Margolis Family Foundation

Margolis Family Foundation (sometimes styled "Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation" on its website) is a $5.58M private independent foundation in Corona Del Mar, CA (EIN 26-0558342), tax-exempt since September 2009. Grantmakers.io flags it with two critical approachability indicators that define the entire engagement strategy: "Preselected Only" and "Limited Staffing." The Preselected Only designation is a box the foundation checked on its 990-PF stating that it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited applications for funds — this is authoritative, IRS-filed guidance that a cold proposal will not be reviewed. Limited Staffing indicates no paid staff: the board (Jeffrey H. Margolis as President, Deborah H. Margolis as Vice President, Alexandria A. Margolis as Secretary, Allegra H. Margolis as Director per Grantmakers.io) runs all grant decisions at 1 hour/week each with zero compensation. This is a pure trustee-directed family giving vehicle where the only realistic entry is through a pre-existing relationship with the Margolis family or a current grantee in their network.

The foundation 14-year financial history (2011–2024) shows consistent distribution activity with expenses ranging from $353K (2012) to $833K (2019). Grantmakers.io 2024 Form 990-PF snapshot reports $711K in distributions, 26 grants, and a $10K median with a range from $500 to $139K. That is a meaningful signal: the foundation is comfortable writing grants across two orders of magnitude, and the high end ($139K) indicates willingness to make substantial commitments to preselected grantees. ProPublica 2024 data confirms $601K revenue, $772K expenses, $5.58M assets — the foundation is distributing slightly faster than it earns, consistent with a steady-state giving posture. Total assets have drifted down from a 2014 peak of $7.94M to $5.58M in 2024, which is consistent with steady ~5% payouts minus modest investment returns. No public grantee list beyond what appears on 990-PFs is available, and because the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, there is no published thematic focus; in practice grantees likely reflect the Margolis family personal philanthropic priorities in Southern California and possibly broader.

Margolis is the peer-set leader on average grant size (the $500–$139K range, $10K median) despite having the second-smallest corpus — meaning when a grantee makes it onto the preselected list, the dollars can be meaningful. It is also the most explicit about NOT accepting unsolicited proposals, which is important operational intelligence.

The most recent 990-PF covers fiscal year ending December 2024 (published by IRS June 16, 2025 per Grantmakers.io). Key numbers: $601,367 revenue, $772,333 expenses, $5,580,149 total assets (ProPublica); $711K distributions, $341K contributions, $10K median grant across 26 grants (Grantmakers.io Form 990-PF tax year 2024). The four-member board is entirely Margolis family (Jeffrey, Deborah, Alexandria, Allegra), with no outside directors and no paid staff. The website margolisfoundation.org is a Squarespace site branded Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation with no application portal, no published strategic priorities, and no open RFPs visible as of April 2026. No Philanthropy News Digest coverage or press releases were identified. The next filing (FY2025) will likely publish in mid-to-late 2026.

1) Do NOT submit an unsolicited proposal — the 990-PF explicitly states the foundation only funds preselected organizations, which is IRS-filed, legally operative guidance. A mailed cold proposal is a guaranteed non-response. 2) The only path to funding is relationship-based: identify mutual connections with Jeffrey H. Margolis (President), Deborah H. Margolis (Vice President), or their adult children Alexandria and Allegra Margolis. Southern California / Orange County / Newport Beach networks are the most productive starting points given the Corona Del Mar headquarters. 3) If you already have a relationship with any of the 26 current-year grantees (identifiable in the 2024 990-PF when Grantmakers.io republishes the grantee detail), that grantee is the single best introduction path. 4) Asks in the $5K–$25K range are most likely to succeed at the smaller grantee tier; the $50K+ range is reserved for clearly preselected organizations with deep family ties. 5) Do not spend time crafting a traditional grant proposal; instead prepare a concise relationship-introduction packet (1 page mission summary, 1 page impact evidence, 990, board list) that can be shared via a warm introduction. 6) Treat this as a 12–24 month cultivation — not a same-cycle application.