Carol Bernick Family Foundation
The Carol Bernick Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Its 2024 filing lists grants to charitable organizations including an Illinois Holocaust museum, schools and universities, a military-support foundation, and community organizations.
Carol Bernick Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Carol Bernick Family Foundation gave $451K across 56 grants in 2024 (avg $8K), mostly in Illinois. 41% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $450,962
- -26.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 56
- -23.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $8,053
- -4.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $2,250
- Total assets
- $8,284,549
- +16.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (23 of 56, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (71% 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 Carol Bernick Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 155 N Wacker 1680, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 477-7600
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Carol Bernick Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Illinois Holocaust Museum ($100K). Together the top 10 received $346K.
Grant Size Distribution
321 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 309 grants of 321 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 71% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 11% to Virginia, 6% to Louisiana, 4% to Florida, and 2% to Wisconsin.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 56 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Carol Bernick Family Foundation open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 23 of 56 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $11K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 43% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 23% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 123% 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 $365K (2021) to $697K (2020). In 2024 it made 56 grants totaling $451K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois Holocaust Museum Skokie, IL | General Fund | $100,000 |
| Brother Rice High School Chicago, IL | General Fund | $95,000 |
| Navy Seal Foundation Virginia Beach, VA | General Fund | $50,000 |
| Oak Park Temple Oak Park, IL | General Fund | $26,000 |
| Tulane University New Orleans, LA | General Fund | $20,000 |
| Jewish United Fundjewish Federation Chicago, IL | General Fund | $15,000 |
| Adventhealth Foundation West Florida Altamonte Springs, FL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Beat the Streets - Chicago Chicago, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Dominican University River Forest, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
| Opportunity Knocks River Forest, IL | General Fund | $10,000 |
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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 | $8,284,549 | $1,709,833 | $521,671 | $450,962 | 56 | $450,977 | $940,184 | $367,077 |
| 2023 | $7,096,386 | $1,292,401 | $679,479 | $615,950 | 73 | $615,965 | $948,814 | $314,165 |
| 2022 | $6,483,464 | $396,466 | $539,761 | $463,800 | 76 | $463,815 | $325,547 | $352,501 |
| 2021 | $6,626,759 | $1,177,484 | $449,733 | $365,275 | 62 | $365,375 | $1,100,176 | $389,238 |
| 2020 | $5,899,008 | $505,252 | $769,776 | $697,405 | 54 | — | $454,190 | $343,089 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Carol Bernick Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $367K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Brother Rice High School describes its work as supporting the school’s educational programs and facilities; the Navy SEAL Foundation says it supports Naval Special Warfare warriors, veterans, and families; and After School Matters says it provides Chicago public high school teens with opportunities to develop talents and skills for work and college.
Other 2024 recipients describe work that includes youth wrestling programs (Beat the Streets Chicago), support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Opportunity Knocks), and supplemental food, diapers, and toiletries for people in crisis (Walworth County Food Pantry).
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 56 grants totaling $450,962. Grant amounts ranged from $112 to $100,000, with a median of $2,250. Its largest listed grants were $100,000 to Illinois Holocaust Museum, $95,000 to Brother Rice High School, $50,000 to Navy SEAL Foundation, $26,000 to Oak Park Temple, and $20,000 to Tulane University. The listed purposes for these grants were “GENERAL FUND.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Carol Bernick as president/treasurer, Elizabeth Bernick Huber as vice president/secretary, and Craig Bernick and Peter Bernick as directors.
Carol Bernick Family Foundation is led by Carol Bernick, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Carol Bernick
President & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Craig Bernick
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Peter Bernick
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Bernick Huber
Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2020
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 Carol Bernick Family Foundation
How much does Carol Bernick Family Foundation give each year?
Carol Bernick Family Foundation gave $451K across 56 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $616K across 73 grants.
What is Carol Bernick Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Carol Bernick Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $2,250, and its average grant was $8,053, across 56 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Carol Bernick Family Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Carol Bernick Family Foundation give grants?
Carol Bernick Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 71% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Virginia (11%) and Louisiana (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (16 grants), Oak Park, IL (3 grants), New Orleans, LA (3 grants) and River Forest, IL (2 grants).
Does Carol Bernick Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Carol Bernick Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (56 of 56) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Carol Bernick Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Carol Bernick Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Illinois Holocaust Museum ($100,000), Brother Rice High School ($95,000) and Navy Seal Foundation ($50,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Carol Bernick Family Foundation?
Carol Bernick Family Foundation reported $8.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $451K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $367K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Carol Bernick Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Carol Bernick Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Carol Bernick Family Foundation's EIN?
Carol Bernick Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4134174. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Carol Bernick 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 November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 11, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Carol Bernick Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Carol Bernick Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/carol-bernick-family-foundation-morg_320bee294bf74b7db7cf82e998a4d6c1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_364134174_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Carol Bernick Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/carol-bernick-family-foundation-morg_320bee294bf74b7db7cf82e998a4d6c1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Carol Bernick 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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