Ossen Family Foundation
The Ossen Family Foundation is a private foundation based in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, predominantly in Connecticut, supporting work that includes health care, legal services, housing, education, food systems, and economic development.
Ossen Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Ossen Family Foundation gave $829K across 78 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Connecticut. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $828,847
- +24.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 78
- +44.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,626
- -14.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,800
- Total assets
- $17,759,318
- -1.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (95% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Ossen Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 370085, West Hartford, CT 06137
Phone: (860) 978-4206
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ossen Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Center for Medicare Advocacy Inc ($100K). Together the top 10 received $508K.
Grant Size Distribution
196 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 169 grants of 196 (86%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in Connecticut. The remaining reported shares went to New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, and Arizona.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 78 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Ossen Family Foundation gives
- 38% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 195% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 112% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $281K (2022) to $1.0M (2021). In 2025 it made 78 grants totaling $829K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Center for Medicare Advocacy Inc Willimantic, CT | General Operating Purposes | $100,000 |
| Generations Family Health Center Inc Willimantic, CT | Support for Community Health Worker Position | $70,000 |
| Click Inc Windham, CT | Support Education for Employees | $55,000 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut Inc Hartford, CT | General Operating Purposes | $50,500 |
| Connecticut Legal Services Inc Middletown, CT | General Operating Purposes | $50,000 |
| The Neighbor Fund Willimantic, CT | General Operating Purposes | $50,000 |
| My Sisters' Place Inc Hartford, CT | General Operating Purposes | $41,000 |
| Thames River Community Service Norwich, CT | Purchase and installation of flooring, and furniture for apartments | $33,879 |
| Womens Business Development Council Inc Hartford, CT | Child Care Business Support Program | $30,000 |
| Thames Valley Council for Community Action Inc Jewett City, CT | Bonterra Fundraising Software Add-on for Coaching | $27,500 |
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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 | $17,759,318 | $1,123,344 | $1,308,051 | $828,847 | 78 | $1,133,589 | $995,771 | $1,015,852 |
| 2024 | $17,952,624 | $2,352,393 | $1,083,989 | $667,496 | 54 | $961,946 | $2,248,861 | $928,641 |
| 2023 | $16,705,916 | $905,728 | $902,871 | $610,673 | 37 | $809,654 | $806,726 | $861,027 |
| 2022 | $17,033,077 | $531,024 | $373,334 | $281,153 | 1 | $281,153 | $438,843 | $345,230 |
| 2021 | $17,267,835 | $2,507,101 | $1,302,750 | $1,038,475 | 26 | — | $2,263,954 | $955,985 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ossen Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.0M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants and an earlier profile describe areas including housing, food, physical and emotional well-being, and education.
Grantee missions illustrate the kinds of work represented in its 2025 giving. The Center for Medicare Advocacy says it works to advance access to Medicare coverage, health equity, and quality health care through legal assistance, education, and advocacy. Generations Family Health Center describes its mission as providing quality, affordable health care to eastern Connecticut residents. CLICK says it works toward a locally based, just, healthy, and sustainable food economy. Other grantees include organizations whose stated missions address children’s mentoring, civil legal rights for low-income people, housing and supportive services, and women’s entrepreneurship and financial education.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 78 grants totaling $828,847. Grants ranged from $50 to $100,000, with a median grant of $1,800.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $100,000 to the Center for Medicare Advocacy for general operating purposes; $70,000 to Generations Family Health Center to support a community health worker position; and $55,000 to CLICK to support education for employees. The foundation also awarded $50,500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut and $50,000 to Connecticut Legal Services, both for general operating purposes, and $50,000 to The Neighbor Fund for general operating purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jacqueline O Berkowitz as executive director and trustee, and Elizabeth S Ossen and Carolyn R Linkov as trustees.
Ossen Family Foundation is led by Jacqueline O. Berkowitz, Executive Director & Trustee since 2025 (on filings since 2022); all 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jacqueline O. Berkowitz
Executive Director & Trustee
Treasurer & Trustee → Treasurer & Executive Director, 2023
Treasurer & Executive Director → Executive Director & Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$94K (2023) → $160K (2025)
Carolyn R. Linkov
Trustee
President & Trustee → President, 2023
President → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
$29K (2024) → $25K (2025)
Elizabeth S. Ossen
Trustee
Secretary & Trustee → Secretary, 2023
Secretary → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
$13K (2024) → $10K (2025)
Former officers (3)
- Former: Eileen M Ossen (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Richard Brvenik (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Sara Ann Jakub (2021) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 $160K, to Jacqueline O Berkowitz (Executive Director/Trustee). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Ossen Family Foundation
How much does Ossen Family Foundation give each year?
Ossen Family Foundation gave $829K across 78 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $667K across 54 grants.
What is Ossen Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Ossen Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,800, and its average grant was $10,626, across 78 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Ossen Family Foundation give grants?
Ossen Family Foundation gives mostly in Connecticut: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Hartford, CT (14 grants), West Hartford, CT (6 grants), Willimantic, CT (5 grants) and New York, NY (5 grants).
Does Ossen Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 68% of Ossen Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (53 of 78) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Food Program" (3 grants).
Who are Ossen Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Ossen Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Center for Medicare Advocacy Inc ($100,000), Generations Family Health Center Inc ($70,000) and Click Inc ($55,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ossen Family Foundation?
Ossen Family Foundation reported $17.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.0M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Ossen Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants and an earlier profile describe areas including housing, food, physical and emotional well-being, and education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ossen Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 Ossen Family Foundation's EIN?
Ossen Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1243178. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Ossen 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 13, 2023)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 5, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
Live grants for the work Ossen Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Ossen Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ossen Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ossen-family-foundation-morg_1c50582c7b704006ba2d9816111efeac
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_261243178_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ossen Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ossen-family-foundation-morg_1c50582c7b704006ba2d9816111efeac},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Ossen 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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