Herbert Bearman Foundation Inc.

Herbert Bearman Foundation is a closely held family private foundation incorporated in Maryland in 1998, operating from both Brooklandville, Maryland and West Palm Beach, Florida, with $33.6M in assets and annual giving consistently between $2.2M and $2.5M. It is a mid-size family foundation with an unusually formal, publicly documented application process for its category — most comparable family foundations operate by invitation only.

Leadership is entirely family: Sheldon Bearman serves as President & Treasurer (uncompensated), Arlene Bearman as Vice President & Secretary (uncompensated), and Mark Bearman as Chief Operating Officer at $157,412 annually. Mark Bearman is also the sole application contact and primary decision-making interface. This tight family governance means grant decisions reflect personal relationships and institutional memory developed over decades, not a program staff with rotating priorities or evolving strategic plans.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on measurable community benefit in three defined geographies: Greater Baltimore, Palm Beach County, and Israel (typically via US-based intermediary organizations). Maryland commands the largest share of the grantee portfolio — 172 of 340 recorded grants (50.6%) — followed by Florida with 73 grants (21.5%). The Jewish communal ecosystem is the backbone of the giving program: the Associated Jewish Federation of Baltimore has received $859,728 across four grants, making it the largest cumulative recipient. Jewish federations, congregations, and Israel-focused nonprofits account for a substantial plurality of total annual giving.

That said, the foundation has a robust track record funding non-sectarian Baltimore institutions in education, health, community development, and food security. Living Classrooms Foundation ($120,834 over four grants), KIPP Baltimore ($82,550), Cristo Rey Jesuit High School ($65,000), Maryland Food Bank ($75,000), and Helping Up Mission ($46,000) all appear as multi-year grantees — demonstrating that alignment with Baltimore's underserved communities creates a credible pathway for organizations without Jewish affiliation.

For first-time applicants, the LOI functions as a screening gate; only invited applicants advance to full proposals. The foundation values long-term relationships — top grantees show repeat engagement across three to four cycles with award sizes growing over time. New entrants should target an initial ask of $10,000–$25,000 and frame it as the beginning of a longer relationship, not a one-time transaction.

Annual giving has been strikingly consistent across twelve years of available data: $1.60M (FY2012), $2.15M (FY2013), $1.79M (FY2014), $2.16M (FY2015), $2.24M (FY2019), $2.24M (FY2020), $2.35M (FY2021), $2.32M (FY2022), and $2.49M (FY2023). In FY2024, approximately 70 grants totaled $1.85M, with a median award of $18,000 and a maximum single grant of $255,120. The typical single-year award sits in the $10,000–$30,000 range; the database-derived median of $15,000 and average of $20,303 (across 340 recorded grants totaling $7.1M) confirm this as the dominant giving tier.

Grants of $50,000 and above appear in roughly the top 15% of the recipient list and are reserved almost exclusively for long-tenured grantees with three or more prior cycles. Cumulative multi-year awards for the top recipient (Associated Jewish Federation of Baltimore) reached $859,728 across four grants — an outlier anchored by a centennial endowment campaign and COVID relief support.

By program area, Jewish communal organizations — federations, congregations, Jewish social services — account for approximately 40–45% of grant volume. Community health and human services (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Maryland $198,385; Johns Hopkins University $165,000; Palm Beach County Food Bank $85,000; Maryland Food Bank $75,000; Wheelchairs 4 Kids $50,000) represent roughly 20%. Education — charter schools and after-school programs (KIPP Baltimore $82,550; Cristo Rey Jesuit High School $65,000; Thread Inc. $50,000) — accounts for approximately 15%. Israel-focused US-based organizations (Friends of Elnet $115,000; American Friends of Shalva $85,180; Friends of the IDF $69,500; Israel Guide Dog Center $54,000) represent 10–15%. Community development (Living Classrooms $120,834; National Aquarium $60,000; Helping Up Mission $46,000) rounds out approximately 10%.

Geographically, Maryland captures 50.6% of grant count, Florida 21.5%, New York 9.7% (largely Israel-related US intermediaries), Washington DC 3.2%, and smaller allocations to NJ (2.4%), PA (2.4%), CA (2.4%), IL (1.8%), and DE (1.2%). The foundation's assets have held within a narrow $32.4M–$35.3M band since 2012, financed entirely by investment income with no outside contributions received in most years — providing reliable and predictable giving capacity independent of economic cycles.

