About the Foundation

The Molly Steinsapir Foundation is a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit that was formed after the tragic death of twelve-year-old, Molly Olivia Steinsapir, in February 2021

The Foundation’s purpose is to advance charitable causes that Molly cared deeply about including, among other things, children, animals, and the environment.

The Molly Steinsapir Foundation uses every dollar we receive to help others. No one is paid a salary, nor do we have any overhead. We offer one of the most effective ways to have a positive impact with your charitable contributions.

Camp Harmony – We filled a warehouse with new clothing, shoes and other essentials for over 400 kids from underserved areas in and around LA for a week-long sleep away camp in Ojai. We recently made a large donation of new, warm clothes for winter camp. We’re committed to continuing to help Camp Harmony keep its “camp store” (where campers can select everything they need, free of charge) well-stocked!.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles – The Foundation donated $10,000 to the Westside Guild of CHLA. CHLA serves ALL children in the community, providing specialized treatment for critically ill and injured children. Molly saved the life of a teenage boy at CHLA in a historic heart and liver transplant surgery (she also saved the lives of 3 mothers through organ donation). You can read about how Molly gave the gift of life to a young CHLA patient by clicking here: https://www.chla.org/blog/patients/teen-receives-historic-heart-liver-transplant
UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital – The Foundation is a regular sponsor of UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital’s Party on the Pier. Proceeds support a wide variety of children’s health initiatives, hospital programs, research and more.
Marquez Charter Elementary School – The Foundation fully funds the beloved historical plays that are performed at Marquez. The innovative plays teach history through drama. We are Marquez’s largest donor, having donated over $30,000 in the past three years.

We also donated a “buddy bench” for the playground. Students are encouraged to sit on the bench when they could use a friend and to invite kids who are sitting there to join in on the playground. Molly was a kid who could have used a bench like this at times, and she always included everyone, including classmates with disabilities and learning differences who were her friends.
Court Appointed Special Advocates of Fresno and Madera Counties (“CASA”), the Foundation sponsored tickets for hundreds of foster youth to attend a fun-filled day at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Honoring Molly’s generous spirit, we gifted a bag of treats and a #TEAMMOLLY t-shirt to every child. The Foundation later coordinated with CASA to provide the foster youth with much-needed school supplies. The Foundation then delivered a carload of new toys for the holidays.
Heal Los Angeles – The Foundation donated $5,000 to our partner, Heal LA, which tackles poverty, hunger and homelessness experienced by children in the greater LA area.
Palisades Circle of Friends - #TEAMMOLLY participates in the Palisades July 4th 5K, raising funds for Palisades Circle of Friends, which pairs kids with special needs with teen mentors.
Theatre Palisades - Molly’s happiest moments were spent on stage. The Foundation helped to fund Theatre Palisades Youth’s summer production of Aladdin, Jr., at time when the theatre needed to secure an outdoor space for its summer program due to Covid-19, which far exceeded its budget.

We also paid for the Peter Pan themed mural on the side of the theatre, which features Molly as the character “Wendy,” and have raised thousands to help kids whose families cannot afford it attend TPY’s exceptional programs.

Examples of how we’ve helped hundreds of unhoused residents of LA:

Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System (HOPICS) and St. Joseph Center- We created “welcome home” bags for over 300 people who were transitioning from living on the streets to housing (as part of LA’s Inside Safe Program). Dozens of volunteers gathered at Kehillat Israel, where we assembled bags containing Target gift cards, new blankets, towels, full sized toiletries, socks, t-shirts, etc. The Foundation received a certificate and a US flag from US Congressman Brad Sherman’s office for our outstanding community service work.
The Foundation delivered hundreds of #TEAMMOLLY sweatshirts to homeless citizens of Los Angeles at the West L.A. Veterans Administration campus.
We partnered with the TM23 Foundation, which honors another 12-year-old who left the physical world much too soon, Tommy Mark. Tommy’s mom, Nikki, and Molly’s mom, Kaye, handed out new sweatshirts and beanies to the unhoused throughout our city to help keep them warm during winter.

Molly never passed an unhoused person without helping, even if she offered them half her bagel and a warm smile. She would be so proud.

Examples of how we’ve supported Jewish causes:

Kehillat Israel - Judaism held a special place in Molly’s heart. We are honored that our synagogue, Kehillat Israel, renamed its preschool the Molly Steinsapir Early Childhood Center. Molly and her brothers attended preschool there and continued their religious studies at the Jewish Education Center. Molly’s Foundation is strongly committed to supporting the Molly Steinsapir ECC. We are proud to have donated $30,000 to Kehillat Israel, which provides tuition reduction and scholarships to those in need.
Jewish National Fund - Since 1901, JNF has planted over 250 million trees, built over 250 reservoirs and dams, developed over 250,000 acres of land, created over 2,000 parks, provided the infrastructure for over 1,000 communities, and much more.

Since October 7, 2024, JNF has organized volunteer missions to help with agricultural work and ensure Israel's food supply, clean up and rebuild the kibbutzim that were brutally attacked, and to bear witness. Molly's aunt, Polly Levine, volunteered for one of the missions. When Kaye shared the news in her social media circles, she encountered other women who wanted to participate but lacked the necessary funds. She realized there’s no better way to honor Molly than to sponsor caring mothers to volunteer in Israel. The Foundation covered the JNF programming fees while the women paid for their airfare and other expenses.

Molly considered Israel her second home, although she never got to visit. Helping people in their hour of need is the greatest way to honor her legacy.

The Foundation also donated $5,000 to the Jewish National Fund's Women's Circle. Molly was a feminist to her core, so we make a special effort to support girls and women.

Molly’s impact extends to MANY other charities worldwide