The Esther & Robert Born Foundation
The Esther & Robert Born Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. Its stated charitable activity is providing donations to charities to further their charitable purposes.
The Esther & Robert Born Foundation at a glance
In short: The Esther & Robert Born Foundation gave $352K across 19 grants in 2024 (avg $19K), mostly in New York. 42% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $352,199
- -48.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 19
- +26.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $18,537
- -59.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $990,278
- -31.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 42% first-time grantees (8 of 19, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (77% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Esther & Robert Born Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Submit a written request with the organization’s name and charitable purpose to Richard Born.
- Review Cycle
- Requests must be submitted before December 31.
- Deadline
- Requests must be submitted before December 31.
- Contact
Application contact: Richard Born
Mailing address: 595 Madison Avenue, 36Th Floor, New York, NY 10022
Phone: (917) 640-2182
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Esther & Robert Born Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Friends of the IDF ($125K). Together the top 10 received $323K.
Grant Size Distribution
80 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 67 grants of 80 (84%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, recipients in New York received 77% of grant dollars. Recipients in Washington, DC, received 14%; Illinois, 7%; California, 1%; and Virginia, 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Esther & Robert Born Foundation open to new grantees?
42%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 8 of 19 grantees (42%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $28K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 53% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−7%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $306K (2022) to $682K (2023). In 2024 it made 19 grants totaling $352K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Friends of the IDF New York, NY | Donation | $125,000 |
| U S Holocaust Museum Washington DC, DC | Donation | $50,000 |
| Congregation Kehilath JES New York, NY | Donation | $43,619 |
| International Fellowship of Christi Chicago, IL | Donation | $25,000 |
| J N F New York, NY | Donation | $18,000 |
| Friends of Rabin Medical Center New York, NY | Donation | $18,000 |
| Tibet Fund New York, NY | Donation | $13,000 |
| Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach Atlantic Beach, NY | Donation | $10,180 |
| UJA New York, NY | Donation | $10,000 |
| Ohr Torah Stone New York, NY | Donation | $10,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $990,278 | $-94,982 | $361,060 | $352,199 | 19 | $352,199 | $24,811 |
| 2023 | $1,446,320 | $-48,998 | $688,994 | $681,932 | 15 | $681,932 | $14,306 |
| 2022 | $2,184,312 | $501,418 | $316,184 | $305,957 | 17 | $305,957 | $162,700 |
| 2021 | $1,999,078 | $343,571 | $386,358 | $377,712 | 15 | $377,712 | $124,250 |
| 2020 | $2,041,865 | $172,737 | $442,147 | $433,757 | 14 | — | $74,136 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation describes its charitable activity as “providing donations to charities to further their charitable purpose.” Its grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews describes its work as building bridges between Christians and Jews and providing humanitarian care and life-saving aid. The Tibet Fund describes its mission as safeguarding Tibetan cultural heritage and strengthening Tibetan communities. The Museum of Jewish Heritage describes itself as a living memorial to the Holocaust.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 19 grants totaling $352,199. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $125,000, with a median grant of $10,000. The largest grants included $125,000 to Friends of the IDF, $50,000 to the U.S. Holocaust Museum, $43,619 to Congregation Kehilath Jes, and $25,000 to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Other listed recipients included JNF and Friends of Rabin Medical Center, each receiving $18,000; the Tibet Fund, $13,000; and UJA, $10,000.
The foundation’s filing states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It asks for a written request that includes the organization’s name and charitable purpose. The filing states there are no award restrictions or limitations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Richard Born as president and Rita Distenfeld as treasurer.
The Esther & Robert Born Foundation is led by Richard Born, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Richard Born
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Rita Distenfeld
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Esther & Robert Born Foundation
How much does The Esther & Robert Born Foundation give each year?
The Esther & Robert Born Foundation gave $352K across 19 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $682K across 15 grants.
What is The Esther & Robert Born Foundation's typical grant size?
The Esther & Robert Born Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $18,537, across 19 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Esther & Robert Born Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does The Esther & Robert Born Foundation give grants?
The Esther & Robert Born Foundation gives mostly in New York: 77% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (14%) and Illinois (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (12 grants).
Does The Esther & Robert Born Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on The Esther & Robert Born Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Donation" (19 grants).
Who are The Esther & Robert Born Foundation's largest grantees?
The Esther & Robert Born Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Friends of the IDF ($125,000), U S Holocaust Museum ($50,000) and Congregation Kehilath JES ($43,619), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 62% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Esther & Robert Born Foundation?
The Esther & Robert Born Foundation reported $990K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
What does The Esther & Robert Born Foundation fund?
The foundation describes its charitable activity as “providing donations to charities to further their charitable purpose.” Its grants included support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Esther & Robert Born Foundation?
Submit a written request with the organization’s name and charitable purpose to Richard Born. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Esther & Robert Born Foundation's EIN?
The Esther & Robert Born Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3797585. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Esther & Robert Born Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Esther & Robert Born Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-esther-and-robert-born-foundation-morg_3935feaf175848fb89bc48fabc0c821d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133797585_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Esther \& Robert Born Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-esther-and-robert-born-foundation-morg_3935feaf175848fb89bc48fabc0c821d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Esther & Robert Born 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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