Aileen Getty Foundation
Aileen Getty Foundation is a left-of-center private foundation founded and operated by Aileen Getty, an heiress to the Getty family fortune. The Foundation provides grants to left-of-center organizations, including LGBT-interest and environmentalist groups. 1
Contents
Background
Aileen Getty Foundation is a private foundation founded and operated by Aileen Getty, an heiress to the Getty family fortune established by oil magnate J. Paul Getty, who created the J. Paul Getty Trust before he passed away. 2 Aileen Getty primarily uses her foundation to fund left-of-center causes. 3
Funding
According to tax returns, in 2020 the Aileen Getty Foundation reported revenue of $1,050,000, expenses of $1,222,959, and net assets of $14,969. 4
In 2020, the Foundation gave $270,300 to Greenpeace Fund, $200,000 to the Pachamama Alliance, $125,000 to the Africa Foundation (USA), $100,000 Global Conservation, $100,000 to Kiss the Ground, $94,500 to River Project, $50,000 to the Conservation Coalition, $50,000 to March on Maryland, and $25,000 to fiscal sponsorship nonprofit New Venture Fund. 5
Just Stop Oil and Climate Emergency Fund
In October 2022, climate activist group Just Stop Oil created controversy when some of its members threw tomato soup onto the Vincent van Gogh painting Sunflowers (1888) at the National Gallery in London. After throwing the soup, the two perpetrators of the stunt glued their hands to the wall below the painting with one asking the room, “What is more—art or life? […] Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting, or the protection of our planet and people?” The painting was protected by a glass case, so it was not itself damaged, but there was some “minor damage to the frame” according to the National Gallery. 6
Aileen Getty weighed in on the stunt in an op-ed for The Guardian, confirming that Climate Emergency Fund provided the activist group with funding and declaring that she was “proud of the bigger conversation they started.” 7 On its website, Just Stop Oil recommends interested Americans to give tax-deductible donations through Climate Emergency Fund. 8 Aileen Getty is the founding donor of Climate Emergency Fund and sits on its board. 2 9
Leadership
Aileen Getty is the founder and president of the foundation. In the past she has been involved with philanthropy for homelessness, HIV/AIDS research and treatment, “the greening of urban spaces,” the arts, and projects in Africa and the Middle East. Since 2010, Aileen has primarily focused on climate change and environmentalist efforts. Aileen sits on the boards of Climate Emergency Fund (of which she is a founding donor) and the homelessness philanthropy Center in Hollywood. She is a trustee for amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, and an ambassador to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. 3
Sarah Ezzy is the vice president of the foundation. She was previously the director at Global Philanthropy Group, a philanthropic consultancy. She also sits on the board of the Climate Emergency Fund as well as the Careyes Foundation. She co-founded SADIQ, a nonprofit that supports Iraqi refugees. 3
Financial Statistics
Total Assets
Total Revenue
Total Expenses
| Year | Total Assets | Total Revenue | Total Expenses | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,358 | $1,235,000 | $1,234,800 | View |
| 2023 | $1,615 | $1,955,000 | $2,000,315 | View |
| 2022 | $46,930 | $2,925,000 | $2,881,529 | View |
| 2021 | $3,459 | $1,320,250 | $1,331,760 | View |
| 2020 | $14,969 | $1,050,000 | $1,222,959 | View |
Prior year filings: 2019
Expenses Detail
Grant Activity
All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $10,550,212
- Number of Grants: 104
- Number of Recipients: 65
Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years: