Berlanti Family Foundation

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OVERVIEW: The Berlanti Family Foundation supports arts and culture, public health, higher education and LGBTQ causes, working mainly in California and New York. 

IP TAKE: The Berlanti Family Foundation is relatively new on the funding scene with deep roots in the entertainment industry. So far, Berlanti has been a steadfast supporter of a few key causes and organizations with which Greg Berlanti maintains a personal connection. This funder doesn’t maintain a website or accept unsolicited proposals at this time, so a connection to Berlanti or his husband, Robbie Rogers may be the only way in here. 

PROFILE: The Berlanti Family Foundation, established in 2019, is the philanthropic vehicle of Greg Berlanti and his husband, Robbie Rogers. Greg Berlanti is writer, director and producer of hit television and film projects including Dawson’s Creek, Riverdale, Green Lantern, The Flash and Super Girl. He is also the founder and owner of Berlanti Productions. Robbie Rogers is a former professional soccer player.

Their foundation maintains a low-profile and does not operate a website, limiting information about its grantmaking goals and priorities. However, tax filings reveal strong commitments to arts and culture, higher education, LGBTQ causes, health and cancer research.

Grants for Arts and Culture 

Given Greg Berlanti’s career in film and television, the Berlanti Family Foundation’s giving for arts and culture, especially film, comes as no surprise.

  • The foundation does not name priorities for this giving but mainly supports organizations related to filmmaking, film preservation and the well-being of people working in the film industry.

  • Grantees include the Entertainment Community Fund, the Paley Center for Media, the Geffen Playhouse and the Motion Picture and Television Fund, which provides financial assistance to industry professionals and their families in times of need or crisis. 

    Grants for Higher Education 

    Berlanti’s higher education giving, which intersects with the arts, has mostly focused on Greg Berlanti’s alma mater, Northwestern University, which received a $2 million gift for the establishment of the Barbara Berlanti Professorship in Writing for the Screen and Stage, named for Berlanti’s late mother, at the School of Communication. 

Grants for Public Health and Diseases 

Greg Berlanti is on the board of Fuck Cancer, which works to educate people about prevention and early detection.

  • Berlanti and Rogers have chaired the organization’s Barbara Berlanti Gala fundraiser. Fuck Cancer receives ongoing support from the foundation.  

  • Other health and disease grantees include the National Network of Abortion Funds, the Friends of the Lost Angeles Free Clinic and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. 

Grants for LGBTQ Causes, Democracy and Human Rights 

The Berlanti Family Foundation has made grants to organizations supporting the rights of marginalized people, especially the LGBTQ community in the U.S. This giving appears to overlap with an interest in progressive causes and democracy.

  • The foundation has supported the People for the American Way Foundation, which produces “media and organizing campaigns to defend our democracy from authoritarian threats,” and GLAAD, an organization that advances “LGBTQ acceptance through fair, accurate, and inclusive representation.”

  • Other grantees in these areas include the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, the National AIDS Memorial and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center. 

Important Grant Details: 

The Berlanti Family Foundation’s grants range from $2,500 to $400,000, with occasional gifts that are much larger. 

  • This funder appears to prioritize organizations in Southern California and the greater New York City area. 

  • Many of Berlanti’s grantees receive ongoing support. 

  • This funder maintains a low profile and does not appear to accept unsolicited proposals. 

  • For information about past giving, see the foundation’s tax filings. 

Contact information for the Berlanti Family Foundation is provided below. 

PEOPLE: 

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CONTACT: 

Berlanti Family Foundation 

℅ Foundation Source 

501 Silverside Rd. 

Wilmington, DE 19809-1377

800-839-1754