The Eisner Foundation
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| The Eisner Foundation | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Eisner Foundation |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Type | Philanthropic foundation |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Area served | United States |
The Eisner Foundation is a Los Angeles–based philanthropic foundation focused on youth development, family strengthening, and community well-being. The foundation supports programs, research, and policy initiatives through grants, leadership development, and public awareness campaigns. It operates within a network of nonprofit partners, civic institutions, and philanthropic peers to influence practice and policy across California and nationally.
History and Founding
The foundation was established in the late 20th century by a family with ties to California civic life and philanthropy, emerging alongside contemporaries such as the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Kresge Foundation. Early work intersected with organizations like the Annenberg Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Weingart Foundation, and local entities including the California Community Foundation, LA84 Foundation, Weingarten, California Endowment, and The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation. The foundation’s founding phase connected it to civic initiatives such as the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Los Angeles Unified School District, LA County Board of Supervisors, and nonprofit efforts led by groups like United Way of Greater Los Angeles, Beyond Shelter, Child Welfare League of America, and Casey Family Programs.
Throughout its early decades the foundation interacted with public figures and institutions including the Mayor of Los Angeles, the California State Legislature, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, and research centers like the Rand Corporation and the Urban Institute. Partnerships and program models referenced work by think tanks and service organizations such as Annie E. Casey Foundation, Chapin Hall, Public Policy Institute of California, Pew Charitable Trusts, and Center for the Study of Social Policy.
Mission and Programs
The foundation’s stated mission emphasizes strengthening families and communities, investing in youth leadership, and supporting research-driven practice. Program areas have included youth leadership development, family engagement initiatives, and support for community-based organizations. Grantmaking and programming have been aligned with evidence and practice influenced by entities such as Search Institute, Child Trends, RAND Corporation, Harvard Kennedy School, Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, Stanford University, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and USC Price School of Public Policy.
Program models and partners referenced work with national initiatives like AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, Teach For America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and local networks including Inner City Education Foundation, Para Los Niños, LA’s BEST, and Friends of the Los Angeles River. The foundation has supported research and pilot programs with groups such as Child Trends, Harvard Project on Children and Families, Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, New America, and National League of Cities.
Governance and Leadership
Governance has been carried out by a board of trustees or directors consisting of civic leaders, private sector executives, and nonprofit professionals. Leadership roles have interacted with regional governance and civic actors including the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, California Governor's Office, and local philanthropic networks like Philanthropy California and Council on Foundations. Staff and board have engaged with capacity-building organizations like BoardSource, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, Tides Foundation, Independent Sector, and National Council of Nonprofits.
The foundation’s leadership has participated in conferences and convenings alongside figures and institutions such as Urban Institute, Brookings Institution, Aspen Institute, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, TED Conferences, Skoll Foundation, and MacArthur Fellows Program grantees. Advisory relationships have included academics and practitioners from UCLA, USC, Pepperdine University, Claremont Graduate University, and national leaders associated with Annie E. Casey Foundation and Casey Family Programs.
Funding and Financials
Funding sources have typically included endowment income, investment returns, and family contributions, with disbursements through program grants and contracts. Financial management and auditing practices mirror standards promoted by organizations like Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, Council on Foundations, Charity Navigator, GuideStar, B Lab, and accounting practices referenced by Ernst & Young, Deloitte, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Grantee portfolios have ranged from small community-based organizations to larger national nonprofits, with fiscal sponsorships and capacity grants comparable to practices used by Independent Sector, Tides Center, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, and statewide funders such as California Community Foundation. Financial oversight has involved collaboration with legal and financial advisors including firms similar to Latham & Watkins, O’Melveny & Myers, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and regional banks.
Impact and Evaluation
Evaluation strategies have drawn on quantitative and qualitative methods used by research institutions like RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, Child Trends, and university research centers at UCLA, USC, Stanford University, and Harvard University. Impact assessment has included indicators familiar to public policy and social services analysts at Annie E. Casey Foundation, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Kaiser Family Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and MDRC.
Findings from funded projects have been shared at venues such as California Endowment, Philanthropy California, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, Social Innovation Summit, and academic conferences hosted by American Public Health Association and Society for Research in Child Development. Evaluation partnerships have included consultancies and research groups like Abt Associates, RTI International, NORC at the University of Chicago, Pew Research Center, and New America.
Partnerships and Affiliations
The foundation maintains partnerships with a range of nonprofit, civic, academic, and philanthropic organizations. Collaborators have included regional institutions like United Way of Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, LAUSD, UCLA, USC, California State University, Northridge, and national partners such as AmeriCorps, Teach For America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Casey Family Programs.
Affiliations and networks include membership and participation in Philanthropy California, Council on Foundations, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, Independent Sector, National Council of Nonprofits, and collaborations with research partners like RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, Child Trends, and Harvard Kennedy School.