The Berkley Family Foundation concentrates its giving on education—particularly capital projects and program support for elite independent secondary schools and selective colleges—while also making targeted philanthropic gifts to regional healthcare and student scholarship initiatives. Grants are large and strategic, often directed to well-known institutions in the Northeast (notably Greenwich/Connecticut area) and include repeat support for favored recipients.
The Berkley Family Foundation C/o Kelly O'donnell Interlak Capital channels most of its giving into a small set of education-heavy institutions, with especially large support for Brunswick School, Yale University, and Greenwich Academy. The pattern is clear in the recent grant list: the foundation backs independent secondary schools in Greenwich, selective colleges and universities, and a smaller set of healthcare and scholarship-related recipients. Its largest recent grants go to elite educational institutions in Connecticut and beyond, including $2.5 million to Yale University and $2.01 million and $2 million to Brunswick School in successive years. That school-centered approach is paired with institutional support for selective higher education and named-purpose gifts tied to athletics, annual funds, and student stipends. The foundation also extends smaller but still specific grants to organizations such as Greenwich Hospital Foundation, Horatio Alger Association, and NYU Institute of Fine Arts. Across the record, the giving reads as strategic and relationship-driven rather than broad-based, with repeated support for favored recipients and a strong preference for established institutions. The foundation’s portfolio also includes healthcare, synagogue, library, and military-related gifts, but these appear secondary to its education focus.
Independent secondary schools are a central part of the foundation’s portfolio. Recent grants include $1.025 million to Brunswick School in 2025 and $1 million to Greenwich Academy in 2023, alongside earlier multi-million-dollar support for Brunswick School. Selective colleges and universities also receive major institutional funding. The foundation gave $1 million to Trustees of Smith College in 2025 for the athletics renovation fund, $650,000 to Georgetown University in 2024, and $50,000 to NYU Institute of Fine Arts in 2025 for annual fund and PhD stipends. Scholarship and student-support grants appear in the record as well. In 2025, the foundation gave $500,000 to Horatio Alger Association for student’s stipend, a purpose that fits its pattern of backing upward-mobility programs and student aid. Healthcare support is another recurring thread, with grants to Greenwich Hospital Foundation and The Westerly Hospital Foundation in recent years.
$3M
$1.8M
$1.7M
$3M
Most grants fall between $56K and $1.5M, with a median of $250K.
25th Percentile
$56K
Median
$250K
75th Percentile
$1.5M
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CT.
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small set of institutions with some repeat funding; emphasis on capital/renovation and program support rather than many small grants. Geographic focus skewed to the Northeast/Greenwich area and elite educational institutions.
Notable grantees: Brunswick School, Yale University, Greenwich Academy, Trustees of Smith College, Greenwich Hospital Foundation
Typical grant size is large: the 25th percentile is $55,500, the median is $250,000, and the 75th percentile is $1,500,000. That spread shows a mix of smaller targeted gifts and very large institutional awards. The record also suggests recurring support rather than one-off giving, with multiple recipients appearing in more than one year, including Brunswick School, Greenwich Hospital Foundation, and Westerly Hospital Foundation. The foundation does not make program-related investments. It also funds individuals, as shown by stipend support within the grant record.
Giving is concentrated in the Northeast, with Connecticut receiving the most grants by count and 0% of grants going to recipients in Florida, the foundation’s headquarters state. Greenwich, CT appears repeatedly, along with New Haven, CT; Northampton, MA; Washington, DC; Alexandria, VA; New York, NY; and Westerly, RI. All recorded grants in the dataset went to U.S. recipients.
The record is dominated by education. Recent grants go to independent secondary schools, selective colleges and universities, and education-adjacent programs such as student stipends, athletics renovation funds, and PhD support. Healthcare foundations and a small number of community or religious organizations also appear in the grant list.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Brunswick School, Greenwich Hospital Foundation, and Westerly Hospital Foundation. The repeated pattern suggests ongoing relationships with favored institutions rather than only one-time awards.
The grant-size distribution is weighted toward large awards. The 25th percentile is $55,500, the median is $250,000, and the 75th percentile is $1,500,000. That means half of the grants in the dataset are at or above $250,000.
Yes. The foundation’s grant profile indicates that it funds individuals, and the recent grants include a $500,000 student stipend award to Horatio Alger Association plus a $50,000 grant to NYU Institute of Fine Arts for annual fund and PhD stipends.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRUNSWICK SCHOOL | GREENWICH, CT | $1,025,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| TRUSTEES OF SMITH COLLEGE | NORTHAMPTON, MA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | SMITH COLLEGE FOR THE ATHLETICS RENOVATION FUND |
| HORATIO ALGER ASSOCIATION | ALEXANDRIA, VA | $500,000 | 2025 | STUDENT'S STIPEND |
| GREENWICH HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | COS COB, CT | $250,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| THE WESTERLY HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | WESTERLY, RI | $100,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| NYU INSTITUTE OF FINE ARTS | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | ANNUAL FUND & PHD STIPENDS |
| HOPES & HEROES | BILLINGS, NY | $16,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| JDRF INTERNATIONAL | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| HELP OUR MILITARY HEROES | EASTON, CT | $7,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| BRUNSWICK SCHOOL | GREENWICH, CT | $2,000,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY | WASHINGTON, DC | $650,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| GREENWICH HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | MADISON AVENUE, CT | $250,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| GREENWICH REFORM SYNAGOGUE | GREENWICH, CT | $100,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| JUVENIAL DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $11,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR | GREENWICH, CT | $750 | 2024 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| YALE UNIVERSITY | NEW HAVEN, CT | $2,500,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| BRUNSWICK SCHOOL | GREENWICH, CT | $2,010,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| GREENWICH ACADEMY | GREENWICH, CT | $1,000,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
| WESTERLY HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | WESTERLY, RI | $100,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY |
SMITH COLLEGE FOR THE ATHLETICS RENOVATION FUND
HORATIO ALGER ASSOCIATION
$500,000STUDENT'S STIPEND
GREENWICH HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
$250,000CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY
THE WESTERLY HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
$100,000CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY
NYU INSTITUTE OF FINE ARTS
$50,000ANNUAL FUND & PHD STIPENDS
HOPES & HEROES
$16,000CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY
HELP OUR MILITARY HEROES
$7,000CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY
CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY
GREENWICH REFORM SYNAGOGUE
$100,000CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY
JUVENIAL DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION
$11,000CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY
NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR
$750CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY
YALE UNIVERSITY
$2,500,000CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY
GREENWICH ACADEMY
$1,000,000CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY
CHARITABLE, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR LITERARY