Monimos Foundation

The Monimos Foundation is a classic intimate private foundation built around the personal values and passions of its leadership. President Neil Kreitman — who has steered the foundation since its December 2015 incorporation and draws $120,000–$145,000 in annual compensation — exercises sole operational authority alongside Secretary Richard E. Marcus (uncompensated). The foundation's grantmaking is entirely relationship-driven: IRS filings explicitly classify it as making contributions to preselected charitable organizations, and no application form, portal, RFP, or published deadline has ever been disclosed publicly.

The relationship model is unmistakable in the grantee record. Among the top 50 recipients, at least 15 organizations have received grants in four or more separate cycles, indicating that once a funding relationship is established it tends to persist across years. The Monimos Art Foundation — a related entity operating a museum showcasing works of art — has received $7,576,459 across five grant cycles, representing the single largest allocation and signaling a deep personal commitment to the visual arts. Independent Shakespeare Company ($190,000 over four cycles), Ojai Music Festival ($80,000 over four cycles), and the Rubin Museum of Art ($40,000 over four cycles) confirm arts and culture as the foundation's dominant philanthropic identity.

For organizations seeking entry into this portfolio, the path is entirely relational. Cold correspondence to the Ojai mailing address or a call to the (805) 626-1786 phone line is unlikely to yield a meaningful response in the absence of any published intake process. The most viable route is a warm introduction through existing grantees — particularly organizations active in the Ojai community such as the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, Help of Ojai, or Food for Thought — or through personal networks in the Ventura County philanthropic ecosystem.

First-time aspirants should expect an extended cultivation horizon. The evidence suggests that personal introduction, followed by a light-touch relationship over at least one full grant cycle, typically precedes a first award. Organizations aligned with four clearly revealed passion areas — arts and visual culture, Tibetan human rights and Buddhist heritage, local Ojai/Ventura County services, and animal welfare — hold the strongest thematic fit. International education projects with a Himalayan or South Asian dimension (cf. Siddhartha School Project in Ladakh) represent a smaller but documented fifth track. The foundation is technically marked as "accepting applications" in IRS databases, but this classification appears to be a procedural default rather than an open solicitation invitation.

The Monimos Foundation's grantmaking has undergone substantial contraction over the past five fiscal years. Total giving peaked at $3,450,890 in FY2019, remained in the $2.7M–$3.2M range through FY2020–FY2022, then fell sharply to $1,000,480 in FY2023 and approximately $609,618–$732,222 in FY2024. This represents a 79–82% reduction from peak levels — a decline driven by asset erosion, as the endowment shrank from $36.3 million (FY2019) to $24 million (FY2024), a $12.3 million drawdown over five years. Annual investment income ($360,000–$384,000 in recent years) falls well short of historical giving levels, indicating the foundation has liquidated principal to sustain grantmaking and is now ratcheting down awards to align with income.

The typical_grant_size data shows a median award of $10,000, with a range of $1,000 to $1,772,000. That maximum is a significant outlier — a single large transfer to the Monimos Art Foundation in one year. Stripping out related-entity transfers, median external grants cluster tightly around $8,000–$15,000, with a small cohort of arts organizations reaching $20,000–$40,000 per cycle. Only the Santa Barbara Museum of Art ($132,000 in a single grant) achieved an outlier award level among third-party organizations.

Program area breakdown based on the cumulative 107 grants totaling $8,827,170: - Arts & Culture: ~$8.07M (91.4%) — dominated by Monimos Art Foundation ($7.58M), with the remaining $490K spread across performing arts, museum exhibitions, and music festivals - Environmental Conservation: ~$160,000 (1.8%) — Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, Ventura Land Trust, Los Padres Forestwatch, Climate Emergency Fund, and regenerative agriculture - International Humanitarian: ~$150,000 (1.7%) — Doctors Without Borders, Siddhartha School Project (Ladakh), World Central Kitchen, Miracles UK - Animal Welfare: ~$107,000 (1.2%) — Farm Sanctuary, Humane Society Ventura County, Gentle Barn, Animal Outlook, Turtle Conservancy, Ojai Raptor Center - Tibetan Culture/Human Rights: ~$100,000 (1.1%) — International Campaign for Tibet, Tibet House US - Education (Local): ~$95,000 (1.1%) — Food for Thought, School Inc., Oak Grove School, Odyssey Charter School, Besant Hill School - Local Community Services: ~$81,000 (0.9%) — Help of Ojai, Ojai Cares, MICOP

Geography: 71 of 107 grants (66%) went to California organizations, with 16 to New York, 8 to Washington DC, 4 to Colorado, 3 to Maine, and 1 to Michigan. International causes are supported through U.S.-based domestic intermediaries.

