Issa Foundation

The Issa Foundation is a newly established private family foundation with deep roots in Lebanese-American philanthropy and the conservative civic tradition championed by its primary trustee, U.S. Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA-48). Founded in February 2024 as a 501(c)(3) corporation incorporated in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the foundation received a $20.9 million 507(b)(2) asset transfer from the Issa Family Foundation — Darrell Issa's prior California-based grantmaking vehicle — signaling a deliberate restructuring of the family's philanthropic capital under a new entity.

The foundation operates with zero paid staff, managed entirely by three volunteer directors: Darrell Issa, Rich Hirshberg, and Rebecca Glover. Its stated investment thesis is that "the investment income earned by the organization allows for the support of charitable and performing arts activities," describing a permanently endowed structure designed to distribute earnings rather than principal. At $24.8M in assets and $226,227 in investment income, the foundation is positioned for long-term, patient giving — not large-scale rapid deployment.

In its inaugural year of grantmaking (FY2024), the foundation disbursed $45,000 across three grants, all reflecting personal relationships and direct trustee cause alignment: $25,000 to American Task Force on Lebanon (Lebanese-American advocacy), $10,000 to Boy Scouts of America San Diego-Imperial Council (youth character), and $10,000 to René Moawad Foundation (Lebanese humanitarian development). These grantees reveal a funder with a tightly personal, values-driven philosophy — not a programmatic one.

What first-time applicants must understand: There is no published RFP, online portal, application form, or stated deadline cycle. All grantmaking flows through trustee relationships and pre-selected organizations. The typical progression is not LOI-to-proposal — it is personal introduction to trustee awareness to relationship cultivation to grant. Organizations most likely to receive consideration have: (1) direct ties to Lebanese-American communities or Lebanon-focused international work; (2) relationships with Congressman Issa's congressional office or San Diego/Riverside district networks; (3) mission alignment with youth character-building, civic education, or faith-driven service; (4) performing arts programs. The foundation's faith-driven self-description suggests Lebanese Maronite or broadly Christian organizational ties may receive favorable attention.

The Issa Foundation's financial profile tells the story of a substantial endowment in its first year of operation, with grantmaking still in an early, selective phase. FY2024 (ending December 2024) financials show:

• Total assets: $24,846,347
• Total revenues: $24,943,218 (dominated by a $20,921,313 transfer from Issa Family Foundation)
• Investment income: $226,227
• Realized asset gains: $3,795,678
• Total operating expenses: $96,871
• Total grants paid: $45,000 (3 grants)

The 2024 grant distribution is tightly bounded: minimum $10,000, maximum $25,000, average $15,000, median $10,000. Two of three grants were at the $10,000 floor, with one at $25,000 for the highest-priority grantee (American Task Force on Lebanon). No grants exceeded $25,000 in year one.

By cause area: 78% of grantmaking ($35,000) went to Lebanese/Middle Eastern international development and advocacy, with 22% ($10,000) to domestic youth civic programming. Zero grants were made to performing arts, health, education, or general human services despite the NTEE P20 classification and the stated performing arts mission.

Geographically, grantees cluster around three poles: Washington, D.C. (American Task Force on Lebanon, a national advocacy organization), San Diego, California (Boy Scouts of America, San Diego-Imperial Council), and international Lebanon (René Moawad Foundation). The Wyoming incorporation is administrative — no Wyoming-based grantees were identified.

The critical forward-looking pattern: Private foundations must distribute at least 5% of assets annually per IRS rules. At $24.8M, the Issa Foundation's required minimum distribution is approximately $1.24 million per year. Against a 2024 payout of $45,000 (0.18% of assets), the foundation is dramatically below threshold and will need to dramatically increase grantmaking volume in 2025–2026. This means the current $10K–$25K per grant range must either expand in size or the foundation must add many new grantees — creating real opportunity for well-aligned organizations over the next 2–3 years.

