OVERVIEW: The Helmsley Charitable Trust supports medical research, healthcare access and place-based initiatives through six programs: Crohn’s Disease, Type 1 Diabetes, Rural Healthcare, New York City, Israel, and Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its disease-focused programs operate nationally and internationally, while its place-based portfolios maintain specific geographic boundaries.
IP TAKE: This is one of the largest funders in the U.S. Helmsley is a major health funder with deep pockets, clearly defined strategies and the ability to make large, multiyear investments in research, medical facilities, technology and healthcare systems. It is also difficult to approach. Helmsley does not accept unsolicited proposals or grant inquiries, and explicitly discourages prospective grantees from sending them. Program staff identify potential partners, although the trust occasionally issues narrowly focused RFPs or works through intermediaries.
The strongest prospective grantees tend to be established research institutions, hospitals, health systems, specialized nonprofits, public agencies and organizations already connected to Helmsley’s grantees, collaboratives or issue networks.
PROFILE: The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Trust began its grantmaking in 2008, after the “Queen of Mean” real estate mogul Leona Helmsley passed away, leaving most of her estate to the trust. Harry and Leona Helmsley built a large real estate portfolio and donated extensively to health-related institutions during their lifetimes. The Helmsley Trust is committed to “helping people live better lives today and creating stronger, healthier futures for individuals and communities.” It awards grants for Crohn’s Disease, Israel, New York City, Rural Health Care, Type 1 Diabetes and Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Grants for Diseases, Science Research and Global Health
The Helmsley Trust names Type 1 Diabetes and Crohn’s Disease as priorities for its disease grantmaking:
Grants for Crohn’s Disease
Helmsley describes itself as the largest private philanthropy focused on Crohn’s disease. Its Crohn’s Disease Program supports five interrelated areas: Prevention, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, Disease Management and Disease Biology.
- Prevention grants investigate the genetic, immune, dietary, environmental and geographic factors associated with the development of Crohn’s disease. Helmsley is particularly interested in why the Crohn’s is increasing in newly industrialized countries and how diet and the intestinal microbiome affect risk and progression.
- Diagnostics funding supports biomarkers, imaging, clinical indices, patient-reported measures and other noninvasive or cost-effective technologies that can improve diagnosis, monitoring and treatment decisions.
- Therapeutics grants support the identification and testing of new treatments, precision medicine and efforts to understand why patients respond differently to available therapies.
- Disease management grants seek to improve access to coordinated, high-quality care and give patients and clinicians better tools for managing the disease.
- Disease biology research examines the immune system, intestinal barrier, genetics and other biological mechanisms involved in Crohn’s disease.
- Recent grants include nearly $2.9 million to Johns Hopkins University for research on fibrotic complications and approximately $1.4 million to the Weizmann Institute of Science for research on biomarkers, the microbiome and nutrition.
- Funding also supports research networks including PROMISE, the Gut Cell Atlas Consortium and the Very Early Onset IBD consortium.
- The program appears to favor medical schools, research universities, hospitals and highly specialized research organizations and networks.
Grants for Type 1 Diabetes
The Type 1 Diabetes Program seeks to improve daily life and healthcare access for people with type 1 diabetes while supporting research that could prevent, delay or treat the disease. Helmsley reports committing more than $1.1 billion through over 840 grants in more than 50 countries. Its three current strategies are:
Transforming the Trajectory of Type 1 Diabetes
- This strategy funds research into the biology and development of type 1 diabetes, including disease screening, prevention, immune-system interventions and therapies.
- Funding may support work from basic and preclinical research through clinical trials and treatment development.
- Helmsley frequently works through research partnerships and clinical networks rather than funding isolated studies. Relevant prospects include research universities, medical centers, biotechnology researchers and collaborative initiatives with the capacity to translate scientific findings into clinical applications.
Improving Access to Care and Technology in the U.S.
