Morse Family Foundation

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

IP TAKE: The foundation lacks transparency, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. It tends to support grantees over a period of several years, and favors New York City organizations and those with which family members have a person interest. Connection to the Morse family will be key for gaining this funder’s attention.

PROFILE: Established in 1967, the Morse Family Foundation is steered by real estate mogul Lester Morse Jr., his wife, Enid, and their family. Lester serves as chairman of Lester Morse Company, a real-estate-acquisition and mortgage-brokerage concern in New York. The foundation lacks transparency, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. According to tax filings, the Morse Family Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to arts and culture, education, health, human services, Jewish causes and the environment.

Grants for Arts and Culture and Arts Education

Arts and culture and performing arts education are this funder’s largest giving areas. While the funder does not name specific goals for its arts giving, it works broadly to support visual arts, performing arts and other cultural institutions. Its grantees are mainly located New York City. The foundation’s largest recipient in a recent year was New York City’s Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, where the foundation sponsors the Enid and Lester Morse Historic Design Lecture Series. Other arts and culture grantees include the New York Historical Society, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Carnegie Hall, where Lester serves on the board of trustees. The couple, through their foundation, also demonstrate interest in performing arts education, having provided support to the Julliard School and the School of American Ballet, which are also in New York city.

Grants for Education

Morse’s education grants mostly support institutions of higher education. The foundation has given to Columbia University’s Teacher’s College, where Enid Morse is a trustee emerita and the Morses’ daughter Leslie is vice chair. Yale University, Lester’s alma mater, has also received large sums and is the site of the Morse Summer Music Academy. The foundation has also given to Brandeis University, Smith College and Harvard University.

Grants for Public Health

Public health grantmaking at the Morse Foundation also appears to stay close to home in New York City. Grantees include the New York-Presbyterian Hospital system, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Hospital for Special Surgery. The foundation has also supported Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut.

Grants for Jewish Causes

Jewish causes are a smaller area of grantmaking for this funder, but the foundation consistently gives to a handful of Jewish organizations each year. Grantees include New York City’s Congregation Emanu-el, the Central Synagogue, the Jewish Museum and the Jewish Braille Institute.

Grants for the Environment, Animals, Marine and Freshwater Conservation

The Morse Family Foundation has supported a growing number of environmental causes. Among its recipients are the Central Park Conservancy, Ocean Alliance, the Dolphin Ecology Project and the New York Botanical Garden.

Important Grant Details

This funder made close to $600,000 in grants in a recent year. Grants are generally awarded in amounts of up to $100,000, with an average grant size of about $10,000. This funder tends to offer ongoing support to its grantees. It also appears to prioritize New York City, with only a few grants serving organizations in other parts of the country.

The foundation keeps a low profile and does not accept unsolicited proposals. Contact information for this funder is provided below.

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CONTACT:

Morse Family Foundation
c/o Lester Morse Company, 60 East 42nd Street, #1807
New York, NY 10165

(212) 687-2140