The Todd A and Raphaela S Stern Family Foundation concentrates its giving in large, targeted grants that support Jewish and Israel-centered education and youth services, often providing unrestricted/general operating support. Recent grants show a preference for institutions serving children and adolescents — including special education and residential programs in Jerusalem — rather than a broad portfolio of small donations.
A $1,627,220 general operating budget grant in 2025 is the clearest sign of how the Todd a and Raphaela Stern Family Foundation gives: it favors large, targeted awards that support core institutional budgets, especially in Jewish and Israel-centered education and youth services. Its recent grants include a $1,000,000 donation to Ner Naftali Inc and a $250,000 grant to Netivot Academy for Special Education, showing a pattern of concentrating major support on a small set of organizations rather than spreading funds broadly. The foundation also backs residential and school-based programs for young people, including a $250,000 grant to Girls Town Jerusalem and six-figure support for other education-related partners. The grant list points to a portfolio built around institutions serving children, adolescents, and students with special needs, alongside Jewish nonprofit partners that appear to function as long-term grantees. Several awards are unrestricted or described simply as donations, while others are tied to general operating budget support. Rather than mixing many small awards across unrelated fields, the foundation’s giving is organized around a limited set of recurring priorities and organizations connected to Jewish life, education, and care for youth in Israel and the United States.
Jewish and Israel-centered education is a central theme in the Todd a and Raphaela Stern Family Foundation’s grantmaking. In 2024, it gave $250,000 to Netivot Academy for Special Education and $65,000 to Netivot Pathways Academy for Special Education, showing sustained support for special education institutions. It also funded Hebrew Theological College twice in 2023, at $115,875 and $115,425, indicating support for Jewish higher education. Youth and residential programming in Jerusalem also appears in the record. The foundation awarded $250,000 to Girls Town Jerusalem in 2023, a large grant tied to a residential girls’ program. In the same orbit of youth support, it gave $75,000 to Camp Moshava and another $75,000 to Camp Moahava, both in 2023. General operating support is another visible pattern. The 2025 grant to the unnamed contributor listing “Details of the Contributions Are Available for Inspection Upon Request” was specifically for general operating budget support, and the 2024 gift to Ner Naftali Inc was recorded as a $1,000,000 donation.
$1.6M
$16.5M
$1.4M
$1.7M
Most grants fall between $234 and $7K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$234
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$7K
Top 3 recipient countries by grant volume for Todd A and Raphaela Stern Family Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 369 | $6.7M | 97.9% |
| 2 | Israel |
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Concentrated, high-dollar giving: a very small number of large grants (four grants totaling ~$3.1M) with emphasis on multi-hundred-thousand to million-dollar gifts, often unrestricted or for general operating support rather than many small awards.
Notable grantees: Ner Naftali Inc, Netivot Academy for Special Education, Girls Town Jerusalem, Undisclosed grantee (General Operating Budget, $1,627,220)
This foundation’s typical grant size is small relative to its largest awards, with a p25 of $234, a median of $1,800, and a p75 of $6,720. The spread is wide, but the recent record also shows repeated high-dollar exceptions, including seven-figure and six-figure gifts. The grant list suggests a concentrated portfolio rather than one-time experimentation: several organizations appear more than once across the recent record, including Hebrew Theological College, Kehilat Chovevei Tzion, Chicago Chesed Fund, Chicago Mitzvah Campaign, Lubavitch Girls High School, Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the Chicago-area wedding center Ateres Ayala. It operates as a family foundation and also funds individuals.
Giving is national, with most recipient organizations in the United States and a small share in Israel and Canada. Illinois receives 48% of grants, and recipient locations cluster around Chicago, Skokie, Lincolnwood, and other nearby suburbs. Outside Illinois, New York appears in the recent list through Girls Town Jerusalem in Brooklyn, and California through the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. The recipient country distribution also includes 6 grants to Israel and 2 to Canada.
The recent record centers on Jewish and Israel-centered education, youth services, special education, and residential support for girls. Named recipients include Netivot Academy for Special Education, Girls Town Jerusalem, Hebrew Theological College, and Jewish federation and synagogue partners in the Chicago area.
