The Paula and William Bernstein Family
The Paula and William Bernstein Family is a private foundation based in Denver, Colorado. Its 2025 grants supported organizations with purposes listed as education, religion, cultural arts, medical, and civic and community activities.
The Paula and William Bernstein Family at a glance
In short: The Paula and William Bernstein Family gave $1.1M across 82 grants in 2025 (avg $14K), top state Massachusetts. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,114,260
- -8.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 82
- -4.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $13,589
- -3.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $9,059,852
- -2.0% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (46% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to The Paula and William Bernstein Family
- 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: 16 Polo Club Dr, Denver, CO 80209-3310
Phone: (303) 722-4765
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Paula and William Bernstein Family funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Wellesley College ($500K). Together the top 10 received $990K.
Grant Size Distribution
418 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 402 grants of 418 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went primarily to recipients in Massachusetts (46%), Colorado (34%), and Minnesota (18%). Recipients in Washington, DC, and Illinois each received 1% of grant dollars.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 82 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Paula and William Bernstein Family gives
- 91% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 96% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 200% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $401K (2020) to $1.2M (2024). In 2025 it made 82 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wellesley College Wellesley, MA | Education | $500,000 |
| University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN | Education | $200,000 |
| Temple Emanuel Denver, CO | Religion | $76,800 |
| Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Denver, CO | Cultural Arts | $50,000 |
| Denver Institute for Psychoanalysis - Peacs Aurora, CO | Medical | $35,000 |
| Colorado Symphony Orchestra Denver, CO | Cultural Arts | $30,000 |
| Congregation HAR Hashem Boulder, CO | Religious | $28,000 |
| Jewish Colorado Denver, CO | Religious | $26,800 |
| Colorado Public Radio Centennial, CO | Civic and Community | $25,000 |
| Boulder Jewish Community Center Boulder, CO | Civic and Community | $18,000 |
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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 | $9,059,852 | $1,027,515 | $1,216,783 | $1,114,260 | 82 | $1,118,710 | $940,452 | $559,806 |
| 2024 | $9,249,120 | $603,084 | $1,303,775 | $1,216,250 | 86 | $1,220,700 | $520,009 | $558,893 |
| 2023 | $9,949,811 | $270,072 | $647,502 | $565,150 | 84 | $583,748 | $181,563 | $548,550 |
| 2022 | $10,327,241 | $358,170 | $737,928 | $568,070 | 82 | $578,796 | $288,136 | $567,228 |
| 2021 | $10,706,999 | $2,583,282 | $580,253 | $489,850 | 84 | — | $2,499,588 | $556,643 |
| 2020 | $8,703,970 | $593,345 | $496,310 | $400,780 | 21 | — | $508,227 | $478,132 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Paula and William Bernstein Family reported a distributable amount of $560K 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 2025 grants included support for education, religious organizations, cultural arts, medical organizations, and civic and community initiatives. The grantees describe their own work in varied ways: Wellesley College says it provides a liberal arts education for women; Denver Children’s Choir describes its work as developing children’s musical talents and friendships; and Food Bank of the Rockies says it nourishes people facing food insecurity. Conservation Colorado describes work advancing climate action and environmental justice.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 82 grants totaling $1,114,260. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $500,000, with a median of $1,000.
The largest grants included $500,000 to Wellesley College for education, $200,000 to the University of Minnesota for education, and $76,800 to Temple Emanuel for religion. Other notable grants included $50,000 to Cleo Parker Robinson Dance for cultural arts, $35,000 to Denver Institute for Psychoanalysis - PEACS for medical purposes, and $30,000 to Colorado Symphony Orchestra for cultural arts.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Paula Bernstein as president and director, and Erik Bernstein as secretary and director.
The Paula and William Bernstein Family is led by Paula Bernstein, President & Director since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Paula Bernstein
President & Director
President → President & Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Erik Bernstein
Secretary & Director
Secretary → Secretary & Director, 2024
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: William Bernstein (2020–2023) — Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Paula and William Bernstein Family
How much does The Paula and William Bernstein Family give each year?
The Paula and William Bernstein Family gave $1.1M across 82 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.2M across 86 grants.
What is The Paula and William Bernstein Family's typical grant size?
The Paula and William Bernstein Family's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $13,589, across 82 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Paula and William Bernstein Family give grants?
The Paula and William Bernstein Family's top state is Massachusetts, with 46% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Colorado (34%) and Minnesota (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Denver, CO (36 grants), Washington, DC (16 grants), Merrifield, VA (3 grants) and Wellesley, MA (2 grants).
Does The Paula and William Bernstein Family give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 82 grants with a stated purpose on The Paula and William Bernstein Family's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Civic and Community" (46 grants), "Medical" (15 grants) and "Cultural Arts" (11 grants).
Who are The Paula and William Bernstein Family's largest grantees?
The Paula and William Bernstein Family's largest 2025 grantees include Wellesley College ($500,000), University of Minnesota ($200,000) and Temple Emanuel ($76,800), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 70% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Paula and William Bernstein Family?
The Paula and William Bernstein Family reported $9.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $560K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Paula and William Bernstein Family fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for education, religious organizations, cultural arts, medical organizations, and civic and community initiatives. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Paula and William Bernstein Family?
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 Paula and William Bernstein Family's EIN?
The Paula and William Bernstein Family's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 74-2351575. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Paula and William Bernstein Family 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 26, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 17, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 16, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Paula and William Bernstein Family funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-paula-and-william-bernstein-family-morg_2c3df83ed7e14e99b417003f88f8a86c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_742351575_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Paula and William Bernstein Family funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-paula-and-william-bernstein-family-morg_2c3df83ed7e14e99b417003f88f8a86c},
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 Paula and William Bernstein Family'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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