The foundation concentrates its support on Jewish communal life—especially in the Houston area—funding synagogues, federations, day schools, and leadership/education programs. Grants are largely general operating or program support for established Jewish institutions and independent Jewish education providers, with an occasional outlier gift to national athletic programming.
Nancy T Beren & Dr Larry S Jefferson Foundation Inc’s largest recent grant went to United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston, which received $264,003 in 2023 for general support. That gift fits a broader pattern of backing Jewish communal institutions, especially in Houston, with large grants also going to Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, Robert M Beren Academy, and Orayta. The foundation’s giving reaches beyond one institution type: it supports synagogues, federations, day schools, independent Jewish education providers, and leadership or adult education programs. It also makes occasional grants outside the core Jewish communal portfolio, including support for the US Olympic and Paralympic Foundation and the Israeli Bobsled Team Advancing Jewish Athletics. Recent grants show a mix of general support and project-specific funding, including emergency relief related to Israel and Ukraine. The foundation made $955,561 in annual grants, and its recent awards range from small gifts to six-figure support, indicating a portfolio that includes both anchor relationships and lower-dollar supplemental grants.
Jewish communal institutions are the clearest theme in the recent record. Jewish Federation of Greater Houston received $100,000 for the Israel Emergency Campaign in 2024, along with additional general support grants of $83,295, $72,000, and $6,130 across the recent period. Education is another recurring area: Robert M Beren Academy received $54,000 in 2023, $18,000 in 2024, and $54,000 in 2025 for general support, while Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Am the Rena E Ganzberg Education Center received $36,000 in 2025. The foundation also supports adult and leadership education through Orayta, which received $54,000 in 2024 and $40,613 in 2023. Beyond Jewish education, it made a $10,511 grant to Museum of Fine Arts Houston in 2025 and a $5,400 grant to Merit Spread Foundation in New York.
Typical grants sit at $5,984 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $63,000 at the 75th percentile, so the portfolio includes both modest gifts and larger institutional awards. Several recipients appear more than once across 2023, 2024, and 2025, including Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, Robert M Beren Academy, Orayta, United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston, and Camp Ramah in California. That repeated giving points to ongoing relationships rather than one-off awards only. The foundation is an operating grantmaker with annual grants of $955,561, does not make program-related investments, and funds individuals. No application process is identified in the data.
$214K
$4.3M
$3.8M
$1M
Most grants fall between $6K and $63K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$6K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$63K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in TX.
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small set of repeat grantees—multiple multi‑year or multi-grant commitments—focused geographically on Houston Jewish institutions, with few one-off outlier gifts.
Notable grantees: United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston, Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, Robert M. Beren Academy, Orayta, Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Am (Rena E. Ganzberg Education Center)
Grant recipients are entirely in the United States, and Texas is the top state by grant count. Houston appears repeatedly, including United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston, Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, Robert M Beren Academy, Jfs Houston, Hebrew Free Loan Society, and Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Outside Texas, recent grants reached Colorado Springs, Boynton Beach, Los Angeles, New York, Brookline, Bergenfield, Encino, Teaneck, Wellesley, Madison, and Oklahoma City. The recipient mix shows a national footprint even though Houston receives the densest cluster of awards.
The recent record centers on Jewish communal life, especially synagogues, federations, day schools, and education programs. Examples include United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston, Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, Robert M Beren Academy, and Orayta. The foundation also makes occasional grants to organizations outside that core area, such as the US Olympic and Paralympic Foundation.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, Robert M Beren Academy, Orayta, United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston, and Camp Ramah in California. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than only one-time awards.
The grant-size distribution centers at $5,984 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $63,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards include both smaller supplemental gifts and larger institutional grants.
