The Bernhill Fund
The Bernhill Fund is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its 2025 grants supported charitable and educational organizations, including organizations working in Jewish history and culture, audio programming, scholarships, and criminal justice.
The Bernhill Fund at a glance
In short: The Bernhill Fund gave $108K across 7 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $107,500
- -59.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 7
- -30.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,357
- -41.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $1,455,819
- +12.7% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New York (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 The Bernhill Fund
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: Co Sacks 600 Third Ave 2604, New York, NY 10016
Phone: (212) 682-6640
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Bernhill Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 7 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Leo Baeck Institute ($35K). Together the top 7 received $108K.
Grant Size Distribution
47 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 40 grants of 47 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The fund is based in New York, NY. In 2025, 95% of its grant dollars went to recipients in New York and 5% to recipients in Connecticut.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 7 itemized grants.
Cities
How The Bernhill Fund gives
- Giving fell 24% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 100% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $108K (2025) to $392K (2021). In 2025 it made 7 grants totaling $108K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Leo Baeck Institute New York, NY | General Purposes | $35,000 |
| The Winston Churchill Foundation New York, NY | Scholarship | $25,000 |
| New York Public Radio New York, NY | General Purposes | $20,000 |
| Naumburg Orchestral Concerts New Yorkn, NY | General Purposes | $10,000 |
| The Innocence Project New York, NY | General Purposes | $10,000 |
| The Gift of Hope USA Fdn Stamford, CT | General Purposes | $5,000 |
| Institute of International Education New York, NY | General Purposes | $2,500 |
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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 | $1,455,819 | $299,010 | $134,425 | $107,500 | 7 | $107,500 | $276,090 | $107,752 |
| 2024 | $1,291,234 | $422,339 | $285,936 | $262,000 | 10 | $262,000 | $401,073 | $104,021 |
| 2023 | $1,154,831 | $91,673 | $343,545 | $320,000 | 11 | $320,000 | $70,548 | $92,625 |
| 2022 | $1,406,703 | $280,495 | $172,370 | $142,250 | 9 | $142,250 | $256,170 | $114,518 |
| 2021 | $1,298,578 | $482,228 | $430,138 | $392,000 | 10 | — | $444,090 | $141,093 |
| 2020 | $1,246,488 | $373,480 | $191,829 | $175,500 | 16 | — | $356,651 | $111,065 |
| 2019 | $1,064,837 | $184,225 | $207,695 | $178,039 | 44 | — | $154,577 | $99,643 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Bernhill Fund reported a distributable amount of $108K 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 fund is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations whose own missions reflect a range of activities. The Leo Baeck Institute says its mission is to study and preserve the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry. New York Public Radio describes its mission as making people more curious, open-hearted, and joyful through audio programming rooted in New York. The Innocence Project says it works to free people who have been wrongly convicted and reform the criminal justice system. The Institute of International Education describes its mission as promoting international educational and cultural exchanges.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the fund made 7 grants totaling $107,500. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $35,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest grants were $35,000 to the Leo Baeck Institute for general purposes, $25,000 to the Winston Churchill Foundation for a scholarship, and $20,000 to New York Public Radio for general purposes. Other 2025 grants included $10,000 to Naumburg Orchestral Concerts and $10,000 to the Innocence Project, both for general purposes; $5,000 to the Gift of Hope USA Foundation for general purposes; and $2,500 to the Institute of International Education for general purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists William L Bernhard as president, Patricia Hewitt as vice president and secretary, and Winthrop Rutherford Jr as treasurer.
The Bernhill Fund is led by William L. Bernhard, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
William L. Bernhard
President
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Patricia Hewitt
Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Winthrop Rutherfurd Jr.
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 Bernhill Fund
How much does The Bernhill Fund give each year?
The Bernhill Fund gave $108K across 7 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $262K across 10 grants.
What is The Bernhill Fund's typical grant size?
The Bernhill Fund's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $15,357, across 7 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Bernhill Fund give grants?
The Bernhill Fund gives mostly in New York: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (5 grants).
Does The Bernhill Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 86% of The Bernhill Fund's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (6 of 7) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Bernhill Fund's largest grantees?
The Bernhill Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Leo Baeck Institute ($35,000), The Winston Churchill Foundation ($25,000) and New York Public Radio ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 74% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Bernhill Fund?
The Bernhill Fund reported $1.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $108K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $108K (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 Bernhill Fund fund?
No mission statement for the fund is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations whose own missions reflect a range of activities. The Leo Baeck Institute says its mission is to study and preserve the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Bernhill Fund?
The foundation states that it 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 Bernhill Fund's EIN?
The Bernhill Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-2898599. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Bernhill Fund 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 20, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 7, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 16, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 16, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 16, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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