How the Brueckner Family Charitable Foundation Supports New Jersey

Animal welfare is one interest for the foundation. Photo: hedgehog94/shutterstock

Richard Brueckner is a Wall Street veteran who worked at the investment bank of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette for more than two decades. After significant career success, he and his wife, Laurie, started their own philanthropic foundation in 1990. Even though this foundation has existed for decades, it maintains a low profile and gives sparingly to charity. However, New Jersey is a major focus of the Brueckner Family Charitable Foundation (BFCF), making it a good one to know if you work in the Tri-State nonprofit sector.

Here are some key points to know about BFCF to guide New Jersey nonprofits.

New Jersey and beyond

Richard Brueckner’s New Jersey roots run deep. He was born in Newark, grew up in Florham Park and has lived in Bedminster, New Jersey. New Jersey-based nonprofits are the most common recipients of BFCF grants. Recent New Jersey grantees have been based in the towns of Netcong, Montague Township, Oakland and Patterson. Other places of geographic interest include New York City and Virginia. This is a very family-run foundation with only Richard and Laurie Brueckner serving as officers and no other trustees, directors or staff members.

Focus areas 

Since BFCF does not have a website or publicize its grantmaking guidelines, it is challenging to definitively ascertain the foundation’s priorities. However, past tax records indicate that the most common topics for giving are the arts, education, health and animal welfare.

Laura Brueckner has interests in the arts and has served as trustee emerita of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. The Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey is an example of a local arts grantee. Education grants most commonly go to universities and colleges that have personal connections to the Brueckner family. New Jersey health grantees include Princeton Healthcare and the Morristown Medical Center. Animal welfare is also a consistent interest of the foundation, which steadily supports animal sanctuaries and rescue organizations.  

Annual giving is limited

Note that this foundation’s giving is limited and has stayed very steady in recent years. Annual giving rarely exceeds $200,000, and most grants are between $1,000 and $5,000. One of the largest recent grants was a $50,000 commitment to the Navy Seals Foundation; other larger grants include donations to Muhlenberg College, the Houston Farm Foundation and the Growing Stage Theater. In the most recent tax records available, the foundation reported just over $1.7 million in total assets.

But unfortunately for local grantseekers in New Jersey, the foundation does not typically accept unsolicited funding requests and keeps its giving circle tight and exclusive. You can read more about BFCF in IP’s full profile of this funder, which is part of our New Jersey grantmaking guide.