The Zuckerman Family Foundation concentrates its giving on Jewish communal life, cultural memory, and local synagogue support, primarily in the New Jersey/MetroWest area but also to national Jewish institutions. Grants are directed toward federations, congregations, museums, and academic programs tied to Jewish history and education, with several sizable gifts to a small set of organizations rather than many one-off donations.
Wayne and Deborah Zuckerman Family Foundation Inc gives repeated support to a small circle of Jewish institutions, with a strong MetroWest New Jersey footprint and several larger gifts to organizations tied to Jewish education, synagogue life, and cultural memory. The clearest pattern is its recurring backing of Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, which appears among the foundation’s largest recent grants in multiple years, alongside grants to congregational and campus-based Jewish organizations. Recent grants also show attention to institutions that preserve Jewish history and learning beyond the local community. The foundation awarded a substantial gift to the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York, and it has supported both the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation. Academic Jewish studies and student religious life appear as another thread, with grants to Boston University’s College of Arts & Sciences and Boston University Hillel. Within New Jersey, the foundation’s giving includes congregations, Hebrew academies, a Jewish community center, and senior-care or social-service organizations tied to the local Jewish community. The result is a portfolio centered on communal infrastructure rather than broad, dispersed grantmaking.
Jewish communal life and federation support sit at the center of the foundation’s work. It gave $165,505 in 2023 and $85,100 in 2024 to Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, both in Whippany, showing sustained backing for federation infrastructure. Synagogue and congregational support is another visible strand. Grants went to Congregation Etz Chaim in Livingston for $28,466 in 2024 and $10,850 in 2025, while Etz Chaim of Livingston Inc received $35,090 in 2025 and $11,100 in 2024. Jewish education appears through school and campus recipients. Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy in Livingston received $30,000 in 2025 and $10,180 in 2024, and Boston University Hillel received $22,218 in both 2024 and 2025. The foundation also supports Jewish studies at Boston University’s College of Arts & Sciences.
Typical grants cluster around a modest-to-midrange core, with a p25 of $500, a median of $2,275, and a p75 of $14,930. The pattern is concentrated rather than diffuse: several recipients reappear across multiple years, including federation, synagogue, university, and heritage institutions. That repeat giving points to core support for a limited set of organizations instead of one-off awards. The foundation is a family foundation, files as not making program-related investments, and does not fund individuals.
$300K
$135K
$400K
$300K
Most grants fall between $500 and $15K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$500
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$15K
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Concentrated giving: a few large grants account for most dollars, with repeat support to local federation and congregational beneficiaries and occasional funding for prominent national Jewish museums and university programs.
Notable grantees: Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, Museum of Jewish Heritage, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Congregation Etz Chaim / Etz Chaim of Livingston, Boston University - College of Arts & Sciences
The foundation gives most often in New York, even though its headquarters are in Livingston, New Jersey. Recipients are entirely U.S.-based, and 51% of grants go to organizations in New Jersey. Other recurring recipient cities include Whippany, Boston, Livingston, New York, Washington, DC, West Orange, and Silver Spring. The geographic pattern is regional, with a clear New Jersey center and select gifts to nearby national Jewish institutions.
The foundation supports Jewish federations, congregations, Hebrew academies, museums, Holocaust education institutions, and Jewish studies programs. Recent recipients include a federation in Whippany, congregations in Livingston, a museum in New York, and university-based Jewish learning and student-life programs in Boston.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, Boston University’s College of Arts & Sciences, Boston University Hillel, Museum of Jewish Heritage, Congregation Etz Chaim, and Etz Chaim of Livingston Inc. That indicates repeat support rather than isolated gifts.
The grant-size distribution is relatively compact at the low end but reaches into larger institutional gifts. The p25 is $500, the median is $2,275, and the p75 is $14,930, showing that many awards are small while a smaller set are much larger.
