Berger Family Foundation
Berger Family Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations including arts and cultural groups, legal-aid providers, health organizations, and conservation organizations.
Berger Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Berger Family Foundation gave $1.3M across 95 grants in 2024 (avg $14K), top state New York. 22% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,305,250
- -5.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 95
- -8.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $13,739
- +3.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $18,578,641
- -8.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 22% first-time grantees (21 of 94, 2024)
- Primary geography
- New York (24% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Berger Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 119 West 72Nd Street 315, New York, NY 10023
Phone: (212) 696-1660
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Berger Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Foundation for Advancement in Conservation ($120K). Together the top 10 received $615K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($30,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
524 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 497 grants of 524 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, recipients in New York received 24% of grant dollars, followed by recipients in Washington, DC (19%), California (9%), Illinois (8%), and New Jersey (7%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 95 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Berger Family Foundation open to new grantees?
22%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 21 of 94 grantees (22%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $15K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 74% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+0%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 101% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.0M (2020) to $1.6M (2022). In 2024 it made 95 grants totaling $1.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation for Advancement in Conservation Washington, DC | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $120,000 |
| Abortion Care Network Washington, DC | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $90,000 |
| New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) Newark, NJ | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $90,000 |
| Jewish Child and Family Services Endowment Foundation (JCFS) Chicago, IL | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $75,000 |
| American Association of Plastic Surgeons Beverly, MA | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $50,000 |
| Center for Book Arts New York, NY | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $50,000 |
| American Civil Liberties Union Foundation Inc (ACLU) New York, NY | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $35,000 |
| Cultureworks Ltd Seattle, WA | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $35,000 |
| East Tennessee State University Foundation Johnson City, TN | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $35,000 |
| Lihi (Low Income Housing Institute) Seattle, WA | For Charitable Purpose of Organization | $35,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $18,578,641 | $-39,784 | $1,566,645 | $1,305,250 | 95 | $1,405,005 | $526,111 | $1,391,552 |
| 2023 | $20,185,070 | $-2,173,433 | $1,578,927 | $1,375,000 | 104 | $1,467,419 | $506,028 | $1,205,257 |
| 2022 | $24,719,619 | $745,121 | $1,772,508 | $1,569,600 | 120 | $1,668,832 | $602,445 | $1,512,118 |
| 2021 | $25,747,006 | $1,937,834 | $1,600,201 | $1,299,100 | 107 | $1,384,819 | $1,753,852 | $1,712,114 |
| 2020 | $24,489,878 | $3,171,109 | $1,154,526 | $1,012,950 | 98 | — | $1,290,444 | $1,194,877 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Berger Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.4M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Abortion Care Network describes its work as supporting independent abortion-care providers and their patients; The Night Ministry says it provides human connection, housing support, and health care to people who are unhoused or experiencing poverty; and Central American Legal Assistance says it provides free or low-cost legal assistance to Latino asylum-seekers. BalletX describes its work as contemporary ballet performances, dance education, and community programs.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 95 grants totaling $1,305,250. Grants ranged from $500 to $120,000, with a median of $5,000. It made 104 grants totaling $1,375,000 in 2023 and 120 grants totaling $1,569,600 in 2022.
Among its largest 2024 grants were $120,000 to the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, $90,000 each to Abortion Care Network and New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and $75,000 to Jewish Child and Family Services Endowment Foundation. Other notable grants included $50,000 each to the American Association of Plastic Surgeons and Center for Book Arts, and $35,000 each to the ACLU Foundation, CultureWorks, East Tennessee State University Foundation, and Low Income Housing Institute.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists David G Berger as president, Holly Maxson as vice president/secretary/treasurer, and R Edward Townsend as director.
Berger Family Foundation is led by David G. Berger, President since 2021 (on filings since 2020); none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
David G. Berger
President
Director → President, 2021
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
R. Edward Townsend
Director
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Holly Maxson
Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer
Director → Vice President & Secretary, 2021
Vice President & Secretary → Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Berger Family Foundation
How much does Berger Family Foundation give each year?
Berger Family Foundation gave $1.3M across 95 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.4M across 104 grants.
What is Berger Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Berger Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $13,739, across 95 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Berger Family Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does Berger Family Foundation give grants?
Berger Family Foundation's top state is New York, with 24% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were District of Columbia (19%) and California (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (23 grants), Washington, DC (7 grants), Philadelphia, PA (6 grants) and San Francisco, CA (4 grants).
Who are Berger Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Berger Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Foundation for Advancement in Conservation ($120,000), Abortion Care Network ($90,000) and New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) ($90,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($30,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 23% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Berger Family Foundation?
Berger Family Foundation reported $18.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.4M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Berger Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for a range of organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Berger Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Berger Family Foundation's EIN?
Berger Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-2357665. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Berger Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 4, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 3, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Berger Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Berger Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/berger-family-foundation-morg_ca34215a4d92447d8007d78bc14f0f1a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_472357665_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Berger Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/berger-family-foundation-morg_ca34215a4d92447d8007d78bc14f0f1a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Berger Family Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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