- This strategy supports equitable access to insulin, continuous glucose monitors, automated insulin-delivery systems, digital health tools and high-quality clinical care. It also funds efforts to improve insurance coverage, health-system accountability, primary care, pharmacy-based care, telehealth, school health services and diabetes camps.
- Helmsley is particularly interested in reducing racial, economic and geographic disparities in type 1 diabetes care.
- Recent grantees include Blue Circle Health, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the American Diabetes Association and College Diabetes Network, now known as The Diabetes Link.
Achieving Equitable Access in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
- International grants aim to make insulin, testing supplies, diabetes technologies and clinical services more available and affordable in low- and middle-income countries. Helmsley also supports healthcare-worker training, stronger diabetes clinics, sustainable medical-product markets and the integration of diabetes care into national health systems.
- Recent grants include more than $11.1 million to the WHO Foundation for diabetes and PEN-Plus implementation and approximately $2.6 million to the International Alliance for Diabetes Action to strengthen diabetes care in humanitarian settings.
- Helmsley occasionally offers targeted Type 1 Diabetes RFPs or supports competitions administered by intermediaries. For example, the New Venture Fund sponsored and administered a Helmsley-supported initiative for diabetes camps. These opportunities are episodic and should not be confused with a standing open application process.
Grants for Global Health: Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa Program works primarily with rural communities in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana and Zambia. Its goal is to strengthen the ability of children, families and communities to withstand health, economic, environmental and infrastructure-related challenges.
The program has two pillars:
Increasing Access to Quality Healthcare
- Helmsley funds prenatal, neonatal and postpartum care; primary healthcare sites; diagnostic equipment; clinician training; access to essential medicines; and stronger healthcare systems.
- The Trust also supports the treatment and elimination of neglected tropical diseases, including onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis and trachoma.
- Its grantees frequently work with national ministries, local implementing organizations and community leaders.
Building Rural Infrastructure and Strengthening Economic Development
- This work supports clean water, sanitation, climate resilience, water-resource management, rural transportation, agricultural productivity and economic development. Helmsley also funds geospatial data and technology, including Digital Earth Africa, to help governments and organizations plan for agriculture, land use, food security and water management.
- Recent grants include approximately $9.4 million to the Clinton Health Access Initiative for oxygen access in Ghana, $5.1 million to Engineering Ministries International for a hospital in Ghana and nearly $4.9 million to New York University for an AMPATH-related healthcare initiative in Ghana.
- Best-fit organizations include experienced international NGOs, universities, healthcare institutions, development organizations and local or regional implementers with strong government and community partnerships. Organizations without a demonstrated connection to one of the four focus countries are generally weaker prospects for this program, although they may fit Helmsley’s separate global Type 1 Diabetes work.
Grants for Israel
The Israel Program works with hospitals, universities, government entities and nonprofits to strengthen healthcare, scientific research and public understanding of Israel. Helmsley reports committing more than $700 million to Israel since 2010.
The program’s three pillars are:
Improving Healthcare Services and Preparedness
- Helmsley funds hospitals and medical facilities in major cities and underserved regions, including northern and southern Israel.
- Grants support medical equipment, emergency departments, trauma care, disaster preparedness, protected medical facilities and technologies that connect peripheral communities with advanced healthcare.
Advancing Basic Scientific Research
- This strategy supports scientific research at Israeli universities in medicine, biology, energy, agriculture and technology.
- Helmsley also funds healthcare and STEM education, training and career-development programs.
Strengthening the Global Understanding of Israel
- This work supports communications initiatives and programs that give selected audiences firsthand exposure to Israel, its society and the challenges it faces. This is a formal pillar of the Israel program, rather than a broader grantmaking program for Jewish religious or cultural causes.
- Recent grants include $29 million to help rebuild research facilities at the Weizmann Institute of Science, $10 million for a protected emergency department at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center and $5 million toward construction of the Helmsley Western Pavilion at Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
Grants for Public Health
Grants for Rural Healthcare
The Rural Healthcare Program works in nine states—Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming—and two U.S. Pacific territories, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. Helmsley describes the program’s geography as the rural Upper Midwest “and beyond.”
