The J Baker Foundation concentrates its philanthropy into a small number of large grants, primarily supporting hunger-relief/food-access initiatives and elite higher-education institutions. The foundation is a major funder of Rethink Food (both NYC and national arms) and has provided multiple seven‑ and six‑figure gifts to Harvard, indicating a dual focus on community food programs and academic/research institutions. Smaller giving to a medical research charity shows occasional support for disease research or health innovation.
The J Baker Foundation Inc has made some of its largest recent grants to Rethink Food, including $5.533 million in 2023 to Rethink Food NYC Inc and $3.134 million in 2024 to the same organization. Those awards place food rescue and hunger relief at the center of its giving, while a separate $2.25 million grant in 2025 to Rethink Food USA Inc shows support for a broader national food-access platform. The foundation also has a second major track in higher education: Harvard College received $2.5 million in 2025, following a $1.75 million grant in 2024 and a $250,000 grant in 2023. That pattern suggests sustained support for a limited set of large institutions rather than a broad, dispersed portfolio. Smaller grants widen the picture without changing the basic shape of the portfolio. The foundation has also funded Every Cure Inc, Collegiates schools, Yale University, the Center for Hearing & Speech, and several other organizations in New York and beyond. The overall picture is of a foundation that concentrates most of its dollars in a handful of recurring relationships, with food access and university support taking the largest share of attention.
In food security, the foundation backed Rethink Food USA Inc with $2.25 million in 2025, building on earlier support for Rethink Food NYC Inc. The purpose text for those awards says they were made to promote the work of the organization, indicating broad institutional support for food-rescue and hunger-relief operations. Higher education is another major theme. Harvard College received $2.5 million in 2025, after a $1.75 million gift in 2024 and a $250,000 grant in 2023, all described as support to promote the work of Harvard University. Yale University also appears in the record, with $65,000 grants in both 2024 and 2025. The foundation’s smaller grants extend to health and community services. Every Cure Inc received $500,000 in 2025, and the Center for Hearing & Speech received $75,000 in 2024 and again in 2025.
Typical grant size is large by nonprofit-funder standards: the p25 is $10,000, the median is $50,000, and the p75 is $250,000. The recent record also shows a small number of very large awards that sit well above the upper quartile. The pattern is concentrated rather than diffuse, with repeated support to the same grantees across multiple years, especially in food access and higher education. The foundation funds individuals and gives regionally, but the grants shown here are all institutional awards, suggesting a portfolio built around ongoing relationships rather than a broad open application stream.
$6.9M
$136.1M
$5.5M
$7M
Most grants fall between $10K and $250K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$250K
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a handful of repeat grantees — multiple multi‑hundred‑thousand to multi‑million dollar gifts rather than many small awards; predominantly unrestricted or general operating support.
Notable grantees: Rethink Food NYC Inc, Rethink Food USA Inc, President & Fellows of Harvard College, Every Cure Inc
Grant activity is overwhelmingly U.S.-based, with all 29 recent grants going to recipients in the United States. New York is the dominant state by grant count, and 66% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. New York City appears repeatedly in the recipient list, including New York, NY; Brooklyn, NY; and Wainscott, NY. Outside New York, the record includes Cambridge, MA; New Haven, CT; Seattle, WA; Honolulu, HI; and Bozeman, MT.
The recent record points to food security and hunger relief, higher education and academic research, and smaller allocations for health and community services. Large awards went to Rethink Food and Harvard-related entities, while smaller grants supported Every Cure and the Center for Hearing & Speech.
Yes. Rethink Food NYC Inc appears in both 2023 and 2024, Harvard-related grants appear in 2023, 2024, and 2025, Yale University appears in 2024 and 2025, and the Center for Hearing & Speech appears in 2024 and 2025.
The distribution is fairly large: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median grant is $50,000, and the 75th percentile is $250,000. The record also includes multi-million-dollar grants, which means a small number of awards account for a large share of giving.
New York is the top state by grant count, with 66% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Within the recent grants, New York City, Brooklyn, and Wainscott appear alongside recipients in Cambridge, New Haven, Seattle, Honolulu, and Bozeman.
