The Bernice and Milton STERN Foundation makes a very small number of large, roughly equal grants and primarily funds other private family foundations or charitable funds rather than operating nonprofits. Their giving appears to be pass-through or legacy-directed grantmaking, with at least some support tied to Jewish philanthropic channels. The foundation’s behavior suggests it functions as a donor to peer foundations and intermediary funds rather than a broad direct-service funder.
Concentrated, few large grants of nearly equal size; repeat pattern of funding peer foundations/charitable funds rather than many small, direct-service grants.
The Bernice and Milton Stern Foundation’s recent giving is defined by a small number of large grants to other foundations and charitable funds, with multiple awards at nearly the same level. In 2024, it gave $1,501,142 to Pesky Family Foundation, $1,488,642 to The Robert Stern Family Foundation, and $1,488,642 to The Morris & Bessie Altman Foundation, each for charitable exempt purposes. That pattern points to a funder operating through pass-through and legacy-directed vehicles rather than a broad direct-service portfolio. The foundation also supports Jewish philanthropic channels and family-linked institutions. Its 2023 grants include $250,000 to The Hampton Foundation of Manhattan and $200,000 to The Big Wood Foundation, both described as charitable exempt purpose support. A separate $250,000 grant went to Stern Center for Language & Learning, showing that the foundation’s giving is not limited to family foundations alone, even though those entities dominate the recent record. Across the file, the grants are generally large and directed, with relatively few recipients and repeated support to selected organizations over multiple years.
A clear theme in the recent record is support for other foundations and charitable funds. The Bernice and Milton Stern Foundation gave $1,488,641 to The Big Wood Foundation in 2024 and $200,000 to the same organization in 2023, both for charitable exempt purposes. It also gave $1,488,642 to The Morris & Bessie Altman Foundation in 2024. The foundation’s Jewish philanthropic orientation appears in gifts to family and community-linked vehicles such as The Robert Stern Family Foundation, which received $1,488,642 in 2024, and The Hampton Foundation of Manhattan, which received $250,000 in 2023. Beyond foundation-to-foundation support, the record includes some operating charities. Friends Without a Border received $25,000 in 2023, and Team Rubicon received $25,000 in 2023, both for charitable exempt purposes. Bird on a Cliff Theatre Company also received $10,000 in both 2023 and 2024.
The grant size profile is highly weighted toward large checks: p25 is $25,000, the median is $200,000, and p75 is $1,488,641. The 2024 record shows several near-identical awards around $1.49 million, suggesting a deliberate distribution pattern rather than highly varied grant sizing. Recipients also appear across multiple years. The Big Wood Foundation, Pesky Family Foundation, and Bird on a Cliff Theatre Company each received support in more than one year, which indicates repeat funding to selected organizations. The foundation is a private foundation, does not fund individuals, and makes no program-related investments. The grant descriptions are framed as support for charitable exempt purposes rather than project-specific program grants.
$6M
$0
$2.3M
$6M
Most grants fall between $25K and $1.5M, with a median of $200K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$200K
75th Percentile
$1.5M
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Notable grantees: Pesky Family Foundation, The Morris & Bessie Altman Foundation, The Robert Stern Family Foundation, The Big Wood Foundation
Giving is concentrated in New York, which accounts for 54% of grants. Recipient locations in the recent file include New York, NY; Miami Beach, FL; Shelburne, VT; Williston, VT; Boise, ID; Los Angeles, CA; and Woodstock, NY. The record is entirely U.S.-based, with 13 grants in the United States and no non-U.S. recipient countries listed. Several New York recipients appear repeatedly, including organizations in New York City and Woodstock.
The recent record shows a strong tilt toward other private family foundations and charitable funds, including The Robert Stern Family Foundation, The Big Wood Foundation, The Morris & Bessie Altman Foundation, and Pesky Family Foundation. It also supports some operating charities such as Friends Without a Border, Team Rubicon, and Bird on a Cliff Theatre Company.
Yes. The Big Wood Foundation appears in both 2023 and 2024, Pesky Family Foundation appears in both years, and Bird on a Cliff Theatre Company received $10,000 in 2023 and again $10,000 in 2024. That pattern suggests repeat support for selected recipients.
The foundation’s typical grant size is large and skewed upward: p25 is $25,000, the median is $200,000, and p75 is $1,488,641. The recent file also includes several awards around $1.49 million, showing that very large grants are common in the distribution.
New York is the top state by grant count, with 54% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Recent recipients in New York include organizations in New York, NY and Woodstock, NY, and the overall recipient list is entirely U.S.-based.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PESKY FAMILY FOUNDATION | MIAMI BEACH, FL | $1,501,142 | 2024 | TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| THE ROBERT STERN FAMILY FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $1,488,642 | 2024 | TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| THE MORRIS & BESSIE ALTMAN FOUNDATION | SHELBURNE, VT | $1,488,642 | 2024 | TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| THE BIG WOOD FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $1,488,641 | 2024 | TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| BIRD ON A CLIFF THEATRE COMPANY | WOODSTOCK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| STERN CENTER FOR LANGUAGE & LEARNING | WILLISTON, VT | $250,000 | 2023 | TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| THE HAMPTON FOUNDATION OF MANHATTAN | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2023 | TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| THE BIG WOOD FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2023 | TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| PESKY FAMILY FOUNDATION | MIAMI BEACH, FL | $150,000 | 2023 | TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| LEE DAVID PESKY CENTER FOR LEARNING ENRICHMENT | BOISE, ID | $100,000 | 2023 | TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| TEAM RUBICON | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2023 | TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| FRIENDS WITHOUT A BORDER | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| BIRD ON A CLIFF THEATRE COMPANY | WOODSTOCK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE |
PESKY FAMILY FOUNDATION
$1,501,142TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE
THE ROBERT STERN FAMILY FOUNDATION
$1,488,642TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE
THE MORRIS & BESSIE ALTMAN FOUNDATION
$1,488,642TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE
THE BIG WOOD FOUNDATION
$1,488,641TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE
BIRD ON A CLIFF THEATRE COMPANY
$10,000TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE
TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE
THE HAMPTON FOUNDATION OF MANHATTAN
$250,000TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE
THE BIG WOOD FOUNDATION
$200,000TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE
PESKY FAMILY FOUNDATION
$150,000TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE
LEE DAVID PESKY CENTER FOR LEARNING ENRICHMENT
$100,000TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE
BIRD ON A CLIFF THEATRE COMPANY
$10,000TO FUND CHARITABLE EXEMPT PURPOSE