The Burke Foundation

What The Burke Foundation does

The Burke Foundation is a private, family-founded grantmaking foundation headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, that concentrates exclusively on the First 1,000 Days — pregnancy through age two — as the most consequential window for lifelong health and well-being. The foundation does not operate a technology platform; instead, it functions as a strategic grantmaker, research producer, and policy convener that identifies evidence-based program models, funds them in New Jersey, evaluates outcomes, and works to institutionalize successful approaches through state legislation and public funding. Its programmatic portfolio is organized around three pillars: Healthy Pregnancies and Strong Beginnings (Family Connects NJ universal nurse home visiting, community doulas, CenteringPregnancy/Parenting, PRAMS for Partners fatherhood survey); Transforming Pediatric Care (HealthySteps, Reach Out and Read NJ, Mount Sinai Keystones pediatric residency curriculum); and Child Care for New Jersey Families (Start Strong NJ statewide campaign, All Our Kin home-based child care network).

The foundation's go-to-market is philanthropic grantmaking rather than commercial sales. It distributes capital to a network of more than 30 grantee partners spanning state agencies (NJ Departments of Children and Families, Health, and Labor), academic institutions (Rutgers Eagleton, Rutgers School of Public Health, Mount Sinai Parenting Center, Lurie Children's), national program offices (ZERO TO THREE, Centering Healthcare Institute, HealthConnect One), healthcare systems (Hackensack Meridian, St. Joseph's, Capital Health), and community organizations (Trenton Health Team, Children's Futures, BRICK, Children's Home Society of NJ). In November 2025 alone, the foundation committed $6.5 million in multi-year grants. Critically, Burke's grantmaking is catalytic: it helped secure New Jersey's 2021 universal newborn home visiting law, $44 million in state Family Connects NJ funding in 2024 (with $94M+ in total public commitments), and the founding of the NJ Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority backed by $86 million in state and federal capital. The foundation is led by President and Board Chair James Burke (co-founder with Diane "Didi" Burke) and Executive Director Atiya Weiss, and operates with a lean 1–10 person staff from its Princeton headquarters, functioning as a high-leverage convening organization rather than a service-delivery operator.

Name

The Burke Foundation

Legal name

The Burke Foundation

Website

https://burkefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Burke Foundation is a private Princeton, NJ-based grantmaking foundation that funds and scales evidence-based programs serving pregnant women, infants, and toddlers (the First 1,000 Days) across New Jersey, catalyzing public funding and state legislation through a network of 30+ nonprofit, healthcare, academic, and government partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy & Nonprofit Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Maternal, Child & Family Health Program Funding (HLAJALAG), Early Head Start & Publicly Funded Infant/Toddler Programs (EDACAGAH)

Keywords

• Early childhood grants
• Grantmaking foundation
• Maternal health programs
• Pediatric care initiatives
• Child care policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Princeton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grantmaking: The Burke Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation that identifies, rigorously evaluates, and scales policies and programs that foster the healthy development of children and families in the earliest years (pregnancy through age 2). The foundation makes grants to support early childhood solutions and promising approaches in New Jersey. In 2025, the foundation announced $6.5 million in multi-year grants. The foundation has awarded over $15 million in grants to organizations focused on the First 1,000 Days.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Burke Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation that identifies, rigorously evaluates, and scales policies and programs fostering the healthy development of children and families during the first 1,000 days (pregnancy through age 2) in New Jersey. The foundation funds a portfolio of evidence-based program models including Family Connects NJ, HealthySteps, CenteringPregnancy/CenteringParenting, Community Doulas, Reach Out and Read NJ, and the Start Strong NJ child care campaign, disbursing multi-year grants to healthcare systems, community organizations, and policy coalitions.

Product overview

The Burke Foundation operates as a private grantmaking foundation focused on early childhood development in New Jersey. Rather than a unified technology product, the foundation funds and supports a portfolio of distinct programs and initiatives organized around three strategic pillars: Healthy Pregnancies and Strong Beginnings (Family Connects NJ, Community Doula Portfolio, Centering), Transforming Pediatric Care (HealthySteps, Reach Out and Read, Early Childhood Curriculum), and Child Care for New Jersey Families (Start Strong NJ, All Our Kin). These programs are implemented through grantee partners including healthcare systems, community organizations, and state agencies, not as software products. The foundation also produces research reports and knowledge products to advance the field.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Start Strong NJ: A statewide campaign to make affordable child care available to every family in New Jersey.
• Family Connects NJ
• Centering

Products and services

• Family Connects NJ A statewide universal newborn home visiting initiative providing free nurse visits to all New Jersey families with newborns, offering health assessments, postpartum depression and intimate partner violence screenings, and referrals to community resources within weeks of birth.
• Community Doula Portfolio A portfolio of community doula programs addressing maternal mortality disparities in New Jersey, providing culturally responsive emotional, physical, and social support throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period for Black, Hispanic, and other underserved women.
• Centering (CenteringPregnancy and CenteringParenting) Group-based relationship-centered healthcare models (CenteringPregnancy and CenteringParenting) that bring together 8-12 expectant mothers for prenatal care or 6-8 families with babies during well-child visits, combining clinical assessments with facilitated group discussion and support.
• HealthySteps An evidence-based pediatric primary care model that integrates a child development expert into pediatric teams to provide tailored support on behavior, sleep, feeding, attachment, language development, parental depression, and connections to community resources for children ages 0-3.
• Start Strong NJ A statewide advocacy campaign to make affordable child care available to every New Jersey family, mobilizing advocates, researchers, educators, and business leaders to modernize how child care is provided and paid for and to recognize child care as economic infrastructure.
• All Our Kin (Trenton family child care partnership) A national nonprofit program partnered with the Burke Foundation to train, support, and sustain home-based child care providers in Trenton, NJ, improving the quality, availability, and sustainability of family child care.
• Reach Out and Read New Jersey A pediatric-based early literacy program that partners with clinicians at 100+ pediatric clinics in New Jersey to distribute books during well-child visits and encourage families to read aloud together, promoting early relational health and language development.
• Early Childhood Development for Future Pediatricians (Keystones Curriculum) An early childhood development curriculum developed with the Mount Sinai Parenting Center for pediatric residents across New Jersey's nine pediatric residency programs and 12 family medicine residency programs, covering six developmental keystones including secure attachment, autonomy, self-regulation, and problem solving.
• PRAMS for Partners (New Jersey Fatherhood Survey) A public health surveillance initiative designed to collect data on the experiences of expectant and new fathers and partners in New Jersey, modeled after the CDC's Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), led by Dr. Craig Garfield's team at Lurie Children's Hospital.
• Burke Research & Reports Published research reports on early childhood topics including Early Relational Health, Midwifery Practice, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Child Care, NJ Fatherhood Survey, and CenteringPregnancy evaluation, developed in partnership with academic institutions and policy organizations such as Rutgers School of Public Health and the NJ Health Care Quality Institute.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to $13 return on investment for every dollar invested in early childhood
• +11 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority (NJMIHIA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025$3 million over five years to seed the Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Fund supporting the Innovation Center in Trenton. The center is backed by $86 million in state and federal capital funding and serves as a statewide data, research, and policy hub. Burke Foundation is a founding funder and executive committee member.
• Trenton Health TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Launched the first Family Connects pilot program in Mercer County in 2021, partnering with Central Jersey Family Health Consortium and Capital Health Medical Center. The pilot served 1,054 families and made over 3,200 referrals from January 2022 through January 2024.
• Central Jersey Family Health ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-led the Family Connects pilot program with Trenton Health Team, providing nurse home visiting services to Mercer County families.
• New Jersey Department of Children and FamiliescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for Family Connects NJ statewide expansion. The state allocated $44 million for expansion in five counties beginning January 2024, with over $94 million in public funds dedicated to the program as of 2025.
• South Ward Wellness Center (BRICK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner$500,000 capital investment toward a $43.7 million community health hub in Newark's South Ward, supporting expanded doula care, CenteringPregnancy, CenteringParenting, HealthySteps, lactation assistance, mental health counseling, and workforce training.
• ZERO TO THREEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthySteps National Office partner. The foundation joined the Turrell Fund, The Nicholson Foundation, Hackensack Meridian Health, and ZERO TO THREE to pilot HealthySteps in New Jersey at three clinical sites in 2020.
• Hackensack Meridian HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthySteps pilot site in Bergen and Monmouth counties. During the pilot period, sites served nearly 3,800 families with results including 33.9% increase in vaccination rates and 54.1% increase in well-child visits.
• Centering Healthcare InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational leader in group-based healthcare. The foundation invested in a five-site Centering pilot in 2019-2021 and has since funded 25 Centering sites in New Jersey. Supported by $7.6 million from Blue Meridian Partners plus $5 million from Bezos Family Foundation.
• Rutgers School of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading evaluation of CenteringPregnancy in New Jersey, including trained community researchers (women of color with prenatal care experiences) as part of the study team.
• Children's Home Society of New JerseycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRuns the AMAR Community Doula program (Apoyando Madres/Armando Redes), one of New Jersey's first community doula programs for Spanish-speaking women. AMAR follows the HealthConnect One model and has achieved 65% fewer preterm births and 87% fewer low birthweight babies.
