Helen & William Mazer Foundation
The Helen & William Mazer Foundation is a private foundation based in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. Its 2025 filing lists grants for charitable purposes to organizations including universities, environmental and climate groups, a disability-services organization, and organizations supporting bicycling.
Helen & William Mazer Foundation at a glance
In short: Helen & William Mazer Foundation gave $975K across 119 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), top state New York. 23% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $975,000
- +3.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 119
- +8.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,193
- -4.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $17,345,449
- +0.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (27 of 119, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (25% 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 Helen & William Mazer 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: PO Box 542, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
Phone: (908) 464-8221
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Helen & William Mazer Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was East Coast Greenway ($55K). Together the top 10 received $441K.
Grant Size Distribution
548 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 532 grants of 548 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in New York (25%), Massachusetts (20%), New Jersey (13%), North Carolina (12%), and Connecticut (11%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 119 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Helen & William Mazer Foundation open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 27 of 119 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+5%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 106% 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 $750K (2020) to $1.0M (2023). In 2025 it made 119 grants totaling $975K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| East Coast Greenway Durham, NC | Charitable Purposes. | $55,000 |
| Brandeis University Waltham, MA | Charitable Purposes. | $50,000 |
| TPL-CT New Haven, CT | Charitable Purposes. | $50,000 |
| Conservation Law Foundation Boston, MA | Charitable Purposes. | $48,000 |
| Ecocity Builders Durham, NC | Charitable Purposes. | $47,500 |
| TPL-CA Los Angeles, CA | Charitable Purposes. | $45,000 |
| Rockefeller University New York, NY | Charitable Purposes. | $40,000 |
| Spring Street Climate Fund Brooklyn, NY | Charitable Purposes. | $40,000 |
| Livable Streets Transportation Cambridge, MA | Charitable Purposes. | $35,500 |
| Breakthrough T1D New York, NY | Charitable Purposes. | $30,000 |
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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 | $17,345,449 | $1,214,066 | $1,159,645 | $975,000 | 119 | $999,851 | $1,094,228 | $939,544 |
| 2024 | $17,292,778 | $1,745,613 | $1,108,876 | $942,500 | 110 | $975,440 | $1,612,177 | $984,345 |
| 2023 | $16,656,041 | $673,529 | $1,194,896 | $1,011,973 | 110 | $1,103,065 | $531,698 | $1,104,777 |
| 2022 | $17,177,408 | $973,591 | $1,178,675 | $931,988 | 105 | $1,014,738 | $759,654 | $1,137,938 |
| 2021 | $17,568,812 | $3,940,554 | $956,451 | $817,350 | 104 | — | $3,819,796 | $920,964 |
| 2020 | $14,454,225 | $1,208,119 | $888,020 | $749,550 | 107 | — | $1,096,658 | $731,892 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Helen & William Mazer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $940K 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 with varied missions. Brandeis University describes its work as advancing the humanities, arts, and sciences and providing a broad liberal arts education. Conservation Law Foundation says it protects New England’s environment through law, science, and markets. Spring Street Climate Fund says it supports high-impact climate policy campaigns in New York. JESPY House says it supports adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in pursuing their potential and independent lives. Other 2025 grantees include organizations working on land conservation, cycling, and higher education.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 119 grants totaling $975,000. Grants ranged from $500 to $55,000, with a median grant of $2,500. Among the largest were $55,000 to East Coast Greenway; $50,000 each to Brandeis University and TPL-CT; and $48,000 to Conservation Law Foundation. Other notable grants included $40,000 each to Spring Street Climate Fund and Rockefeller University, $30,000 to Breakthrough T1D, and $25,000 to JESPY House.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Linda Berkowitz as president; Leonard Berkowitz as treasurer; and Alan Berkowitz, David Berkowitz, and Steven Bercu as directors.
Helen & William Mazer Foundation is led by Linda Berkowitz, President on every filing since 2020; 1 of 5 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Linda Berkowitz
President
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven Bercu
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$10K (2020) → $10K (2025)
Alan Berkowitz
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Berkowitz
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Leonard Berkowitz
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $10K, to Steven Bercu (Director).
Frequently asked questions about Helen & William Mazer Foundation
How much does Helen & William Mazer Foundation give each year?
Helen & William Mazer Foundation gave $975K across 119 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $943K across 110 grants.
What is Helen & William Mazer Foundation's typical grant size?
Helen & William Mazer Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $8,193, across 119 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Helen & William Mazer Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does Helen & William Mazer Foundation give grants?
Helen & William Mazer Foundation's top state is New York, with 25% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (20%) and New Jersey (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (25 grants), New Haven, CT (9 grants), Montclair, NJ (8 grants) and Boston, MA (7 grants).
Who are Helen & William Mazer Foundation's largest grantees?
Helen & William Mazer Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include East Coast Greenway ($55,000), Brandeis University ($50,000) and TPL-CT ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 16% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Helen & William Mazer Foundation?
Helen & William Mazer Foundation reported $17.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1000K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $940K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Helen & William Mazer Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations with varied missions. 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 Helen & William Mazer 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 Helen & William Mazer Foundation's EIN?
Helen & William Mazer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 02-0511160. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Helen & William Mazer 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Helen & William Mazer Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/helen-and-william-mazer-foundation-morg_cb6fcd1fa76244b4b520e0917b78f17b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_020511160_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Helen \& William Mazer Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/helen-and-william-mazer-foundation-morg_cb6fcd1fa76244b4b520e0917b78f17b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Helen & William Mazer 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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