Berlin Family Fund
Berlin Family Fund is a private foundation based in Winnetka, Illinois. Its 2025 filing reports 15 grants totaling $1,246,000, including support for organizations in Illinois, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.
Berlin Family Fund at a glance
In short: Berlin Family Fund gave $1.2M across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $83K), mostly in Illinois. 67% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,246,000
- -30.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- -61.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $83,067
- +80.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $136,552
- -94.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 67% first-time grantees (10 of 15, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (58% 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 Berlin Family Fund
- 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: 715 Prospect Avenue, Winnetka, IL 60093
Phone: (847) 446-5994
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Berlin Family Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Princeton University ($500K). Together the top 10 received $1.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
167 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 155 grants of 167 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 58% of grant dollars went to Illinois recipients, 40% to New Jersey, and 2% to Wisconsin. Florida and North Carolina each accounted for 0% of grant dollars.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Berlin Family Fund open to new grantees?
67%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 10 of 15 grantees (67%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $236K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $220K repeat.
- 20% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 331% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $247K (2020) to $1.8M (2024). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $1.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Princeton University Princeton, NJ | Unrestricted | $500,000 |
| New Trier Educational Foundation Northfield, IL | Unrestricted | $300,000 |
| Winnetka Parks Foundation Winnetka, IL | Unrestricted | $220,000 |
| Winnetka Community House Winnetka, IL | Unrestricted | $120,000 |
| Winnetka Congregational Church Winnetka, IL | Unrestricted | $40,000 |
| Beloit College Beloit, WI | Unrestricted | $20,000 |
| Friends of the Library - Winnetka-Northfield Northfiled, IL | Unrestricted | $20,000 |
| Indian Hill Scholarship Fund Winnetka, IL | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Mobile Care Chicago Chicago, IL | Unrestricted | $5,000 |
| Vander Cook College of Music Chicago, IL | Unrestricted | $5,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $136,552 | $181 | $1,283,919 | $1,246,000 | 15 | $1,255,804 | — | $49,266 |
| 2024 | $2,449,824 | $1,744,367 | $1,819,325 | $1,794,000 | 39 | $1,798,032 | $1,775,049 | $102,981 |
| 2023 | $1,032,259 | $295,558 | $283,492 | $255,700 | 35 | $264,645 | $275,134 | $118,716 |
| 2022 | $967,105 | $198,550 | $323,604 | $289,200 | 45 | $293,700 | $178,559 | $186,154 |
| 2021 | $1,083,892 | $478,029 | $276,800 | $253,700 | 33 | $257,714 | $449,476 | $131,711 |
| 2020 | $892,341 | $93,339 | $270,765 | $247,210 | 34 | — | $70,621 | $108,862 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Berlin Family Fund reported a distributable amount of $49K for 2025 — 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 2025 grantees include organizations whose stated missions address community parks and recreation, community gathering and lifelong learning, and higher education. For example, Winnetka Parks Foundation says it supports efforts to preserve open spaces and improve parks and recreation in Winnetka. Winnetka Community House says its mission is to serve as a gathering place and inspire lifelong learning, personal growth, and community spirit. Beloit College describes its mission as engaging students’ intelligence, imagination, and curiosity and empowering them to lead fulfilling lives.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 15 grants totaling $1,246,000. Grants ranged from $500 to $500,000, with a median grant of $10,000. The largest reported grants were $500,000 to Princeton University, $300,000 to New Trier Educational Foundation, $220,000 to Winnetka Parks Foundation, and $120,000 to Winnetka Community House. Each was listed as unrestricted.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Arnold M Berlin as president and director, Ann R Berlin as secretary and director, and A Mark Berlin Jr as director.
Berlin Family Fund is led by Arnold M. Berlin, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Arnold M. Berlin
President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
A. Mark Berlin Jr.
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Ann R. Berlin
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Berlin Family Fund
How much does Berlin Family Fund give each year?
Berlin Family Fund gave $1.2M across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.8M across 39 grants.
What is Berlin Family Fund's typical grant size?
Berlin Family Fund's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $83,067, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Berlin Family Fund that year got $7K on average.
Where does Berlin Family Fund give grants?
Berlin Family Fund gives mostly in Illinois: 58% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New Jersey (40%). The most frequent recipient cities were Winnetka, IL (4 grants), Vero Beach, FL (4 grants) and Chicago, IL (2 grants).
Does Berlin Family Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Berlin Family Fund's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Berlin Family Fund's largest grantees?
Berlin Family Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Princeton University ($500,000), New Trier Educational Foundation ($300,000) and Winnetka Parks Foundation ($220,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 82% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Berlin Family Fund?
Berlin Family Fund reported $137K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $49K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Berlin Family Fund fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees include organizations whose stated missions address community parks and recreation, community gathering and lifelong learning, and higher education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Berlin Family Fund?
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 Berlin Family Fund's EIN?
Berlin Family Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-6057143. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Berlin Family Fund 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 28, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Berlin Family Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/berlin-family-fund-morg_e2780613bc474496997543c38eb861c9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_366057143_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Berlin Family Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/berlin-family-fund-morg_e2780613bc474496997543c38eb861c9},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-10. 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 Berlin Family Fund'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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