Both appear in the record, but the foundation’s recent profile is shaped by a few large awards. Its typical grant size is $234 at the 25th percentile, $1,800 at the median, and $6,720 at the 75th percentile, while recent individual grants reach $1,627,220 and $1,000,000.
Yes. Several recipients appear multiple times in the recent grants list, including Hebrew Theological College, Kehilat Chovevei Tzion, Chicago Chesed Fund, Chicago Mitzvah Campaign, Lubavitch Girls High School, Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Ateres Ayala (wedding Center).
Illinois receives 48% of grants, and the recipient list clusters in Chicago-area communities such as Chicago, Skokie, Lincolnwood, Lincolnwood, and Harwood Heights. The broader country distribution also includes recipients in Israel and Canada.
Yes. The recent grants list includes a $1,627,220 award marked for general operating budget support, and another large 2024 gift to Ner Naftali Inc listed as a donation. Several other recent entries are also labeled simply as donations.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 6 |
| $15K |
1.6% |
| 3 | Canada | 2 | $870 | 0.5% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DETAILS OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION UPON REQUEST | LINCOLNWOOD, IL | $1,627,220 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING BUDGET |
| NER NAFTALI INC | LINCOLNWOOD, IL | $1,000,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| NETIVOT ACADEMY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION | LINCOLNWOOD, IL | $250,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| CHICAGO MIKVAH ASSOCIATION | CHICAGO, IL | $150,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| THE CHURCH STREET SYNAGOGUE (DBA KEHILAT CHOVEVEI TZION) | SKOKIE, IL | $120,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $51,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| LUBAVITCH GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| CHICAGO CHESED FUND | LINCOLNWOOD, IL | $43,600 | 2024 | DONATION |
| GIRLS TOWN JERUSALEM INC | BROOKLYN, NY | $40,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| AGUDATH ISRAEL OF ILLINOIS | CHICAGO, IL | $36,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| JUST ONE CHESED | SKOKIE, IL | $25,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| HEBREW THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE | SKOKIE, IL | $20,940 | 2024 | DONATION |
| UPWARD COMMUNITY | CHICAGO, IL | $18,945 | 2024 | DONATION |
| JOAN DACHS BAIS YAAKOV ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | CHICAGO, IL | $18,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| NETZACH FOUNDATION | LAKEWOOD, NJ | $18,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| BALTIMORE TORAH SCHOOL | BALTIMORE, MD | $18,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| HANNA SACKS BAIS YAAKOV | CHICAGO, IL | $14,824 | 2024 | DONATION |
| NEVEH ZION | BROOKLYN, NY | $13,600 | 2024 | DONATION |
| VAAD HATZEDAKOS | CHICAGO, IL | $12,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| LUBAVITCH CHABAD OF SKOKIE | SKOKIE, IL | $11,030 | 2024 | DONATION |
| CHAI LIFELINE | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| PROJECT 613 | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| CONGREGATION CHESED L'AVROHOM | LINCOLNWOOD, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| CHICAGO COMMUNITY KOLLEL | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| YESHIVA GEDOLA OF THE MIDWEST | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| MIDWEST NCSY | SKOKIE, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| BIGTALKS DIVISION OF KEDUSHA INC | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| THE ARK | NORTHBROOK, IL | $9,800 | 2024 | DONATION |
