Russell Berrie Foundation

The Russell Berrie Foundation operates as a deeply personal expression of founder Russell Berrie's values — the toy entrepreneur who built Russ Berrie and Company into a major global enterprise and channeled that entrepreneurial urgency into philanthropic social investment. Led by President/Trustee Angelica Berrie and CEO Idana Goldberg, the Foundation pursues 'transformational giving to exceptional leaders' — not programmatic funding for systems change, but relationship-based investment in the individuals and organizations that embody Berrie's six defined passions.

Critical first fact: this Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. All grantmaking is strictly by trustee invitation based on alignment with the founder's priorities. The Foundation confirmed: 'The foundation does not accept applications or unsolicited requests for funding for any of its focus areas.' The application_instructions in all public databases are marked as none. This is a relationship-first funder where cultivation precedes any funding conversation by months or years.

The six priority areas — diabetes care and research, Israel, New Jersey community, interfaith bridge-building, the Making a Difference Awards, and the sales profession — each trace directly to Russell Berrie's biography and cannot be treated as flexible categories.

With $157.5M in assets (FY2024) and a firm sunset in 2033, the Foundation is now executing what it publicly calls a 'sunrise strategy' — prioritizing legacy investments and organizational sustainability for existing core grantees rather than launching new relationships. The December 2025 $1.5M legacy grant to Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative exemplifies this: a multi-decade partner receiving transformational capital to operate independently well past 2033.

The typical relationship arc for established grantees shows deep, multi-year support. Columbia University has received $4.3M across two recorded grants. PEF Israel Endowment Funds received $3M. Shalom Hartman Institute (across its US and Israel chapters) received $2.25M combined. First-time seekers must understand that the Foundation is not in a discovery phase — it is in a deepening-and-concluding phase. New organizations need an unusually compelling case: a trustee-level champion, a genuine gap in an existing priority area, and a demonstrated track record of leader-driven transformational outcomes.

Financial data spanning FY2012–FY2023 reveals a foundation with volatile but substantial giving levels, now in managed decline as it approaches its 2033 closure.

Total giving by year: FY2013 $13.1M, FY2014 $21.5M, FY2015 $14.2M, FY2019 $18.7M, FY2020 $25.3M, FY2021 $39.0M (peak), FY2022 $13.5M, FY2023 $24.9M. The FY2021 spike to $39M followed exceptional investment performance ($23.8M net investment income), and the FY2022 contraction to $13.5M reflects the asset drawdown from $217.9M to $171.3M as markets corrected. Total assets have declined from a peak of $237.1M (FY2013) to $157.5M (FY2024) — a deliberate 34% reduction consistent with accelerated payout ahead of sunset.

Grant size distribution (based on 111 tracked grants): median $35,000, average $205,228, range $1,000 to $2.8M. The mean is heavily skewed upward by a small cohort of transformational grants at the $1M–$4.3M tier. The bulk of grants cluster between $25,000 and $200,000. Over 176 tracked grants, total disbursements reached $28.2M, with an average of $160,154 per grant.

Top recipients by cumulative amount: Columbia University $4.3M, PEF Israel Endowment Funds $3.0M, Jewish Home Foundation of North Jersey $2.2M, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem $2.0M, Maoz-Seal $1.7M, Shalom Hartman Institute of North America $1.32M, Institute of International Education $1.22M, Jewish Federation of Northern NJ $1.17M, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee $1.03M, Ramapo College Foundation $978K.

Geographic distribution (176 tracked grants): NY 35% (62 grants), NJ 33% (58 grants), DC 5% (8 grants), PA 5% (8 grants), CA 5% (8 grants), FL 3% (6 grants), IL 2% (4 grants), GA 2% (4 grants). The NY/NJ concentration reflects the tri-state Jewish community base and Northern NJ healthcare investment.

By program area (inferred): Israel/Jewish community dominates — easily 60%+ of cumulative giving. Diabetes and healthcare represents roughly 15-20%, concentrated in a few large multi-year relationships. Interfaith and community work accounts for 10-15%, typically at $60K–$150K per grant.

