The only thing we love better than supporting our clients is spotlighting their good works—and the ways they’re creating enduring impact. In this edition of our Foundation Friday Series, we had the pleasure of connecting with Daniel Berman, President of the J and K Berman Memorial Foundation, who reminded us that we can all make a difference whether big or small. Read on to gain their unique insights on why they work with underfunded, small, yet highly effective organizations with little middle management that are doing great work—work that they have personally verified on the ground in very remote areas.
About Your Philanthropy
What inspired you to start your foundation?
Like many people, we received a transfer of wealth from my parents, which we didn’t plan on or need to live the way we do. So, we thought, how can we do something meaningful with this wealth?
What causes are you passionate about?
Our Foundation has three platforms of giving:
All International:
1. Marine conservation (SEE Turtles, which helps coastal communities save hatchlings on nesting beaches, clean up plastic waste, reduce the illegal turtle trade, and educate people about these incredible animals, and Manta Trust whose vision is a sustainable future for the oceans, where manta rays and their relatives thrive in healthy, diverse marine ecosystems.)
Capturing the moment a turtle was saved!
Dan Berman diving with endangered manta ray.
2. Support in agricultural development for farmers in poverty. (Strategies for International Development “SID”, which helps poor farmers graduate from poverty by helping them build successful farm businesses that increase their income.)
One great example of the agricultural sector is we have worked with indigenous coffee farmers in the mountains of Guatemala. My Spanish has to be translated into the Mayan language. Our Foundation provides coffee huskers to villages so they can do simple processing and sell their coffee for much higher prices. The leader said to me, “We are in a remote area, and nobody has ever come here or done anything for us. But this will change our lives, and we believe you were sent by God.” I just lost it. Talk about a good day!
And here is a greeting of dairy farmers for a Berman project in Malawi.
3. Girls’ education in Asia. (Mitrata Nepal Foundation for Children whose mission is to educate and empower severely underprivileged children to reach their full potential as citizens of Nepal.)
Here is our preschool in Nepal and another picture from our Nepal project.
Dan and Reiko Berman celebrating the graduation of Bishnu whose education they supported. Traditional attire mandatory for all!
What projects/initiatives are you excited about currently?
We have vetted each of the organizations we support, and while we are working in different fields, they are united in that they are all small, extremely effective, and run by passionate leaders. This is unlike the major charities with bloated staff and huge fundraising budgets. We make a tangible difference with our modest contributions.
Can you tell us about a time when you were able to see the impact of your giving?
We visit each of the projects we support to assess how our funds are being utilized.
Here are two examples:
- I was on a turtle nesting beach on an island in the Caribbean and witnessed both mothers nesting and babies hatching. My life was never the same. The NGO on the site told me if not for our donation, 90% of them would have perished from slaughter for meat or collection of eggs. We have data of the turtles (critically endangered) that were saved by the project.
- In Nepal, a former garment factory was transformed into a preschool for some of the poorest kids on the continent, giving them a chance for a decent life. The NGO we support leads an annual tour of donors and said to the group we were responsible for the renovation of the building; what happens inside will change lives for many years.
What would you want other philanthropists to know about your work?
You can make a difference—big or small. But you also need to be focused on how the funding will be used. We work with small organizations, and our contributions give us direct access to the people running them, who are in all cases, inspiring to be associated with.
About Your Foundation
Do you have any advice for people looking to start or grow their own private foundation?
Know what you care about and be prepared to spend some time selecting and evaluating the organizations you fund. If you aren’t interested in being somewhat hands-on, there is no reason to set up a Foundation: you can just write the check directly.
If you could go back to the beginning of your philanthropic journey and share one piece of advice with yourself based on what you know now, what would you say?
Start in the shallow end with initial funding to see if you are in alignment with your recipient organization, and if so, gradually build up your relationship. Stay relevant to the one(s) you believe in, rather than try to keep finding new ones. But what if they might “outgrow” you, getting some big windfall from elsewhere? That’s fine! While everyone always needs more, if we’re no longer critical, it’s time to move on.
What was the worst mistake you made? How did you solve it?
Putting additional contributions into a failing project, hoping to save it (it happens). I didn’t solve it—I just took a bigger lesson in throwing good money after bad, as my father used to say.
Working with Foundation Source
How does Foundation Source help you achieve your goals?
It would be impossible to do any of this without Foundation Source. We don’t have any staff, and most accountants are not set up to do the administrative requirements that Foundation Source handles.
How was the process of getting your private foundation set up or transitioned to Foundation Source?
The process of getting started was pretty straightforward. My team has switched a number of times, but the current one is responsive.
We want to thank the J and K Berman Memorial Foundation for sharing their story with us! If you would like to help make an impact with the organizations they support, please visit their websites at: seeturtles.org, sidworld.org, mantatrust.org, and mitrata.org.
Have a Foundation Source story you’d like to share?
Write to us at for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue!
Want to learn more about the ways we support private foundations?
Whether you are looking for support for your existing foundation or want to create a private foundation, our philanthropic specialists are here to help. To learn more, schedule a call with us or reach us at 800-839-0054. Together, let’s #begiving.
