Bernstein Ritenis Foundation
The Bernstein Ritenis Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. In its 2025 filing, it reported giving $280,250 through 14 grants to charitable organizations.
Bernstein Ritenis Foundation at a glance
In short: Bernstein Ritenis Foundation gave $280K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $20K), top state New York. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $280,250
- +0.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- +27.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $20,018
- -20.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $4,418,445
- +24.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (3 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (46% 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 Bernstein Ritenis 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: 207 West 79Th Street 6B, New York, NY 10024
Phone: (312) 609-7570
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Bernstein Ritenis Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Spelman College ($50K). Together the top 10 received $277K.
Grant Size Distribution
54 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 41 grants of 54 (76%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 46% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 18% each to recipients in Georgia, Maryland, and Florida, and less than 1% to recipients in Texas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Bernstein Ritenis Foundation open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 14 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $9K; repeat grants $23K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 71% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 42% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 96% 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 (2022–2025). 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 2022 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $246K (2023) to $487K (2022). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $280K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Spelman College Atlanta, GA | Unrestricted Grant for Exempt Purposes | $50,000 |
| University of Maryland - Baltimore County Baltimore, MD | Unrestricted Grant for Exempt Purposes | $50,000 |
| University of Miami Miami, FL | Unrestricted Grant for Exempt Purposes | $50,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | Unrestricted Grant for Exempt Purposes | $25,000 |
| New York Public Radio New York, NY | Unrestricted Grant for Exempt Purposes | $25,000 |
| Nyustern School of Business New York, NY | Unrestricted Grant for Exempt Purposes | $25,000 |
| Sarah Lawrence College Bronxville, NY | Unrestricted Grant for Exempt Purposes | $25,000 |
| Hearts to Homes Furnishings Inc Hartsdale, NY | Unrestricted Grant for Exempt Purposes | $25,000 |
| Peconic Land Trust Southampton, NY | Unrestricted Grant for Exempt Purposes | $1,000 |
| Southampton Hospital Foundation Southampton, NY | Unrestricted Grant for Exempt Purposes | $1,000 |
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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 | $4,418,445 | $1,162,105 | $287,673 | $280,250 | 14 | $280,250 | $1,156,943 | $292,361 |
| 2024 | $3,544,013 | $172,993 | $287,092 | $278,000 | 11 | $278,000 | $166,408 | $287,988 |
| 2023 | $3,685,112 | $294,950 | $253,238 | $246,000 | 14 | $246,000 | $290,077 | $256,873 |
| 2022 | $3,616,466 | $1,176,756 | $490,305 | $487,000 | 15 | $487,000 | $177,896 | $223,366 |
| 2021 | $3,307,540 | $5,001,355 | — | — | — | — | — | $6,739 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bernstein Ritenis Foundation reported a distributable amount of $292K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including colleges, a public radio organization, a land trust, a hospital foundation, a fire association, and Doctors Without Borders. The grantees describe their own missions: Hearts to Homes Furnishings says it helps young adults aging out of foster care furnish their homes; New York Public Radio says it provides audio programming rooted in New York; and Peconic Land Trust says it conserves Long Island farms, natural lands, and heritage.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 14 grants totaling $280,250. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $50,000, with a median of $25,000. Its largest reported grants were $50,000 each to Spelman College, the University of Maryland–Baltimore County, and the University of Miami. Other reported grants included $25,000 each to Doctors Without Borders, New York Public Radio, NYU Stern School of Business, Sarah Lawrence College, and Hearts to Homes Furnishings.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Richard Bernstein and Inge Christine Ritenis as trustees.
Bernstein Ritenis Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Inge Christine Ritenis
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard Bernstein
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Bernstein Ritenis Foundation
How much does Bernstein Ritenis Foundation give each year?
Bernstein Ritenis Foundation gave $280K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $278K across 11 grants.
What is Bernstein Ritenis Foundation's typical grant size?
Bernstein Ritenis Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $20,018, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Bernstein Ritenis Foundation that year got $9K on average.
Where does Bernstein Ritenis Foundation give grants?
Bernstein Ritenis Foundation's top state is New York, with 46% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Georgia (18%) and Maryland (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (3 grants) and Southampton, NY (3 grants).
Does Bernstein Ritenis Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Bernstein Ritenis Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Bernstein Ritenis Foundation's largest grantees?
Bernstein Ritenis Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Spelman College ($50,000), University of Maryland - Baltimore County ($50,000) and University of Miami ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bernstein Ritenis Foundation?
Bernstein Ritenis Foundation reported $4.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $280K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $292K (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 Bernstein Ritenis Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including colleges, a public radio organization, a land trust, a hospital foundation, a fire association, and Doctors Without Borders. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bernstein Ritenis 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 Bernstein Ritenis Foundation's EIN?
Bernstein Ritenis Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-4099453. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Bernstein Ritenis 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 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 3, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 7, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bernstein Ritenis Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bernstein-ritenis-foundation-morg_9c11dec88d704f4cb64153fa9c50482e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_874099453_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bernstein Ritenis Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bernstein-ritenis-foundation-morg_9c11dec88d704f4cb64153fa9c50482e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Bernstein Ritenis 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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