The Kaplen Foundation concentrates its giving on a small number of substantial, local grants that strengthen Jewish communal life in Bergen County and support higher education. Its funding profile shows a clear preference for institutional recipients—synagogues and a Jewish community center—alongside a large award to a university, suggesting priorities in community infrastructure, religious life, and educational opportunity. Grants are sizable and targeted rather than dispersed across many small organizations.
Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a very small set of institutional grantees—focused, local, and repeatable community/religious investments rather than many small or nationwide awards.
A single $1.1 million grant to Dominican University stands out in The Kaplen Foundation’s recent giving and points to a funder that uses large, targeted awards rather than a wide dispersal of small gifts. The foundation’s 2025 grants also show a strong commitment to Jewish communal institutions in Bergen County, including support for Kaplen Jcc on the Palisades and Temple Sinai of Bergen County. Those awards sit alongside funding for health, human services, and civic organizations, suggesting a broad local portfolio anchored in community infrastructure. The pattern is institutional and general-support oriented. Several of the largest grants went to organizations that serve local Jewish life and neighborhood needs, while other awards reached medical, social-service, and advocacy groups across northern New Jersey and nearby New York. The foundation’s recent portfolio includes support for synagogue operations, a Jewish community center, a Jewish federation, and a Jewish home foundation, indicating a sustained emphasis on communal continuity and service delivery. Even when the recipient is outside the immediate Jewish sector, the grants remain substantial and mission-linked, as with the university award and support for health-related and arts organizations.
Jewish communal infrastructure is the clearest throughline in the foundation’s recent grants. It gave $826,000 to Kaplen Jcc on the Palisades for general support and $665,096 to Temple Sinai of Bergen County for general support, alongside $500,850 to Jewish Federation of Northern NJ and $401,100 to Jewish Home Foundation, both for general support. The foundation also backed health and human-service organizations in northern New Jersey. Examples include $501,800 to Adler Aphasia Center, $375,000 to Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative, $320,000 to Englewood Health Foundation, and $40,000 to Center for Food Action, all for general support. Cultural and advocacy groups appear in the portfolio as well. Recent grants include $100,000 to Roundabout Theatre Co, $50,000 to Anti-Defamation League, $25,000 to Thirteen- Wnet, and $15,000 to Yiddish Book Center, each listed as general support.
The foundation’s recent grants are concentrated at the high end, with a p25 of $10,000, a median of $15,000, and a p75 of $100,000. That spread shows a mix of smaller community grants and much larger institutional awards, including seven-figure and six-figure gifts. The funding style is general support and unrestricted in character, with each listed award marked general support. It is also a private foundation and a regular funder. The 2025 list alone shows multiple awards to the same local ecosystem, but the provided data does not show multi-year recipient repetition.
$5.6M
$61.9M
$14.5M
$6.3M
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Notable grantees: Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, Temple Sinai of Bergen County, Dominican University
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly local: 100% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, New Jersey. The strongest city-level concentration is in Bergen County and nearby northern New Jersey, including Tenafly, Englewood, Hackensack, Paramus, Maywood, Fort Lee, Rochelle Park, Closter, and Rockleigh. Outside New Jersey, the list includes recipients in New York, Massachusetts, and Alabama, but the recipient country distribution remains entirely U.S.-based.
Its recent grants center on Jewish communal institutions and local service organizations. Examples include a Jewish community center, a synagogue, a Jewish federation, a Jewish home foundation, and organizations in health care, food assistance, civil rights, and arts and culture.
Very concentrated. The data shows 100% of grants to recipients in New Jersey, with repeated awards across Tenafly, Englewood, Hackensack, Paramus, Maywood, Fort Lee, Rochelle Park, Closter, and Rockleigh.
Recent grants range from $8,500 to $1.1 million. The distribution is weighted toward smaller awards, with a p25 of $10,000 and a median of $15,000, while the p75 rises to $100,000.
