Herb Alpert Foundation

What Herb Alpert Foundation does

The Herb Alpert Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in 1988 by Grammy-winning trumpeter Herb Alpert and vocalist Lani Hall Alpert, headquartered in Santa Monica, California. The foundation operates exclusively as a grantmaking entity with no commercial revenue; it is funded by the personal assets and ongoing contributions of its founders and distributes philanthropic grants to qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Grants are made by invitation only and are not solicited through public application processes — foundation staff proactively research and identify funding opportunities aligned with stated priority areas.

The foundation's grantmaking is organized around four programmatic areas: Arts Education (K-12 exposure, after-school programs, and scholarships), Focus on Jazz (preservation, education, and venue support), Support to Professionals (mid-career artist recognition and artist safety nets), and Compassion & Well-Being (grassroots nonprofits addressing empathy, poverty, disability, elder care, and social isolation). Flagship programs include the $75,000 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts (administered by CalArts since 1994, expanded to 10 recipients annually in 2021), the Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards (with the ASCAP Foundation since 2002), and the Herb Alpert Scholarships for Emerging Young Artists (with CSSSA). The foundation maintains a small staff (1-10 employees) led by President Rona Sebastian and concentrates its domestic grantmaking geographically in Los Angeles County.

Operationally, the foundation has deployed over $150 million in cumulative giving since inception, including transformational institutional endowments at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music ($30M, 2007), CalArts ($15M, 2008), Los Angeles City College ($10.1M, 2016 — the largest private gift ever to a Southern California community college), and Harlem School of the Arts ($7M cumulative). It does not develop or sell technology products and does not engage in commercial marketing; its public presence consists of an informational website and earned media coverage.

Name

Herb Alpert Foundation

Legal name

Herb Alpert Foundation

Website

https://herbalpertfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Herb Alpert Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in 1988 by Herb Alpert and Lani Hall Alpert, headquartered in Santa Monica, California, that distributes invitation-only grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofits across Arts Education, Jazz, Professional Artist Support, and Compassion & Well-Being, with over $150 million in cumulative giving concentrated in Los Angeles County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Arts education funding
• Jazz preservation grants
• Nonprofit foundation giving
• Compassionate grantmaking

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grantmaking: The Herb Alpert Foundation generates no commercial revenue. It is funded by the personal assets and ongoing contributions of founders Herb Alpert and Lani Hall Alpert. The foundation distributes grants annually to qualifying nonprofit organizations in its focus areas.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Herb Alpert Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that distributes grants and endowed funds to qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. It focuses on four priority areas: Arts Education, Focus on Jazz, Support to Professionals, and Compassion & Well-Being. Grants are made by invitation only based on staff research, and the foundation primarily funds domestic organizations with a Los Angeles County emphasis. The foundation is funded by the personal assets and ongoing contributions of founders Herb Alpert and Lani Hall Alpert and has contributed over $150 million since 1988.

Product overview

Herb Alpert Foundation operates as a private philanthropic organization offering grant programs and awards rather than a technology product company. The foundation's offerings include the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts (a $75,000 unrestricted prize), Arts Education Grants, Focus on Jazz Grants, Compassion and Well-Being Grants, Support to Professionals, and Herb Alpert Scholarships for Emerging Young Artists. All grants are by invitation only and support organizations primarily in Los Angeles County focused on arts and human services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Herb Alpert Award in the Arts: An unrestricted prize of $75,000 given annually to five risk-taking mid-career artists working in dance, film/video, music, theater and visual arts. Established in 1994 and administered by California Institute of the Arts.
• Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards
• Herb Alpert Scholarships for Emerging Young Artists

