What Crail-Johnson Foundation does

The Crail-Johnson Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1980 and headquartered at 461 West 6th Street, Suite 300, San Pedro, California. It is organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit under U.S. Internal Revenue Code and is governed by a board composed primarily of Johnson family members, with Lauren Johnson as President, Carolyn Escoto as Chair, Rachel Roth as Executive Director, and Kevin Dillard as CFO/Treasurer. The foundation pursues a mission to promote the well-being of children, youth, and families in need in the Greater Los Angeles area, with priority communities including San Pedro, Long Beach, Carson, Wilmington, Harbor City, Compton, Watts, and South Los Angeles.

Operating revenue is not earned commercially; capital is sourced from the foundation's endowment and investment portfolio and redeployed as grants. Since inception the foundation has awarded over $47 million in cumulative grants, distributed through three structured annual cycles — Education (applications August 1 – September 15, decisions in March), Human Services (November 1 – December 15, decisions in June), and Health & Well-Being (April 15 – May 31, decisions in November). Applications are accepted exclusively through the Blackbaud Grantmaking online portal, with a two-stage review process (Stage 1 application, then invited Stage 2 with site visits and additional documentation). Funds are typically disbursed four to six weeks after Grant Agreement execution.

The foundation's functional differentiation rests on geographic focus rather than proprietary technology or commercial product. Its underlying infrastructure is standard nonprofit tooling — a website (www.crail-johnson.org) and the Blackbaud Grantmaking portal, which migrated to a new Grantee and Applicant Experience on August 1, 2025. Its distribution leverage comes from long-standing ecosystem partnerships with the Center for Nonprofit Management, the LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment, the Center for Strategic Partnerships – LA County, Long Beach Gives, and Southern California Grantmakers, supplemented by a Crail-Johnson Foundation Scholarship Fund that delivers capacity-building support to selected grantees.

Name

Crail-Johnson Foundation

Legal name

Crail-Johnson Foundation

Website

https://crail-johnson.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Crail-Johnson Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1980 in San Pedro, California, that funds 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving children, youth, and families in need across Greater Los Angeles through three annual grant cycles in Education, Human Services, and Health & Well-Being.

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

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Charitable foundation
• Community philanthropy
• Education grants
• Human services grants

Headquarters

HQ city

San Pedro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Distributions: The Foundation generates no revenue from operations. As a private family foundation, it receives income from its endowment and investment portfolio, which is then distributed as grants to qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations serving children, youth, and families in need. The Foundation has awarded over $47 million in grants since 1980.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Crail-Johnson Foundation is a private family foundation that awards financial grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations serving economically, socially, and physically disadvantaged children, youth, and families in the Greater Los Angeles area. Grants are distributed through three structured annual funding cycles covering Education, Human Services, and Health & Well-Being program areas, with priority communities including San Pedro, Carson, Harbor City, Wilmington, Long Beach, Compton, Watts, and South Los Angeles.

Product overview

Crail-Johnson Foundation is a charitable grantmaking organization, not a technology product company. It does not offer software products or technology services. The foundation operates as a children's charity that provides grant funding to nonprofit organizations in Greater Los Angeles, with focus areas in Education, Human Services, and Health & Well-Being. The foundation uses a Blackbaud Grantmaking-powered online portal for its grantee and applicant experience, but this is a third-party platform used by the foundation, not a product offered by the foundation itself.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education Grants Program Annual funding cycle (August 1 – September 15 application window; March board decision) awarding grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations providing educational services such as early care, literacy, arts education, parent engagement, STEM curriculum, and youth development programs for children and youth in Greater Los Angeles.
• Human Services Grants Program Annual funding cycle (November 1 – December 15 application window; June board decision) awarding grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofits addressing child abuse prevention, domestic violence, food insecurity, homelessness, foster care, and youth development/enrichment for disadvantaged children, youth, and families in Greater Los Angeles.
• Health & Well-Being Grants Program Annual funding cycle (April 15 – May 31 application window; November board decision) awarding grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofits improving access to healthcare, mental health and well-being services, direct medical services, and dental care for disadvantaged children and families in Greater Los Angeles.
• Nonprofit Capacity Building Scholarship Fund Capacity-building scholarship fund delivered in partnership with the Center for Nonprofit Management (CNM), providing education programs, tailored consulting services, and expertise to strengthen the organizational capacity of Crail-Johnson Foundation grantees.

Quantifiable outcome

• $47 million+ in grants awarded since 1980

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Annenberg Foundation (Alchemy Gold)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Past partnership through Alchemy Gold network where regional grantmakers gather quarterly to learn about practices strengthening the nonprofit sector. The Dwight Stuart Youth Fund and other grantmakers have participated since 2010.
• Center for Strategic Partnerships – LA CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA first-of-its-kind venture in Los Angeles County with homes in both the Chief Executive Office and Southern California Grantmakers. Funded by 12 County departments and 30 foundations. Committed to systems change in Child & Family Well-Being, Youth Development and Empowerment, Health Equity, and Economic Security.
• Long Beach GivescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual citywide online 24-hour fundraising campaign for nonprofits in Long Beach and surrounding communities. Since 2019, has raised over $12 million with over 300 nonprofit organizations participating. Represents 16 unique cause categories.
• LA Partnership for Early Childhood InvestmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic/private collaborative with 30+ stakeholders focused on LA County's youngest children (age 0-5). Founded in 2003, uses strategies of Educate, Lead, and Grant Making to advance lifelong health, education and economic outcomes. Includes Baby Futures Fund established in 2011.
• Center for Nonprofit Management (CNM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner45-year trusted nonprofit partner in Southern California. The Foundation has partnered with CNM to provide the Crail-Johnson Foundation Scholarship Fund to grantees for capacity building. CNM provides education programs, tailored consulting services, and expertise to strengthen nonprofit organizations.
• Southern California GrantmakersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLeading network of funders and philanthropists in Southern California where grantmakers come together for greater impact on community challenges.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Annenberg Foundation: Large LA-based foundation with strong education grantmaking focus. Comparable in being a family-controlled LA grantmaker; CJF previously collaborated via the Alchemy Gold peer network.
• Weingart Foundation: Los Angeles-based private foundation funding health, human services, and education for underserved populations in Southern California. Closely mirrors CJF's three funding priorities and regional focus.
• California Community Foundation: A major Los Angeles-based community foundation serving LA County with grantmaking across education, health, and human services. Most direct functional and geographic peer to CJF, though at materially larger scale.
• The James Irvine Foundation: California-focused foundation with major commitments to youth and education. Comparable in mission scope but operates statewide and at materially larger scale.
• Long Beach Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving Long Beach and surrounding communities — directly inside CJF's priority service area. Most directly comparable community foundation by geography and scale.
• Ralph M. Parsons Foundation: Los Angeles-based private foundation funding education, health, and human services in Southern California. Directly overlaps CJF's three funding cycles and geographic priorities.

Broad incumbents

• The California Endowment: Statewide health-focused foundation that overlaps with CJF's Health & Well-Being funding cycle. Operates at much larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• California Wellness Foundation: California-focused health grantmaker that overlaps specifically with CJF's Health & Well-Being priority. Larger scale and statewide remit make it a broader incumbent peer.
• Conrad N. Hilton Foundation: Large LA-based global foundation with substantial commitments to children and families. Wider geographic and programmatic scope but operates in adjacent cause areas to CJF.

Regional players

• Pasadena Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving Greater Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley. Comparable community-foundation model and geographic restriction pattern, though focused on a different LA subregion.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-crail-johnson-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Crail-Johnson Foundation