The Issa Foundation occupies a cohort of mid-sized private foundations with approximately $24–25 million in assets, all classified under Human Services or related NTEE codes. The following comparison illustrates differences in grantmaking maturity, transparency, and strategy:

The Issa Foundation is an outlier in this peer group in two critical ways. First, its 2024 grantmaking ($45,000) is roughly 3.6% of what the IRS 5% distribution requirement demands (~$1.24M), a gap that must close in 2025–2026. Second, it is the only member of this cohort with an identifiable ethnic-community and political leadership identity — providing grant seekers a more concrete strategic pathway than the entirely opaque peer foundations. Walgreens Assistance Inc. serves a fundamentally different function as a corporate employee-aid program, not an independent grantmaker. The Consigli, AC & JC, and Fels foundations all lack public websites and operate through similarly private, relationship-driven processes, confirming that this cohort shares a low-transparency, trustee-directed model across the board.

The Issa Foundation's entire publicly documented history spans a single fiscal year, making it one of the newest private foundations of its asset size in the United States. Key milestones:

February 2024 — IRS grants 501(c)(3) recognition, classifying the foundation as a private non-operating corporation (foundation code 04) with NTEE code P20 (Individual and Family Services). The ruling date of 202402 places this among the most recently formed foundations of comparable scale.

FY2024 — The foundation receives $20,921,313 from the Issa Family Foundation via a 507(b)(2) transfer, a legal mechanism for moving assets between private foundations without triggering excise taxes. This transfer appears designed to restructure the Issa family's philanthropic giving under a new entity, potentially with a more focused Lebanese-American and faith-driven identity than the broader California-based predecessor.

FY2024 Grantmaking — Three grants totaling $45,000: $25,000 to American Task Force on Lebanon (a Washington, D.C.-based Lebanese-American advocacy organization); $10,000 to Boy Scouts of America, San Diego-Imperial Council 49 (Darrell Issa's home region); $10,000 to René Moawad Foundation (a Lebanese humanitarian organization named after the assassinated Lebanese president René Moawad, whose widow Nayla Moawad has been a prominent Lebanese political figure).

No press releases, public announcements, or media coverage specific to this foundation were found for 2025 or 2026. The foundation maintains an extremely low public profile consistent with its invitation-only, trustee-directed model. Representative Darrell Issa is a sitting member of Congress (CA-48) actively engaged in Lebanon-related foreign policy work, which provides ongoing context for the foundation's geographic priorities.

Given the Issa Foundation's invitation-only model and trustee-directed grantmaking, traditional grant-seeking approaches will not succeed. The following tips are specific to this funder's demonstrated patterns and leadership profile:

Do not cold-apply — there is no formal application pathway. There is no online portal, published RFP, application email, or mailing address for grant inquiries. Submitting an unsolicited formal proposal will not result in a grant.

Lebanese-American cause alignment is the highest-signal factor. Two of three 2024 grantees are explicitly Lebanon-focused. Organizations working in Lebanese-American diaspora services, Lebanon humanitarian aid, Middle Eastern cultural preservation, or Lebanese civic advocacy have the strongest demonstrated alignment. Organizations entirely outside this focus should carefully assess whether a connection to other trustee interests (youth character, performing arts, faith-driven service) is genuine and documentable.

Engage through Congressman Issa's congressional office as a legitimate first channel. Rep. Issa's official House website (issa.house.gov) includes grant applicant services and community project funding. Organizations in CA-48 (San Diego and Riverside counties) seeking federal community project funding may build direct relationships with Issa's district staff — a credible pathway toward trustee awareness for the private foundation as well.

Contact Rich Hirshberg at the Cheyenne address. As the listed contact person (% Rich Hirshberg, 1615 House Ave, Cheyenne, WY 82001), Hirshberg is the most accessible entry point. A brief, warm one-page organizational introduction — emphasizing mission alignment with Lebanese-American community needs or youth civic development — is the appropriate first contact. Hirshberg is also a director and likely manages foundation operations.

Calibrate initial ask to the demonstrated range: $10,000–$25,000. Requesting amounts outside this band is premature in an early relationship. A credible $10,000 request is more likely to be funded than a $100,000 ask from an unfamiliar organization, regardless of organizational strength.

Watch the performing arts door. The foundation's program statement explicitly names performing arts, yet no 2024 performing arts grant appeared. This is an open category that may attract first-mover attention from well-aligned cultural organizations, particularly those serving Lebanese-American or broader immigrant communities.

Align language with the foundation's self-description. Use phrases like "faith-driven," "poverty alleviation," "strengthening communities," and "hard work and selfless philanthropy" — these appear directly in foundation materials and signal cultural fit to trustees reviewing informal inquiries.