Henry and Elaine Kaufman Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Henry and Elaine Kaufman Foundation supports high education, Jewish causes, health and arts and culture. New York and Florida are geographic priorities.

IPTAKE: The Henry and Elaine Kaufman Foundation maintains a low-profile. New York City, where the foundation is based, and Florida appear to be areas of geographic priority. This funder does not accept unsolicited proposals, but contact information is provided below. Neither accessible or approachable, note that funding here will require deep networking.

PROFILE: The New York City-based Henry and Elaine Kaufman Foundation is the foundation of the economist Henry Kaufman and his wife, Elaine. Kaufman was born in Germany in 1927 but fled to the U.S. with his family in 1937. He graduated from New York University and, in 1949, earned a master’s degree in finance from Columbia University. He worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and then became managing director of the investment banking firm Solomon Brothers. His board positions have included New York University’s Stern School of Business, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Tel Aviv University and the Kaufman Music Center of New York City, which was named for the couple. The Kaufman Foundation does not maintain a website, which limits information about its grantmaking goals and practices, but tax filings reveal strong commitments to supporting higher education, Jewish causes, public health and arts and culture.

Grants for Higher Education

Higher education is the Kaufman Foundation’s largest area of giving, with most grants supporting large universities. Kaufman’s alma mater, New York University, received $500,000 in a recent year. Other recent grantees include the University of Maryland, which received $1 million for a business history fellowship at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, and Washington University in St. Louis.

Grants for Jewish Causes

The Kaufman Foundation supports a broad range of Jewish causes in the U.S., including religious, educational, cultural and health-related organizations. Recent religious organizations to receive funding include Temple Beth Rishon of Wyckoff, New Jersey and Temple Sinai of Palm Beach County in Florida. Jewish cultural and educational grantees include the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach, New York City’s Jewish Museum, the Yeshiva University of New York and Reconstructing Judaism. The Kaufman Foundation has also funded Israeli causes, including Tel Aviv University and the U.S.-based Friends of Israel Defense Fund.

Grants for Public Health

Public health is a smaller area of giving for the Kaufman Foundation, and grantmaking appears to be limited to organizations in the greater New York area. Recent grants have supported New York City’s Mount Sinai Health System and the Valley Hospital Foundation of Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Grants for Arts and Culture

The Henry and Elaine Kaufman Foundation has shown strong support for performing arts organizations in New York City and Florida. The Kaufman Music Center, which houses several music and dance education programs and a concert venue, was named for the couple, who provide ongoing support. Other arts and culture grantees include the Society of the Four Arts, Florida’s Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and New York City’s Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

Important Grant Details

The Kaufman Foundation made about $2.8 million in grants in a recent year. With only a few exceptions, grants remained under $50,000, and the foundation’s average grant size is about $10,000. This funder supports organizations of all sizes but appears to offer ongoing support to its existing grantees. The greater New York City area and Florida are geographic priorities. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.

This funder does not maintain a website and does not appear to accept unsolicited proposals for funding. An address and phone number for the foundation are provided below.

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CONTACT:

Henry and Elaine Kaufman Foundation

590 Madison Ave., 5th fl.

New York, NY 10022

(212) 758-7100