Skip to content
The Bill Bernbach Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Bill Bernbach 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.

$46k
Granted FY2025still arriving
4
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$20k
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, FY2017 to 2025.

Education$128kArts & Culture$91kHealth$68kEnvironment$62kYouth Development$33kFood & Nutrition$13kAnimals$8kCommunity Improvement$3kOther$0
02FY2025 · 4 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k1 grant · $4k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $43k
$12,500
Median grant
1
States reached
$529k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SAINT ANN'S SCHOOL$20,000
Individual grant recipient$12,500
Individual grant recipient$10,000
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA$3,750
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 18%, against an area that typically sits at 13%. 92% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 13%BEDFORD PLAYHOUSE: $25k → 9%THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM: $10k → 20%CASTA MARIA: $13k → 28%THE MUSICIAN TREATMENT FOUNDATION OF AUSTIN TEXAS INC: $5k → 10%OCEANA INC: $35k → 14%FOOD FOR THE POOR INC: $13k → 13%ATLANTIC SALMON FEDERATION: $5k → 16%BEDFORD PLAYHOUSE: $5k → 9%INNER CITY SCHOLARSHIP FUND: $5k → 17%BROOKLYN MUESUM: $10k → 20%CASTA MARIA: $10k → 28%OCEANA INC: $25k → 14%MUNICIPAL ART SOCIEY OF NEW YORK: $3k → 17%BROOKLYN MUESUM: $10k → 20%CASTA MARIA: $10k → 28%NATIONAL BREAST CANCER COALITION FUND: $5k → 14%ONE EAST SIXTIETH STREET HISTORICAL FUND: $3k → 17%BROOKLYN MUSEUM: $10k → 20%THE KIPS BAY BOYS & GIRLS CLUB: $2k → 28%MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION: $2k → 17%BROOKLYN MUESUM: $10k → 20%BROOKLYN MUESUM: $10k → 20%MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CENTER: $10k → 17%BROOKLYN ACADEMY: $2k → 20%MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CENTER: $10k → 17%BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC: $2k → 20%THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: $4k → 17%THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: $4k → 17%SAINT ANN'S SCHOOL: $20k → 20%THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: $4k → 17%SAINT ANN'S SCHOOL: $20k → 20%THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: $4k → 17%SAINT ANN'S SCHOOL: $20k → 20%THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: $3k → 17%SAINT ANN'S SCHOOL: $20k → 20%CASITA MARIA INC: $25k → 17%SAINT ANN'S SCHOOL: $20k → 20%METROPOLITAN OPERA GUILD: $3k → 17%SAINT ANN'S SCHOOL: $10k → 20%APOLLO PACT INC: $8k → 17%SAINT ANN'S SCHOOL: $10k → 20%CASITA MARIA INC: $5k → 17%THE BROOKLYN WOMENS EXCHANGE: $3k → 20%METROPOLITAN OPERA GUILD: $3k → 17%SCHWARZMAN ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER: $3k → 17%ALZHEIMERS DRUG RECOVERY FOUNDATION: $25k → 17%CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR NEW YORK CITY: $3k → 17%ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI: $3k → 17%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.
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.

81%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$387k · 12 repeat orgs$94k to everyone else

12 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2025, 8 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

12
24

Total granted

$387k
$94k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

0%
+37%

Still filing today

58%
88%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’20’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureEducationInternationalHealthEnvironmentAnimalsOther
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

  • SA
    SAINT ANN'S SCHOOL
    7× · 2017–2025 · $120k · revenue +36%
  • BP
    BEDFORD PLAYHOUSE INC
    4× · 2017–2024 · $33k · revenue +121%
  • TB
    THE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
    2× · 2017–2020 · $20k · revenue +86%

Funded once

  • AD
    ALZHEIMERS DRUG RECOVERY FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2022 · $25k
  • FOOD FOR THE POOR INC
    one grant, 2017 · $13k · revenue -56%
  • AP
    Apollo Pact Incgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $8k · revenue +54%
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
Museum of the City of New York

The museum of the city of new york fosters understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in the world's most influential metropolis. it engages visitors by celebrating, documenting, and interpreting the city's past, present, and…

Arts & Culture
2
Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art is a private, non-profit institution chartered by the State of New York Department of Education in 1929 to foster public awareness of modern and contemporary art. (Continued in Schedule O)

Arts & Culture
3
The Pierpont Morgan Library

The Morgan Library & Museum celebrates and shares the history and process of human creativity from antiquity to the present day through the preservation, study, and interpretation of a dynamic and growing collection.

Education
4
New York University

Nyu is a private university with approximately 60,000 matriculating students in 20 schools and institutes. nyu's primary missions are education, research and scholarship, and patient care.

Education
5
Boston Architectural College

The bac is committed to provide excellence in design education grounded in practice and accessible to diverse communities.

—
6
American Museum of Natural History

The museum's mission statement is: "to discover, interpret, and disseminate - through scientific research and education - knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe."

