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The Berkman Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Berkman Family Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$98k
Granted FY2025still arriving
29
Grants FY2025still arriving
10
States reached
$32k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0189% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2021 to 2025.

Philanthropy$189kEducation$109kReligion$44kHealth$19kArts & Culture$16kRecreation & Sports$9kHuman Services$4kYouth Development$3kOther$0
02FY2025 · 29 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k25 grants · $21k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $76k
$1,000
Median grant
10
States reached
$568k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Jewish United Fund Metro Chicago$32,110
Am Shalom$19,108
Univ of Pennsylvania - Wharton Scho$15,000
Northwestern Memorial Foundation$10,000
Chicago Dancers United$2,680
Individual grant recipient$2,500
LSCC Educational Fund$1,500
Jewish Federation North America$1,500
Conway Farms Golf Foundation$1,200
OWLS Lacrosse$1,000
Brain Trauma Foundation$1,000
Evans Scholarship Foundation$1,000
American Friends of Alyn Hospital$1,000
Illinois Holocaust Museum$1,000
US Holocaust Museum$1,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY21–25, $5k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%Invest for Kids: $1k → 14%A Better Chicago: $3k → 14%CJE Senior Life: $500 → 14%CJE Senior Life: $500 → 14%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

IL
MI
NY
MA
PA
NJ
CA
MO
VA
MD
DC
TX
FL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

79%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$269k · 22 repeat orgs$73k to everyone else

22 repeat relationships: 20 still active in FY2025, 2 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

22
24

Total granted

$269k
$68k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+8%
+23%

Still filing today

55%
42%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 95% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5k went to new ones.

50%100%’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureHealthPhilanthropyHuman ServicesInternationalRecreation & SportsOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • CD
    Chicago Dance Health Fund
    5× · 2021–2025 · $7k · revenue +1%
  • OW
    Outreach with Lacrosse Schools
    5× · 2021–2025 · $5k · revenue +28%
  • TU
    The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    4× · 2022–2025 · $4k · revenue +8%

Funded once

  • JU
    JEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGOgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $27k · revenue +33%
  • BU
    BOSTON UNIVERSITY HILLEL INC
    one grant, 2024 · $10k · revenue +8%
  • UO
    Univ of Penn Hillel
    one grant, 2024 · $10k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
University of Judaism Foundation
—
2
Bar Ilan University in Israel Inc

Biu produces students who excel in the sciences, humanities, law, engineering, business & the arts.

—
3
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago

Federation amplifies our collective strength to make the world a better place for everyone. we assist people in need, impact chicagoans of all faiths; support israel and the jewish people worldwide; respond swiftly to crises; cultivate…

Philanthropy
4
Yeshiva University

The university is composed of several colleges and schools providing undergraduate, graduate, professional and post-doctoral education and training and research and clinical programs.

Education
5
Hadassah the Women's Zionist Org of America Inc

Hadassah, the women's zionist organization of america, inc., a new york not-for-profit corporation ("hwzoa") enhances the health and lives of people in israel, the united states and worldwide through education, advocacy, women's…

Community Improvement
6
Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Inc

The jewish federation of greater atlanta cares for, connects and strengthens our jewish community throughout greater atlanta, israel and the world.

Philanthropy
7
Better Future for Israel

To strengthen israel's future in these areas: 1)providing new immigrants with assistance in a few key areas: representing them as they navigate government ministries and assisting them with their challenges as new immigrants to israel.…

Philanthropy
8
Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

The jewish federation of greater philadelphia mobilizes financial and volunteer resources to create a bright future for jewish people everywhere. the jewish federation cares for those in need, combats antisemitism and global crises, and…

Philanthropy
9
The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington Inc

The jewish federation of greater washington (federation) envisions a connected and vibrant jewish community that cares for each other, fosters jewish learning and journeys, embraces jewish peoplehood and israel, and acts as a force for…

Philanthropy
10
Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History

The weitzman national museum of american jewish history, on independence mall in philadelphia, presents educational programs and experiences that preserve, explore, and celebrate the history of jews in america. its purpose is to connect…

