Skip to content
The Marshall L and Deborah L Berkman Family Charitable Trust at a glance

· Private foundation

The Marshall L and Deborah L Berkman Family Charitable Trust

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.

$240k
Granted FY2020
17
Grants FY2020
5
States reached
$50k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

69% of The Marshall L and Deborah L Berkman Family Charitable Trust’s FY2025 grant dollars went to Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2025 names 14 organizations directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it. Everything below is therefore FY2020, the last year The Marshall L and Deborah L Berkman Family Charitable Trust named its own grantees at scale: 7 organizations, $240k. It is dated, not current.

Organizations named directly on the return

7
’19
7
’20
4
’21
11
’22
11
’23
11
’24
14
’25

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2025.

Philanthropy$621kEducation$440kInternational$349kScience & Tech$252kArts & Culture$135kHealth$92kFood & Nutrition$29kCivil Rights$20kOther$0
02FY2020 · 17 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2020

  • Under $10k8 grants · $36k
  • $10k–50k8 grants · $154k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
$10,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$3.6M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL$50,000
VANGUARD CHARITABLE - STATEMENT$49,000
VANGUARD CHARITABLE FUND -STATEMENT$30,000
HARVARD UNIVERSITY$20,000
CAF AMERICA$15,000
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF WIGMORE HALL$10,000
SANTA FE OPERA$10,000
CAF AMERICA$10,000
THE ROXBURY LATIN SCHOOL$10,000
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE A$7,500
CAF AMERICA$7,500
CAF AMERICA$7,500
CAF AMERICA$5,000
SANTA FE CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL$5,000
Individual grant recipient$2,500
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 (FY19–25, $7k) land where the poverty rate runs at 11%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%SHELTERBOX USA: $5k → 10%METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES: $500 → 14%METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES: $500 → 14%METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES: $500 → 14%PINE STREET INN: $500 → 16%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
NY
MA
OR
OH
NJ
RI
VA
NM
DC
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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 36% of The Marshall L and Deborah L Berkman Family Charitable Trust’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

The Marshall L and Deborah L Berkman Family Charitable Trustlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

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

95%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$896k · 21 repeat orgs$44k to everyone else

21 repeat relationships: 9 still active in FY2020, 12 since wound down; 6 grantees were first funded in FY2020 (too recent to call). Read against FY2020, the last year this funder named its own grantees directly; its giving has since run through a sponsor, which reports no donor behind each grant.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

21
4

Total granted

$896k
$17k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+23%
+210%

Still filing today

67%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 99% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $750 went to new ones.

50%100%’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationArts & CultureHuman ServicesHealthEnvironmentPublic Safety & DisasterOther
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

  • NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL
    4× · 2019–2025 · $151k · revenue +24%
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc
    3× · 2023–2025 · $80k · revenue +16%
  • GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
    5× · 2019–2025 · $65k · revenue +35%

Funded once

  • CHARLES RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION INCgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $6k · revenue +210%
  • SU
    SHELTERBOX USA INCgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $5k · revenue +58%
  • AF
    AMERICAN FRIENDS OF WIGMO
    one grant, 2019 · $5k
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
Boston Architectural College

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

—
2
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The mission of mit is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

Education
3
Trustees of Boston University

Organization's mission: boston university is an international, comprehensive, private research university, committed to educating students to be reflective, resourceful individuals ready to live, adapt, and lead in an interconnected world.…

—
4
Trustees of Boston College

Mission strengthened by more than a century and a half of dedication to academic excellence, boston college commits itself to the highest standards of teaching and research in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs and to the…

Education
5
Bentley University

Organization's mission bentley university believes good business can impact more than the bottom line - it can change the world. bentley is a community of future business leaders who will deliver value in the marketplace and lasting…

Education
6
Buckingham Browne & Nichols School

Bb&n, an all gender day school in cambridge, massachusetts, was established in 1974 by the merger of two independent schools, the buckingham school and the browne & nichols school, founded respectively in 1889 and 1883. located on multiple…

Education
7
Trustees of Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership, through a faculty dedicated to teaching and the creation of knowledge.

Education
8
Trustees of Tufts College

Education and Research

Education
9
The Cambridge School of Weston Inc

The cambridge school of weston's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning and meaningful relationships. our dynamic program inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to…

Education
10
President and Trustees of Bates College

Bates is a college of the liberal arts and sciences, and is a coeducational, nonsectarian, residential college with special commitments to academic rigor, and to assuring in all of its efforts the dignity of each individual, and access to…

Education
11
Wellesley College

To provide an excellent liberal arts education for women who will make a difference in the world.

