The Berger Family Foundation concentrates support in the Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage region while also prioritizing Jewish and Israel-related causes, including emergency relief and support for Israeli defense forces. Their grants mix civic and cultural local investments — notably a repeated, sizable commitment to the Rancho Mirage Writers Festival — with philanthropic backing for regional education and public safety training. Overall, they favor mission-focused nonprofits tied to Jewish community needs, military/veterans support, and local cultural and educational institutions.
A 2024 Israel Emergency Fund gift of $25,000 to Jewish Federation of the Desert is one of the clearest signals of how Berger Family Foundation gives: it backs Jewish communal response, especially in moments of urgency, while also sustaining institutions in the Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage area. The foundation’s recent grants include repeated support for Israeli defense organizations, local Jewish federations, and civic anchors such as the Rancho Mirage Writers Festival and regional arts and education groups. Its giving mixes place-based commitments with cause-based priorities. In the Coachella Valley, the foundation has supported Jewish, cultural, educational, and public-safety organizations; beyond California, it has also funded organizations in Chicago, New York, Washington, and Massachusetts. The grant list shows both general operating support and targeted project gifts, including emergency relief, scholarship support, healthcare, and public safety academy training. The pattern suggests a funder that moves between community needs at home and Jewish, Israel-related, and institutional priorities across the country.
Jewish communal support appears throughout the foundation’s recent grants. It gave $25,000 to Jewish Federation of the Desert for an Israel Emergency Fund, and it also supported Temple Sinai in Palm Desert with a $5,000 general grant. Israel-related giving is another clear thread. The foundation awarded $12,000 to Friends of the Idf in 2023, then repeated that support in 2024 and 2025 with additional $12,000 and $12,000 grants. The foundation also funds arts and literary programming. It gave $20,000 to Rancho Mirage Writers Festival in 2025 and $5,000 to Rancho Mirage Library for the Writers Festival. In education and workforce development, it supported College of the Desert Foundation with $12,000 for Public Safety Academy.
Typical grant size is modest: the 25th percentile is $1,500, the median is $3,000, and the 75th percentile is $5,000. That distribution fits a broad set of smaller awards, with occasional larger gifts reaching into five figures. The recent record also shows repeat support to the same organizations across multiple years, especially for Jewish, cultural, and Israel-related priorities. The foundation is a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund, and it accepts unsolicited proposals through its general grantmaking programs. It also funds individuals, which is less common among private foundations.
$184K
$1.5M
$47K
$196K
Most grants fall between $2K and $5K, with a median of $3K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$3K
75th Percentile
$5K
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Relatively concentrated giving: a small number of mid-size grants with multiple repeat awards to the same organizations. Funding is both regionally focused (Rancho Mirage/Coachella Valley institutions) and targeted toward Jewish/Israel and military-support causes rather than broadly distributed small grants.
Notable grantees: Jewish Federation of the Desert, Friends of the IDF, Rancho Mirage Writers Festival, College of the Desert Foundation
Grants go mainly to U.S. recipients, with all recent listed awards landing in the United States. California receives the largest share of support, including Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Los Angeles. Chicago appears repeatedly as a recipient city, while New York and Washington, DC also show up in the grant list. The foundation’s highest concentration of giving is in Connecticut by grant count, even though that state does not appear among the named recent grantees in the list provided.
Recent grants point to Jewish communal support, Israel-related causes, arts and literary programming, public safety training, healthcare, and scholarship or memorial support. Examples include gifts to Jewish Federation of the Desert, Friends of the Idf, Rancho Mirage Writers Festival, College of the Desert Foundation, and Northwestern Memorial Foundation.
Yes. Its active general grantmaking programs say they accept unsolicited applications, and they are open to U.S. nonprofits, with one program also listing Israel as part of its geographic scope.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is centered on smaller awards: the 25th percentile is $1,500, the median is $3,000, and the 75th percentile is $5,000. Recent grants also include larger awards in the $10,000 to $25,500 range.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeated support across multiple years for several organizations, including Friends of the Idf, Latin School of Chicago, Rancho Mirage Writers Festival, Mccallum Theatre, Los Angeles Sheriff's Foundation, Columbia University School of Arts, and Northwestern Memorial Foundation.