New York is the top state by grant count, while 51% of grants go to recipients in New Jersey. The recipient cities in the record include Whippany, Livingston, West Orange, New York, Boston, Washington, DC, and Silver Spring.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSEUM JEWISH HERITAGE | NEW YORK, NY | $60,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ETZ CHAIM OF LIVINGSTON INC | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $35,090 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| MEOR BOSTON | SILVER SPRING, MD | $33,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| AUSCHWITZ JEWISH CENTER FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| JOSEPH KUSHNER HEBREW ACADEMY | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $30,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| BOSTON UNIVERSITY- COLLEGE OF A&S | BOSTON, MA | $26,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER METROWEST NJ | WHIPPANY, NJ | $24,800 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| BOSTON UNIVERSITY HILLEL | BOSTON, MA | $22,218 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CONGREGATION ETZ CHAIN | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $10,850 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| JCC METRO WEST | WEST ORANGE, NJ | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| DAUGHTERS OF ISRAEL | WEST ORANGE, NJ | $6,400 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH NATIONAL FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $3,600 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE INC | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $1,800 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | BRONX, NY | $1,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| JESPY HOUSE | SOUTH ORANGE, NJ | $1,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ACAP ISTRIVE | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CROHNS AND COLITIS FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| RILEY'S DANCE | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH EDUCATIONAL CENTER | ELIZABETH, NJ | $360 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| YIDDISH BOOK CENTER | AMHERST, MA | $150 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| GENERAL ISRAEL ORPHANS HOME | NEW YORK, NY | $100 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| LIVINGSTON FIRST AID SQUAD | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $100 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| LIVINGSTON PBA LOCAL 263 | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $100 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| WNYC | NEW YORK, NY | $36 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER METROWEST NJ | WHIPPANY, NJ | $85,100 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| BOSTON UNIVERSITY- COLLEGE OF A&S | BOSTON, MA | $35,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| CONGREGATION ETZ CHAIM | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $28,466 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| AUSCHWITZ JEWISH CENTER FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| BOSTON UNIVERSITY HILLEL | BOSTON, MA | $22,218 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| DAUGHTERS OF ISRAEL | WEST ORANGE, NJ | $12,300 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| ETZ CHAIM OF LIVINGSTON INC | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $11,100 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| JOSEPH KUSHNER HEBREW ACADEMY | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $10,180 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE INC | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $6,800 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| YIDDISH BOOK CENTER | AMHERST, MA | $5,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| MEOR BOSTON | SILVER SPRING, MD | $5,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| JCC METRO WEST | WEST ORANGE, NJ | $5,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES OF METROWEST NJ | FLORHAM PARK, NJ | $4,600 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| MUSEUM JEWISH HERITAGE | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| RILEY'S DANCE | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $2,050 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE | BRONX, NY | $1,500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| CONG TIFERES YAAKOV | LAKEWOOD, NJ | $1,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| VALLEY CHABAD | WOODCLIFF LAKE, NJ | $540 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH EDUCATIONAL CENTER | ELIZABETH, NJ | $500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| CHABAD OF WATERMILL | WATERMILL, NY | $500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| CHABAD LUBAVITCH OF PUERTO RICO | CAROLINA, PR | $500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| CROHNS AND COLITIS FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $360 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| BRIS AVROHAM CENTER | HILLSIDE, NJ | $100 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| GENERAL ISRAEL ORPHANS HOME | NEW YORK, NY | $100 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| LUBAVITCH YOUTH ORGANIZATION | BROOKLYN, NY | $100 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| LIVINGSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT | LIVINGSTON, NJ | $100 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
MUSEUM JEWISH HERITAGE
$60,500CHARITABLE
ETZ CHAIM OF LIVINGSTON INC
$35,090CHARITABLE
MEOR BOSTON
$33,000CHARITABLE
JOSEPH KUSHNER HEBREW ACADEMY
$30,000CHARITABLE
BOSTON UNIVERSITY- COLLEGE OF A&S
$26,500CHARITABLE
BOSTON UNIVERSITY HILLEL
$22,218CHARITABLE
CONGREGATION ETZ CHAIN
$10,850CHARITABLE
DAUGHTERS OF ISRAEL
$6,400CHARITABLE
JEWISH NATIONAL FUND
$3,600CHARITABLE
FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE INC
$1,800CHARITABLE
ACAP ISTRIVE
$500CHARITABLE
RILEY'S DANCE
$500CHARITABLE
JEWISH EDUCATIONAL CENTER
$360CHARITABLE
GENERAL ISRAEL ORPHANS HOME
$100CHARITABLE
LIVINGSTON FIRST AID SQUAD
$100CHARITABLE
LIVINGSTON PBA LOCAL 263
$100CHARITABLE
WNYC
$36CHARITABLE
BOSTON UNIVERSITY- COLLEGE OF A&S
$35,000CHARITABLE
CONGREGATION ETZ CHAIM
$28,466CHARITABLE
BOSTON UNIVERSITY HILLEL
$22,218CHARITABLE
DAUGHTERS OF ISRAEL
$12,300CHARITABLE
ETZ CHAIM OF LIVINGSTON INC
$11,100CHARITABLE
JOSEPH KUSHNER HEBREW ACADEMY
$10,180CHARITABLE
FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE INC
$6,800CHARITABLE
MUSEUM JEWISH HERITAGE
$2,500CHARITABLE
RILEY'S DANCE
$2,050CHARITABLE
CONG TIFERES YAAKOV
$1,000CHARITABLE
VALLEY CHABAD
$540CHARITABLE
JEWISH EDUCATIONAL CENTER
$500CHARITABLE
CHABAD OF WATERMILL
$500CHARITABLE
CHABAD LUBAVITCH OF PUERTO RICO
$500CHARITABLE
BRIS AVROHAM CENTER
$100CHARITABLE
GENERAL ISRAEL ORPHANS HOME
$100CHARITABLE
LUBAVITCH YOUTH ORGANIZATION
$100CHARITABLE
LIVINGSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT
$100CHARITABLE