M.D. Katz Foundation

OVERVIEW: The M.D. Katz Foundation supports Jewish education and other Jewish-related causes, largely in New Jersey and the Tri-State Area.

IP TAKE: This is not a transparent or accessible funder. The Kats Foundation keeps a low profile, does not have a website or provide a clear way to get in contact or apply for support, restricting information about it’s grantmaking strategies. It also does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding.

This funder also prefers to give grants over several years to the same grantees, making this a crowded space for new grant seekers. Unless your work overlaps closely with this foundation, consider other sources.

PROFILE: Established in 1962, the M.D. Katz Foundation is a private family foundation based in Englewood, New Jersey. This is a low-key foundation that does not have a website to guide grantseekers. Mordecai Katz and his wife, Monique, created this foundation, which has largely given money to Jewish schools over the years. Mordecai Katz has law, engineering and management degrees and is a former aerospace executive. Monique Katz worked in the past as a radiologist. Through their foundation, the Katz couple frequently supports Jewish-affiliated early education, K-12 education and post-secondary institutions. In addition to grants, they have also provided funding for school scholarships and fellowships. Many of the schools supported by the Katz Foundation have personal connections to Katz family members.

Grants for Jewish Causes, Jewish Higher Education, Jewish K-12 Education

In Spring 2016, Yeshiva University in New York received a $25 million gift from Mordecai and Monique Katz to launch The Mordecai D. and Monique C. Katz School of Graduate and Professional Studies. The Katz School, which offers degrees in fields including marketing, data science and cybersecurity, has since received ongoing support from the Katz Foundation.

Apart from Yeshiva, the Katz Foundation has been a major bankroller of other Jewish educational institutions in both the U.S. and Israel. Bar-Ilan University, the second largest institution of higher learning in Israel, has received strong support. Mordecai Katz chairs the board of Bar-Ilan and received an honorary degree from the school. The university is the site of the Mordecai and Monique Katz Interdisciplinary Studies Building, as well as the Mordecai and Monique Katz Information Technology Building. Katz has also supported scholarships and fellowships at the school. 

Other Katz Foundation grantees include Frisch Yeshiva High School in Paramus, NJ, the SAR Academy Scholarship Fund (an early education through 8th grade school in the Bronx, NY.), and Beit Rabban Day School (early education through 8th grade in New York, NY), among others. Some of these schools have a personal connection to the Katz family.

Katz supports relatively few grantees that are not education-related, but those that have received funding include Jewish organizations, such as American Committee for Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem. American Friends of Nishmat, American Friends of Shalva, and Emunah Women of America.

Important Grant Details:

Grant amounts vary wildly based on the nature of the organization receiving the funds. The Jewish Braille Institute received just $18 in 2020, while the foundation gave Yeshiva University $2.6 million that same year.

PEOPLE:

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CONTACT:

The M. D. Katz Foundation does not provide a clear avenue of contact but below is address/phone:

M. D. Katz Foundation, Inc.

300 E. Linden Ave.

Englewood, NJ 07631

(201) 569-4040