Who’s Behind the Moss Foundation and Its Southern California Giving?
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Jerry and Tina Moss. Photo: Kathy Hutchins/shutterstock
The Moss Foundation has operated in Los Angeles since 1990 but maintains a low public profile. Many Southern California nonprofits are unfamiliar with this funder despite the fame of its founder, a recording executive who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
This article dives into the giving of the Moss Foundation, based in Woodland Hills, California, and how it gives locally in the Los Angeles area.
About Jerry Moss
Jerry Moss co-founded A&M Records, which quickly became the world's largest and longest-lived independent record label. Moss and his business partner, Herb Albert, started their record label in a garage and rose to become music industry magnates by trusting their instincts and recording acts they truly believed in.
Moss and his then-wife, Ann, launched their philanthropic organization, the Moss Foundation, in 1990, and he has been giving quietly and modestly to charitable causes since then. Jerry Moss married Tina Morse (now Moss), a psychotherapist and wellness expert, in 2019. In 2020, he and Tina made a $25 million contribution to the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles, the largest gift in the foundation’s history.
Top local interests
Not surprisingly, music and the arts, including music education for youth, are top causes for the Moss Foundation. Since awarding that newsworthy multimillion-dollar gift to the Music Center, the foundation has also sent additional grants its way. It has also recently supported the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.
Outside the realm of arts giving, the Moss Foundation has supported the Concern Foundation, which helps post-doctoral cancer researchers work on topics including cancer genetics, immunology and cell biology. Other local grantees include the Venice Family Clinic, New Directions for Veterans, Heart of the Los Angeles Youth and Chabad Telethon.
Jerry Moss is also an active horse owner and breeder. He served on the California Horse Racing Board and received the largest first-place purse from the Kentucky Derby in 2005. In that arena, the Moss Foundation supports the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Thoroughbred Rehab Center and Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.
Connecting with the Moss Foundation
Local grantseekers should know that the Moss Foundation is not a very accessible or transparent funder. According to recent tax records, it does not accept unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits.
Today, Jerome S. Moss is the foundation’s president and Rachel Barchie is its executive director. The foundation has recently launched a basic website that simply provides contact information. Grantseekers may wish to reach out to Barchie with a general inquiry and check the website to see if any additional information is added about applying for grants.
In the meantime, you can learn more about the Moss Foundation and its local giving in IP’s complete profile of this funder.