Arts & Culture
7
Amigos Del Museo Del Barrio Inc El Museo Del Barrio

El museo's mission is to preserve, interpret, and promote the artistic heritage of puerto ricans and all latin americans in the united states by means of exhibitions, public programs, publications, and educational activities.

Arts & Culture
8
The Paris Review Foundation Inc

The mission of the organization is to foster the development of creative individuals as writers and artists and to promote public appreciation of excellence in the literary and graphic arts by publishing a magazine containing fiction,…

Education
9
Stony Brook Surgical Associates University Faculty Practice Corporation

Provide clinical instruction to and supervision of medical school students, interns and residents and, incident thereto, rendering professional services.

Health
10
New York School of Interior Design

New york school of interior design provides the most innovative, immersive, and transformative interior design education in the world, demonstrating the impact of professionally designed interiors on the health, happiness, and well-being…

Education
11
Apollo Theater Foundation Inc

The apollo theater is a commissioner and presenter; catalyst for new artists, audiences, and creative workforce; and partner in the projection of the african american narrative and its role in the development of american and global…

Arts & Culture
12
Manhattanville University

To educate students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Food for the Poor Inc; the most unlike its peers is Apollo Pact 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

28 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. 28 of the 36 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)
6
Early backer (in before they grew)
28/28
Grantees still filing
20/28
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Individual grant recipient: $40,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientIndividual grant recipient: $32,500 · OtherIndividual grant recipientCASITA MARIA INC: $30,000 · OtherCASITA MARIA INCALZHEIMERS DRUG RECOVERY FOUNDATION: $25,000 · OtherALZHEIMERS DRUG RECOVERY FOUNDATIONMEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CENTER: $20,000 · OtherMEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CENTERTHE METROPOLITAN OPERA: $18,750 · OtherTHE METROPOLITAN OPERA+11 more: $29,985 · Other+11 moreSAINT ANN'S SCHOOL: $120,000 · EducationSAINT ANN'S SCHOOL+2 more: $3,500 · EducationBEDFORD PLAYHOUSE INC: $32,500 · Arts & CultureBEDFORD PLAYHO…THE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES: $20,000 · Arts & CultureTHE BROOKLYN I…The Metropolitan Opera Guild Inc: $5,500 · Arts & CultureThe Metropolit…Municipal Art Society of New York: $2,500 · Arts & Culture+2 more: $1,850 · Arts & CultureOCEANA INC: $60,000 · EnvironmentOCEANA INC+1 more: $1,500 · EnvironmentFOOD FOR THE POOR INC: $12,500 · InternationalTHE AMERICAN HOSPITAL OF PARIS FOUNDATION: $1,000 · InternationalACCESS HEALTH INTERNATIONAL INC: $1,000 · InternationalApollo Pact Inc: $7,500 · HealthMUSICIAN TREATMENT FOUNDATION OF AUSTIN TEXAS INC: $5,000 · HealthTHE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH: $2,000 · HealthAtlantic Salmon Federation (US) Inc: $5,000 · AnimalsTHE ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER: $2,500 · Animals
Other$196,235Education$123,500Arts & Culture$62,350Environment$61,500International$14,500Health$14,500Animals$7,500

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 budgetSAINT ANN'S SCHOOL: $120,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetOCEANA INC: $60,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBEDFORD PLAYHOUSE INC: $32,500 over 4y, 1.0% of budgetCASITA MARIA INC: $30,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetTHE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFOOD FOR THE POOR INC: $12,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetApollo Pact Inc: $7,500 over 1y, 5.7% of budgetThe Metropolitan Opera Guild Inc: $5,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAtlantic Salmon Federation (US) Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMUSICIAN TREATMENT FOUNDATION OF AUSTIN TEXAS INC: $5,000 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetNATIONAL BREAST CANCER COALITION FUND: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetINNER CITY SCHOLARSHIP FUND INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC INC: $3,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR NEW YORK CITY INC: $3,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMunicipal Art Society of New York: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE BROOKLYN WOMEN'S EXCHANGE INC: $2,500 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetTHE MICHAEL J FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKips Bay Boys & Girls Club: $1,620 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL INC: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE INC: $1,250 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE AMERICAN HOSPITAL OF PARIS FOUNDATION: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetACCESS HEALTH INTERNATIONAL INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetIMENTOR INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMETROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: $600 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.

The New York Communit…Jewish Communal FundThe Bessemer Giving F…National Philanthropi…The Goldman Sachs Cha…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Morgan Stanley Global…Vanguard Charitable E…The Pfizer Foundation…American Endowment Fo…The Bank of America C…Donor Advised Charita…
The New York Community TrustNY15× affinity5 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The New York Community Trust · Jewish Communal Fund · The Bessemer Giving Fund · National Philanthropic Trust · The Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · The Pfizer Foundation Inc · American Endowment Foundation · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc

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 Bill Bernbach Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Bill Bernbach Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →median 2%
  • Westport Country Playhouse Inc: 2% of income from government
  • Food for the Poor Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
8report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–90%
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 36 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

Play a game based on Bill Bernbach’s filings →

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