Gershwind Family Foundation

OVERVIEW:  The Gershwind Family Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to Jewish causes, health, and the arts.

IP TAKE: The foundation lacks transparency, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. Support largely goes to the same groups year after year, and Gershwind does not provide easy points of access for new grantseekers. Networking will be important here.

PROFILE:  The Gershwind Family Foundation was established in 1998. It is steered by Marjorie Gershwind Fiverson, sister of billionaire Mitchell Jacobson, and other family members. The foundation does not maintain a website; however, according to tax filings, the Gershwind Family Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to Jewish causes, health, and the arts.

Grants for Jewish Causes

The family have strong ties to the Jewish community and the largest portion of annual grantmaking goes to Jewish religious and cultural groups, with antidiscrimination organizations also a priority. Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center on Long Island is named after Marjorie’s father, Sidney who gave generously to the UJA-Federation of New York. In 2006, Gershwind Foundation directors Erik Gershwind and his sister Stacey Bennett established the Gershwind/Bennett Fund to support acquisitions in Judaica at their alma mater UPenn. In 2021, the Foundation gave $75,000 to American Israel Education Foundation and $25,000 each to The Jewish Museum and American Friends of the Israel Museum. Support has also gone to Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York and Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center.

Grants for Public Health and Access, and Arts and Culture

While most health and arts and culture grants remain in New York, West Palm Beach, Florida is another important site of giving, and grants have gone to MorseLife Foundation, Norton Museum of Art, and The Society of the Four Arts.

New York grantees in these areas have included New York Presbyterian Fund, the recent recipient of a seven-figure gift, Northwell Health Foundation, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Harmonie Preservation Foundation, and Lincoln Center of the Performing Arts.

Important Grant Details

Grants range from $500 to around $1.2 million. In a recent fiscal year, the foundation gave away around $1.6 million.

The Gershwind Family Foundation keeps a low-profile and does not accept unsolicited proposals. 

PEOPLE:

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CONTACT:

Gershwind Family Foundation
11 Times Square
New York, NY 10036