Forest Family Foundation

Forest Family Foundation is a pre-selected grantmaking private foundation. It does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation was incorporated in 1993 and is led by the Forest family — Michael Forest (President) and Myrna Forest/Lon Snyder (Secretary) — alongside Treasurer James P. Fastovsky, all of whom serve without compensation.

The foundation's grantmaking is entirely discretionary and driven by the personal philanthropic priorities of the Forest family. Because it does not solicit proposals or maintain a formal application cycle, the only viable strategy for prospective grantees is relationship-driven outreach — either knowing the principals directly or having a warm introduction through a shared institutional connection (e.g., The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, City of Hope, or the Simon Wiesenthal Center).

Grantseekers should not submit cold applications. Instead, focus on identifying shared board members, event honorees, or donor circles that overlap with the Forest family's demonstrated giving priorities: Jewish community institutions, cancer and medical research, Holocaust education, children's welfare services, and civic cultural organizations in greater Los Angeles.

The Forest Family Foundation distributes approximately $90,000–$130,000 in grants per year, consistent with its IRS-mandated 5% minimum distribution requirement on roughly $2 million in fair market value assets. Grants range from $700 to $15,600, with a median of $2,600 and an average of approximately $4,000. The foundation made 23 grants in the most recent reported year (2023).

Giving is highly concentrated in a stable recurring portfolio of ~20–25 organizations. The same recipients appear year after year with modest variation in grant amounts:

• Top tier (>$10,000): The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles; City of Hope Cancer Center
• Second tier ($5,000–$10,000): Jewish Free Loan Association; US Holocaust Memorial Museum; Concern Foundation; Jewish Foundation for the Righteous; Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties; Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
• Third tier ($2,000–$5,000): Venice Family Clinic; Vista Del Mar; Israel Tennis Education Centers; World Jewish Congress; Skirball Cultural Center; Hillel at Stanford; UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center; Saint Johns Healthcare Foundation
• Smaller grants ($1,000–$2,000): American Red Cross; Habitat for Humanity; Pacific Lodge Boys Home; Museum of Tolerance; Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters; Jewish Family Service of LA; Parkinson's Foundation; Americans for Peace Now; The ALS Association; Simon Wiesenthal Center

Geographically, approximately 75–80% of grants go to California organizations (primarily Los Angeles County), with remaining grants to Washington DC (Holocaust Museum), New Jersey (Jewish Foundation for the Righteous), Florida (Israel Tennis Centers; Parkinson's Foundation), and other states.

The foundation's portfolio has remained remarkably stable from at least 2019 through 2023, indicating a closed grantee list with infrequent additions.

Forest Family Foundation occupies the smaller end of the Southern California Jewish family foundation spectrum. With $1.1 million in book assets (fair market value ~$2.4 million) and approximately $110,000 distributed annually, it is considerably smaller than major regional Jewish philanthropies such as the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (which manages billions) but is comparable in scale to hundreds of small family foundations in the region.

Key differentiators from peer foundations: - No formal application process or grants page — distinguishes it from similarly sized foundations that publish guidelines (e.g., Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation or Wasserman Foundation) - Exclusively pre-selected grantees with no documented history of adding new organizations; makes it a closed-loop funder - Zero officer compensation — consistent with a family-managed foundation operating at minimal overhead - Investment-only income model (dividends + capital gains, no charitable contributions received) — typical of family foundation structure but notable for the absence of any earned or donated revenue - Strong alignment with establishment Los Angeles Jewish institutional philanthropy (Federation, City of Hope, Skirball, Wiesenthal Center) suggests the principals are embedded in L.A.'s mainstream Jewish donor community

The most recent completed tax year on record is fiscal year 2023 (calendar year), in which the foundation: - Received $122,154 in total revenue (dividends: $36,995; capital gains: $85,159) - Disbursed $130,531 in total expenses, including $109,000 in qualifying distributions (charitable grants) - Held $1,031,360 in net assets (book value) and $2,366,817 in fair market value assets - Portfolio holdings: $602,451 in corporate equities; $35,402 in corporate bonds; $42,802 in other investments - Paid $1,399 in federal excise tax on net investment income

The 2023 undistributed income carryforward was $105,429, suggesting the foundation slightly undershot its minimum distribution requirement for that year and will need to make it up in subsequent years — potentially meaning slightly higher distributions in 2024–2025.

The website (forestfamilyfoundation.org) is a GoDaddy placeholder with "Launching Soon" messaging, suggesting the family may be considering a more public-facing presence, though no functional site exists as of March 2026. No social media presence was identified.

1. Do not submit an unsolicited grant application. Forest Family Foundation explicitly does not accept proposals from the public and has no documented process for receiving them. Any attempt to apply cold will be ignored.

2. Focus on relationship cultivation. The most viable path to a grant is through mutual connections in Los Angeles Jewish philanthropic circles. If your organization has board members or event honorees who are connected to the Forest family or to the foundation's existing grantees (especially The Jewish Federation, City of Hope, Skirball, or Wiesenthal Center), prioritize activating those relationships.

3. Align with demonstrated priorities. The foundation's giving is concentrated in: Jewish community institutions, cancer research and medical centers, Holocaust remembrance, children and family services, and civic cultural organizations. Causes outside these categories have received no documented support.

4. Target the Los Angeles market. Approximately 80% of grants go to L.A.-area organizations. Out-of-state organizations (DC, NJ, FL) that do appear on the grantee list share a specific Jewish institutional identity (USHMM, Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, Israel Tennis Centers), suggesting geography alone is not disqualifying if the cause aligns.

5. Monitor for platform presence. The foundation's website placeholder suggests possible future transparency. Set up alerts for the domain and for new 990-PF filings (available 12–18 months after fiscal year end) to track any changes in grantmaking patterns or new recipient additions.