Lise and Jeffrey Wilks Family Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Lise and Jeffrey Wilks Family Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to education, Jewish causes, the arts, and health.

IP TAKE: The foundation does not maintain a website, which restricts transparency about grantmaking strategies and guidelines.

PROFILE: Established in 2012, the Lise and Jeffrey Wilks Family Foundation was founded by real estate couple Jeffrey and Lise Wilks. Jeffrey is associated with Spiegel Associates, a private real estate development and management company headquartered in Jericho, New York. The foundation does not maintain a website, which makes it difficult to locate further information on its priority areas and grantmaking strategies. Tax filings suggest that the Lise and Jeffrey Wilks Family Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to education, Jewish causes, the arts, and health.

Because the foundation does not have a website, it’s unclear what informs its grantmaking strategies; however, it prefers make more general donations rather than more focused giving dedicated to specific areas. The foundation's education grantmaking addresses schools with which the family has a personal connection rather than more broadly funding education causes. Past education grantees include large, established institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, Boston University, and Collegiate School in Manhattan. The couple is also involved in the local Jewish community, including through Central Synagogue, another grantee.

Grants range between $500 and $300,000. In a recent year, the foundation gave away around $1 million. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent tax records. Grantmaking primarily focuses on New York. Past local grantees include UJA Federation of New York; Studio Museum of Harlem, where Lise is on the board; Whitney Museum; and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

The foundation keeps a low profile and does not accept unsolicited proposals.

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CONTACT:

Lise and Jeffrey Wilks Family Foundation
P.O. Box 6
Hicksville, NY 11802
(516 )935-1100