Berkshire Foundation
Berkshire Foundation is a private foundation based in Carmel, California. In filing year 2025, it reported 22 grants totaling $1,375,000 to organizations in several states, including California, New York, Hawaii, Illinois, and New Hampshire.
Berkshire Foundation at a glance
In short: Berkshire Foundation gave $1.4M across 22 grants in 2025 (avg $63K), mostly in California. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,375,000
- +1.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 22
- -12.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $62,500
- +15.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $5,784,569
- -11.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (6 of 22, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (65% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Berkshire 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: PO Box 221432, Carmel, CA 93922
Phone: (831) 998-0999
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Berkshire Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Center for Reproductive Rights ($150K). Together the top 10 received $975K.
Grant Size Distribution
102 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 46 grants of 102 (45%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In filing year 2025, 65% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 16% to New York, 7% each to Hawaii and Illinois, and 4% to New Hampshire.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Berkshire Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 22 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $38K; repeat grants $72K. How we count
Medians: $38K first-time, $63K repeat.
- 68% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 25% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2018–2025). 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 2018 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $765K (2020) to $1.4M (2025). In 2025 it made 22 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Center for Reproductive Rights New York, NY | To Fund Community Services | $150,000 |
| Interim Inc Monterey, CA | To Fund Community Services | $150,000 |
| Carmel Bach Festival Carmel, CA | To Fund Community Services | $100,000 |
| Hualalai Foundation Kailuakona, HI | To Fund Community Services | $100,000 |
| Mearth Carmel, CA | To Fund Community Services | $100,000 |
| Monterey Symphony Monterey, CA | To Fund Community Services | $100,000 |
| One Acre Fund Highland Park, IL | To Fund Community Services | $100,000 |
| The Food Bank Salinas, CA | To Fund Community Services | $75,000 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County Seaside, CA | To Fund Community Services | $50,000 |
| Foundation for Csumb Seaside, CA | To Further Exempt Purpose | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Berkshire Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,784,569 | $724,722 | $1,436,652 | $1,375,000 | 22 | $1,385,035 | $750,095 | $1,475,730 |
| 2024 | $6,501,914 | $1,851,451 | $1,359,350 | $1,350,000 | 25 | $1,356,091 | $1,945,116 | $1,322,184 |
| 2023 | $6,004,398 | $981,176 | $1,212,682 | $1,175,000 | 22 | $1,182,007 | $1,041,596 | $1,107,437 |
| 2022 | $6,235,904 | $1,299,778 | $1,120,245 | $1,100,000 | 19 | $1,105,108 | $1,393,965 | $1,053,649 |
| 2021 | $6,056,371 | $804,020 | $932,622 | $915,000 | 14 | $919,207 | $866,548 | $975,226 |
| 2020 | $6,184,973 | $721,064 | $788,800 | $765,000 | 8 | — | $814,893 | $769,604 |
| 2019 | $6,252,709 | $862,192 | $981,911 | $950,000 | 15 | — | $956,258 | $839,977 |
| 2018 | $6,372,428 | $763,148 | $865,782 | $860,000 | 12 | — | $856,509 | $867,433 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Berkshire Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.5M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose stated work includes reproductive rights, mental health services and affordable housing, arts and cultural programming, environmental education, food security, technology research and public education, children’s and family services, and conservation.
The Center for Reproductive Rights describes its mission as advancing reproductive rights as fundamental human rights through law. Interim Inc. says it provides services and affordable housing to support community members with mental illness. One Acre Fund says it works to help chronically hungry farm families in Africa lift themselves out of hunger and poverty. Carmel Bach Festival describes its programming as including concerts, off-season activities to expand access, and efforts to cultivate younger and more diverse participants. MEarth’s stated mission is to educate and inspire through environmental stewardship.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 22 grants totaling $1,375,000. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $150,000, with a median grant of $50,000.
Among its largest 2025 grants were $150,000 each to the Center for Reproductive Rights in New York and Interim Inc. in Monterey. It awarded $100,000 each to Carmel Bach Festival, Hualalai Foundation, MEarth, Monterey Symphony, and One Acre Fund. Other listed grants included $75,000 to The Food Bank; $50,000 each to Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County, Foundation for CSUMB, Pacific Repertory Theatre, and The Film Forum; and $50,000 to the Ludlow Institute. The Ludlow Institute describes its work as advancing individual freedom through technology research, public education, and policy analysis.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Susan Snorf Lansbury as president; Cynthia Snorf Livermore as treasurer; and James Cadillac Zak as secretary. It lists Roberta Buffett Bialek as director and president emerita, and Carolyn Snorf Akcan, V Cascade Zak Dewitt, Charles Edgar Lansbury, Galen Lansbury, Robert Lansbury, and William Lansbury as directors.
Berkshire Foundation is led by Susan Snorf Lansbury, President since 2025 (on filings since 2018); none of the 12 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Susan Snorf Lansbury
President
President & Tr. → President, 2025
On filings since 2018
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Roberta Buffett Bialek
Director & President Emerita
Assistant Secretary → Treasurer, 2022
Treasurer → Director & President Emerita, 2025
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carolyn Snorf Akcan
Director
On filings since 2022
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Charles Edgar Lansbury
Director
On filings since 2022
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Galen Lansbury
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
L. Berkshire Zak
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert Lansbury
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
V. Cascade Zak Dewitt
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
W. Everest Zak
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William Lansbury
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cynthia Snorf Livermore
Treasurer
Secretary → Director, 2024
Director → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Cadillac Zak
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2022
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Caroline Snorf Akcan (2018–2021) — Director
- Former: Cynthia Roberts Snorf (2018) — Secretary
- Former: Roberta Elliott (2018) — Assistant Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2018–2025. "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 Berkshire Foundation
How much does Berkshire Foundation give each year?
Berkshire Foundation gave $1.4M across 22 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.4M across 25 grants.
What is Berkshire Foundation's typical grant size?
Berkshire Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $62,500, across 22 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Berkshire Foundation that year got $38K on average.
Where does Berkshire Foundation give grants?
Berkshire Foundation gives mostly in California: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (16%) and Hawaii (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Monterey, CA (3 grants), Carmel, CA (3 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and San Francisco, CA (3 grants).
Does Berkshire Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 22 grants with a stated purpose on Berkshire Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Fund Community Services" (20 grants).
Who are Berkshire Foundation's largest grantees?
Berkshire Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Center for Reproductive Rights ($150,000), Interim Inc ($150,000) and Carmel Bach Festival ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 29% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Berkshire Foundation?
Berkshire Foundation reported $5.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Berkshire Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Berkshire 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 Berkshire Foundation's EIN?
Berkshire Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0438710. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2018–2025.
Does Berkshire 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(9)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2018 (received by the IRS May 14, 2019)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 12, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 25, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 8, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 16, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 6, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 1, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2018–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Berkshire Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Berkshire Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/berkshire-foundation-morg_43bab560f8d74519b37121ec1c05a23e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_770438710_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Berkshire Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/berkshire-foundation-morg_43bab560f8d74519b37121ec1c05a23e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Berkshire 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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