The Berning Family Foundation
The Berning Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Covington, Kentucky. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations in Ohio, Kentucky, and New York, including schools, churches, and community organizations.
The Berning Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Berning Family Foundation gave $49K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Ohio. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $48,500
- +5.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +7.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,233
- -1.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,500
- Total assets
- $483,542
- +6.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (4 of 15, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (81% 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 Berning Family Foundation
- 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: 313 East 2Nd Street, Covington, KY 41011
Phone: (513) 460-4944
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Berning Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Elder High School ($7K). Together the top 10 received $39K.
Grant Size Distribution
64 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 64 grants of 64 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 81% of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio, 14% to Kentucky, and 4% to New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Berning Family Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 15 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 31% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 104% 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 $27K (2019) to $49K (2025). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $49K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Elder High School Cincinnati, OH | Support | $7,000 |
| Dragonfly Foundation Cincinnati, OH | Support | $5,500 |
| Bloc Ministries Cincinnati, OH | Support | $3,500 |
| Lasalle High School Cincinnati, OH | Support | $3,500 |
| Moeller High School Cincinnati, OH | Support | $3,500 |
| Sparc Hope Louisville, KY | Support | $3,500 |
| St Lawrence Church Cincinnati, OH | Support | $3,500 |
| Our Lady of Victory Cincinnati, OH | Support | $3,500 |
| Freestore Foodbank Cincinnati, OH | Support | $3,500 |
| Roger Bacon High School Cincinnati, OH | Support | $2,000 |
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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 | $483,542 | $78,947 | $49,678 | $48,500 | 15 | $48,500 | $77,569 | $46,613 |
| 2024 | $454,273 | $36,887 | $46,700 | $46,000 | 14 | $46,000 | $27,187 | $41,815 |
| 2023 | $464,086 | $11,397 | $42,950 | $42,000 | 12 | $42,000 | $6,947 | $35,027 |
| 2022 | $495,639 | $21,785 | $38,200 | $37,000 | 11 | $37,000 | $11,585 | $33,730 |
| 2021 | $512,054 | $29,956 | $40,200 | $39,000 | 12 | $39,000 | $14,204 | $37,784 |
| 2020 | $522,298 | $176,025 | $32,303 | $31,000 | 10 | — | $157,805 | $27,440 |
| 2019 | $378,576 | $30,636 | $27,797 | $26,500 | 9 | — | $6,872 | $25,741 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Berning Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $47K 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 listed grants include support for schools, churches, and community organizations. One recipient, Freestore Foodbank, describes its mission as “improve lives by eliminating hunger in partnership with our community.” Another, BLOC Ministries, says its mission is “building relationships with our neighbors and sharing hope in brokenness,” through free activities and programs for youth and adults.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $48,500 through 15 grants. Grants ranged from $1,500 to $7,000, with a median of $3,500.
Named 2025 recipients include Elder High School ($7,000), Dragonfly Foundation ($5,500), and BLOC Ministries, LaSalle High School, Moeller High School, SPARC Hope, St. Lawrence Church, Our Lady of Victory, and Freestore Foodbank ($3,500 each). The listed grant purposes are “support.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dennis Berning, Theresa Denoyer, Martin Berning, and Nathan Berning as trustees.
The Berning Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 4 officers; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Dennis M. Berning
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Martin J. Berning
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Theresa Denoyer
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nathan Berning
Trustee
On filings since 2022
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 Berning Family Foundation
How much does The Berning Family Foundation give each year?
The Berning Family Foundation gave $49K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $46K across 14 grants.
What is The Berning Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Berning Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,500, and its average grant was $3,233, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Berning Family Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does The Berning Family Foundation give grants?
The Berning Family Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 81% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Kentucky (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cincinnati, OH (11 grants).
Does The Berning Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 15 grants with a stated purpose on The Berning Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support" (15 grants).
Who are The Berning Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Berning Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Elder High School ($7,000), Dragonfly Foundation ($5,500) and Bloc Ministries ($3,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Berning Family Foundation?
The Berning Family Foundation reported $484K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $49K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $47K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Berning Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its listed grants include support for schools, churches, and community organizations. One recipient, Freestore Foodbank, describes its mission as “improve lives by eliminating hunger in partnership with our community.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Berning Family Foundation?
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 Berning Family Foundation's EIN?
The Berning Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-2240964. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Berning 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 12, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 18, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 17, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 19, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 3, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work The Berning Family Foundation funds
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