The Burke Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 52-1632596 · since 1989burkefoundation.org·New Jersey·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$3.3M

Annual giving, 2023 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$1,000 to $110k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$7,750

Typical grant (median)

102 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

The Burke Foundation funds early-childhood work from pregnancy through a child's second birthday, with a stated priority on New Jersey, so nonprofits outside this focus or geography are unlikely to be a fit.
It makes contributions only to preselected organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a cold application will not work; this is a relationship-led funder where an invitation or existing connection matters.
Most grants are modest: about 8 in 10 of its grants fall between $1,000 and $110,000, with a median of $10,000, so a modest request is realistic, though it has made a grant as large as $500,000.
A large share of its grant dollars, 73%, went to organisations it had already funded the previous year, suggesting that new applicants may find it competitive to break into without a prior relationship.
As it only funds preselected organisations and does not accept unsolicited proposals, organisations without an invitation or existing relationship should not apply directly.

Overview

The Burke Foundation is a US private foundation based in Princeton, NJ.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The Burke Foundation invests in effective early-childhood solutions and promising approaches that address the needs of young children and families in New Jersey, with work spanning pregnancy through a child’s second birthday. It focuses on healthy pregnancies and strong beginnings, maternal and infant health, and the healthy development of children and families. Its approach pairs primary care with services that improve prevention and connect families with their communities. It invests in changemakers and multi-sector partnerships, piloting, strengthening and scaling promising programmes through funding, technical assistance, evaluation support and critical connections. It also works with families and communities, early-childhood leaders, policymakers and other collaborators to advance lasting, measurable change.

Themes

Maternal and infant health
Early childhood development
Pediatric care
Child care
Community doula services

Geographic Focus

Priority: New Jersey.

How to apply

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2023 filing, 73% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022 and TY2023 filings, half of its 198 grants to organisations were $10,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

It invests in effective early-childhood solutions and promising approaches that address the needs of young children and families in New Jersey.
It invests in changemakers who improve the lives of children and families in their communities.
It works with communities to align its goals and focus support where it makes the greatest difference.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2023.

Grant dollars by state

New Jersey65%

Massachusetts9%

District of Columbia7%

New York7%

Connecticut4%

California3%

6 other states: 6%

The largest single recipient received 9% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2023, 73% of grant dollars went to organisations The Burke Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
<1% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Sweden).
6% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

102 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $7,750

How much do they typically give?

Share of 102 grants in tax year 2023 by size

Under $1k5%

$1k–$2.5k11%

$2.5k–$5k13%

$5k–$10k24%

$10k–$25k21%

$25k–$50k7%

$50k–$100k7%

$100k–$250k11%

$250k–$500k3%

Median $7,750 (tax year 2023)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Rutgers School of Public Health - Urban · Centeringpregnancy nj evaluation
$340,0002023 tax year
Centering Healthcare Institute · Support for centering implementation
$262,5002023 tax year
Brick Education Network-South Ward · Support for enhanced doula training and career pathway pilot
$250,0002023 tax year
NJ Health Care Quality Institute · Support for maternal infant health policy and sustainability
$198,2662023 tax year
St Joseph's Health · Support for paterson hospital doula pilot
$163,0002023 tax year
Rutgers Center for Women and Work · Support for the first 1,000 days policy coalition
$150,0002023 tax year
All Our Kin · Develop a family child care network and ta for trenton
$125,0002023 tax year
Centering Healthcare Institute · Support for centering expansion
$114,3332023 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Atiya S Weiss — Executive Director
Renee Boynton-Jarrett — Trustee
Jeanne Brooks-Gunne — Trustee
Christopher Kuenne — Trustee
Philip Siana — Secretary
Charles Carroll — Treasurer
James Burke — President

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

2 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$6,354,243	$3,884,118	$110,458,470	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$6,078,997	$3,283,089	$122,218,555	Filing for 2023 tax year

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.