Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation

What Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation does

The Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt private operating foundation registered in the United States, founded and chaired by Sheryl Sandberg. It operates four distinct but complementary initiatives: Lean In, which inspires and equips women to pursue leadership ambitions through community circles and educational resources; Lean In Girls, a leadership program for middle school girls; Option B, a resilience-building program for individuals facing adversity; and the Dave Goldberg Scholars Program, which provides financial support, one-on-one mentorship, internship access, and job placement services to exceptional graduates of Peninsula Bridge, a 32-year-old Bay Area nonprofit serving low-income students. The foundation holds registered trademarks on "Lean In®", "Option B℠", and its own corporate name, and is governed by a board that includes Tom Bernthal, Lori Goler, Adam Grant, and other senior executives, supported by separate advisory boards for Lean In and Option B. Distribution is primarily through self-service digital platforms (leanin.org, optionb.org, leaningirls.org, sgb.org), with the Goldberg Scholars Program operating through a selective application process for Peninsula Bridge alumni.

The foundation does not sell products or services and generates no commercial revenue; all initiatives are offered free of charge to beneficiaries, funded instead by private foundation assets and donations. Its technology stack is limited to standard web properties supporting the four brands, with no disclosed APIs, integrations, or AI capabilities. The organization maintains an operational team of approximately 18+ named staff including a CEO, VPs of Communications, Programs & Partnerships, and Operations, plus heads of Product and Research, indicating an institutionalized nonprofit structure rather than a volunteer-driven entity.

The foundation's strategic positioning rests on three assets: the personal brand and network of founder Sheryl Sandberg and the legacy of Dave Goldberg; a diversified portfolio of programs spanning gender equality, youth leadership, resilience, and educational equity; and a 32-year partnership with Peninsula Bridge that supplies a proven candidate pipeline. The Goldberg Scholars Program reports outcomes of 90%+ graduation rates for its first cohort versus an 11% national average for low-income college graduates, serving as the foundation's primary quantifiable impact metric.

Name

Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation

Legal name

Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation

Website

https://sgb.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation that runs four free programs—Lean In, Lean In Girls, Option B, and the Dave Goldberg Scholars Program—serving women professionals, middle school girls, individuals facing adversity, and low-income college students from Peninsula Bridge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAA

Private Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAD

Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYEDADAHAC

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Funding, Grants & Financial Aid Administration

Keywords

• Women leadership programs
• Scholarship mentorship programs
• Youth leadership development
• Nonprofit foundation services
• Resilience support programs

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt private operating foundation that operates four distinct initiatives offered free of charge to beneficiaries: Lean In (a women-focused leadership movement providing resources, community circles, and education programs), Lean In Girls (a middle school leadership program that helps girls see themselves as leaders), Option B (a resilience-building program that helps people find meaning in the face of adversity), and the Dave Goldberg Scholars Program (a scholarship and mentorship program providing financial support, one-on-one mentorship, internships, and job placement for exceptional Peninsula Bridge graduates from low-income backgrounds).

Product overview

The Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt private operating foundation that operates four distinct initiatives: Lean In (a women-focused leadership movement), Lean In Girls (a middle school leadership program), Option B (a resilience-building resource), and the Dave Goldberg Scholars Program (a scholarship and mentorship program for Peninsula Bridge graduates). The foundation functions as a unified platform supporting women and education through advocacy, community-building, and direct financial assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lean In: Inspires and equips women to lead
• Lean In Girls
• Option B
• Dave Goldberg Scholarship Program

Products and services

• Lean In

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

One partnership is on record.

• Peninsula BridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor 32 years, Peninsula Bridge has provided students from low-income families in the Bay Area with academic support from 4th grade through college graduation. The foundation partners with Peninsula Bridge to select exceptional graduates for the Dave Goldberg Scholarship Program, which provides financial support, mentorship, and internship opportunities throughout college. The partnership aims to break the cycle of poverty through educational support.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: Major U.S. private foundation focused on social justice, gender equity, and education access. Comparable as a peer in the family-foundation category with overlapping priorities in women's leadership and educational equity for low-income populations.
• adidas Foundation (adidas Breaking Barriers): Corporate foundation funding girls' empowerment, sport access, and education programming globally. Comparable as a peer in the girls-leadership-and-education grantmaking space, often partnering with the same kind of grassroots organizations SGBFF funds.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The largest private foundation in the U.S., with significant programming in education and women's economic empowerment. Comparable as a structurally similar family foundation but at vastly greater scale, including scholarship programs for low-income college students.
• Schmidt Futures (Eric & Wendy Schmidt): Tech-philanthropist-founded private foundation funding education, talent, and resilience initiatives. Comparable because it is a founder-led family foundation with multiple branded initiatives and tech-industry advisory leadership.

Direct peers

• Girls Inc. National nonprofit delivering girls' leadership and empowerment programming through a network of local affiliates. Comparable to Lean In Girls because it serves the same demographic (middle-school girls) with leadership development curricula and outcome-driven programming.
• Malala Fund: Global foundation co-founded by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai to advance girls' education and leadership. Comparable to SGBFF in mission overlap (girls' leadership via Lean In Girls), founder-driven brand model, and global digital program delivery.
• Newman's Own Foundation: Private family foundation created from a celebrity founder's commercial success, funding children's education and nutrition. Comparable structurally as a celebrity-founder-led private operating foundation with branded programs and a high-profile board.
• Tory Burch Foundation: Founder-led family foundation focused on women's empowerment and entrepreneurship. Comparable to SGBFF because it also runs branded programs (Tory Burch Foundation Fellows), operates globally, and depends on a single high-profile founder's network for donations and partnerships.

Others

• LeanIn.Org (the program entity itself): Operates as an initiative of SGBFF but functions as an independent brand with its own site, employer partnerships, and Lean In Circles community. Listed here for completeness because investors evaluating SGBFF often evaluate LeanIn.Org as the primary consumer-facing asset.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sgbff

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation