# Stern Family Fund

Stern Family Fund is an Endowment / Foundation based in Arlington, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Arlington, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Arlington, NY, United States
- **Assets under management:** Under $50M (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** rocklandgives.org/fund/stern-family-fund
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/rockland-community-foundation

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Amy and Gary Stern established the Stern Family Fund as a donor-advised project of the Rockland Community Foundation, formalizing years of philanthropic involvement in New York's lower Hudson Valley. The fund's principal wealth origin traces to Amy Stern's three-decade tenure as CEO of United Hospice, a nonprofit where she oversaw end-of-life care operations, alongside Gary Stern's career as a journalist for The Journal News, where he covers Rockland and Westchester communities. The Sterns maintain a family residence on the Jersey Shore. The fund directs grants exclusively to 501(c)(3) organizations serving Rockland County, concentrating on community growth, health, and wellness initiatives. Its grantmaking posture is responsive and place-based rather than strategic in the venture-philanthropy sense — typical of a community-foundation-hosted donor fund — and includes recurring support for United Hospice, reflecting the founder's operational background. The Stern Family Fund operates with no dedicated investment staff or separate office, relying instead on the Rockland Community Foundation's administrative and investment infrastructure. No recent grantmaking data or operational changes have been publicly reported. The fund's structural distinction lies in its pure localism — a single-county geographic mandate paired with a generalist health-and-community remit, making it a tight feedback loop between one family's experience in Rockland County institutional life and the nonprofits that serve that same community. Unlike national donor-advised fund platforms, the Sterns chose a community foundation vehicle that anchors their giving to the place where the wealth was built.

## Sectors

- Healthcare Services
- Community Development
- Mental Health & Wellness

## People

- Amy Stern — Founder
- Gary Stern — Founder

## Questions

### Who makes grantmaking decisions at the Stern Family Fund?

Amy Stern and Gary Stern recommend grants as donors to the fund. The Rockland Community Foundation, as sponsoring organization, reviews recommendations to ensure compliance with IRS donor-advised fund rules.

### Is the Stern Family Fund a separate legal entity?

No. It is a donor-advised fund held within the Rockland Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity. The foundation owns the assets and manages administration; the Sterns retain advisory privileges over grants.

### What geographic area does the fund serve?

Grantmaking is restricted to Rockland County, New York. The fund does not make grants outside this single-county footprint.

### Does the fund accept unsolicited grant applications?

The fund's project page on the Rockland Community Foundation site does not indicate an open application process. Most donor-advised funds of this type do not accept unsolicited proposals, directing grants at donor initiative.

### How is the Stern Family Fund's portfolio invested?

The fund's assets are pooled with the Rockland Community Foundation's overall investment portfolio. The foundation manages asset allocation; the Sterns do not direct investment policy.

### What is the Sterns' relationship to United Hospice?

Amy Stern served as CEO of United Hospice for over 30 years. The Stern Family Fund regularly supports United Hospice, reflecting the founder's long professional affiliation with the organization.

## Related profiles

- [Stern Capital Management](https://altss.com/profile/stern-capital-management)
- [Stern Partners](https://altss.com/profile/sternpartners)

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Last updated: 2026-08-11T02:43:31.692Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/stern-family-fund

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology