A Tribute to Two D.C. Champions: Remembering Diane and Norman Bernstein
The Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation awarded Sitar Arts Center a $500,000 grant toward the Building the Next Stage campaign in celebration of Norman’s 100th birthday in 2020. Today, we honor the great works and lives of Diane and Norman Bernstein.
Diane Bernstein believed in the intrinsic potential of every child and was tireless in her leadership of creating a more equitable city for DC’s youth. When Diane first walked through Sitar Arts Center’s doors in the early 2000s, she delighted in the creative learning of the youngest artists. From that day forward, she and her husband Norman were steadfast supporters of Sitar’s mission.
Throughout their lives, Diane and Norman demonstrated their values as leaders in cultivating and advocating for a more inclusive world. The Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation has served the DC community for over 60 years and proudly supports local organizations and initiatives that improve outcomes in service of justice, dignity, and equal opportunity. They are guided by the Jewish principle of “Tikkun Olam” —the responsibility to repair what is broken in the world. The Foundation envisions an economically and socially just society in which all people thrive.
Norman Bernstein, the founder of a real estate management company which is now the Bernstein Management Corporation, was a DC native and activist for justice in housing. Diane, a New York City native, was an activist, community leader, and spirited advocate for children. Today, as an organization committed to their same values and forever improved by their contributions, Sitar Arts Center commemorates the memories of Diane and Norman Bernstein through recognition and gratitude.
In 2020, commemorating Norman Bernstein’s 100th birthday, the Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation awarded Sitar Arts Center a $500,000 grant toward the Building the Next Stage campaign.
“We are deeply moved and uplifted to receive this gift and especially to know that the Bernstein family upholds Sitar as an essential organization for D.C. youth and families,” says executive director, Maureen L. Dwyer. “The Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation is a true partner in our work, and their organization led by Executive Director, Kelly Lynch stewards Diane’s legacy of trust-based philanthropy.”
Norman and Diane Bernstein
In 2022, the Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation awarded Sitar Arts Center a multi-year grant, stating, "Over the last year, as the Foundation has undertaken a new strategic plan, we recognized one way to embody trust-based philanthropy is by providing our partners with the assurance of multi-year, unrestricted support. We reaffirm our commitment to Sitar with a general operating grant through 2025."
In Diane Bernstein’s eloquent words, shared by longtime partner Jubilee Jumpstart:
“We’re here for a very short time, and we’re here to support other people, to give them love, to put ourselves in their places, and to help where we can.”
Diane and Norman embraced their time on earth to change the world for the better, forever.
To the Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation and the Bernstein family – thank you. Diane and Norman's inspirational and courageous legacy will continue to inspire others for generations to come through their contributions to Sitar Arts Center, and the many organizations, causes, and lives impacted nationwide.