Milton Cooper
/NET WORTH: Unknown
SOURCE OF WEALTH: Kimco Realty
FUNDING AREAS: Jewish Causes, Health & Human Services, Education & Youth
OVERVIEW: Milton Cooper and his family move their philanthropy through the Cooper Family Foundation. Cooper is now in his 90s, and the Cooper Family Foundation’s giving has dwindled to less than $50,000 in recent years. In the past, the Coopers have given particularly large sums to American Jewish Committee. The foundation does not appear to accept unsolicited proposals.
BACKGROUND: Milton Cooper graduated from City College in New York and from Brooklyn Law School. In the 1960s, Cooper along with the late Martin S. Kimmel and others, founded Kimco Development Corporation, with the aim of building and managing new shopping centers. Kimco Realty is North America’s largest publicly traded owner and operator of open-air shopping centers.
JEWISH CAUSES: The Cooper Family Foundation steadily supports Jewish causes, mainly in the Northeast. Millions have gone to American Jewish Committee, the Jewish advocacy organization founded over a century ago. Another big winner is American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), which provides "grants to support select educational programs including Middle East research, educational materials and conferences, and leadership programs for university students." Other grantees include Friends of Israel Defense Forces, Center for Jewish History, United States Holocaust Museum, Chabad of Mineola, and UJA Federation of New York.
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: Grantees include Ackerman Institute for the Family, American Cancer Society, Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center, SLE Lupus Foundation, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Grantees include Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology and UCI Foundation.
OTHER: Modest sums have gone to arts and environmental organizations.
LOOKING FORWARD: The Cooper Family Foundation’s giving have declined significantly over the past five years. With Cooper in his 90s, it is unclear what his foundation’s future might be.
CONTACT:
The Cooper Family Foundation Inc.
3333 New Hyde Park Rd., No. 100
New Hyde Park, NY 11042
LINK: Kimco Realty Corporation
