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Borrego Foundation

Annual Giving
$3.8M
Grant Range
$30K - $2.0M

Borrego Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $3,800,000 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available
  • Grant Range: $30,000 - $1,999,784
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily New York, with national grants
  • Assets: $46 million (2024)

Contact Details

Address: 2 Beach Avenue, Larchmont, NY 10538

Note: The foundation does not maintain a public website or published contact information for grant inquiries.

Overview

The Borrego Foundation is a private family foundation established in the 1990s by Stephen Lieber, a Wall Street investor described by Fortune as the "king of balanced funds." The foundation received its 501(c)(3) designation in April 1998. With assets of approximately $46 million as of 2024, the foundation disbursed approximately $3.8 million in charitable grants in 2024, representing 89.6% of total expenses. The foundation has shown steady growth, with assets increasing from approximately $14.5 million in 2011 to its current level. Grant-making focuses primarily on reproductive rights and women's issues, environmental conservation, and policy research, with a particular emphasis on organizations working in New York and at the national level.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Borrego Foundation operates as a private foundation with trustee-directed grantmaking. Recent grant activity shows:

  • 2024: Approximately $3.8 million in total grants
  • 2023: $3.6 million distributed across 4 awards
  • 2022: Grants distributed across 2 awards
  • 2021: Grants distributed across 6 awards

Typical grant ranges from $30,000 to nearly $2 million, though most grants appear to be at the higher end of this spectrum given the limited number of awards and total giving.

Priority Areas

Based on tax filings and publicly available information, the foundation prioritizes:

Reproductive Rights & Women's Issues:

  • Planned Parenthood Federation of America
  • Center for Reproductive Rights
  • National Partnership for Women and Families
  • Institute for Women's Policy Research

Environmental & Conservation:

  • The Nature Conservancy
  • World Wildlife Fund
  • Conservation International
  • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Policy & Social Justice:

  • Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (received $75,000 in 2016)
  • International Rescue Committee (refugee and asylum support)

Additional Areas:

  • Arts, Culture & Humanities
  • Food, Agriculture & Nutrition
  • Philanthropy and grantmaking support

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented, but the foundation's focused giving pattern suggests:

  • Limited or no support for organizations outside their core issue areas
  • No indication of support for capital campaigns or building projects
  • No evidence of individual scholarships or grants to individuals

Governance and Leadership

Leadership Team:

  • Mary E. Rubin - President: Mary Rubin has extensive nonprofit leadership experience, having served as board chair of The Nature Conservancy and spending eight years with Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, including serving as board chair and overseeing fundraising and investment advisory functions. She also serves on the board of the Center for Reproductive Rights and is co-founder of the Lieber Institute for Brain Development.

  • David Lieber - Trustee: Son of founder Stephen Lieber

  • Samuel Lieber - Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer (as of earlier filings): Founded Alpine Woods Capital Investors, managing approximately $4.2 billion in regulatory assets.

All officers report zero compensation, indicating volunteer leadership committed to the foundation's mission.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Borrego Foundation does not have a public application process.

This is a private family foundation that makes grants at the discretion of its trustees. Grants are initiated by trustees based on their own research, existing relationships, and strategic priorities rather than through open solicitation of proposals.

The foundation does not maintain a public website, published grant guidelines, or application forms. Organizations cannot submit unsolicited proposals through a formal application portal.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation's giving patterns suggest grants are made to organizations where trustees have direct knowledge or involvement. Strategies for potential grantees include:

Board and Leadership Connections: Given Mary Rubin's extensive board service with The Nature Conservancy, Planned Parenthood, and Center for Reproductive Rights, organizations working in these networks may have indirect pathways to foundation awareness.

Sector Leadership: The foundation supports well-established national organizations with proven track records. Building prominence in the reproductive rights, environmental conservation, or progressive policy sectors may increase visibility.

Geographic Presence: While the foundation gives nationally, having a New York presence or New York-focused programs may be advantageous given the foundation's Larchmont location.

Alignment with Trustee Interests: Research shows the foundation supports causes closely aligned with the personal commitments of its leadership, particularly reproductive rights, environmental conservation, and evidence-based policy research.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly available. As a private foundation with trustee-directed grantmaking, decisions are made on the trustees' own schedule rather than fixed deadlines.

Success Rates

Success rate data is not available, as the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable due to invitation-only grantmaking model.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, organizations seeking foundation support should note:

Strong Organizational Leadership: The foundation's grants go to major national organizations with established reputations and strong governance structures.

Mission Alignment: The foundation demonstrates clear commitment to reproductive rights, environmental conservation, and progressive policy research. Organizations outside these areas are unlikely to receive support.

Scale and Impact: With typical grants in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars going to a small number of organizations annually, the foundation appears to focus on established organizations capable of significant impact rather than emerging groups.

Board Connections: Given the foundation's structure, personal knowledge of the organization through board service, sector leadership, or professional networks appears to be a primary factor in grantmaking decisions.

Geographic Considerations: While the foundation makes national grants, its focus areas identify "primarily in New York" as a key geographic priority.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications - there is no formal application process for organizations to submit proposals
  • Invitation-only model: Grants are made at trustee discretion based on their own research and relationships
  • Strong focus areas: The foundation has clear priorities in reproductive rights, environmental conservation, and progressive policy research
  • Significant grant sizes: With $3.8 million distributed among just 4 awards in 2023, individual grants tend to be substantial
  • Leadership connections matter: President Mary Rubin's extensive board service suggests grants flow to organizations within established networks
  • Established organizations preferred: Grant recipients appear to be well-known national organizations rather than emerging groups
  • No public contact information: The foundation maintains privacy and does not publish website, email, or phone contact information for grant inquiries

References

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