Bernauer Family Charitable Trust

Private foundation · Grantmaker Hendersonville, NC EIN: 36-6452735

Bernauer Family Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Its 2025 filing reports 27 grants totaling $82,900 to charitable organizations, including organizations working in health, housing, social services, education, and other areas.

Key facts about Bernauer Family Charitable Trust

In short: Bernauer Family Charitable Trust gave $83K across 27 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), top state North Carolina. 56% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
36-6452735
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$82,900
Grants made (2025)
27
Average grant
$3,070
Median grant
$2,000
New grantees (estimate)
56% first-time grantees (15 of 27, 2025)
Total assets
$1,119,712
Primary geography
North Carolina (32% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
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. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$1.1M

+7.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$83K

+25.6% YoY

Grant Count

27

+12.5% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$3K

+11.6% YoY

Is Bernauer Family Charitable Trust open to new grantees?

56%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 15 of 27 grantees (56%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $4K. How we count

Medians: $1K first-time, $4K repeat.

  • 41% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 34% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2023 it paid out 108% of 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.

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 grants show support for organizations whose work includes cancer and other disease-related services, affordable housing, food assistance, shelter, support for people affected by violence, education, Christian ministry, and access to water and sanitation.

These descriptions reflect the grantees’ own missions. For example, Blood Cancer United says its mission is to cure blood cancers and improve patients’ and families’ quality of life; Habitat for Humanity describes its work as partnering with people in need to build affordable housing; and MANNA FoodBank says it works to end hunger in Western North Carolina. The Water Project describes providing sustainable water and sanitation programs in developing countries.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the trust made 27 grants totaling $82,900. Grant amounts ranged from $300 to $15,000, with a median of $2,000.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state went to North Carolina (32%), Pennsylvania (18%), and Washington, DC (12%), followed by Florida (9%) and Illinois (8%). Listed 2025 recipients included organizations in North Carolina and other states, as well as Washington, DC.

Grant Distribution by State

15states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.

Cities

HendersonvilleChicagoGlenviewSaint CharlesLewisburgMemphisGenevaLake PanasoffkeeOrlandoPeoriaNew YorkBarringtonColorado SpringsConcordElginRockfordRoselleSouth ElginAshvilleDistrict of Columbia

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$25K$50K$75K$100K20 grants2020 23 grants2021 21 grants2022 23 grants2023 24 grants2024 27 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $61K (2020) to $83K (2025). In 2025 it made 27 grants totaling $83K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Bucknell University: $15KBucknell University$15KGrace Lutheran: $7KGrace Lutheran$7KAlzheimers Association: $6KAlzheimers Association$6KParkinsons Foundation: $5KParkinsons Foundation$5KBlood Cancer United: $5KBlood Cancer United$5KAmerican Cancer Society: $5KAmerican Cancer Society$5KYoung Life Henderson County: $5KYoung Life Henderson County$5KHabitat For Humanity: $5KHabitat For Humanity$5KSt Judes Childrens Hospital: $5KSt Judes Childrens Hospital$5KChristian Care Center: $4KChristian Care Center$4K

The largest 2025 recipient was Bucknell University ($15K). Together the top 10 received $62K.

Grant Size Distribution

118 grants across all recorded years

118<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 118 grants of 118 (100%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Bucknell University Lewisburg, PAContribution$15,000
Grace Lutheran Hendersonville, NCContribution$7,000
Alzheimers Association Chicago, ILContribution$6,000
Parkinsons Foundation Washington, DCContribution$5,000
Blood Cancer United Washington, DCContribution$5,000
American Cancer Society Hagerstown, MDContribution$5,000
Young Life Henderson County Hendersonville, NCContribution$5,000
Habitat For Humanity Hendersonville, NCContribution$5,000
St Judes Childrens Hospital Memphis, TNContribution$5,000
Christian Care Center Leesburg, FLContribution$4,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants Grant count
2025 $1,119,712 $186,914 $82,915 $82,900 27
2024 $1,037,996 $129,504 $66,450 $66,000 24
2023 $974,942 $60,455 $63,017 $63,000 23
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$100K$200K$300K2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$1,119,712$1,037,996$974,942
Revenue$186,914$129,504$60,455
Expenses$82,915$66,450$63,017
Qualifying Distributions$82,900$66,000$63,017
Net Investment Income$186,899—$2,400
Distributable Amount——$58,227

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 6, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 5, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 7, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 23, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 28, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 7, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Tom Barfield and Jack Bernauer as trustees.

Bernauer Family Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Jack Bernauer

    Trustee

    New on the 2025 filing

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Tom Barfield

    Trustee

    New on the 2025 filing

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (2)
  • Former: John A Bernauer Jr. (2020–2024) — Trustee
  • Former: Thomas M Barfield (2020–2024) — Trustee

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.

Contact

Mailing address: 107 Estate Dr, Hendersonville, NC 28739

Frequently asked questions about Bernauer Family Charitable Trust

How much does Bernauer Family Charitable Trust give each year?

Bernauer Family Charitable Trust gave $83K across 27 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $66K across 24 grants.

What is Bernauer Family Charitable Trust's typical grant size?

Bernauer Family Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $3,070, across 27 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Bernauer Family Charitable Trust that year got $2K on average.

Where does Bernauer Family Charitable Trust give grants?

Bernauer Family Charitable Trust's top state is North Carolina, with 32% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Pennsylvania (18%) and District of Columbia (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Hendersonville, NC (10 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).

Does Bernauer Family Charitable Trust give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 27 grants with a stated purpose on Bernauer Family Charitable Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Contribution" (27 grants).

Who are Bernauer Family Charitable Trust's largest grantees?

Bernauer Family Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Bucknell University ($15,000), Grace Lutheran ($7,000) and Alzheimers Association ($6,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Bernauer Family Charitable Trust?

Bernauer Family Charitable Trust reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $187K.

What does Bernauer Family Charitable Trust fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Bernauer Family Charitable Trust?

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 Bernauer Family Charitable Trust's EIN?

Bernauer Family Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-6452735. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does Bernauer Family Charitable Trust accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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