Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker New York, NY EIN: 13-3499349
EducationHealthHuman services

The Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, New York. It makes charitable contributions to preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation at a glance

In short: Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation gave $227K across 40 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in New York. 18% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$226,965
-56.6% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
40
+14.3% vs 2024
Average grant
$5,674
-62.1% vs 2024
Median grant
$118
Total assets
$2,744,770
+7.0% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
18% first-time grantees (7 of 40, 2025)
Primary geography
New York (85% 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 Jean and Albert Nerken 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: Co Anchin - 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 840-3456

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Entertainment Community FUND(AKA the Actors Fund): $128KEntertainment CommunityFUND(AKA the Actors Fund)$128KIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: $20KIcahn School of Medicine atMount Sinai$20KPhiladelphia Museum of Art: $20KPhiladelphia Museum of Art$20KPlanned Parenthood: $20KPlanned Parenthood$20KJacob Burns Film Center: $10KJacob Burns Film Center$10KUnited Service Organizations Inc: $7KUnited Service OrganizationsInc$7KVisiting Nurse Service: $7KVisiting Nurse Service$7KCooper Union: $5KCooper Union$5KStep Foundation: $3KStep Foundation$3KChildren's First: $2KChildren's First$2K

The largest 2025 recipient was Entertainment Community FUND(AKA the Actors Fund) ($128K). Together the top 10 received $222K.

Grant Size Distribution

158 grants across all recorded years

152<$50K2$50–100K1$100–250K3$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 152 grants of 158 (96%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 85% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 9% to Pennsylvania, 3% to Virginia, and 1% to Minnesota. Georgia accounted for 0% of grant dollars. The foundation also made grants to organizations in states including New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Grant Distribution by State

14states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 40 itemized grants.

Cities

New YorkArlingtonWashingtonChicagoPhiladelphiaPleasantvilleLos AngelesBostonNew Hyde ParkSt Louis ParkBronxCambridgeCambridgerColorado SpringsEl PasoSan FranciscoAtlantaBrunswickHaverfordMillburn

Is Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation open to new grantees?

18%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 7 of 40 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $7K. How we count

Medians: $500 first-time, $110 repeat.

  • 60% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving fell 50% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 86% 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 (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

$0$200K$400K$600K17 grants2019 12 grants2020 26 grants2021 39 grants2022 18 grants2023 35 grants2024 40 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $147K (2019) to $523K (2024). In 2025 it made 40 grants totaling $227K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Entertainment Community FUND(AKA the Actors Fund) New York, NYCharitable$128,000
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NYCharitable$20,000
Philadelphia Museum of Art Philadelphia, PACharitable$20,000
Planned Parenthood New York, NYCharitable$20,000
Jacob Burns Film Center Pleasantville, NYCharitable$10,000
United Service Organizations Inc Arlington, VACharitable$7,000
Visiting Nurse Service White Plains, NYCharitable$6,500
Cooper Union New York, NYCharitable$5,000
Step Foundation St Louis Park, MNCharitable$3,000
Children's First New York, NYCharitable$2,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$2,744,770$457,597$277,698$226,96540$230,419$414,638$267,999
2024$2,564,871$544,621$578,964$523,39835$533,959$496,678$250,656
2023$2,599,214$205,764$536,665$484,11318$495,039$163,480$227,300
2022$2,930,115$51,416$543,368$455,89439$466,550$2,870$285,270
2021$3,422,067$909,729$247,363$180,88026$189,140$851,506$286,875
2020$2,759,701$139,365$317,329$248,65012—$90,031$227,356
2019$2,937,665$317,473$255,124$146,88817—$268,620$217,910

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation reported a distributable amount of $268K 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 working in areas including health care, film, military-family support, and reproductive health. For example, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai describes its work as advancing science, medicine, and health care delivery; Jacob Burns Film Center says it brings audiences, students, and filmmakers together to experience and learn about film; and the USO describes its mission as strengthening the well-being of people serving in the military and their families. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 40 grants totaling $226,965. Grant amounts ranged from $25 to $128,000, with a median of $118. Its largest awards included $128,000 to Entertainment Community Fund (also known as The Actors Fund), and $20,000 each to Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Planned Parenthood. Other grants included $10,000 to Jacob Burns Film Center and $7,000 to the USO.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Etta Brandman, Esq., and Ruth Nerken as trustees.

Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Ruth Nerken

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    15 hrs/week

    $45K (2019) → $0 (2025)

  • Etta Brandman Esq.

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    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.

Compensation Overview

No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.

Frequently asked questions about Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation

How much does Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation give each year?

Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation gave $227K across 40 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $523K across 35 grants.

What is Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation's typical grant size?

Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $118, and its average grant was $5,674, across 40 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation that year got $1K on average.

Where does Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation give grants?

Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation gives mostly in New York: 85% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Pennsylvania (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (19 grants), Washington, DC (4 grants), Arlington, VA (3 grants) and Chicago, IL (2 grants).

Does Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 40 grants with a stated purpose on Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (40 grants).

Who are Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation's largest grantees?

Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Entertainment Community FUND(AKA the Actors Fund) ($128,000), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ($20,000) and Philadelphia Museum of Art ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 74% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation?

Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation reported $2.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $230K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $268K (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 Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation fund?

No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including health care, film, military-family support, and reproductive health. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Jean and Albert Nerken 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 Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation's EIN?

Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3499349. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does Jean and Albert Nerken 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

(8)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 20, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 23, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 24, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 7, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 23, 2025)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 30, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/jean-and-albert-nerken-foundation-morg_06db82cbe70140b5b139644608acaa0e

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133499349_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Jean and Albert Nerken Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/jean-and-albert-nerken-foundation-morg_06db82cbe70140b5b139644608acaa0e},
  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 Jean and Albert Nerken 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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