How Katie McGrath and J.J. Abrams Give in Southern California
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J.J. Abrams is best known as a filmmaker working in the genres of science fiction, drama and action. After getting involved in the film industry from an early age, he became one of Hollywood’s biggest feature directors for both movies and television. But on the side, he and his wife, actress Katie McGrath, pursue philanthropy and have made some impressive multimillion-dollar pledges.
Although the Katie McGrath and J.J. Abrams Family Foundation lacks a website and isn’t very transparent or accessible in its grantmaking, here’s what we know so far about its giving in the couple’s home region of Southern California.
A focus on Los Angeles
Abrams and McGrath live in Southern California, and their foundation in based in Encino. Abrams is 56 years old and still very much engaged in his career. McGrath is the co-CEO of Bad Robot Productions, a film production company founded by Abrams. She has also worked for Democratic politicians and as a public relations executive.
Thus far, the foundation has primarily given to nonprofits located in the Los Angeles area. J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath are also among Hollywood’s largest political donors.
Prioritizing women and girls
Abrams and McGrath have far-reaching and diverse philanthropic interests in Southern California. Yet one thing that stands out about their grantmaking is a focus on supporting women and girls.
Their family foundation commonly backs efforts in education, health, art, safety and economic opportunity that are either led by women or impact the lives of women and girls at the local level. Recent interests also include violence prevention, gender equality in the workplace, anti-harassment policies and women’s mental health.
Other foundation interests
Foundation grantees work in a wide variety of fields, and although many grants support women and girls, there’s no overarching focus or singular mission. For example, the foundation often supports K-12 education, higher education, film and public health. Other issue areas of interest for Abrams and McGrath are racial justice, criminal justice reform, diseases, disaster relief and humanitarian aid.
A challenge for new grantsekeers
According to recent tax records, the foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and only funds preselected groups. The foundation does not make itself easy to reach, although general contact information is publicly available.
Grants are often around $25,000 each, with annual giving sometimes reaching $10 million or more. However, this is a funder that tends to support the same familiar grantees year after year rather than taking chances on new organizations not connected to the family.
Read more here about funding trends in Southern California and other foundations that prioritize Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara and the region at large.
