About Kohlberg Foundation
The Kohlberg Foundation appears to operate largely as a family legacy vehicle that makes a small number of very large grants, splitting assets between one programmatic commitment to public interest work and substantial transfers into donor-advised/family reserve accounts. The single programmatic grant in this dataset funds the Brennan Center for Justice, indicating an interest in legal, democratic and public-policy work alongside administrative legacy planning. Much of the foundation’s recent activity focuses on creating or funding sibling DAFs and permanent reserves for family members.
Focus Areas
Democracy, civil liberties and public‑interest law (Brennan Center for Justice)Family legacy and estate planning via donor‑advised funds and permanent reservesPhilanthropic infrastructure and DAF administrators (large gifts to DAF sponsors)
Who They Fund
voters in key/swing states and Southern statesLatinx communities (misinformation research and outreach)HBCU students and Black college votersincarcerated individuals and people reentering from prison
About Kohlberg Foundation
A $3,000,000 grant to the Brennan Center for Justice stands out as the clearest signal in The Kohlberg Foundation Inc’s recent record: this funder supports public-interest law and democracy work alongside a large amount of legacy-oriented philanthropy. The foundation’s grantmaking also includes major transfers to donor-advised fund sponsors and permanent reserve accounts, suggesting a structure that mixes program support with family asset planning. In the same period, it backed civic-engagement and voting-rights groups, journalism training, and housing-related work, showing a narrow but recognizable cluster of priorities rather than broad scattershot giving. Recent grants also show repeat support for legal and democratic advocacy organizations and for institutions connected to education in the public sphere. The foundation gave $1,000,000 to the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism Foundation Inc for a dean’s opportunity fund, and it supported Indivisible Civic Engagement on democracy-policy work and 501(c)(3) operations. In housing and reentry-related work, it funded Sponsors Inc and Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison Inc. The overall pattern is concentrated, high-dollar, and oriented toward a few institutional recipients rather than many small awards.
What Kohlberg Foundation Funds
In democracy and voting-rights work, The Kohlberg Foundation Inc supported multiple organizations with six-figure grants, including $500,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund for democracy programs, voter protection, voting integrity, civil rights, and peaceful transition. It also gave $500,000 to the Southern Poverty Law Center for the Vote Your Voice program, redistricting litigation, voting rights, and election integrity. The foundation also funded civic engagement and voter education. Civic Nation received $300,000 for Vote Lab, a vote-by-mail campaign, When We All Vote, and Latinx voter engagement, followed by $250,000 for general support tied to democracy and voter education. In journalism, Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc received $250,000 for newsroom training and fellowships for journalists in the South. Education in prison appears through Hudson Link for Higher Education, which received support for college and pre-college programming at Shawangunk Correctional Facility.
How Kohlberg Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$10.3M
Total Assets
$209.6M
Total Revenue
$7.9M
Total Expenses
$12.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $150K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$150K
Geographic Reach
Regional18 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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