• HealthConnect OnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational leader in promoting equitable, community-based peer support for pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and early parenting. Their evidence-backed model is used by AMAR Community Doulas and the Paterson Doula Cooperative.
• South Ward Promise Neighborhood (BRICK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates South Ward Healthy Beginnings program creating career pathways for community doulas through the Community Perinatal Health Associate (CPHA) credential. Graduated inaugural group of CPHA-credentialed doulas in January 2025.
• St. Joseph's University Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital Doula Pilot in Paterson adding six community doulas as full-time employees with benefits. Early results show 45% higher postpartum check-up attendance and 64% fewer low-risk C-sections.
• Civitas StrategiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrengthening doula business success through tailored resources, business coaching, technical assistance, and evaluation services. Creating a digital platform for community doulas with business tools.
• Partnership for Maternal Child Health of Northern New JerseycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeads free community doula trainings following the HealthConnect One model for the Paterson Doula Cooperative.
• All Our KincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational nonprofit that trains, supports, and sustains home-based child care providers. Partnering with Children's Futures to build and strengthen family child care in Trenton, NJ.
• Children's FuturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal nonprofit partner implementing family child care initiatives in Trenton and Mercer County in partnership with All Our Kin.
• Mount Sinai Parenting CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated the early childhood Keystones curriculum for pediatric residents, addressing six developmental keystones. Also developed Parent Video Series for practical child development resources.
• New Jersey Chapter of American Academy of PediatricscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived funding to implement early childhood curriculum in all nine of New Jersey's pediatric residency programs and 12 family medicine residency programs.
• Advocates for Children of New JerseycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-chair of Start Strong NJ campaign and leader in child care policy advocacy. Partner in the Blueprint for Affordable Child Care.
• Moms FirstcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Reshma Saujani, Moms First is a member of Start Strong NJ coalition, mobilizing the business community around child care as economic infrastructure.
• New Jersey Business & Industry AssociationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Start Strong NJ coalition, co-publishing op-eds on child care as economic infrastructure.
• Rutgers Eagleton Institute of PoliticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted Rutgers-Eagleton Poll on child care showing 68% of voters find quality affordable child care difficult to find, informing Start Strong NJ advocacy.
• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Craig Garfield's team leads PRAMS for Partners (New Jersey Fatherhood Survey), gathering data on fathers' and non-birthing parents' experiences during the perinatal period.
• New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched one-year Paid Leave Navigator Pilot in Mercer County to help new parents understand and access Temporary Disability Insurance and Family Leave Insurance benefits.
• New Jersey Health Care Quality InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on midwifery reports (2022 and 2024) outlining recommendations to modernize New Jersey's midwifery regulations and licensing structure.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Nicholson Foundation: New Jersey-based private foundation co-funding many of the same early childhood and maternal health programs as Burke (HealthySteps, Centering, Family Connects). Highly comparable scale, geography, and thematic focus on systems change for NJ families.
• The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation: New Jersey-based private foundation and repeat Burke co-funder across the Centering pilot, Start Strong NJ, South Ward Wellness Center, and the Paterson Doula Cooperative. Directly comparable geographic and programmatic focus on early childhood and community health.
• Turrell Fund: New Jersey and New York-based private foundation focused on children, youth, and families; co-focal partner with Burke on the Paterson Doula Cooperative and a repeat co-funder of Start Strong NJ. Strongly comparable mission and beneficiary population.
• Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation: New Jersey-based private foundation supporting children, families, education, and communities. Co-funder of Start Strong NJ and a peer in the NJ early childhood grantmaking ecosystem.
• Pritzker Children's Initiative: National private foundation focused on prenatal-to-age-3 development, supporting high-quality services for very young children. Closely comparable mission framing around the prenatal-to-3 window and high-impact program models.
• Heising-Simons Foundation: National family foundation that is a major national funder of early childhood development programs, including home visiting and pediatric care models. Direct peer on prenatal-to-3 systems-change strategy and program portfolio overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: Large national foundation with a Child Well-Being program focused on early childhood and family economic security. A larger, broader-scope peer funding pediatric care models and family supports at national scale.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: New Jersey-based national philanthropy and the nation's largest health-focused foundation. Co-funder of the Paid Leave Navigator Pilot with Burke and a much larger funder with overlapping maternal/child health priorities.
• Blue Meridian Partners: National impact-investing philanthropy that provided $7.6M to Centering Healthcare Institute alongside Burke's Centering investments. A larger-scope funder scaling evidence-based programs for children and families.
• Bezos Family Foundation: National family foundation funding early childhood and youth development, including a $5M unrestricted grant to Centering Healthcare Institute co-supported by Burke. Larger-scope peer with overlapping early childhood portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-burke-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/theburkefoundation
• Xx.com/BurkeFoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Burke Foundation