The peer foundations below are matched to Monimos Foundation by asset size (~$24 million) and NTEE classification (T20, Philanthropy & Grantmaking). None of the peers maintain public websites, and most do not disclose application processes, consistent with the profile of small family foundations in this asset tier.

Monimos Foundation distinguishes itself from same-size peers through an unusually concentrated grantee list — $7.58 million flowing to a single related arts entity accounts for 86% of cumulative recorded grantmaking — and a strong geographic anchor in Ojai, California that gives it a distinctive local community character rare among foundations of this asset class. Compared to a typical private foundation at this scale, which is expected to distribute roughly 5% of assets annually (~$1.2M on $24M), Monimos is currently giving at approximately 2.5–3% of assets in FY2024, well below the IRS minimum distribution requirement. This below-floor payout may reflect timing of fiscal year distributions or may warrant monitoring in future 990 filings.

The most recent publicly available financial data covers fiscal year 2024, with the Form 990 filed September 2, 2025 (per ProPublica). In FY2024, the foundation disbursed approximately $609,618–$732,222 across 30–32 grants, with the Monimos Art Foundation receiving $241,611 — a continuation of the multi-year pattern of significant transfers to this related museum entity. The Ojai Music Festival received $20,000 in the same period, consistent with its position as a recurring annual grantee.

No press releases, news announcements, leadership changes, or new program launches were identified through web research for 2025 or 2026. The foundation maintains an exceptionally low public profile. Its registered website domain (monimos.org) currently resolves to an unrelated Italian philosophy education platform with no connection to this Ojai-based foundation, indicating either a lapsed domain registration or a site taken offline. No social media presence — Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook — was identified.

Leadership has been fully stable. Neil Kreitman has held the President title since the foundation's first available 990 filings, with compensation rising incrementally from $121,131 (FY2019) to $145,000 (FY2024). Richard E. Marcus continues as uncompensated Secretary. No board additions, departures, or succession announcements have been publicly disclosed.

The most structurally significant trend is the five-year asset drawdown from $36.3 million (FY2019) to $24.0 million (FY2024), which directly correlates with reduced annual grantmaking. No public explanation has been offered.

Because the Monimos Foundation operates exclusively through preselected relationships with no published application pathway, conventional advice about portals, proposal formats, and submission windows does not apply here. The following tips are specific to the dynamics of this funder.

Map your connections to the existing portfolio first. Before any outreach, identify which current Monimos grantees your organization has relationships with. The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, Independent Shakespeare Company, Ojai Music Festival, Help of Ojai, Food for Thought, and American Indian College Fund all represent warm pathways. A peer introduction from any of these organizations carries exponentially more weight than unsolicited correspondence.

Anchor your mission in one of four proven thematic areas. The foundation's grantee history reveals four consistent pillars: (1) visual and performing arts — theater, music festivals, and museum exhibitions; (2) Ojai and Ventura County community services — local land conservation, food security, senior services, and wildlife rescue; (3) Tibetan human rights and Buddhist cultural preservation; (4) animal welfare and sanctuary operations. If your work does not intersect with at least one of these areas with specificity, this funder is unlikely to be a fit regardless of the strength of any introduction.

Calibrate your first ask to current reality. With FY2024 giving at $609K–$732K and 30–32 grants annually, the average external award is now approximately $15,000–$20,000 per grant cycle. A first-time relationship grant will almost certainly fall in the $5,000–$15,000 range. Lead with a modest, credible ask — the foundation's track record shows repeat grantees grow their relationships incrementally over multiple cycles.

Do not rely on a website or digital portal. The monimos.org domain does not belong to this foundation. The only confirmed contact is the mailing address at 311 N Montgomery St (PO Box 1868), Ojai, CA 93023, and the phone number (805) 626-1786. A brief, personally addressed cover letter to Neil Kreitman — no more than one page, following a warm introduction — is the most appropriate initial approach.

Avoid language tied to scale, national scope, or rapid growth. This foundation funds locally anchored, personally meaningful causes with depth over breadth. Proposals emphasizing massive reach, media visibility, or organizational expansion are misaligned with a funder whose portfolio is dominated by tight-knit Ojai community organizations and small international projects.