Arts & Culture
11
Us Middle East Project Inc

The organization's mission is to engage in non partisan analysis of u.s. foreign policy in the middle east, with special emphasis on the middle east peace process, and to present policymakers in the united states, in the region and in the…

International
12
Greater Miami Hillel Foundation Inc

The mission of the organization is to enrich the lives of jewish undergraduate and graduate students so that they may enrich the jewish people and the world.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is American Friends of Alyn Hospitalinc; the most unlike its peers is Helping Hands Network Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

29 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 29 of the 57 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
29/29
Grantees still filing
19/29
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Jewish United Fund Metro Chicago: $137,178 · OtherJewish United Fund Metro ChicagoUniv of Pennsylvania - Wharton Scho: $40,000 · OtherUniv of Pennsylvania - Wharton SchoAM SHALOM: $23,858 · OtherAM SHALOMNorthwestern Memorial Foundation: $15,000 · OtherBOSTON UNIVERSITY HILLEL INC: $10,000 · OtherUniv of Penn Hillel: $10,000 · OtherNational Multiple Sclerosis Foundat: $10,000 · Other+30 more: $38,199 · Other+30 moreTRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: $60,000 · EducationTRUSTEES OF THE U…EVANS SCHOLARS FOUNDATION: $3,000 · EducationJEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO: $27,000 · PhilanthropyJEWISH UN…Highland Park Community Foundation: $5,550 · PhilanthropyHighland …+3 more: $1,600 · PhilanthropyChicago Dance Health Fund: $6,780 · Arts & CultureThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: $4,000 · Arts & CultureFocus on the Arts Inc: $500 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $50 · Arts & CultureOutreach with Lacrosse Schools: $5,000 · Recreation & SportsNorthwestern University: $300 · Recreation & SportsBREAKTHROUGH T1D: $3,500 · HealthThe Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Inc: $1,050 · HealthSharsheret Inc: $624 · Health+1 more: $106 · HealthA Better Chicago: $2,500 · Human ServicesInvest for Kids Inc: $1,030 · Human ServicesCOUNCIL FOR JEWISH ELDERLY: $1,000 · Human Services
Other$284,235Education$63,000Philanthropy$34,150Arts & Culture$11,330Recreation & Sports$5,300Health$5,280Human Services$4,530

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetTRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: $60,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJEWISH UNITED FUND OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO: $27,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBOSTON UNIVERSITY HILLEL INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetChicago Dance Health Fund: $6,780 over 5y, 1.0% of budgetHighland Park Community Foundation: $5,550 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetOutreach with Lacrosse Schools: $5,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: $4,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetBREAKTHROUGH T1D: $3,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetEVANS SCHOLARS FOUNDATION: $3,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetA Better Chicago: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN FRIENDS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN FRIENDS OF ALYN HOSPITALINC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Inc: $1,050 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetInvest for Kids Inc: $1,030 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUNITED JEWISH APPEAL-FEDERATION OF JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES OF NEW YORK INC: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHELPING HANDS NETWORK INC: $1,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetCOUNCIL FOR JEWISH ELDERLY: $1,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE LAMBS FARM INC: $960 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSharsheret Inc: $624 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPKD Foundation: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGREATER MIAMI JEWISH FEDERATION INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFocus on the Arts Inc: $500 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetUSAGAINSTALZHEIMER'S: $106 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICA GIVES INC: $100 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ISRAEL FOREVER FOUNDATION: $50 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJEWISH NATIONAL FUND (KEREN KAYEMETH LEISRAEL) INC: $18 over 1y, 0.0% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Jewish Federation of …Sam I Am FoundationJarvis FoundationNational Philanthropi…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan ChicagoIL15.4× affinity5 shared granteesties to 6 of 6Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago · Sam I Am Foundation · Jarvis Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization The Berkman Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Berkman Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →median 4%
  • Sharsheret Inc: 4% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 57 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home