The Behrakis Foundation
The Behrakis Foundation is a private foundation based in Lexington, Massachusetts. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations for health, civic, religious, cultural, and animal-welfare purposes, among others.
The Behrakis Foundation at a glance
In short: The Behrakis Foundation gave $187K across 36 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Massachusetts. 41% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $186,580
- +31.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 36
- +16.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,183
- +13.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $2,607,088
- -2.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (13 of 32, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (82% 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 The Behrakis Foundation
- How to Apply
The foundation’s 2024 filing says applications should include a summarizing cover letter, a narrative proposal, project and agency budgets, copies of the most recent IRS ruling, a financial statement and audit report,…
The foundation’s 2024 filing says applications should include a summarizing cover letter, a narrative proposal, project and agency budgets, copies of the most recent IRS ruling, a financial statement and audit report, and a list of the board of directors. The filing states that the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It also sets a minimum grant of $100 per organization.
- Review Cycle
- The 2024 filing stated that applications should be submitted between October 1 and June 30 for the current fiscal year. That filing’s application cycle has passed; no current deadline is provided here.
- Deadline
- The 2024 filing stated that applications should be submitted between October 1 and June 30 for the current fiscal year.
- Contact
Application contact: Stephanie B Liakos Trustee
Mailing address: 19 Muzzey Street, Lexington, MA 02421
Phone: (781) 861-9114
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Behrakis Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Dana Farber Cancer Institute ($45K). Together the top 10 received $121K.
Grant Size Distribution
129 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 129 grants of 129 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 82% of grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts, 7% to California, 5% to Virginia, 3% to New York, and 3% to Maryland.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 36 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Behrakis Foundation open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 32 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 53% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 72% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 109% 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 $73K (2021) to $187K (2025). In 2025 it made 36 grants totaling $187K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Dana Farber Cancer Institute Brookline, MA | HEALTH | $45,000 |
| Boys Club of Lowell Lowell, MA | CIVIC | $10,000 |
| Crossroads Boston, MA | Religious | $10,000 |
| National Hellenic Society Annandale, VA | Cultural | $10,000 |
| Project Mexico Pasadena, CA | Religious | $10,000 |
| Brigham and Women's Hospital Lung Center Boston, MA | HEALTH | $7,500 |
| Whistler House Lowell, MA | Cultural | $5,500 |
| Ministry Awards Brookline, MA | Religious | $5,000 |
| MSPCA- Nevins Farm Boston, MA | Animal Welfare | $5,000 |
| Holy Trinity Golf Lowell, MA | Religious | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Behrakis Foundation?
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 | $2,607,088 | $237,091 | $306,267 | $186,580 | 36 | $186,580 | $160,844 | $170,709 |
| 2024 | $2,678,507 | $278,024 | $255,865 | $141,750 | 31 | $141,750 | $233,349 | $164,614 |
| 2023 | $2,666,688 | $35,924 | $205,871 | $111,273 | 23 | $111,273 | $69,354 | $164,258 |
| 2022 | $2,836,635 | $201,931 | $209,579 | $108,575 | 20 | $108,575 | $201,931 | $181,868 |
| 2021 | $2,844,283 | $133,193 | $174,803 | $72,650 | 19 | — | $133,193 | $185,242 |
| 2020 | $2,885,893 | $92,774 | $219,212 | $78,450 | 15 | — | $92,774 | $163,467 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Behrakis Foundation reported a distributable amount of $171K 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 health organizations such as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital Lung Center; religious organizations such as Crossroads and Project Mexico; and cultural organizations such as the National Hellenic Society and Whistler House.
Among its 2025 grantees, Project Learn Inc. describes its mission as creating a citywide ecosystem of college- and career-connected learning, training, and credentialing experiences for Lowell’s young people. Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust describes its mission as improving quality of life in Lowell through education and the creation, conservation, and preservation of parks and open spaces.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 36 grants totaling $186,580. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $45,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest grant was $45,000 to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for health. Other notable grants included $10,000 each to Boys Club of Lowell for civic purposes, Crossroads for religious purposes, the National Hellenic Society for cultural purposes, and Project Mexico for religious purposes. The foundation also gave $2,500 to Project Learn Inc. and $1,000 to Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists George D Behrakis, Margo Behrakis, Drake Behrakis, and Stephanie B Liakos as trustees.
The Behrakis Foundation's 2025 filing lists 4 officers; 1 of 4 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Stephanie B. Liakos
Trustee
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$87K (2020) → $52K (2025)
Drake Behrakis
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
George D. Behrakis
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Margo Behrakis
Trustee
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $52K, to Stephanie B Liakos (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about The Behrakis Foundation
How much does The Behrakis Foundation give each year?
The Behrakis Foundation gave $187K across 36 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $142K across 31 grants.
What is The Behrakis Foundation's typical grant size?
The Behrakis Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $5,183, across 36 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Behrakis Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does The Behrakis Foundation give grants?
The Behrakis Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 82% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (7%) and Virginia (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Lowell, MA (14 grants), Brookline, MA (5 grants), Boston, MA (5 grants) and Tyngsboro, MA (3 grants).
Does The Behrakis Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 36 grants with a stated purpose on The Behrakis Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Health" (8 grants), "Religious" (8 grants) and "Civic" (8 grants).
Who are The Behrakis Foundation's largest grantees?
The Behrakis Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Dana Farber Cancer Institute ($45,000), Boys Club of Lowell ($15,000 across 2 grants) and Project Mexico ($12,500 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Behrakis Foundation?
The Behrakis Foundation reported $2.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $187K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $171K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Behrakis Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Behrakis Foundation?
The foundation’s 2024 filing says applications should include a summarizing cover letter, a narrative proposal, project and agency budgets, copies of the most recent IRS ruling, a financial statement and audit report,… Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Behrakis Foundation's EIN?
The Behrakis Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 04-3348263. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Behrakis Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Behrakis Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-behrakis-foundation-morg_6fbb407f8cc848a1b4c54b73bbd7bcb6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_043348263_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Behrakis Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-behrakis-foundation-morg_6fbb407f8cc848a1b4c54b73bbd7bcb6},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 The Behrakis 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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