The Bender Family Foundation
The Bender Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Albany, New York. Established in 1997, it works to foster, preserve, and fund arts, culture, education, history, and environmental initiatives in New York’s Capital Region.
The Bender Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Bender Family Foundation gave $239K across 38 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in New York. 37% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $238,873
- -5.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 38
- +11.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,286
- -15.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,205
- Total assets
- $2,428,141
- +2.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 37% first-time grantees (14 of 38, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (99% 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 Bender Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states on its 2025 filing that it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Its grant information also describes a pre-application or letter of inquiry process through the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region. Grants are not made to individuals or to support annual fund drives, and the same organization is not eligible for grants in consecutive years. Organizations awarded a grant in 2024 may apply again in 2026; those awarded a grant in 2025 may apply in 2027. The foundation accepts proposals from organizations whose directors are active as volunteers, directors, or donors.
- Review Cycle
- The fund page lists June 1, 2026, as the application due date. The 2026 competitive grant schedule lists a March 11, 2026, pre-application deadline and a May–June full application period.
- Deadline
- The fund page lists June 1, 2026, as the application due date.
- Contact
Mailing address: 111 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12210
Phone: (518) 457-5046
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Bender Family Foundation
Who The Bender Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Friends of Thacher State Park ($25K). Together the top 10 received $147K.
Grant Size Distribution
172 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 172 grants of 172 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation gives preference to projects in the city of Albany and Albany County. It will also consider projects within a radius of no more than 30 miles from the New York State Capitol in Albany. In filing year 2025, 99% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York; Vermont and Connecticut each accounted for 0% as reported.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 38 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Bender Family Foundation open to new grantees?
37%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 14 of 38 grantees (37%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 47% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 102% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $193K (2023) to $253K (2024). In 2025 it made 38 grants totaling $239K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Friends of Thacher State Park Voorheesville, NY | Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Albany Institute of History and Art Albany, NY | Unrestricted | $15,500 |
| Connect Center for Youth Cohoes, NY | Unrestricted | $15,000 |
| Steamer NO10 Theatre Inc Albany, NY | Unrestricted | $15,000 |
| Underground Railroad Education Center Albany, NY | Unrestricted | $15,000 |
| University at Albany Foundation Albany, NY | Unrestricted | $15,000 |
| Watervliet Civic Chest Inc Watervliet, NY | Unrestricted | $15,000 |
| Destroyer Escort Historical Museum (USS Slater) Albany, NY | Unrestricted | $11,000 |
| Capital District Women's Employment & Resource Center (Werc) Albany, NY | Unrestricted | $10,250 |
| Girls Incorporated of the Greater Capital Region Schenectady, NY | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Bender Family 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 | $2,428,141 | $243,147 | $304,524 | $238,873 | 38 | $239,123 | $294,628 | $235,177 |
| 2024 | $2,360,255 | $330,810 | $310,418 | $252,853 | 34 | $253,103 | $254,701 | $225,044 |
| 2023 | $2,192,041 | $1,106,802 | $241,831 | $193,000 | 27 | $193,000 | $87,583 | $189,801 |
| 2022 | $2,259,457 | $41,467 | $277,930 | $221,750 | 35 | $221,750 | $32,705 | $166,769 |
| 2021 | $2,495,920 | $1,050,945 | $291,040 | $238,156 | 38 | $238,156 | $297,112 | $167,802 |
| 2020 | $2,005,951 | $202,139 | $243,970 | $212,950 | 32 | — | $89,995 | $123,363 |
| 2019 | $2,047,783 | $146,162 | $249,071 | $229,300 | 32 | — | $46,516 | $120,573 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Bender Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $235K 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
The foundation’s stated work is to foster, preserve, and fund the arts, culture, education, history, and environment of New York State’s Capital Region. It considers requests for capital campaigns and capital expenditures, and may award challenge grants or allow its grants to be used as matching funds.
Its 2025 grantees illustrate the range of organizations supported. The Albany Institute of History and Art describes itself as a regional museum dedicated to the history, art, and culture of Albany and the Upper Hudson Valley. Watervliet Civic Chest says it offers constructive programs for local youth. New York Newspapers Foundation identifies advancing freedom of speech and the press and promoting education as part of its mission. Other 2025 recipients included Albany Center Galleries, which promotes contemporary visual art; The Children’s Museum at Saratoga, which fosters curiosity and discovery; and Up-Stitch, which reuses donated textiles and promotes environmental awareness.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 38 grants totaling $238,873. Individual awards ranged from $500 to $25,000, with a median grant of $4,205. The foundation’s stated usual award range is $5,000–$15,000.
Among the largest 2025 awards were $25,000 to Friends of Thacher State Park; $15,500 to the Albany Institute of History and Art; $15,000 each to Connect Center for Youth, Steamer No10 Theatre, Underground Railroad Education Center, University at Albany Foundation, and Watervliet Civic Chest; and $11,000 to the Destroyer Escort Historical Museum (USS Slater). These grants were listed as unrestricted.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jeffrey P. Bender as president, M. Christian Bender as vice-president, Phoebe P. Bender as secretary, Jackie Mahoney as treasurer, and Ten Eyck Powell Jr. as a board member.
The Bender Family Foundation is led by Jeffrey P. Bender, President since 2020 (on filings since 2019); none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jeffrey P. Bender
President
Board → President, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
M. Christian Bender
Vice President
Board → Vice President, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Phoebe P. Bender
Secretary
Vice President → Secretary, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ten Eyck Powell Jr.
Board
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jackie Mahoney
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Matthew Bender IV (2019) — President
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Bender Family Foundation
How much does The Bender Family Foundation give each year?
The Bender Family Foundation gave $239K across 38 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $253K across 34 grants.
What is The Bender Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Bender Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,205, and its average grant was $6,286, across 38 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Bender Family Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does The Bender Family Foundation give grants?
The Bender Family Foundation gives mostly in New York: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Albany, NY (17 grants), Ravena, NY (5 grants), Cohoes, NY (3 grants) and Schenectady, NY (2 grants).
Does The Bender Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 97% of The Bender Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (37 of 38) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Bender Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Bender Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Friends of Thacher State Park ($25,000), Albany Institute of History and Art ($15,500) and Connect Center for Youth ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 23% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Bender Family Foundation?
The Bender Family Foundation reported $2.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $239K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $235K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Bender Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated work is to foster, preserve, and fund the arts, culture, education, history, and environment of New York State’s Capital Region. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Bender Family Foundation?
The foundation states on its 2025 filing that it 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 The Bender Family Foundation's EIN?
The Bender Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 16-1526228. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Bender 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 17, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Bender Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Bender Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Bender Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-bender-family-foundation-morg_bc4fb6048b7548e99f4ade68ae009711
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_161526228_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Bender Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-bender-family-foundation-morg_bc4fb6048b7548e99f4ade68ae009711},
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 The Bender 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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