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,500 children ages 2-18 served annually by the Harlem School of the Arts
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (now Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017The foundation supports the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music, encompassing the school's Master of Jazz Performance program. The institute offers world-class training by acclaimed jazz masters and public school-based music education programs.
• Los Angeles City College FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016The foundation's $10.1 million gift in 2016 created an endowment providing all LACC music majors with tuition-free attendance, additional private lessons, and financial aid. This is the largest private gift ever to a community college in Southern California.
• Good People FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016The Herb Alpert Foundation granted $200,000 to the Good People Fund in 2016 to support over 75 grassroots programs addressing poverty, disability, hunger, elder care, and more. Since 2009, the foundation has contributed just over $1 million to Good People Fund grantees. The partnership is based on strategic grantmaking supporting compassionate social change.
• MusiCaresminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010The foundation provided a grant in support of MusiCares' 20th Anniversary Campaign in 2010. MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for people in the music industry in times of need, addressing housing, legal, medical, and financial crises.
• CalArts Community Arts Partnership (CAP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008In 2008, the foundation issued a two-year $1 million challenge grant to support the establishment of CAP's endowment, increasing CalArts student teaching opportunities and expanding CAP work sites. CAP provides free after-school and school-based arts programs for youth ages 6-18 across Los Angeles County.
• Jerusalem Foundation / Alpert Music CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007In honor of their parents, Herb Alpert and his siblings funded the construction and development of a new facility to house the Jewish-Arab Youth Orchestra in Jerusalem.
• ASCAP Foundation — Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer AwardscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002The Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards were established in 2002 through the ASCAP Foundation to encourage young gifted jazz composers. Recipients, ages 13-30, are selected through a juried national competition. The foundation provides ongoing multi-year financial commitment to this program.
• The Painted TurtleminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000The Herb Alpert Foundation began supporting The Painted Turtle in 2000 with a $1 million gift. The organization provides year-round, life-changing experiences for children with life-threatening diseases and their families. The foundation's support has helped sustain the camp's therapeutic arts programming.
• Berklee College of MusicminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000In 2000, the Herb Alpert Visiting Professor Program was established as a permanent endowed trust at Berklee College of Music to provide professorship to individuals from America and abroad who have achieved major recognition in the music industry.
• California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1994The Herb Alpert Award in the Arts was initiated and is funded by the Herb Alpert Foundation and has been administered by CalArts since 1994. Five three-person panels — Dance, Film/Video, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts — each select one artist annually for a $75,000 unrestricted prize. In 2021, the award was doubled to 10 recipients.
• YoungArtsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1991In 1991, the foundation provided a grant to establish the Herb Alpert/Clifford Brown Endowment at YoungArts, which allowed the organization to add Jazz to its annual Arts Recognition and Talent Search (ARTS). Five high school-age jazz musicians are selected each year to participate in ARTS week in Miami.
• Los Angeles PhilharmonicminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1991In the early 1990s, the foundation provided a lead gift to the LA Phil to establish the Fund for Excellence in Diversity, supporting scholarships for pre-professional classical musicians of diverse backgrounds and educational initiatives within the broader programmatic priorities of the LA Phil.
• Grantmakers in the ArtsminorOthersA national network of private, public, and corporate arts funders that the foundation references as a resource for grantseekers on its FAQ page.
• Southern California GrantmakersminorOthersReferenced on the foundation's FAQ page as a resource for those seeking other funding sources. Southern California Grantmakers is a regional association for philanthropists and grantmakers.
• CandidminorOthersReferenced on the foundation's FAQ page as a resource for those seeking other funding sources and philanthropic information.
• Center for Nonprofit ManagementminorOthersReferenced on the foundation's FAQ page as a resource for those seeking other funding sources in the nonprofit sector.
• The Chronicle of PhilanthropyminorOthersReferenced on the foundation's FAQ page as a resource for those seeking other funding sources.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sundance Institute: Major nonprofit supporting independent artists and storytellers through fellowships, grants, and labs. Comparable in providing substantial direct support to mid-career artists across disciplines.
• Ford Foundation: Major global private foundation with arts and culture among its grantmaking priorities. Comparable as a large-scale private foundation supporting arts and social-impact causes.
• Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: Large private foundation with arts-focused grantmaking among broader program areas. Comparable as a high-capacity arts funder with named endowments and programmatic giving.

Direct peers

• Creative Capital: Private foundation providing grants and advisory support to innovative mid-career artists across multiple disciplines. Highly comparable in its artist-support model and unrestricted funding approach.
• ASCAP Foundation: Music-focused foundation that partners with Herb Alpert Foundation on the Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards. Comparable as a music-specific grantmaking organization with awards and education programs.
• YoungArts (National YoungArts Foundation): Organization identifying and supporting young artists through grants, residencies, and awards programs. Grantee and partner of Herb Alpert Foundation via the Herb Alpert/Clifford Brown Endowment; directly comparable in targeting emerging artists.
• United States Artists: Organization providing unrestricted awards to mid-career artists across disciplines. Directly comparable to the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts in both structure and target population.
• The Music Academy of the West: Music training and performance institution receiving philanthropic support to develop emerging classical and jazz musicians. Comparable as a music education beneficiary of arts-focused philanthropic capital.
• Joan Mitchell Foundation: Private foundation funding visual artists through fellowships, grants, and residencies, with a focus on mid-career and emerging artists. Directly comparable as an artist-focused private foundation making grants and awards.
• MusiCares: Music industry safety-net organization providing health, financial, and rehabilitation assistance to music professionals. Directly comparable as a Herb Alpert Foundation grantee supporting professional artists in crisis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Herb Alpert Foundation