Carl C. Icahn Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Carl C. Icahn Foundation is one of several charitable outfits directed by billionaire Carl Icahn and his wife, Gail. The foundation conducts much of its grantmaking in New York City. Its areas of interest include health, education and child welfare.

IP TAKE: Carl Icahn signed the giving pledge and conducts much of his philanthropy in and around New York City. Many of his projects bear the Icahn name. The foundation itself maintains a low profile, however, and little is known about its specific grantmaking practices.

PROFILE: Billionaire Carl Icahn grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens. He studied philosophy at Princeton University and medicine at New York University before serving in the U.S. Army. He began his career in the financial industry in 1961, and in 1968 established his own firm, Icahn & Co., through which he became known for establishing controlling interest in many major American corporations, including RJR Nabisco, Texaco, Time Warner, Revlon and Marvel, to name a few. He established the Carl. C. Icahn Foundation in 1981. The foundation does not maintain a website, but tax filings indicate that its areas of grantmaking are medicine, education and child welfare.

Many of Icahn’s philanthropic projects bear the Icahn name. In medicine, Icahn gave $200 million to the Mount Sinai Hospital System’s medical school, which was renamed the Icahn School of Medicine in 2012, and in the South Bronx, Icahn bankrolled seven Icahn Charter Schools that aim to provide rigorous K-8 education in some of New York City’s poorest neighborhoods. Other New York City grantees include the Children’s Rescue Fund, the Hunts Point Alliance for Children, Prep for Prep and the Central Park Conservancy.

The Carl C. Icahn Foundation gives away over a million a year. The average grant size is about $25,000, but some grants are more than $1 million. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s tax records.

The Carl C. Icahn Foundation has no web presence and no available guidelines for grantseekers. An address and phone number are provided below.

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CONTACT:

Carl C. Icahn Foundation
767 5th Avenue, Ste. 4700
New York, NY 10153
212-703-4300