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.
$1M
$4.2M
$134K
$1M
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.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Charitable | Warwick, RI | $544,506 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Temple Shalom | Norwalk, CT | $184,086 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Chewonki Foundation | Wiscasset, ME | $65,745 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Pan-Mass Challenge | Needham, MA | $23,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Temple B'nai Chaim | Georgetown, CT | $17,786 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Waveny Lifecare Network | New Canaan, CT | $16,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Daffy Charitable Fund | Los Altos, CA | $16,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| CAMERA | Boston, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Birthright Israel Foundation | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Community Synagogue of Rye | Rye, NY | $9,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Save the Sound | New Haven, CT | $6,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Wilton Community Assistance Fund | Wilton, CT | $6,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Princeton Prospect Foundation | Princeton, NJ | $6,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Israel Cancer Research Fund | Stamford, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| StandWithUs | LosAngeles, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Union for Reform Judaism | New York, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Circle of Care | Wilton, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Planned Parenthood Southern New England | New Haven, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Connecticut Foodshare Inc | Wallingford, CT | $3,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation | Washington, DC | $3,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY | $2,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Jewish Broadcasting Service | Stamford, CT | $2,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Trackside the Teen Center of Wilton Inc | Wilton, CT | $2,100 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion | New York, NY | $2,036 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Congregational Church of New Canaan The | New Canaan, CT | $2,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County | Westport, CT | $2,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Invictus Global Response | Findlay, OH | $2,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Fordham University | New York, NY | $1,600 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Community Action Agency of Western CT | Danbury, CT | $1,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Wilton Library Association | Wilton, CT | $1,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Center for Empowerment and Education The | Danbury, CT | $1,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Person-to-Person | Darien, CT | $1,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Domestic Violence Crisis Center | Stamford, CT | $1,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Jennas Promise | Johnson, VT | $1,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Dorothy Day Hospitality House | Danbury, CT | $1,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Daily Bread Food Pantry | Danbury, CT | $1,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Kelly Brush Foundation | Burlington, VT | $1,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Love A Golden Rescue | Saint Louis, MO | $1,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| West Virginia University Foundation | Morgantown, WV | $1,500 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | $1,445 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | $1,100 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Outward Bound USA | Fishkill, NY | $1,100 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Jewish Senior Services | Bridgeport, CT | $1,036 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Alzheimer's Association | Chicago, IL | $1,025 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Ambler Farm Friends of | Wilton, CT | $1,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Catskill Animal Sanctuary | Saugerties, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Fairfield County Hospice House | Stamford, CT | $1,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| ARZA | New York, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk | Norwalk, CT | $1,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| Culinary Institute of America | Hyde Park, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
Vanguard Charitable
$544,506General Fund
Temple Shalom
$184,086General Fund
Chewonki Foundation
$65,745General Fund
Pan-Mass Challenge
$23,000General Fund
Temple B'nai Chaim
$17,786General Fund
Waveny Lifecare Network
$16,500General Fund
Daffy Charitable Fund
General Fund
CAMERA
$10,000General Fund
Birthright Israel Foundation
$10,000General Fund
Community Synagogue of Rye
$9,000General Fund
Save the Sound
$6,500General Fund
Wilton Community Assistance Fund
$6,500General Fund
Princeton Prospect Foundation
$6,000General Fund
Israel Cancer Research Fund
$5,000General Fund
StandWithUs
$5,000General Fund
Union for Reform Judaism
$5,000General Fund
Circle of Care
$5,000General Fund
Planned Parenthood Southern New England
$5,000General Fund
Connecticut Foodshare Inc
$3,500General Fund
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
$3,000General Fund
Syracuse University
$2,500General Fund
Jewish Broadcasting Service
$2,500General Fund
Trackside the Teen Center of Wilton Inc
$2,100General Fund
Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion
$2,036General Fund
Congregational Church of New Canaan The
$2,000General Fund
Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County
$2,000General Fund
Invictus Global Response
$2,000General Fund
Fordham University
$1,600General Fund
Community Action Agency of Western CT
$1,500General Fund
Wilton Library Association
$1,500General Fund
Center for Empowerment and Education The
$1,500General Fund
Person-to-Person
$1,500General Fund
Domestic Violence Crisis Center
$1,500General Fund
Jennas Promise
$1,500General Fund
Dorothy Day Hospitality House
$1,500General Fund
Daily Bread Food Pantry
$1,500General Fund
Kelly Brush Foundation
$1,500General Fund
Love A Golden Rescue
$1,500General Fund
West Virginia University Foundation
$1,500General Fund
Princeton University
$1,445General Fund
Cornell University
$1,100General Fund
Outward Bound USA
$1,100General Fund
Jewish Senior Services
$1,036General Fund
Alzheimer's Association
$1,025General Fund
Ambler Farm Friends of
$1,000General Fund
Catskill Animal Sanctuary
$1,000General Fund
Fairfield County Hospice House
$1,000General Fund
ARZA
$1,000General Fund
Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk
$1,000General Fund
Culinary Institute of America
$1,000General Fund