Sperling Family Charitable Foundation
The Sperling Family Charitable Foundation is a private foundation established in 2002 and located in Wayland, Massachusetts. The foundation operates as a family philanthropic organization with a focus on strategic grantmaking across multiple program areas and geographic regions.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$16.1M
-5.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$2.1M
+80.9% YoY
Grant Count
10
-23.1% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$206K
+135.2% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sperling Family Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.3M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation directs its strategic philanthropy across several program areas including:
- Education
- Child and youth development
- Early childhood
- Health care
- Poverty alleviation
- Arts and culture
Grantmaking
The foundation is an active grantmaker with significant annual giving. Recent grant activity includes:
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation funds projects across multiple U.S. states and cities, with documented giving in Massachusetts, New York, and other regions nationwide.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Most Recent Fiscal Year (June 2025):
- Total assets: $16,062,280
- Total revenues: $1,253,088
- Total expenses: $2,112,268
- Number of employees: 0
The foundation operates with volunteer leadership and no paid staff.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $16,062,280 | $16,910,032 | $22,285,545 |
| Revenue | $1,253,088 | $3,147,043 | $230,255 |
| Expenses | $2,112,268 | $1,139,625 | $1,499,756 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $2,071,200 | $1,139,270 | $1,451,470 |
| Net Investment Income | $471,312 | $2,046,131 | $241,080 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,293,914 | $1,162,102 | $1,022,764 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
60 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2025 grants, the largest include Combined Jewish Philanthropies ($1,000,000), The Brigham and Women's Hospital ($500,000), Combined Jewish Philanthropies ($300,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| COMBINED JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES BOSTON, MA | UNRESTRICTED | $1,000,000 |
| COMBINED JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES BOSTON, MA | UNRESTRICTED | $300,000 |
| THE BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL BOSTON, MA | UNRESTRICTED | $500,000 |
| HAROLD GRINSPOON FOUNDATION AGAWAM, MA | UNRESTRICTED | $36,000 |
| THE BROAD INSTITUTE INC CAMBRIDGE, MA | UNRESTRICTED | $85,000 |
| CHABAD AT HARVARD CAMBRIDGE, MA | UNRESTRICTED | $72,000 |
| CHABAD OF DOWNTOWN BOSTON BOSTON, MA | UNRESTRICTED | $18,000 |
| CHABAD OF PUERTO RICO CAROLINA, PR | UNRESTRICTED | $18,000 |
| CHABAD OF CHARLESTON MT PLEASANT, SC | UNRESTRICTED | $7,200 |
| MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL (MGH) BOSTON, MA | UNRESTRICTED | $25,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Laurene Sperling serves as President of the Sperling Family Charitable Foundation and directs its strategic philanthropy. She brings more than thirty years of experience with capital aggregation for corporate and non-profit organizations. Her background includes investment banking and venture capital experience at Paine Webber, Inc. and Cowen and Co., as well as accounting experience at Ernst and Young. She holds a degree in management science and accounting from Duke University (1978) and an MBA from Harvard Business School (1982).
Ms. Sperling serves in leadership roles at several other organizations, including as chair of the Bell Foundation, a national leader in after-school and summer programs for children at risk. She also serves on the boards of Duke University, Harvard Business School, Harvard's Graduate School of Education, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, and Temple Shir Tikva.
Scott M. Sperling is listed as a supporter of the foundation and resides in Wayland, Massachusetts with Laurene Sperling and their four children.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCOTT M SPERLING | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| LAURENE M SPERLING | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Sperling Family Charitable Foundation fund?
The foundation directs its strategic philanthropy across several program areas including: • Education • Child and youth development • Early childhood • Health care • Poverty alleviation • Arts and culture
How do I apply for a grant from Sperling Family Charitable Foundation?
The foundation is an active grantmaker with significant annual giving. Recent grant activity includes: • **Total assets:** $16,062,280 (as of June 2025) • **Total giving:** $1,139,200 (recent fiscal year) • **Recent major grants:** • $1,000,000 to Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (unrestricted) • $500,000 to Professional Nurses Chapter of the Brigham and Women's Hospital (unrestricted) • $300,000 to Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (unrestricted) The foundation m…
Where does Sperling Family Charitable Foundation make grants?
The foundation funds projects across multiple U.S. states and cities, with documented giving in Massachusetts, New York, and other regions nationwide.
What size grants does Sperling Family Charitable Foundation award?
In 2025, Sperling Family Charitable Foundation awarded 10 grants totaling $2.1M — an average of about $206K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is Sperling Family Charitable Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, Sperling Family Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.3M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Sperling Family Charitable Foundation's EIN?
Sperling Family Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-6948423. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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