The Berkman Family Foundation
The Berkman Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Highland Park, Illinois. Its 2025 grants went to charitable organizations in Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Washington, D.C., and California.
The Berkman Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Berkman Family Foundation gave $98K across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Illinois. 28% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $97,585
- +2.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- +45.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,365
- -29.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $567,529
- -12.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 28% first-time grantees (8 of 29, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (75% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Berkman Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 275 N Deere Park Dr E, Highland Park, IL 60044
Phone: (847) 702-4905
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Berkman Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Jewish United Fund Metro Chicago ($32K). Together the top 10 received $73K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($15,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
99 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 98 grants of 99 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 75% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 18% to Pennsylvania, 4% to New York, and 1% each to Washington, D.C., and California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Berkman Family Foundation open to new grantees?
28%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 29 grantees (28%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $577; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $490 first-time, $1K repeat.
- 55% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−19%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 88% 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 (2021–2025). 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 $34K (2021) to $120K (2022). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $98K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish United Fund Metro Chicago Chicago, IL | furtherance of tax exempt purpose | $32,110 |
| Am Shalom Glencoe, IL | furtherance of tax exempt purpose | $19,108 |
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $15,000 |
| Northwestern Memorial Foundation Chicago, IL | Futherance of tax exempt purpose | $10,000 |
| Chicago Dancers United Chicago, IL | furtherance of tax exempt purpose | $2,680 |
| Charcot-Marie -Tooth Glenolden, PA | furtherance of tax exempt purpose | $2,500 |
| LSCC Educational Fund Chicago, IL | Furtherance of tax exempt purposes | $1,500 |
| Jewish Federation North America New York, NY | Furtherance of Tax Exempt Purposes | $1,500 |
| Conway Farms Golf Foundation Lake Forest, IL | Furtherance of tax exempt purposes | $1,200 |
| Illinois Holocaust Museum Skokie, IL | furtherance of tax exempt purpose | $1,000 |
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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 | $567,529 | $28,515 | $99,611 | $97,585 | 29 | $97,585 | $28,515 | $111,043 |
| 2024 | $650,513 | $121,584 | $96,068 | $95,278 | 20 | $95,278 | $121,584 | $99,607 |
| 2023 | $624,997 | $31,324 | $62,020 | $60,992 | 21 | $60,992 | $31,345 | $86,557 |
| 2022 | $654,820 | $26,335 | $120,501 | $120,190 | 20 | $120,190 | $26,335 | $85,894 |
| 2021 | $755,244 | $2,040,163 | $36,630 | $33,780 | 9 | $33,780 | $3,273 | $16,671 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Berkman Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $111K 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. Among its 2025 grantees, the Brain Trauma Foundation says its mission is to develop evidence-based guidelines for traumatic brain injuries. American Friends of ALYN Hospital says it educates people in the U.S. about a pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation hospital in Jerusalem and raises funds to support its work. Helping Hands Network says it benefits charities serving children and young adults with special needs. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 29 grants totaling $97,585. Awards ranged from $18 to $32,110, with a median of $1,000. Notable grants included $32,110 to Jewish United Fund Metro Chicago, $19,108 to Am Shalom, $15,000 to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and $10,000 to Northwestern Memorial Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jodie Berkman as President, Peter Berkman as Director, and Nicole Berkman as Vice President.
The Berkman Family Foundation is led by Jodie Berkman, President since 2022 (on filings since 2021); none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jodie Berkman
President
Director.pres → President, 2022
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Peter D Berkman
Director
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Nicole Berkman
Vice President
Director & Vice President → Vice President, 2022
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: BradleyBerkman (2021) — Director & Treasurer
- Former: Caroline Berkman (2021) — Director & Secretary
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Berkman Family Foundation
How much does The Berkman Family Foundation give each year?
The Berkman Family Foundation gave $98K across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $95K across 20 grants.
What is The Berkman Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Berkman Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $3,365, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Berkman Family Foundation that year got $577 on average.
Where does The Berkman Family Foundation give grants?
The Berkman Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 75% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Pennsylvania (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (7 grants) and New York, NY (5 grants).
Who are The Berkman Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Berkman Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Jewish United Fund Metro Chicago ($32,110), Am Shalom ($19,108) and Northwestern Memorial Foundation ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($15,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Berkman Family Foundation?
The Berkman Family Foundation reported $568K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $98K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $111K (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 The Berkman Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Among its 2025 grantees, the Brain Trauma Foundation says its mission is to develop evidence-based guidelines for traumatic brain injuries. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Berkman Family Foundation?
The foundation 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 The Berkman Family Foundation's EIN?
The Berkman Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 86-3178353. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does The Berkman Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 18, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 26, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 19, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 2, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
Live grants for the work The Berkman Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Berkman Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Berkman Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-berkman-family-foundation-morg_2e362968a3e54e2c924a0b2b554da17f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_863178353_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Berkman Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-berkman-family-foundation-morg_2e362968a3e54e2c924a0b2b554da17f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Berkman 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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