The Gary & Carol Berman Family Foundation concentrates giving on Jewish life and education, with sizable support for day schools, campus Hillel chapters, synagogue/Chabad activity, and Jewish communal organizations. They also fund health-care institutions and a handful of international/medical charities, plus youth-focused programs (camps, arts, leadership) and organizations working on domestic abuse and interfaith dialogue. Most grants are charitable gifts to operational or program support rather than capital campaigns, reflecting community-building and service priorities in the DC–Maryland area and across the U.S./Israel.
The Gary & Carol Berman Family Foundation Inc. gave its largest recent grant, $49,624 to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, a signal that health care is part of a broader pattern of community-oriented philanthropy. The foundation’s grant list also shows sustained support for Jewish education and Jewish communal life, alongside selected gifts to youth programs, domestic abuse services, and dialogue initiatives. In the Jewish education lane, it backed Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School with $30,000 and Bais Yaakov School for Girls with $8,000. Campus Jewish life appears as well: Hillel University of Maryland received $10,000, and Hillel of George Washington University received $10,000. The foundation also funded synagogue and Chabad activity in Maryland, including Chabad of MD and Chabad of Potomac, and made charitable gifts to organizations serving the Washington-area Jewish community. Beyond those areas, its recent grants include support for Jewish advocacy, medical charities, and youth-focused arts and camp programs. The overall picture is of a family foundation making mostly charitable gifts to community institutions, with a clear emphasis on Jewish continuity, local service, and selected health-related needs.
Jewish education is a major theme. The foundation gave $30,000 to Charles E Smith Jewish Day School and $8,000 to Bais Yaakov School for Girls, both in Maryland. It also supported supplemental Jewish learning through Torah U'mesorah Co Rabbi Merkin with a $5,000 grant. Campus Jewish engagement is another visible area: Hillel University of Maryland received $10,000, while Hillel of George Washington University received $10,000. For synagogue and Chabad community life, the foundation made gifts to Chabad of MD and Chabad of Potomac. Advocacy and policy work also appears in the recent record, including a $13,000 grant to Ajc Global Jewish Advocacy and a $5,000 grant to Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Youth and family-related giving includes Capital Camps, Youth Art for Healing, and Jcada-jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse.
Typical awards are small to mid-sized: the p25 is $2,000, the median is $5,000, and the p75 is $10,000. The recent record shows both one-time gifts and repeated support for the same organizations across years, including Hillel, Chabad, and several Washington-area Jewish institutions. Most grants are charitable gifts, indicating support for operating or program needs rather than project-heavy or capital-style funding. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$0
$1.8M
$87K
$17K
Most grants fall between $2K and $10K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$10K
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Moderately concentrated: a mix of several mid-sized gifts ($10k–$50k) and many smaller grants, recurring support to Jewish institutions (multiple Hillels, Chabad, synagogues) and regionally focused organizations in the DC–Maryland area, plus occasional grants to national/international medical and policy organizations.
Notable grantees: MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, Hillel (University of Maryland and other campus Hillels), JCADA — Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse, Jewish National Fund
Giving is concentrated in the Washington–Maryland region, with Maryland receiving 61% of grants. Recent recipients are clustered in Rockville, Potomac, Bethesda, Baltimore, College Park, and Silver Spring, with Washington, DC also appearing frequently. Outside the region, grants went to New York, Virginia, Wisconsin, and New York state locations such as Ithaca. All recorded recipient countries are in the United States.
The recent grants show strong support for Jewish education, campus Jewish life, synagogue and Chabad activity, and Jewish advocacy. Examples include Charles E Smith Jewish Day School, Hillel University of Maryland, Chabad of MD, and Ajc Global Jewish Advocacy. Health care, youth programs, and domestic abuse services also appear in the record.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is modest: p25 is $2,000, median grant size is $5,000, and p75 is $10,000. That profile matches a mix of small community gifts and mid-sized operating or program support awards.
Yes. The recent grants include repeated support for organizations such as Hillel, Chabad, and Washington-area Jewish institutions across multiple years. The record shows grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than purely one-off gifts.
