George Backer Family Foundation Inc
George Backer Family Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including educational, cultural, environmental, community, and refugee-support organizations.
George Backer Family Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: George Backer Family Foundation Inc gave $114K across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in New York. 8% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $114,000
- +2.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 26
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,385
- +2.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,500
- Total assets
- $1,525,567
- +4.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 8% first-time grantees (2 of 26, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (58% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to George Backer Family Foundation Inc
- 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: C/O Brown Rudnick 7 Times Sq 46F, New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 704-0100
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who George Backer Family Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Brooklyn College Fdn Inc ($15K). Together the top 10 received $72K.
Grant Size Distribution
130 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 130 grants of 130 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars by recipient state were reported as 58% to New York, 17% to Massachusetts, 13% to Connecticut, 5% to Oregon, and 4% to New Hampshire.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
Cities
Is George Backer Family Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
8%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 26 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 92% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 118% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $89K (2020) to $114K (2025). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $114K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn College Fdn Inc Brooklyn, NY | Operations | $15,000 |
| Brandeis University Waltham, MA | Operations | $15,000 |
| UJA - JCC Greenwich Greenwich, CT | general purposes | $10,000 |
| Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn, NY | Operations | $5,000 |
| Central Oregon Environmental Center Bend, OR | Operations | $5,000 |
| Jewish Education in Media Inc Stamford, CT | Operations | $5,000 |
| Granite United Way Inc Manchester, NH | Operations | $4,500 |
| Educat'l Broadcasting CorpThirteen New York, NY | Operations | $4,000 |
| Hias New York, NY | Operations | $4,000 |
| Hadassah New York, NY | Operations | $4,000 |
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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 | $1,525,567 | $194,771 | $132,925 | $114,000 | 26 | $114,000 | $175,846 | $96,407 |
| 2024 | $1,465,553 | $158,016 | $128,617 | $111,000 | 26 | $111,000 | $140,399 | $94,349 |
| 2023 | $1,436,310 | $65,649 | $127,092 | $106,000 | 26 | $106,000 | $44,557 | $86,466 |
| 2022 | $1,497,753 | $10,539 | $122,437 | $104,000 | 26 | $104,000 | $7,207 | $86,050 |
| 2021 | $1,609,651 | $142,536 | $119,923 | $94,000 | 26 | $94,000 | $116,613 | $104,385 |
| 2020 | $1,614,305 | $64,417 | $106,067 | $89,000 | 26 | — | $47,350 | $93,384 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, George Backer Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $96K 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 grants include support for organizations whose work spans several areas. Brandeis University describes its work as advancing the humanities, arts, and sciences and providing a broad liberal arts education. Central Oregon Environmental Center says it works to embed sustainability in daily life in Central Oregon. HIAS describes its mission as helping refugees find welcome, safety, and opportunity. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 26 grants totaling $114,000. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $15,000, with a median of $3,500. The largest awards were $15,000 each to Brooklyn College Foundation Inc and Brandeis University, followed by $10,000 to UJA - JCC Greenwich. Other reported grants included $5,000 each to Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Central Oregon Environmental Center, and Jewish Education in Media Inc.
The foundation reported 26 grants totaling $111,000 in 2024 and 26 grants totaling $106,000 in 2023.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Joan Meer as President and Director; Laura Morelli Conway as Vice President and Director; and Kenneth R Asher as Assistant Secretary and Director.
George Backer Family Foundation Inc is led by Joan Meer, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Joan Meer
President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Kenneth R Asher
Assistant Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Laura Morelli Conway
Vice President & 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 George Backer Family Foundation Inc
How much does George Backer Family Foundation Inc give each year?
George Backer Family Foundation Inc gave $114K across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $111K across 26 grants.
What is George Backer Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
George Backer Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $3,500, and its average grant was $4,385, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from George Backer Family Foundation Inc that year got $3K on average.
Where does George Backer Family Foundation Inc give grants?
George Backer Family Foundation Inc gives mostly in New York: 58% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (17%) and Connecticut (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (7 grants), Brooklyn, NY (6 grants), Port Washington, NY (3 grants) and Bend, OR (2 grants).
Does George Backer Family Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Occasionally: 4% of George Backer Family Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 26) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Operations" (25 grants).
Who are George Backer Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
George Backer Family Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Brooklyn College Fdn Inc ($15,000), Brandeis University ($15,000) and UJA - JCC Greenwich ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is George Backer Family Foundation Inc?
George Backer Family Foundation Inc reported $1.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $114K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $96K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does George Backer Family Foundation Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations whose work spans several areas. Brandeis University describes its work as advancing the humanities, arts, and sciences and providing a broad liberal arts education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from George Backer Family Foundation Inc?
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 George Backer Family Foundation Inc's EIN?
George Backer Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3537126. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does George Backer Family Foundation Inc 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.
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 June 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 27, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 6, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 28, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 5, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). George Backer Family Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/george-backer-family-foundation-inc-morg_58d72cdbfc4d4528a3b07c6cf56f126f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133537126_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{George Backer Family Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/george-backer-family-foundation-inc-morg_58d72cdbfc4d4528a3b07c6cf56f126f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 George Backer Family Foundation Inc'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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