Bergen Foundation

## Approach Strategy

The Bergen Foundation presents a distinctive and challenging philanthropic target for grant seekers: it operates as a closed, invitation-only private family foundation that explicitly does not accept unsolicited applications. Founded in 1963 by Edgar Bergen—the legendary American ventriloquist and radio entertainer best known for his puppet Charlie McCarthy—and his wife Frances Bergen (actress and model), the foundation represents a deeply personal legacy vehicle now stewarded by the Bergen family's second generation.

Key Strategic Realities:

1. Closed to Cold Outreach: The foundation's 990-PF filings and all public databases confirm: "The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds." This is not a gatekeeping formality—it reflects the foundation's operating model.

2. Relationship Is Everything: Given the preselection model, access requires genuine connections to the Bergen family or its advisors. Kris Bergen (President, likely a family member) runs day-to-day operations with John Larkin (Director) serving as a professional advisor/manager. Candice Bergen (the Emmy Award-winning actress) serves as Secretary with minimal time commitment (1 hour/week), suggesting her role is ceremonial legacy stewardship rather than active grantmaking.

3. California Focus is Absolute: Every indication from public filings confirms the foundation funds exclusively within California. Organizations outside California should not pursue this funder.

4. Entertainment and Arts Legacy Connection: While the foundation does not publish programmatic priorities, the Bergen family's roots in American entertainment—vaudeville, radio, film, and television—suggest an intuitive sympathy toward performing arts, cultural preservation, and entertainment-adjacent charitable work. Organizations working in these areas in California may have the strongest resonance.

5. Small Grants, Broad Distribution: With approximately 228 grants averaging approximately $2,000 each from a $15.5M asset base, this is not a major grant opportunity in dollar terms. Organizations seeking operational sustainability should not budget Bergen Foundation as a significant revenue line. It functions more as a relationship signal and community connection than a transformational funding source.

Path Forward: The most viable approach for a California nonprofit is to cultivate a connection through the broader Los Angeles philanthropic community, arts organizations, or entertainment industry networks where Candice Bergen and the Bergen family circle are active. Board-to-board connections and peer introductions are the only realistic entry points.

## Funding Patterns

Annual Giving Volume (Fiscal Years Ending November): - FY2024: $751,430 total charitable disbursements; approximately $531,500–$532,000 in direct grants - FY2023: $550,500 in grants - FY2022: $646,500 in grants - FY2020: $558,500 in grants

Grant Count and Size: The foundation distributes approximately 228 individual grants per year, with an average grant size of approximately $2,000. This is an unusually broad distribution pattern for a foundation of this asset size ($15.5M), suggesting either a highly diverse portfolio of small community organizations or a broad family and social network of beneficiaries.

Asset Base and Investment Income: The foundation is entirely endowment-driven, receiving zero contribution income. Revenue in FY2024 came from: - Dividends: $470,790 (35.8%) - Sales of Assets: $374,396 (28.4%) - Other Income (likely interest and miscellaneous): $471,100 (35.8%)

With total assets of $15.47M and no contributions inflow, the foundation's payout rate is approximately 3.5–4.5% of assets annually in grants—consistent with the IRS minimum distribution requirement for private foundations (5% of assets, though officer compensation counts toward this).

Operating Cost Concerns: Officer compensation ($250K to Kris Bergen + $160K to John Larkin = $410K/year) substantially exceeds the grant budget in some years. In FY2024, officer compensation represented 38% of total expenses vs. 69.7% for charitable disbursements. This high administrative cost ratio relative to grants is atypical and suggests the foundation serves partly as a family employment vehicle in addition to its philanthropic function.

No Public Sector Support: The foundation makes no grants to government entities and no contributions to non-California organizations based on all available filings.

Grant Recipient Disclosure: The 990-PF filings list recipients as "See list attached," meaning the actual grantees are disclosed in paper schedules not captured in electronic databases. The full recipient list is not publicly accessible through standard nonprofit research tools.

## Peer Comparison

The Bergen Foundation occupies a specific niche among California family foundations: a mid-size legacy foundation ($10M–$20M assets) with entertainment industry origins, operated by family members, making broad small-grant distributions to California nonprofits.

Key Differentiators: 1. Grant size: Bergen Foundation's $2,000 average is exceptionally low for a $15.5M foundation—most peers at this asset level give $10,000–$50,000 per grant to fewer organizations. 2. Transparency: Unlike peers such as the Samueli Foundation or Disney Family Foundation, Bergen publishes no mission statement, no program descriptions, and no application guidelines. 3. Operating cost ratio: The $410K officer compensation against approximately $532K in grants is far above peer norms, where management costs typically run 5–15% of total giving. 4. Preselection model: While some family foundations at this size still take nominations or letters of inquiry, Bergen's complete closure to unsolicited applications is more restrictive than most California peers of comparable scale.

Conclusion: Bergen Foundation is best compared to other entertainment-legacy California family foundations operating as private family affairs rather than institutional grantmakers. It resembles foundations run by Hollywood families where philanthropy and family employment intersect, with relatively limited external impact per dollar of assets.

## Application Tips

Given that the Bergen Foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited grant applications, standard grant-seeking tactics are inapplicable. The following guidance is tailored to the realistic pathways that exist:

1. Do Not Apply Cold Submitting an unsolicited letter of inquiry, grant application, or email to the foundation address will not result in funding and may damage your organization's reputation with the Bergen family network. The foundation's policy is unambiguous.

2. Pursue Relationship-Based Entry The only viable path is through personal connections: - Identify board members or major donors at your organization who have social or professional ties to the Bergen family (particularly Candice Bergen's Hollywood/entertainment circles or Kris Bergen's philanthropic network). - Attend Los Angeles-area arts galas, entertainment industry charity events, and San Fernando Valley philanthropic gatherings where Bergen family members may be present. - Leverage connections through the Academy of Arts and Sciences, SAG-AFTRA charitable events, or Los Angeles entertainment industry foundations.

3. California-Only Organizations If your organization operates in multiple states, ensure your California programs and impact are prominently documented. The foundation funds exclusively within California.

4. Calibrate Expectations Even with a relationship-based introduction, individual grants average approximately $2,000. Budget Bergen Foundation as a small supplemental gift, not a major grant. The value is in the relationship signal and potential for recurring small gifts over time, not in transformational funding.

5. Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Alignment While the foundation publishes no stated priorities, organizations working in performing arts, entertainment education, cultural preservation (including ventriloquism, puppetry, or broadcast history), and entertainment industry support services may find the most natural resonance with the Bergen family legacy.

6. Patience and Long-Term Cultivation Given that 88% of applicants are reportedly not funded (12% success rate), and those applicants are likely already known to the foundation, the cultivation timeline may span years. Focus on becoming part of the Bergen family's philanthropic community rather than seeking a one-time grant.

7. Acknowledge the Foundation Is Semi-Dormant Externally With a dead website and no public communications, the foundation operates entirely through internal decision-making. There is no newsletter, grant cycle announcement, or RFP to respond to. Organizations should treat this as equivalent to major donor cultivation, not institutional grant-seeking.