Yes. The foundation is marked as funding individuals. The grant list shown here is entirely institutional, but the foundation’s profile indicates that individual support is part of its giving capacity.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President & Fellows of Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | $2,750,000 | 2026 | To Promote the work of President & Fellows of Harvard College. |
| Rethink Food USA Inc | New York, NY | $2,750,000 | 2026 | To Promote the work of Rethink Food USA Inc. |
| Every Cure Inc | New York, NY | $500,000 | 2026 | To Promote the work of Every Cure Inc. |
| Carbon Containment Lab | New Haven, CT | $400,000 | 2026 | To Promote the work of Carbon Containment Lab. |
| Cepia Inc | Breckenridge, CO | $200,000 | 2026 | To Promote the work of Cepia Inc. |
| Trinity Episcopal School | New York, NY | $75,000 | 2026 | To Promote the work of Trinity Episcopal School. |
| Center for Hearing and Communication | New York, NY | $75,000 | 2026 | To Promote the work of Center for Hearing and Communication. |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | $50,000 | 2026 | To Promote the work of Yale University. |
| Phillips Exeter Academy | Exeter, NH | $25,000 | 2026 | To Promote the work of Phillips Exeter Academy. |
| Peconic Land Trust Inc | Southampton, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | To Promote the work of Peconic Land Trust, Inc. |
| The Children's law Center | Brooklyn, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | To Promote the work of The Children's law Center. |
| Yellowstone Club Community Foundation | Bozeman, MT | $10,000 | 2026 | To Promote the work of Yellowstone Club Community Foundation. |
| President & Fellows of Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | $2,500,000 | 2025 | TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY |
| Rethink Food USA Inc | New York, NY | $2,250,000 | 2025 | TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF Rethink Food USA Inc |
| Every Cure Inc | New York, NY | $500,000 | 2025 | TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF THE Every Cure Inc |
| Omprakash Inc | Seattle, WA | $330,000 | 2025 | TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF THE Omprakash Inc |
| Trinity Episcopal School | New York, NY | $75,000 | 2025 | TO promote THE WORK OF THE TRINITY EPISCOPAL |
| Center for Hearing & Speech | New York, NY | $75,000 | 2025 | To promote the work of the Center For Hearing & Speech |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | $65,000 | 2025 | To promote the work of Yale University |
| Phillips Exeter Academy | Exeter, NH | $50,000 | 2025 | To promote the work of Phillips Exeter Academy |
| Peconic Land Trust Inc | Southampton, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | To promote the work OF THE PECONIC LAND TRUST, INC. |
| The Children's law Center | Brooklyn, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF THE CHILDREN'S LAW CENTER |
| Yellowstone Club Community Foundation | BOZEMAN, MT | $10,000 | 2025 | To promote the work of the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation. |
| Hamptons Church | Wainscott, NY | $2,500 | 2025 | To promote the work of Hamptons Church |
| Rethink Food NYC Inc | NEW YORK, NY | $3,134,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF RETHINK FOOD NYC INC. |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $1,750,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY |
| Collegiate School | NEW YORK, NY | $180,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF THE COLLEGIATE SCHOOL. |
| Center For Hearing & Speech | New York, NY | $75,000 | 2024 | THE CENTER FOR HEARING & SPEECH IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH HEARING AND SPEECH DISORDERS BY PROVIDING CARING AND HIGH QUALITY SERVICES, REGARDLESS OF ONE'S ABILITY TO PAY |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | $65,000 | 2024 | TO IMPROVE THE WORLD THROUGH RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP, EDUCATION, PRESERVATION, AND PRACTICE. |
| Trinity Episcopal School | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE TRINITY EPISCOPAL SCHOOL |
| The Children's Law Center | Brooklyn, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | CHILDREN'S LAW CENTER WORKS TO GIVE EVERY CHILD IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA A SOLID FOUNDATION OF FAMILY, HEALTH, AND EDUCATION. |
| Peconic Land Trust Inc | SOUTHAMPTON, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE PECONIC LAND TRUST, INC |
| Hamptons Church | Wainscott, NY | $2,500 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF Hamptons Church |
| Rethink Food Nyc Inc | New York, NY | $5,533,000 | 2023 | TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF RETHINK FOOD NYC INC. |
| Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | $250,000 | 2023 | TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY. |
| Collegiate School | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF THE COLLEGIATE SCHOOL. |
| Trinity Episcopal School | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE Trinity Episcopal School |
| Peconic Land Trust Incorporated | Southampton, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE Peconic Land Trust Incorporated |
| Oceana | Washington DC, WA | $10,000 | 2023 | TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF Oceana |
| Central Synagogue | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE. |
| Hawaii Food Bank | Honolulu, HI | $5,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF Hawaii Food Bank. |
President & Fellows of Harvard College
$2,750,000To Promote the work of President & Fellows of Harvard College.
Rethink Food USA Inc
$2,750,000To Promote the work of Rethink Food USA Inc.
Carbon Containment Lab
$400,000To Promote the work of Carbon Containment Lab.
Cepia Inc
$200,000To Promote the work of Cepia Inc.
To Promote the work of Trinity Episcopal School.
To Promote the work of Center for Hearing and Communication.
Yale University
$50,000To Promote the work of Yale University.
Phillips Exeter Academy
$25,000To Promote the work of Phillips Exeter Academy.
To Promote the work of Yellowstone Club Community Foundation.
President & Fellows of Harvard College
$2,500,000TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Rethink Food USA Inc
$2,250,000TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF Rethink Food USA Inc
Center for Hearing & Speech
$75,000To promote the work of the Center For Hearing & Speech
Yale University
$65,000To promote the work of Yale University
Phillips Exeter Academy
$50,000To promote the work of Phillips Exeter Academy
To promote the work of the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation.
Hamptons Church
$2,500To promote the work of Hamptons Church
President and Fellows of Harvard College
$1,750,000TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Center For Hearing & Speech
$75,000THE CENTER FOR HEARING & SPEECH IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH HEARING AND SPEECH DISORDERS BY PROVIDING CARING AND HIGH QUALITY SERVICES, REGARDLESS OF ONE'S ABILITY TO PAY
Yale University
$65,000TO IMPROVE THE WORLD THROUGH RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP, EDUCATION, PRESERVATION, AND PRACTICE.
CHILDREN'S LAW CENTER WORKS TO GIVE EVERY CHILD IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA A SOLID FOUNDATION OF FAMILY, HEALTH, AND EDUCATION.
Hamptons Church
$2,500TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF Hamptons Church
Harvard University
$250,000TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY.
Trinity Episcopal School
$25,000TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE Trinity Episcopal School
TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE Peconic Land Trust Incorporated
Central Synagogue
$5,000TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE.