Byron Arison
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Merck
FUNDING AREAS: Arts & Culture, Health, Education, Environment & Animals, Science
OVERVIEW: Byron Arison conducts philanthropy through the Arison Family Foundation, which has given modestly in recent years, with small sums going to select organizations, particularly in New York and New Jersey. The performing arts are another interest.
BACKGROUND: Byron Arison graduated with a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Michigan in 1943, and later received an M.S. and Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, now New York University Tandon School of Engineering. Arison joined the Manhattan Project in 1944 and was part of a group that installed uranium into a reactor which produced plutonium. After serving in the U.S. Army, Arison joined Merck as a research chemist. During his time at Merck, he was in charge of the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility.
ISSUES:
ARTS & CULTURE: Arison, and his late wife Arlene, steadily backed the Met Opera. Arison has an interest in music, theater, and photography. He’s been the board of trustees for the New Jersey Festival Orchestra since 2008. Other grantees have included American Museum of Natural History, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, The Met Museum of Art, and Smithsonian Institution.
HEALTH: Past health grantees include American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York Presbyterian Fund and Overlook Hospital Foundation.
EDUCATION: Arison supports his alma maters University of Michigan and New York University Tandon School of Engineering.
OTHER: The foundation’s grantmaking also addresses environmental and animal organizations like Wilderness Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, Environmental Defense Fund, and Alley Cat Allies. Arison also supports science organizations like Union of Concerned Scientists, and American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science
LOOKING FORWARD: It’s unclear how much money is waiting in the wings here, but expect Arison to continue to support his established interest areas.
CONTACT:
The Arison Family Foundation does not provide a clear avenue for getting in touch with the family but below is an address:
Arison Family Foundation
4128 Fellowship Village
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
byronarison@earthlink.net
LINKS:
