Kraft Family Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Kraft Family Foundation supports arts and culture, higher education, public health, youth development and Jewish causes.
IP TAKE: This is not a transparent or approachable funder. The foundation keeps a low public profile with a minimal web presence, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. The best way for new grantseekers to get in touch here may be to go through their rolodex looking for connections. This is a tough nut to crack. This is a somewhat accesible funder in that you can apply for funding year round by letter.
PROFILE: Established in 1951, the Kraft Family Foundation is a private family foundation based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. This is the philanthropy of billionaire businessman Robert Kraft and his late wife, Myra. Robert launched International Forest Products, creating a created a platform that has grown into the Kraft Group, a diverse holding company that comprises the family’s various business interests. Kraft has also been the owner of the New England Patriots NFL football team. The Kraft family pursues philanthropy through the Kraft Family Foundation, New England Patriots and New England Revolution charitable foundations, as well as the Kraft Center for Community Health Leadership. The Kraft Family Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to arts and culture, higher education, health, youth development, and Jewish causes.
Grants for Jewish Causes
Out of the foundation’s seven focus areas—which are more like funding interests than true grantmaking programs—Kraft’s support for Israel and Jewish causes receives the most funding, both in size and quantity. Indeed, much of the grantmaking for the foundation’s other funding areas touches on the Kraft family’s Jewish identity in some way.
Kraft created the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life at Columbia/Barnard Hillel. The center seeks to “to help students, regardless of their origin or destination, find their own interpretation of Jewish values, culture, community and religion.” The College of the Holy Cross is home to the Myra and Robert Kraft Chair in Judaic Studies and Program for Jewish-Christian Understanding, and the Kraft-Hiatt Program for Jewish-Christian Understanding.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum received $1 million in 2015, and the Foundation for Social Media Messaging Against Anti-Semitism received a $21 million pledge in 2019. Kraft also gave a $10 million gift to Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston, where Wendy Kraft, Robert’s daughter-in-law, is on the board. Other grantees have included Congregation Kehillath Israel, Temple Emanuel of Newton, Jewish Community Center, American Friends of Israel Museum, and American Jewish Committee.
With regard to funding for Israel, the family foundation has directed millions to the Jerusalem Foundation, including funds for construction of the Kraft Family Stadium, an American football facility, in 2000. In addition to the stadium, Kraft financially supports Kraft Family Israel Football League. Kraft’s support for projects in Israel is so profound that he was the recipient of Israel’s Genesis Prize in recognition of his ongoing commitment to Israel and Jewish values of social justice and equality.
In December 2023, Kraft added another $100 million to the foundation’s coffers to be used to combat antisemitism.
Grants for Higher Education
While education access is listed as one of the foundation’s key funding areas, most of the grantmaking in this space reflects family members’ personal connection to the grantees. Kraft has supported his alma maters Harvard Business School and Columbia University. In 2007, in recognition of a gift of $5 million in support of Columbia's intercollegiate athletics program, the playing field at Columbia's Lawrence A. Wien Stadium at the Baker Field Athletics Complex was named Robert K. Kraft Field. In 2022, the foundation gave $24 million to the Harvard Business School to establish the Robert K. Kraft Family Fellowship Fund. Joshua is on the board of Brandeis University, home to the Myra and Robert Kraft Chair.
The foundation has also supported places like Williams College (Joshua and Jonathan’s alma mater), Boston College (Kraft is on the board), Tufts University (Daniel’s school and home to Kraft Field), the Belmont Hill School, Johns Hopkins University, Rivers School, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Beaver County Day School.
Grants for Community Development
The Kraft Family Foundation’s support for community development projects primarily centers around Massachusetts and the greater Boston area. The family are major patrons of Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, where Josh is the Nicholas President and CEO. Late matriarch Myra Kraft was the first female board chair of Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston. The family created the Myra and Bob Kraft Boston Boys and Girls Club Endowed Scholarship. Other grantees in this area include Boston Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth, BUILD Boston, English for New Bostonians, Strong Women Strong Girls, and Kollel of Greater Boston.
The foundation also operates a general community fund, the Kraft Family/Patriots Player Collaborative Fund, in partnership with the New England Patriots, Kraft’s football team. Since June 2020, the fund “has distributed $1 million to 10 local organizations fighting for equity, working to end systemic racism and creating meaningful change in the community.” Greater Boston Legal Services, Tech Goes Home, Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, Rain Immigrant Center and Becoming a Main have all received funding through this program.
Grants for Public Health and Access, Diseases, and Brain & Cell Research
Public health is one of the foundation’s other major funding areas, and it gives big here. The foundation pledged $20 million to Partners HealthCare, establishing “a permanent endowment to recruit, train and retain future leaders in the community health center system,” and endowing the Kraft Family National Center for Leadership and Training in Community Health, and another $20 million to “Harvard Business School (HBS) to establish the Kraft Precision Medicine Accelerator, an initiative to pursue programs to realize the potential of precision medicine in care of cancer and other serious diseases.” Kraft also gave $50 million to establish the Robert K. Kraft Endowed Chair in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Kraft major patrons of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, home to the Kraft Family Blood Lab. Kraft and Daniel are on the board of Dana Farber. The Krafts also created the Kraft Center for Community Health, an “academic-community partnership that helps develop the careers of physicians and nurses from throughout the country who are committed to improving the health of our communities.”
Other grantees have included Elton John AIDS Foundation, Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, Children’s Hospital Corporation, and Boston Children’s Hospital. The Massachusetts General Hospital also received over $7 million from the foundation.
Grants for Arts and Culture
While it is not a declared funding area, tax records indicate that the foundation makes grants to support the arts and other cultural institutions. Past grantees have included New York City Ballet, Apollo Theater (Kraft previously served on the board), Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, and Carnegie Hall.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range from $500 to several million. In a recent fiscal year, the foundation gave away around $4.3 million. The foundation keeps a low profile but a recent 990 indicated that the foundation accepts applications all year round in the form of a letter. Despite this, the foundation does not provide grantmaking guidelines or clear instructions for submitting proposals or applying for support. General inquiries may be made via email or telephone at (508) 384-4203.
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