation. If in education or youth services, the Young Eisner Scholars model (high-achieving, low-income youth) is the clearest programmatic analog. For Jewish community organizations, a referral from the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles or JNF-USA chapter leadership is the strongest possible introduction.

6. Avoid third-party grant consultants for this funder. Family foundations at this scale respond to personal outreach from executive directors and board chairs, not consultant-mediated submissions. A brief, direct letter from your CEO or a shared contact carries more weight than a polished grant package.