California receives a large share of the listed awards, especially Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Los Angeles. Chicago appears frequently as well, and New York, Washington, DC, and Medford, Massachusetts also appear among recent recipients. The country distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the data provided.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE DESERT | RANCHO MIRAGE, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| EISENHOWER HEALTH FOUNDATION | RANCHO MIRAGE, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | MEDICAL |
| RANCHO MIRAGE WRITERS FESTIVAL | RANCHO MIRAGE, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | LITERACY |
| NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $15,000 | 2026 | MEDICAL |
| EISENHOWER MEDICAL CENTER | RANCHO MIRAGE, CA | $12,500 | 2026 | MEDICAL |
| DESERT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | RANCHO MIRAGE, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | COMMUNITY |
| PALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM | PALM SPRINGS, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | VETERANS |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF THE A | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| CHICAGO POLICE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $3,500 | 2026 | COMMUNITY |
| FRIENDS OF THE IDF | CHICAGO, IL | $3,000 | 2026 | VETERANS |
| TRUSTEES OF TUFTS COLLEGE | MEDFORD, MA | $3,000 | 2026 | FILM & MEDIA STUDIES PROGRAM |
| FOOD ON FOOT | WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA | $2,500 | 2026 | HUNGER AND POVERTY |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,500 | 2026 | HUMANITARIAN AID |
| JEWISH UNITED FUND | CHICAGO, IL | $2,000 | 2026 | HUMANITARIAN AID |
| THE MAPLE COUNSELING CENTER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $1,500 | 2026 | HEALTH |
| BARD COLLEGE | ANNANDALEONHUDSON, NY | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| THE OAKS SCHOOL | HOLLYWOOD, CA | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| ISRAEL PARASPORT CENTER | NORTHFIELD, IL | $1,000 | 2026 | COMMUNITY |
| RANCHO MIRAGE WRITERS FESTIVAL | RANCHO MIRAGE, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| FRIENDS OF IDF | CHICAGO, IL | $12,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE |
| LATIN SCHOOL OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| DESERT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | RANCHO MIRAGE, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | TAMARISK EMPLOYEE SCHOLAR |
| LOS ANGELES SHERIFF'S FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARTS | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | FILM PRODUCTIONS SUPPORT |
| MCCALLUM THEATRE | PALM DESERT, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | GALA/EVENTS |
| CHICAGO POLICE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $3,000 | 2025 | 2024 CANDLELIGHT VIGIL |
| TRUSTEES OF TUFTS COLLEGE | MEDFORD, MA | $3,000 | 2025 | FILM & MEDIA STUDIES PROGRAM |
| INVEST FOR KIDS INC | CHICAGO, IL | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| BELOVED ASHEVILLE | ASHEVILLE, NC | $2,500 | 2025 | HURRICANE RELIEF |
| TEMPLE SINAI | PALM DESERT, CA | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| DIGESTIVE HEALTH FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| JEWISH UNITED FUND OF METRO CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| HILLCREST COUNTRY CLUB CHARITABLE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $1,500 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| BARD COLLEGE | ANNANDALEONHUDSON, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY | MIDDLETOWN, CT | $1,000 | 2025 | FILM STUDIES PROGRAM |
| BOSTON UNIVERSITY | BOSTON, MA | $1,000 | 2025 | BU'S AREA OF GREATEST NEED FUND |
| CHAPEL HILL-CHAUNCY HALL SCHOOL | WALTHAM, MA | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPUTY SHERIFF FDN | RIVERSIDE, CA | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| BREAKTHROUGH T1D | HAGERSTOWN, MD | $260 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE DESERT | RANCHO MIRAGE, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | ISRAEL EMERGENCY FUND |
| COLLEGE OF THE DESERT FOUNDATION | PALM DESERT, CA | $12,000 | 2024 | PUBLIC SAFETY ACADEMY |
| FRIENDS OF IDF | CHICAGO, IL | $12,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| LATIN SCHOOL OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | SARCOMA RESEARCH FUND |
| MCCALLUM THEATRE | PALM DESERT, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | GALA/EVENTS |
| RANCHO MIRAGE LIBRARY | RANCHO MIRAGE, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | WRITERS FESTIVAL |
| LOS ANGELES SHERIFF'S FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
EISENHOWER HEALTH FOUNDATION
$50,000MEDICAL
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
$15,000MEDICAL
COMMUNITY
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF THE A
$5,000EDUCATION
CHICAGO POLICE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
$3,500COMMUNITY
FRIENDS OF THE IDF
$3,000VETERANS
THE OAKS SCHOOL
$1,000EDUCATION
ISRAEL PARASPORT CENTER
$1,000COMMUNITY
FRIENDS OF IDF
$12,000GENERAL FUND
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
$10,000NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARTS
$5,000FILM PRODUCTIONS SUPPORT
MCCALLUM THEATRE
$5,000GALA/EVENTS
CHICAGO POLICE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
$3,0002024 CANDLELIGHT VIGIL
TEMPLE SINAI
$2,500GENERAL FUND
DIGESTIVE HEALTH FOUNDATION
$2,500GENERAL FUND
HILLCREST COUNTRY CLUB CHARITABLE
$2,000GENERAL FUND
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
$1,000BU'S AREA OF GREATEST NEED FUND
CHAPEL HILL-CHAUNCY HALL SCHOOL
$500GENERAL FUND
RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPUTY SHERIFF FDN
$500GENERAL FUND
BREAKTHROUGH T1D
$260GENERAL FUND
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
$5,000SARCOMA RESEARCH FUND
MCCALLUM THEATRE
$5,000GALA/EVENTS
RANCHO MIRAGE LIBRARY
$5,000WRITERS FESTIVAL