Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation

Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation

The Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation was formed in 2013 by Sheryl Sandberg, the late Dave Goldberg, and Tom Bernthal. It operates as a private operating foundation, meaning it directly administers charitable programs in addition to making grants. The foundation's initiatives are built around Sandberg's public advocacy on gender equity and resilience, carried out through LeanIn.Org, OptionB.Org, and the Dave Goldberg Scholars Program. The foundation concentrates its deployment on operating its own initiatives rather than running a traditional grants-based portfolio. LeanIn.Org focuses on workplace equity and peer-support circles for women, while Lean In Girls addresses leadership development for young women. OptionB.Org, co-founded with Adam Grant, provides resources for navigating grief and adversity. The Dave Goldberg Scholars Program funds undergraduate education for high-achieving students with financial need. Altss research identifies no direct for-profit portfolio companies, co-investment vehicles, or external GP relationships at this time. Governance sits with a board populated by senior operators with deep technology-sector ties. Sheryl Sandberg serves as Board Chair, bringing her prior experience as COO of Meta. Rachel Thomas, the foundation's CEO, leads daily operations. Other directors include Tom Bernthal, founder of Kelton Global; Adam Grant, the Wharton professor who co-authored Option B with Sandberg; and Marne Levine, former Chief Business Officer at Meta. The Giving Pledge, which Sandberg and Goldberg signed, frames the family's long-term philanthropic outlook but is not a legal vehicle of the foundation. The foundation's structural distinction lies in its identity as a robust operating rather than a grant-making entity. Instead of funding outside groups to carry out its mission, it builds and scales its own branded programs. This architecture concentrates strategic control within the board and yields a lean, media-and-content-focused operational footprint uncommon among tech-derived family philanthropies.