The Alexander Family Foundation concentrates its giving into a very small number of large, general-support grants, prioritizing religious life and environmental education while also routing significant dollars through a donor-advised charitable intermediary. Recent awards show sustained support for a local Jewish congregation and a meaningful investment in outdoor/environmental education, with an additional large contribution made to a donor-advised fund for flexible downstream grantmaking.
Highly concentrated giving: very few, large grants (four total) with repeat support to at least one grantee; mix of direct operating support and channeling funds through a DAF rather than many small awards.
Alexander Family Foundation Inc’s recent giving is marked by a very large transfer to Vanguard Charitable, alongside recurring general-fund support for Temple Shalom in Norwalk and Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset. That combination points to a funder that uses both a donor-advised intermediary and direct grants, with most awards written as general support rather than restricted project funding. The pattern also shows a strong tie to Jewish institutions and a smaller but persistent commitment to environmental and outdoor education. Temple Shalom appears across multiple years in the grant list, with gifts ranging from five-figure support to a six-figure award in 2025. Chewonki Foundation also receives repeated general-fund grants, including a six-figure award in 2023 and additional support in 2024 and 2025. Other recent recipients include Temple B’nai Chaim, Community Synagogue of Rye, Birthright Israel Foundation, Camera, and the Pan-Mass Challenge, which broadens the picture beyond one institution while still keeping the portfolio centered on general operating support and related charitable giving.
Religious life is a clear throughline in the foundation’s grantmaking. Temple B’nai Chaim in Georgetown received $18,248 in 2024 and $17,786 in 2025 for general fund support, while Community Synagogue of Rye received $18,000 in 2023, $9,371 in 2024, and $9,000 in 2025. The foundation also backs Jewish community and Israel-related organizations. Birthright Israel Foundation received $10,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Jewish Family Service of Fairfield County received $7,500 in 2023. Environmental and outdoor education show up through Chewonki Foundation, which received $128,023 in 2023, $15,000 in 2024, and $65,745 in 2025 for its general fund. Save the Sound also appears in 2025 with $6,500. Beyond these areas, the grant list includes public-benefit and community organizations such as Waveny Lifecare Network, Connecticut Humane Society, and Wilton Community Assistance Fund.
The foundation’s typical grants are small by count and highly skewed by a few large awards: the 25th percentile is $100, the median is $500, and the 75th percentile is $1,450. That structure fits a portfolio with many modest gifts and a small number of very large distributions. Giving is recurring in several places. Temple Shalom, Chewonki Foundation, Temple B’nai Chaim, Community Synagogue of Rye, Birthright Israel Foundation, Camera, and Wilton Community Assistance Fund all appear in multiple years, usually as general-fund support. The foundation is a family foundation, and it also routes a major amount through Vanguard Charitable, a donor-advised charitable intermediary.
$772K
$4.1M
$124K
$777K
Most grants fall between $100 and $1K, with a median of $500.
25th Percentile
$100
Median
$500
75th Percentile
$1K
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Notable grantees: Temple Shalom, Vanguard Charitable, Chewonki Foundation
Most grants land in the United States, and Connecticut is especially important: 48% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Beyond that, the top state by grant count is DC. Recent recipient cities include Norwalk, Georgetown, Rye, Wiscasset, Needham, New Canaan, Stamford, Wilton, Boston, and New York. The country distribution is entirely domestic in the provided data, with 478 grants to US recipients.
The grant list centers on general-support gifts to religious organizations, especially Jewish congregations, plus environmental and outdoor education. Chewonki Foundation and several synagogue grants recur across multiple years, and the foundation also makes large transfers to charitable intermediaries such as Vanguard Charitable.
It shows recurring support in several places. Temple Shalom, Chewonki Foundation, Temple B’nai Chaim, Community Synagogue of Rye, Birthright Israel Foundation, Camera, and Wilton Community Assistance Fund each appear in more than one year, usually as general-fund grants.
The grant-size distribution is small at the center and very lopsided at the top: p25 is $100, median is $500, and p75 is $1,450. That means most awards are modest, with a few much larger grants driving the overall total.
Connecticut receives 48% of grants, and the top state by grant count is DC. Recent recipients include organizations in Norwalk, Georgetown, New Canaan, Stamford, Wilton, and other Northeast cities, with all grants in the provided data going to US recipients.