The following table compares Herbert Bearman Foundation to four asset-peer foundations identified at the ~$33.5M asset level, all classified under Philanthropy & Grantmaking:

Herbert Bearman is unusual among its asset-peer group for maintaining structured biannual application cycles with published LOI and proposal deadlines — most comparable family foundations operate exclusively by invitation with no public-facing process. This makes Bearman meaningfully more accessible to new applicants, provided geographic and programmatic eligibility is met.

Of the five foundations at this asset level, Con Alma Health Foundation in New Mexico is the only peer with a fully open RFP process, but its health-equity focus in the rural Southwest makes it geographically irrelevant to Baltimore or South Florida applicants. Herbert Bearman's twelve-year consistency in giving — ranging just $660,000 from trough ($1.60M in FY2012) to recent peak ($2.49M in FY2023) — makes it one of the most predictable funders at this asset scale, a meaningful advantage for organizations building multi-year program budgets.

The foundation filed its FY2024 Form 990 on November 10, 2025, confirming approximately 70 grants totaling $1.85M for the fiscal year. Top reported FY2024 recipients included The Associated Jewish Federation of Baltimore ($255,120), Beth El Congregation ($155,056), and Johns Hopkins University ($110,000) — all longstanding grantees consistent with the multi-year pattern of anchor support.

The FY2023 filing (submitted November 12, 2024) reported total giving of $2.49M and grants paid of $1.86M — the highest giving year in the available record — with Mark Bearman's compensation at $157,412. No leadership transitions, staff additions, or structural changes have been publicly announced.

No press releases, new program initiatives, or strategic plan updates were identified in public sources for 2025 or 2026. The foundation does not maintain a public social media presence and does not issue grant announcements — grantmaking is managed through direct relationships, not public channels. The foundation's website (herbertbearmanfoundation.org) returned HTTP 403 during this research period, limiting real-time intelligence on any unpublished updates.

Mark Bearman has served as COO since at least FY2012, when his compensation was $111,123, growing steadily to $157,412 by FY2023. This twelve-year tenure provides exceptional institutional continuity. The most recent publicly documented external grant narrative was a 2014 award to Main Street Housing for Baltimore City affordable housing renovation, illustrating that community development giving — which persists in the current grantee list via Living Classrooms, Helping Up Mission, and similar organizations — has been part of the portfolio for over a decade.

Timing is the primary leverage point: The fall LOI deadline of June 15 is the next entry point (nine days away as of June 6, 2026); the spring cycle LOI deadline is December 15. Missing the LOI deadline means waiting an additional six months for the next cycle. Build at least four to five months into your planning timeline from initial LOI submission to a potential grant decision.

Route everything through Mark Bearman by email: Submit your LOI to mbearman@comcast.net — there is no grants portal, no online form, and no program officer other than Mark Bearman. A brief, professional email with the LOI attached is the correct first contact. Do not call the (410) 369-9227 number without a prior email relationship.

Geographic alignment is non-negotiable: Greater Baltimore, Palm Beach County Florida, and Israeli communities are the defined service areas. Fewer than 3% of grants in the 340-grant database went to organizations outside these zones. The foundation notes other areas "may be considered under exceptional circumstances" — do not assume your work qualifies as an exception.

Lead with project specificity, not organizational prestige: The foundation explicitly prefers funding specific projects over general operations. Frame your request around a defined initiative with named deliverables, a clear timeline, and a line-item budget. If requesting operating support, articulate a specific near-term gap — not long-term sustainability — to satisfy the "short-term needs can be demonstrated" standard in the guidelines.

Avoid excluded categories: Scholarships are explicitly not funded. Capital and endowment campaigns receive limited interest. Do not lead with these asks in an initial proposal.

Hard copy logistics are a compliance requirement: In addition to email submission, send 1 hard copy of the full proposal plus 16 physical copies of the Executive Grant Request Summary with a detailed project budget to PO Box 1428, Brooklandville, MD 21022. Use certified mail with tracking — missing the hard copy requirement may disqualify an otherwise strong application.

Set a realistic initial ask: The median grant is $15,000–$18,000. First-time applicants should request $10,000–$25,000. Requests above $50,000 without prior relationship history are unlikely to advance past the LOI stage.

Attach financial documentation proactively: Include your most recent 990, audited financials, and current annual budget without being asked. The foundation assesses organizational fiscal health as part of the review process.