Eugene Mercy
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Goldman Sachs
FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, Health, Human Services, Policy & Humanitarian, Jewish causes, NYC community
OVERVIEW: Eugene Mercy and family conduct their philanthropy through the Sue and Eugene Mercy, Jr. Foundation. The foundation’s grantmaking involves the arts, education, and human services, among others. Available tax filings indicate that the foundation awarded $432,000 in grants in 2017.
BACKGROUND: Eugene Mercy Jr. graduated from Lehigh University in 1959 and went on to serve as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army. In 1964, he joined Goldman Sachs & Co. in the securities sales department. In 1968, he became vice president of the securities sales and equity trading departments. He went on to make partner and had a 25-year career with the firm. He founded Granite Capital International Group after leaving Goldman.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Mercy supports his alma mater Lehigh University. Mercy’s late wife Sue’s alma mater, Connecticut College, where she once served on the board, has also received support. Other grantees include Loomis Chaffee School, where Mercy was once vice chairman of the board, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Big Brothers Big Sisters NY, and Jumpstart.
ARTS AND CULTURE: The Mercy family support prominent New York arts and cultural institutions. Sue was once an active member of the board of New York Philharmonic, which they support. Other grantees include The Frick Collection, The Met, MoMA, The Guggenheim, American Museum of Natural History, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Outside of New York, the Mercys have supported places like Bravo Vail Valley Music Festival.
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: Grantees have included NY Services for the Handicapped, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, The Lymphoma Foundation, and Grand Street Settlement. In life, Sue was a Continuum Health Partners trustee, with a particular interest in breast cancer.
POLICY & HUMANITARIAN: Mercy sits on the board of Seeds of Peace, a peacebuilding and leadership development organization which he steadily supports. Other grantees have included Manhattan Institute for Public Research and the Washington Institute.
OTHER: The Mercy family also directs assorted sums to Jewish organizations like UJA Federation of New York, and environmental organizations including The Nature Conservancy and Central Park Conservatory.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect Mercy’s steady support of New York institutions to hold. What is less clear is whether his giving will expand in the coming years.
CONTACT:
The Sue and Eugene Mercy, Jr. Foundation does not provide a clear avenue of contact but below is an address:
The Sue and Eugene Mercy, Jr. Foundation, Inc.
77 Water St., 9th Fl.
New York City, NY 10005