The following table compares the Russell Berrie Foundation to four peer private foundations of similar asset size identified in the same NTEE category (Philanthropy & Grantmaking):

The Russell Berrie Foundation stands apart from its asset-size peers in two critical dimensions. First, its payout ratio is exceptionally high: $24.9M in FY2023 giving against $157.5M in assets represents approximately 15% — roughly three times the IRS-required 5% minimum payout. Peer foundations operating in perpetuity typically hover near 5-6%. This aggressive distribution directly reflects the 2033 sunset strategy and an intentional asset drawdown.

Second, the Foundation's founder-defined six-priority structure is unusually narrow and personal compared to peers. Most foundations of similar size apply sector-based criteria across a broad geography. The Russell Berrie Foundation's priorities are inseparable from Russell Berrie's personal biography, making lateral comparisons to other funders of limited use for grant seekers. Organizations should not approach this Foundation as one of many similar philanthropies — it requires a fundamentally different positioning strategy.

The most significant recent announcement came December 15, 2025, when the Foundation publicly revealed a $1.5 million 'legacy grant' to the Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative (BVMI), a free health clinic serving uninsured Bergen County, NJ residents. The grant funds a second clinic — the BVMI Russell Berrie Healthcare Center — in Garfield, NJ, expected to open in early 2026. The grant is designed to double BVMI's patient capacity from approximately 1,000 to over 2,000 annually by 2029, extending well beyond the Foundation's 2033 closure. This is the clearest public expression to date of the Foundation's 'sunrise strategy': building partner organizational infrastructure to operate independently post-sunset.

In February 2026, the Foundation announced the 30th and final iteration of the Russ Berrie Making a Difference Awards. For the first time in program history, the award pivoted exclusively to Gen Z leaders (ages 16–24), awarding 15 honorees each a $5,000 cash grant. The 2026 honorees will be announced in April. After the 2026 cycle closes, The Support Center (a nonprofit management support organization) will assume stewardship of the program's alumni community.

In September 2025, Foundation leadership published 'A Sunrise Journey: Forty Years of Learning How to End Well,' a frank public reflection on the 2033 sunset strategy and the philosophy of 'creating sunrises' rather than just closing down.

Leadership: Ruth Salzman departed as CEO (final compensation $533,785 in FY2023); Idana Goldberg (current CEO, compensation $445,000–$492,000 in prior years) leads the organization. Adam Hirsch continues as COO & CFO ($379,500–$392,500). Angelica Berrie remains President/Trustee.

Because the Russell Berrie Foundation accepts no unsolicited applications, conventional grant-writing strategies do not apply. Success requires relationship cultivation and a clear understanding of where the Foundation is in its lifecycle.

Acknowledge the sunset reality. The Foundation is in its final eight years. Leadership is not actively building new grantee relationships — it is deepening and concluding existing ones. Any outreach framing your organization as a 'new opportunity' will land poorly. Instead, frame your work as filling a gap in an existing priority area that the Foundation's current grantees cannot address.

Map the network before making contact. The Foundation's grantee portfolio is a map of its trust relationships. Jewish Funders Network, Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and Ramapo College Foundation are all current grantees. A warm introduction from any of these organizations' senior leaders carries exponentially more weight than a cold inquiry.

Use the founder's language precisely. The Foundation responds to: 'transformational giving,' 'exceptional leaders,' 'energetic leaders with a sense of urgency,' 'social investment,' and 'entrepreneurial spirit.' It does not respond to: 'systems change,' 'collective impact,' 'capacity building' (except in the context of a long-term partner), or generic community benefit framing.

Align to one of six specific priorities — not philanthropy broadly. If your work is in diabetes: lead with clinical outcomes data exceeding national benchmarks and an established patient population in Bergen County or the tri-state area. If your work is in Israel: prioritize the American Friends of structure for Israeli organizations; frame around cultural vitality, economic innovation, or post-conflict recovery. If your work is in NJ community: focus on Northern NJ geography (Bergen, Essex, Hudson counties) and measurable community outcomes.

For the Making a Difference Awards: This program is concluding in 2026, but past honorees and alumni organizations connected to The Support Center represent an ongoing community network that could serve as a future pathway for NJ-based community organizations.

Do not call asking for application instructions. The phone number (201-928-1880) and the Foundation Portal exist for current grantees. Calling to ask how to apply signals unfamiliarity with the Foundation's model.