The program has three main funding pillars:
Investing in Telemedicine
- Helmsley supports telehealth infrastructure, professional training and technologies that connect rural patients and providers with specialized care.
- Grants have supported remote emergency medicine, virtual training, telebehavioral health and research into technologies such as remote surgery.
Expanding Access to Behavioral Health Services
This work supports telebehavioral health, behavioral health centers, workforce training and programs that connect people experiencing a crisis with mental health professionals. Some grants involve healthcare providers, while others work through law-enforcement agencies, first responders or regional systems.
Ensuring the Availability of Modern Equipment and Technology
Helmsley funds diagnostic equipment, medical imaging, cancer-treatment technology, automated external defibrillators, mechanical CPR equipment and other medical tools that rural hospitals and emergency responders might otherwise struggle to obtain.
- The program also makes grants for workforce development, medicine access and broader healthcare-system improvements when they support rural care.
- Recent commitments include $20 million to Intermountain Health for pediatric behavioral healthcare in Nevada, $5 million for a Kaiser Permanente cancer center in Hawaii and $2.5 million for nursing simulation laboratories at Montana State University.
- Likely grantees include rural and critical-access hospitals, health systems, universities, public-health departments, tribal entities, emergency medical services, first responders and organizations that can coordinate services across large rural areas.
Grants for New York City
The New York City Program seeks to improve health stability among residents who have significant physical or behavioral health conditions combined with social needs such as homelessness and housing instability. The program works across all five boroughs and emphasizes systems change, cross-sector collaboration and better coordination between healthcare, housing and social services.
Its three current pillars are:
Housing for Health
- Helmsley supports health-related housing, programs that connect people experiencing homelessness to healthcare and housing, and models that integrate medical, behavioral health and social services.
- The trust also creates and supports funder and practitioner collaboratives. These include the New York City Food Assistance Collaborative, the Collaborative for Homeless Healthcare and the Collaborative on Housing for Health, which seeks to expand and sustain housing interventions for people with complex needs.
Strengthening Behavioral Healthcare
This work expands behavioral health services in under-resourced communities and supports training and models that integrate mental healthcare into social-service and healthcare settings.
Increasing Access to Green Space for Health
Helmsley funds the creation, improvement and health-oriented use of parks and green spaces in underserved parts of the city. This work reflects the program’s view that accessible outdoor spaces can improve physical and mental health.
- Recent grantees include FJC for a Mental Health Workforce Fund, Urban Pathways, Homeless Services United, the Center for Urban Community Services and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.
- Grants generally favor established service providers, healthcare and housing organizations, citywide networks and intermediaries capable of coordinating multiple institutions.
Important Grant Details:
The Helmsley Trust’s range from $15,000 to over $55 million, but most grants stay in the $100,000 to $1 million range. In FY 2025, the foundation awarded about $441 million in grants and held approximately $71 billion in year-end assets.
- Geographic focus: Health is the trust’s largest concern, with grants supporting causes in the U.S., Israel and Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Helmsley accepts proposals by invitation only. It says that unsolicited grant inquiries will not be reviewed or considered and discourages organizations from submitting them. Program staff identify prospective partners, who are generally asked to submit a pre-proposal before Helmsley requests a full application. (How We Grant)
- The trust occasionally publishes RFPs with a specific scope. It also sometimes makes grants through intermediaries or collaborative funds, including FJC and New Venture Fund. These arrangements can produce open or competitive opportunities, but Helmsley does not maintain a general intermediary, fiscal-sponsorship or donor-advised-fund application pathway.
- Because cold outreach is discouraged, the most realistic way to get on Helmsley’s radar is through substantive participation in the networks where it already works.
- Helmsley’s searchable grants database includes award amounts, dates, purposes and program classifications.
- The general grants-management email should not be used to submit or pitch unsolicited funding requests. Send general inquiries to grants@helmsleytrust.org or telephone at (212) 679-3600.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
Last updated on