Texas receives the most grants by count, and Houston is the main recipient city. Recent Houston grantees include United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston, Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, Robert M Beren Academy, Jfs Houston, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Grants also go to organizations in several other U.S. cities.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC FOUNDATION | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $60,000 | 2025 | OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS FUND |
| ROBERT M BEREN ACADEMY | HOUSTON, TX | $54,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| PRESSMAN ACADEMY OF TEMPLE BETH AM THE RENA E GANZBERG EDUCATION CENTER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $36,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| UNITED ORTHODOX SYNAGOGUES OF HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $19,070 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $10,511 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ISRAELI BOBSLED TEAM ADVANCING JEWISH ATHLETICS | BROOKLINE, MA | $7,200 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $6,130 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| MERIT SPREAD FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $5,400 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| JFS HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $4,238 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| CAMP RAMAH IN CALIFORNIA | ENCINO, CA | $4,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| WELLESLEY COLLEGE | WELLESLEY, MA | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| TIKVAH | NEW YORK, NY | $2,077 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| HEBREW FREE LOAN SOCIETY | HOUSTON, TX | $1,360 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| CAMP LAURELWOOD | MADISON, CT | $1,049 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EMANUEL SYNAGOGUE | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK | $246 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $100,000 | 2024 | ISRAEL EMERGENCY CAMPAIGN |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $83,295 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ORAYTA | BOYNTON BEACH, FL | $54,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ROBERT M BEREN ACADEMY | HOUSTON, TX | $18,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| ISRAELI BOBSLED TEAM ADVANCING JEWISH ATHLETICS | BROOKLINE, MA | $7,200 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| CAMP RAMAH IN CALIFORNIA | ENCINO, CA | $5,600 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF BEIT MORASHA | TEANECK, NJ | $3,600 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| WELLESLEY COLLEGE | WELLESLEY, MA | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| UNITED ORTHODOX SYNAGOGUES OF HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $264,003 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $72,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| ROBERT M BEREN ACADEMY | HOUSTON, TX | $54,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| ORAYTA | BOYNTON BEACH, FL | $40,613 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| UJA - FEDERATION OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| AREYVUT | BERGENFIELD, NJ | $6,130 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER HOUSTON | HOUSTON, TX | $5,839 | 2023 | UKRAINE RELIEF FUND |
US OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC FOUNDATION
$60,000OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS FUND
ROBERT M BEREN ACADEMY
$54,000GENERAL
PRESSMAN ACADEMY OF TEMPLE BETH AM THE RENA E GANZBERG EDUCATION CENTER
$36,000GENERAL
UNITED ORTHODOX SYNAGOGUES OF HOUSTON
$19,070GENERAL
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HOUSTON
$10,511GENERAL
ISRAELI BOBSLED TEAM ADVANCING JEWISH ATHLETICS
$7,200GENERAL
JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER HOUSTON
$6,130GENERAL
MERIT SPREAD FOUNDATION
$5,400GENERAL
JFS HOUSTON
$4,238GENERAL
CAMP RAMAH IN CALIFORNIA
$4,000GENERAL
WELLESLEY COLLEGE
$2,500GENERAL
TIKVAH
$2,077GENERAL
HEBREW FREE LOAN SOCIETY
$1,360GENERAL
CAMP LAURELWOOD
$1,049GENERAL
EMANUEL SYNAGOGUE
$246GENERAL
JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER HOUSTON
$100,000ISRAEL EMERGENCY CAMPAIGN
JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER HOUSTON
$83,295GENERAL
ORAYTA
$54,000GENERAL
ROBERT M BEREN ACADEMY
$18,000GENERAL
ISRAELI BOBSLED TEAM ADVANCING JEWISH ATHLETICS
$7,200GENERAL
CAMP RAMAH IN CALIFORNIA
$5,600GENERAL
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF BEIT MORASHA
$3,600GENERAL
WELLESLEY COLLEGE
$2,500GENERAL
UNITED ORTHODOX SYNAGOGUES OF HOUSTON
$264,003GENERAL
JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER HOUSTON
$72,000GENERAL
ROBERT M BEREN ACADEMY
$54,000GENERAL
ORAYTA
$40,613GENERAL
UJA - FEDERATION OF NEW YORK
$25,000GENERAL
AREYVUT
$6,130GENERAL
JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER HOUSTON
$5,839UKRAINE RELIEF FUND