Education
12
Western New England University

Western new england university, a comprehensive private institution with a tradition of excellence in teaching and scholarship and a commitment to service, awards undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees in various departments from…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is West End House Inc; the most unlike its peers is Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

26 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. 26 of the 37 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)
26/26
Grantees still filing
19/26
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CHARITIES AID FOUNDATION AMERICA: $342,500 · PhilanthropyCHARITIES AID FOUNDATION AMERICAVANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM: $184,000 · PhilanthropyVANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROG…CHAPEL & YORK US FOUNDATION INC: $71,000 · PhilanthropyCHAPEL & YORK US FOUNDATION INCPresident and Fellows of Harvard College: $237,000 · EducationPresident and Fellows of Harvard C…NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL: $151,000 · EducationNOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOLTHE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK: $88,500 · EducationTHE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSIT…GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: $65,000 · EducationGEORGETOWN UNIVERSITYTHE ROXBURY LATIN SCHOOL: $38,290 · EducationTHE ROXBURY LATIN SCHOOL+3 more: $12,750 · EducationVANGUARD CHARITABLE - STATEMENT: $235,000 · OtherVANGUARD CHARITABLE - STA…ALUMNI AND DONOR RECORDS PRINCETON: $52,000 · OtherALUMNI AND DONOR RECORDS …VANGUARD CHARITABLE FUND -STATEMENT: $41,000 · OtherVANGUARD CHARITABLE FUND …COLUMBIA COLLEGE: $32,250 · OtherCOLUMBIA COLLEGEFARMER'S FOOTPRINT: $21,500 · OtherBPSI-AOK VISITING SCHOLAR: $15,000 · Other+10 more: $45,500 · Other+10 moreAMERICAN FRIENDS OF WIGMORE HALL INC: $60,000 · Arts & CultureTHE SANTA FE OPERA: $54,000 · Arts & CultureSANTA FE CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL LTD: $20,500 · Arts & CultureJEWISH ALLIANCE FOR LAW AND SOCIAL ACTION INC: $7,000 · Arts & CultureFIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND: $88,710 · Community ImprovementDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $80,000 · Health+1 more: $2,000 · HealthSHELTERBOX USA INC: $5,000 · Human ServicesMetropolitan Family Services: $1,500 · Human ServicesPINE STREET INN INC: $500 · Human Services
Philanthropy$597,500Education$592,540Other$442,250Arts & Culture$141,500Community Improvement$88,710Health$82,000Human Services$7,000

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 budgetCHARITIES AID FOUNDATION AMERICA: $342,500 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetPresident and Fellows of Harvard College: $237,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetVANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM: $184,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetNOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL: $151,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetFIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND: $88,710 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK: $88,500 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetDana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: $80,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCHAPEL & YORK US FOUNDATION INC: $71,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetGEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: $65,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN FRIENDS OF WIGMORE HALL INC: $60,000 over 6y, 15% of budgetTHE SANTA FE OPERA: $54,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ROXBURY LATIN SCHOOL: $38,290 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetSANTA FE CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL LTD: $20,500 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetMIDDLESEX SCHOOL: $8,250 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetJEWISH ALLIANCE FOR LAW AND SOCIAL ACTION INC: $7,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetCHARLES RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION INC: $6,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetSHELTERBOX USA INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE WINSOR SCHOOL: $4,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetBOSTON AREA RAPE CRISIS CENTER INC: $2,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetMetropolitan Family Services: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetWORLD BICYCLE RELIEF NFP: $1,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBOSTON CARES INC: $1,250 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetPINE STREET INN INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWEST END HOUSE INC: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGIRLS ON THE RUN GREATER BOSTON: $250 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.

Eastern Bank Foundati…Boston Foundation IncCombined Jewish Phila…Liberty Mutual Founda…Analog Devices Founda…Fidelity FoundationJpmorgan Chase Founda…Jewish Communal FundVanguard Charitable E…Morgan Stanley Global…Charities Aid Foundat…The Bank of America C…
Eastern Bank FoundationMA19× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Eastern Bank Foundation · Boston Foundation Inc · Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston Inc · Liberty Mutual Foundation Inc · Analog Devices Foundation · Fidelity Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Jewish Communal Fund · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Charities Aid Foundation America · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation 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 Marshall L and Deborah L Berkman Family Charitable Trust funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Marshall L and Deborah L Berkman Family Charitable Trust. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 60%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%23%45%68%90%share of the org’s income from government →median 8%
  • Boston Area Rape Crisis Center Inc: 82% of income from government
  • Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action Inc: 13% of income from government
  • Pine Street Inn Inc: 11% of income from government
  • Charles River Watershed Association Inc: 8% of income from government
  • President and Fellows of Harvard College: 7% of income from government
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc: 7% of income from government
  • Girls On the Run Greater Boston: 4% of income from government
  • West End House Inc: 2% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
6get no government money at all
1report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely 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 37 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 2020, released 2020. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Marshall L and Deborah L Berkman Family’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