| KI'VALEH CHAFATZI INC | CHICAGO, IL | $7,200 | 2024 | DONATION |
| LIMUDEI DA AS INC | MONSEY, NY | $7,200 | 2024 | DONATION |
| THE HEBRON FUND | BROOKLYN, NY | $7,200 | 2024 | DONATION |
| LIBENU | SKOKIE, IL | $5,558 | 2024 | DONATION |
| CHABAD OF GLENCOE | GLENCOE, IL | $5,400 | 2024 | DONATION |
| SHARLENE LEVINSON BIKUR CHOLIM ORGANIZATION | CHICAGO, IL | $5,366 | 2024 | DONATION |
| VAAD HARABANIM | LAKEWOOD, NJ | $5,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF HAMAAYAN | BROOKLYN, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| LUBAVITCH MESIVTA OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | DONATION |
| CHAI LIFELINE MIDWEST | LINCOLNWOOD, IL | $3,600 | 2024 | DONATION |
| BUBBY FIRA'S FOOD BANK | CHICAGO, IL | $3,600 | 2024 | DONATION |
| CPFUND | CHICAGO, IL | $3,600 | 2024 | DONATION |
| YESHIVA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | MILWAUKEE, WI | $3,600 | 2024 | DONATION |
| HATZALAH CHICAGO | LINCOLNWOOD, IL | $3,600 | 2024 | DONATION |
| AREYVUT | BERGENFIELD, NJ | $3,600 | 2024 | DONATION |
| LEV CHANA L'KALLAH | CHICAGO, IL | $3,600 | 2024 | DONATION |
| YEODED | CHICAGO, IL | $3,600 | 2024 | DONATION |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF KOLLEL TIFERES YISROEL | TEANECK, NJ | $2,700 | 2024 | DONATION |
| ORGANIZATION FOR THE RESOLUTION OF AGUNOT | NEW YORK, NY | $2,596 | 2024 | DONATION |
| KEHILAT ETZ HATIM | LAKEWOOD, NJ | $2,540 | 2024 | DONATION |
| MY MORASHA INC | SKOKIE, IL | $2,500 | 2024 | DONATION |
| NORTHERN LIGHTS KOLLEL | BUFFALO GROVE, IL | $1,800 | 2024 | DONATION |
DETAILS OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION UPON REQUEST
$1,627,220GENERAL OPERATING BUDGET
NER NAFTALI INC
$1,000,000DONATION
NETIVOT ACADEMY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION
$250,000DONATION
CHICAGO MIKVAH ASSOCIATION
$150,000DONATION
THE CHURCH STREET SYNAGOGUE (DBA KEHILAT CHOVEVEI TZION)
$120,000DONATION
SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER
$51,000DONATION
GIRLS TOWN JERUSALEM INC
$40,000DONATION
HEBREW THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE
$20,940DONATION
JOAN DACHS BAIS YAAKOV ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
$18,000DONATION
BALTIMORE TORAH SCHOOL
$18,000DONATION
HANNA SACKS BAIS YAAKOV
$14,824DONATION
NEVEH ZION
$13,600DONATION
VAAD HATZEDAKOS
$12,000DONATION
LUBAVITCH CHABAD OF SKOKIE
$11,030DONATION
PROJECT 613
$10,000DONATION
CONGREGATION CHESED L'AVROHOM
$10,000DONATION
CHICAGO COMMUNITY KOLLEL
$10,000DONATION
YESHIVA GEDOLA OF THE MIDWEST
$10,000DONATION
MIDWEST NCSY
$10,000DONATION
BIGTALKS DIVISION OF KEDUSHA INC
$10,000DONATION
THE ARK
$9,800DONATION
KI'VALEH CHAFATZI INC
$7,200DONATION
CHABAD OF GLENCOE
$5,400DONATION
SHARLENE LEVINSON BIKUR CHOLIM ORGANIZATION
$5,366DONATION
VAAD HARABANIM
$5,000DONATION
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF HAMAAYAN
$5,000DONATION
LUBAVITCH MESIVTA OF CHICAGO
$5,000DONATION
CHAI LIFELINE MIDWEST
$3,600DONATION
BUBBY FIRA'S FOOD BANK
$3,600DONATION
CPFUND
$3,600DONATION
YESHIVA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
$3,600DONATION
AREYVUT
$3,600DONATION
LEV CHANA L'KALLAH
$3,600DONATION
YEODED
$3,600DONATION
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF KOLLEL TIFERES YISROEL
$2,700DONATION
KEHILAT ETZ HATIM
$2,540DONATION
MY MORASHA INC
$2,500DONATION
NORTHERN LIGHTS KOLLEL
$1,800DONATION