Yes. Every grant in the recent list is labeled general support, including the largest awards to Dominican University, Kaplen Jcc on the Palisades, and Temple Sinai of Bergen County.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY | ORANGEBURG, NY | $1,100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| KAPLEN JCC ON THE PALISADES | TENAFLY, NJ | $826,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| TEMPLE SINAI OF BERGEN COUNTY | TENAFLY, NJ | $665,096 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ADLER APHASIA CENTER | MAYWOOD, NJ | $501,800 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF NORTHERN NJ | PARAMUS, NJ | $500,850 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JEWISH HOME FOUNDATION | ROCKLEIGH, NJ | $401,100 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BERGEN VOLUNTEER MEDICAL INITIATIVE | HACKENSACK, NJ | $375,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ENGLEWOOD HEALTH FOUNDATION | ENGLEWOOD, NJ | $320,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE | NEW YORK, NY | $251,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE ARNOLD P GOLD FOUNDATION INC | FORT LEE, NJ | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ROUNDABOUT THEATRE CO | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CENTER FOR FOOD ACTION | ENGLEWOOD, NJ | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NORTH JERSEY FRIENDSHIP HOUSE | HACKENSACK, NJ | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR RESEARCH | GREAT NECK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THIRTEEN- WNET | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WEST SIDE INFANT AND TEEN PARENT PR | ENGLEWOOD, NJ | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SOUTHEAST SENIOR CENTER FOR INDEPEN | ENGLEWOOD, NJ | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| YIDDISH BOOK CENTER | AMHERST, MA | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PARSONS DANCE FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CENTER FOR HOPE AND SAFETY | ROCHELLE PARK, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BERGEN FAMILY SERVICES- HIPPY | ENGLEWOOD, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| TEMPLE EMANU-EL | CLOSTER, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE DEFINING MOMENT FOUNDATION | ENGLEWOOD, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE COMMUNITY CHEST | ENGLEWOOD, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER | MONTGOMERY, AL | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD | MORRISTOWN, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MYRIAD USA | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NATURE ISRAEL | NEW YORK, NY | $8,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL | LONBOAT KEY, FL | $7,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BERGEN VOLUNTEER CENTER | PARAMUS, NJ | $6,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| OUTWARD BOUND USA | BOULDER, CO | $6,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FAMILY PROMISE OF BERGEN COUNTY | TEANECK, NJ | $6,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHATHAM SYNAGOGUE | CHATHAM, NY | $5,800 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SOCK OUT CANCER LLC | BINGHAMTON, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY FDN | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DRUMTHWACKET FOUNDATION | PRINCETON, NJ | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DEBORAH HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | BROWNS MILLS, NJ | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICES | TEANECK, NJ | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE PUBLIC THEATER | NEW YORK, NY | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NCJW BCS | BERGENFIELD, NJ | $2,060 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FRIENDS OF SOUTHERN OCEAN ANIMAL SH | MANAHAWKIN, NJ | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FRIENDS OF YAD LAKASHISH- LIFELINE | ENGLEWOOD, NJ | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FLAT ROCK BROOK NATURE ASSOCIATION | ENGLEWOOD, NJ | $1,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK | $1,100 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GALAPAGOS CONSERVANCY | FAIRFAX, VA | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SMILE TRAIN | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE HADLEY SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND | WINNETKA, IL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| TENAFLY LIONS CLUB | TENAFLY, NJ | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
KAPLEN JCC ON THE PALISADES
$826,000GENERAL SUPPORT
TEMPLE SINAI OF BERGEN COUNTY
$665,096GENERAL SUPPORT
JEWISH HOME FOUNDATION
GENERAL SUPPORT
ENGLEWOOD HEALTH FOUNDATION
$320,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE ARNOLD P GOLD FOUNDATION INC
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CENTER FOR FOOD ACTION
$40,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NORTH JERSEY FRIENDSHIP HOUSE
$30,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR RESEARCH
$30,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THIRTEEN- WNET
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
WEST SIDE INFANT AND TEEN PARENT PR
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SOUTHEAST SENIOR CENTER FOR INDEPEN
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PARSONS DANCE FOUNDATION
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BERGEN FAMILY SERVICES- HIPPY
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
TEMPLE EMANU-EL
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE DEFINING MOMENT FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE COMMUNITY CHEST
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NATURE ISRAEL
$8,500GENERAL SUPPORT
TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL
$7,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BERGEN VOLUNTEER CENTER
$6,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FAMILY PROMISE OF BERGEN COUNTY
$6,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CHATHAM SYNAGOGUE
$5,800GENERAL SUPPORT
SOCK OUT CANCER LLC
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY FDN
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
DRUMTHWACKET FOUNDATION
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE PUBLIC THEATER
$3,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NCJW BCS
$2,060GENERAL SUPPORT
FRIENDS OF SOUTHERN OCEAN ANIMAL SH
$2,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FRIENDS OF YAD LAKASHISH- LIFELINE
$2,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FLAT ROCK BROOK NATURE ASSOCIATION
$1,500GENERAL SUPPORT
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
$1,100GENERAL SUPPORT
THE HADLEY SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND
$1,000GENERAL SUPPORT
TENAFLY LIONS CLUB
$1,000GENERAL SUPPORT