Maryland receives 61% of the grants, and many recipients are in Rockville, Potomac, Bethesda, Baltimore, College Park, and Silver Spring. Washington, DC is also a frequent recipient location, with additional grants going to nearby Virginia and a small number of out-of-region U.S. recipients.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TORAH U'MESORAH CO RABBI MERKIN | SILVER SPRING, MD | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CHABAD OF MD | POTOMAC, MD | $2,820 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| B'NAI TZEDEK | POTOMAC, MD | $2,085 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| HEBREW SHELTERING SOCIETY | SILVER SPRING, MD | $2,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| AGUDATH ISRAEL | NEW YORK, NY | $1,800 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| MEDSTAR WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER | WASHINGTON, DC | $49,624 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| AME ZION CHURCH | POTOMAC, MD | $5,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| FOREVER FROSTY FOUNDATION | JUPITER, FL | $360 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| CAPITAL CAMPS | ROCKVILLE, MD | $40,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| CHARLES E SMITH JEWISH DAY SCHOOL | ROCKVILLE, MD | $30,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| YOUTH ART FOR HEALING | BETHESDA, MD | $25,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| UJEF AVI WEST ENDOWMENT | ROCKVILLE, MD | $25,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| JCADA-JEWISH COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC ABUSE | ROCKVILLE, MD | $25,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH TEEN LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE | ROCKVILLE, MD | $20,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| AKBAR AHMED CENTER FOR DIALOGUE PEACE AND ACTION | FALLS CHURCH, VA | $20,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH NATIONAL FUND | PIKESVILLE, MD | $20,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| ONE TABLE | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| AJC GLOBAL JEWISH ADVOCACY | MILWAUKEE, WI | $13,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| GAITHER DC | WASHINGTON, DC | $12,500 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| HILLEL UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND | COLLEGE PARK, MD | $10,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| SAVE A CHILDS HEART | POTOMAC, MD | $10,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| HILLEL OF GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| CHABAD OF MD | POTOMAC, MD | $10,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| BAIS YAAKOV SCHOOL FOR GIRLS | BALTIMORE, MD | $8,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| HILLEL ITHACA COLLEGE | ITHACA, NY | $7,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH ROC | ROCKVILLE, MD | $6,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| JCC OF NV POZEZ | FAIRFAX, VA | $5,180 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| CHABAD OF POTOMAC | POTOMAC, MD | $5,099 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| ZRC | POTOMAC, MD | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| AJC PROJECT INTERCHANGE | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| JCC WASHINGTON DCJCC | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| SHORESH | BALTIMORE, MD | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| JCC OF GREATER WASHINGTON | ROCKVILLE, MD | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| HASBARA FELLOWSHIP START UP NATION | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| HERB COHEN MEMORIAL FUND | COCKYSVILLE, MD | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| B'NAI ISRAEL CONGREGATION | ROCKVILLE, MD | $3,631 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| HILLEL AMERICAN UNIVERSITY | WASHINGTON, DC | $3,600 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| NAMI MC | ROCKVILLE, MD | $3,600 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| B'NAI TZEDEK | POTOMAC, MD | $3,512 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| KINDWORKS | BETHESDA, MD | $2,500 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| SULAM (HEBREW ACADEMY) | ROCKVILLE, MD | $2,500 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| JCRC OF GREATER WASHINGTON | ROCKVILLE, MD | $2,500 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| HABERMAN INSTITUTION FOUNDATION FOR JEWISH STUDIES | ROCKVILLE, MD | $2,500 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY METRO MD | BETHESDA, MD | $1,800 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| OPERATION CANASTA | KENSINGTON, MD | $1,800 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| MONTGOMERY COLLEGE FOUNDATION | ROCKVILLE, MD | $1,800 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| MORGAN ADAMS FOUNDATION | DENVER, CO | $1,800 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| ROCK & ROLL FOR CHILDREN FOUNDATION | DERWOOD, MD | $1,800 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
TORAH U'MESORAH CO RABBI MERKIN
$5,000CHARITABLE
CHABAD OF MD
$2,820CHARITABLE
B'NAI TZEDEK
$2,085CHARITABLE
HEBREW SHELTERING SOCIETY
$2,000CHARITABLE
MEDSTAR WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER
$49,624CHARITABLE
AME ZION CHURCH
$5,000CHARITABLE
FOREVER FROSTY FOUNDATION
$360CHARITABLE
YOUTH ART FOR HEALING
$25,000CHARITABLE
UJEF AVI WEST ENDOWMENT
$25,000CHARITABLE
JCADA-JEWISH COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC ABUSE
$25,000CHARITABLE
JEWISH TEEN LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE
$20,000CHARITABLE
AKBAR AHMED CENTER FOR DIALOGUE PEACE AND ACTION
$20,000CHARITABLE
JEWISH NATIONAL FUND
$20,000CHARITABLE
AJC GLOBAL JEWISH ADVOCACY
$13,000CHARITABLE
GAITHER DC
$12,500CHARITABLE
HILLEL OF GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
$10,000CHARITABLE
CHABAD OF MD
$10,000CHARITABLE
BAIS YAAKOV SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
$8,000CHARITABLE
HILLEL ITHACA COLLEGE
$7,000CHARITABLE
JEWISH ROC
$6,000CHARITABLE
CHABAD OF POTOMAC
$5,099CHARITABLE
ZRC
$5,000CHARITABLE
AJC PROJECT INTERCHANGE
$5,000CHARITABLE
SHORESH
$5,000CHARITABLE
JCC OF GREATER WASHINGTON
$5,000CHARITABLE
WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY
$5,000CHARITABLE
HERB COHEN MEMORIAL FUND
$5,000CHARITABLE
B'NAI ISRAEL CONGREGATION
$3,631CHARITABLE
NAMI MC
$3,600CHARITABLE
B'NAI TZEDEK
$3,512CHARITABLE
KINDWORKS
$2,500CHARITABLE
SULAM (HEBREW ACADEMY)
$2,500CHARITABLE
HABERMAN INSTITUTION FOUNDATION FOR JEWISH STUDIES
$2,500CHARITABLE
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY METRO MD
$1,800CHARITABLE
OPERATION CANASTA
$1,800CHARITABLE
ROCK & ROLL FOR CHILDREN FOUNDATION
$1,800CHARITABLE