Susan S. and Kenneth Wallach Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Susan S. and Kenneth Wallach Foundation funds grantmaking related to education, youth, the arts, health, and Jewish causes.  

IP TAKE: The foundation is not very transparent; it keeps a low public profile, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. Contact information is listed below; new grantseekers will want to network in addition to reaching out.

PROFILE: The Susan S. and Kenneth Wallach Foundation was established in 1997. It was founded by Kenneth L. Wallach, who was CEO of Central National-Gottesman Inc. of Lindenmeyr Munroe Corporation, and his wife Susan, a longtime lawyer.  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 Susan S and Kenneth Wallach Foundation funds grantmaking related to education, youth, the arts, health, and Jewish causes.  

Grants for Higher Education, Arts and Culture, Public Health and Access, and Jewish Causes

While the foundation does not seem to have defined funding areas, tax records show that arts education and arts and culture organizations in New England, particularly New York and Massachusettes, receive the lion’s share of funding. Education and human services are a distant second and third. Arts grants have gone to American Museum of Natural History, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Book Foundation, and The New York Public Library. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts received a $1.25 million grant in 2022.

With regard to education, the couple are major patrons of Harvard, their mutual alma mater. The Wallachs gave a $10 million gift to Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, establishing the Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach House. Radcliffe, from where Susan also graduated, is also home to the Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Garden. Susan joined the final Radcliffe board of trustees and helped negotiate the merger that united Radcliffe and Harvard. Susan serves on several other boards including Pace University and Deerfield Academy.

Other past grantees include Cancer Research and Treatment, Central Synagogue, Columbia University, Council on Foreign Relations, and The Spence School.

Important Grant Details

Grants range from $500 to $500,000. In a recent fiscal year, the foundation gave away around $3 million. The Susan S and Kenneth Wallach Foundation keeps a low profile and does not accept unsolicited proposals.

PEOPLE:

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CONTACT:

Susan S. and Kenneth Wallach Foundation
3 Manhattanville Road
Purchase, NY 10577