About Us

About The Foundation

The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation was established in 1961 by the founder of the Ralph M. Parsons Company, a renowned global firm specializing in engineering and construction. In 1976, the Foundation became fully independent from the company, in which it now has no financial interests. Today, the Foundation and Parsons Corporation are completely separate entities and share only Mr. Parsons’ name.

Our grantmaking focuses on work within Los Angeles County, one of the most exciting, dynamic, complex, and quickly evolving environments in the country. Our region’s racial, ethnic, cultural and economic diversity presents extraordinary opportunities for nonprofits seeking to create healthy and vibrant communities and improve the lives of the people they serve. The Parsons Foundation strives to support the work of the County’s best nonprofit organizations, recognizing that communities thrive when all individuals are able to access the resources they need to feel safe, stable, and engaged. The majority of our grantmaking is for unrestricted general operating support because we recognize that organizations need flexibility in order to fulfill their missions and meet community needs. To strengthen the fabric of Los Angeles, we invest in highly effective civic and cultural, education, health, and human services organizations. Our focus is on agencies providing direct services.

To us, success is measured by the achievements of the people our grantees serve. We are grateful to our nonprofit partners who work tirelessly to realize a positive vision for Los Angeles, and we celebrate the astounding accomplishments of these high-performing nonprofits through our grantmaking.

Improving the lives of Angelenos through responsive investments focused on civic and cultural, education, health, and human service needs, emphasizing support for low-income children and families.

Ralph Parsons

By all accounts, Ralph Parsons was not the best student nor was he the best engineer. But during his life, he would evolve from being a fisherman’s son on Long Island to founder and leader of one of the world’s largest and most influential engineering and construction companies.

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Financial Information and Policies

The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation takes its responsibilities as a charitable institution seriously, including the obligation to make public details of our financial operations.

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We’re a responsive grant maker, helping LA County organizations do their best work.