Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc
Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Northampton, Massachusetts. It made 10 charitable grants totaling $42,000 in 2025 to organizations working in areas including food assistance, environmental protection, health, education, land conservation, and the arts.
Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc gave $42K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Massachusetts. 10% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $42,000
- +5.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -41.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,200
- +78.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $870,458
- +11.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 10% first-time grantees (1 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (88% 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 Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc
- 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: 88 Bancroft Road, Northampton, MA 01060
Phone: (617) 312-4776
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Greater Boston Food Bank ($21K). Together the top 10 received $42K.
Grant Size Distribution
49 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 49 grants of 49 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 88% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts, 7% to recipients in Arizona, and 5% to recipients in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
10%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 10 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 60% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 121% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 121% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $14K (2019) to $42K (2025). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $42K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Boston Food Bank Boston, MA | Charitable | $21,000 |
| Cooley Dickinsonmgh Northampton, MA | Charitable | $5,000 |
| The Care Center Holyoke, MA | Charitable | $3,000 |
| Center for Biological Diversity Tucson, AZ | Charitable | $3,000 |
| Northampton Survival Center Northampton, MA | Charitable | $3,000 |
| Earthjustice San Francisco, CA | Charitable | $2,000 |
| Mount Auburn Hospital Cambridge, MA | Charitable | $2,000 |
| Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble Watertown, MA | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Lesley University Cambridge, MA | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Kestrel Land Trust Amherst, MA | Charitable | $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 | $870,458 | $68,445 | $47,767 | $42,000 | 10 | $47,767 | $68,445 | $39,474 |
| 2024 | $780,388 | $50,690 | $46,059 | $40,000 | 17 | $46,059 | $50,690 | $36,707 |
| 2023 | $732,036 | $31,643 | $29,883 | $24,000 | 7 | $29,883 | $31,643 | $33,908 |
| 2022 | $653,311 | $44,322 | $23,395 | $19,000 | 7 | $23,395 | $44,322 | $35,057 |
| 2021 | $797,714 | $42,930 | $28,392 | $23,000 | 8 | $28,392 | $42,930 | $36,608 |
| 2020 | $713,145 | $36,779 | $28,656 | $20,500 | 12 | — | $36,779 | $33,028 |
| 2019 | $648,855 | $32,288 | $21,270 | $14,250 | 13 | — | $32,288 | $28,538 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $39K 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 with varied missions. For example, the Greater Boston Food Bank describes its work as acquiring, sorting, and distributing food through member agencies and direct distribution sites. The Center for Biological Diversity describes its work as protecting species and the lands, waters, and climate they need to survive; Earthjustice describes its work as using law and partnerships to protect health, places, wildlife, clean energy, and the climate. Other recipients include Northampton Survival Center, which describes itself as an emergency food provider and referral service, and Kestrel Land Trust, which says it conserves and cares for forests, farms, and riverways in western Massachusetts.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 10 grants totaling $42,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $21,000, with a median grant of $2,500.
The largest grants included $21,000 to Greater Boston Food Bank, $5,000 to Cooley DickinsonMGH, and $3,000 each to The Care Center, Center for Biological Diversity, and Northampton Survival Center. Other 2025 recipients included Earthjustice ($2,000), Mount Auburn Hospital ($2,000), Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble ($1,000), Lesley University ($1,000), and Kestrel Land Trust ($1,000).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Doris B Held and Anne B Kaplan as directors, and Andrew Held as manager.
Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Anne B. Kaplan
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Doris B. Held
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Held
Manager
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc
How much does Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc give each year?
Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc gave $42K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $40K across 17 grants.
What is Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $4,200, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc that year got $5K on average.
Where does Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc give grants?
Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc gives mostly in Massachusetts: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Arizona (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Northampton, MA (2 grants) and Cambridge, MA (2 grants).
Does Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (10 grants).
Who are Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Greater Boston Food Bank ($21,000), Cooley Dickinsonmgh ($5,000) and The Care Center ($3,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 69% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc?
Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc reported $870K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $48K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $39K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, the Greater Boston Food Bank describes its work as acquiring, sorting, and distributing food through member agencies and direct distribution sites. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc?
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 Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc's EIN?
Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6057705. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Edward L Bernays Foundation Inc 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 2024 (received by the IRS April 29, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 27, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- 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 4, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
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