The foundation is listed as not funding individuals, and the grant records show direct support to organizations and charitable intermediaries such as synagogues, community nonprofits, and Vanguard Charitable.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Charitable | Warwick, RI | $650,656 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | $15,570 | 2026 | General Fund |
| CAMERA | Boston, MA | $15,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Temple Shalom | Norwalk, CT | $11,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Daffy Charitable Fund | Los Altos, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Birthright Israel Foundation | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Save the Sound | New Haven, CT | $10,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Planned Parenthood Southern New England | New Haven, CT | $5,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| StandWithUs | LosAngeles, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Union for Reform Judaism | New York, NY | $5,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Israel Cancer Research Fund | Stamford, CT | $5,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Jay Heritage Center | Rye, NY | $2,500 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Jewish Broadcasting Service | Stamford, CT | $2,500 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Japanese American Association of New York | New York, NY | $2,250 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Fordham University | New York, NY | $2,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion | New York, NY | $2,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Caroga Arts Collective Inc | Caroga Lake, NY | $2,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | $1,100 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Japan Society of Fairfield County | Ridgefield, CT | $1,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation | Tampa, FL | $1,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| ARZA | New York, NY | $1,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| New Canaan Town of | New Canaan, CT | $1,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Jewish Historical Society of Fairfield County | Stamford, CT | $1,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Martha's Vineyard Community Services | Oak Bluffs, MA | $1,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Fairfield County Hospice House | Stamford, CT | $1,000 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Rotary Club of New Canaan Charitable Foundation Inc The | New Canaan, CT | $995 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Greenwich Historical Society | Cos Cob, CT | $700 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Rye Sustainability Foundation | Rye, NY | $500 | 2026 | General Fund |
| St Johns University | Queens, NY | $500 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Stratton Mountain School | Stratton Mountain, VT | $500 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Rye Arts Center The | Rye, NY | $500 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Starfish Connection Inc | Stmaford, CT | $500 | 2026 | General Fund |
| University of Vermont Foundation The | Burlington, VT | $500 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Robert S Steward Scholarship Fund | Plainfield, VT | $500 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Mystic Seaport Museum | Mystic, CT | $425 | 2026 | General Fund |
| US and Japan Society of Connecticut | East Hartford, CT | $250 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Tulane University | New Orleans, LA | $250 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Connecticut Legal Services Campaign for Justice | Middletown, CT | $250 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Animal Care Centers of NYC Best Friends Animal Society | New York, NY | $250 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Temple Sinai | Stamford, CT | $180 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Temple B'nai Chaim | Georgetown, CT | $180 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Audubon Nature Institute | New Orleans, LA | $175 | 2026 | General Fund |
| SquashBridge | Bridgeport, CT | $150 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Japan Society of Greater Hartford | Glastonbury, CT | $150 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Grace Farms Foundation | New Canaan, CT | $125 | 2026 | General Fund |
| National World War II Museum The | New Orleans, LA | $120 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Boys & Girls Club of Stamford | Stamford, CT | $104 | 2026 | General Fund |
| New Canaan Museum & Historical Society | New Canaan, CT | $100 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center | New York, NY | $100 | 2026 | General Fund |
| Wilton Firefighters | Wilton, CT | $100 | 2026 | General Fund |
Princeton University
$15,570General Fund
Temple Shalom
$11,000General Fund
General Fund
Union for Reform Judaism
$5,000General Fund
Jewish Broadcasting Service
$2,500General Fund
Japanese American Association of New York
$2,250General Fund
Fordham University
$2,000General Fund
Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion
$2,000General Fund
Caroga Arts Collective Inc
$2,000General Fund
Japan Society of Fairfield County
$1,000General Fund
Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation
$1,000General Fund
ARZA
$1,000General Fund
New Canaan Town of
$1,000General Fund
Jewish Historical Society of Fairfield County
$1,000General Fund
Fairfield County Hospice House
$1,000General Fund
Rotary Club of New Canaan Charitable Foundation Inc The
$995General Fund
Greenwich Historical Society
$700General Fund
Rye Sustainability Foundation
$500General Fund
St Johns University
$500General Fund
Stratton Mountain School
$500General Fund
Rye Arts Center The
$500General Fund
Starfish Connection Inc
$500General Fund
University of Vermont Foundation The
$500General Fund
Robert S Steward Scholarship Fund
$500General Fund
Mystic Seaport Museum
$425General Fund
US and Japan Society of Connecticut
$250General Fund
Tulane University
$250General Fund
Animal Care Centers of NYC Best Friends Animal Society
$250General Fund
Temple Sinai
$180General Fund
Temple B'nai Chaim
$180General Fund
SquashBridge
$150General Fund
Japan Society of Greater Hartford
$150General Fund
Grace Farms Foundation
$125General Fund
National World War II Museum The
$120General Fund
New Canaan Museum & Historical Society
$100General Fund
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
$100General Fund
Wilton Firefighters
$100General Fund