Laurence and Carolyn Belfer

SOURCE OF WEALTH:  Belfer Management LLC

FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, Community, Jewish Causes, Health

OVERVIEW: Laurence Belfer and his wife Carolyn move philanthropy through the Laurence and Carolyn Belfer Family Foundation. According to available tax filings, the foundation awarded $94,000 in grants in 2018 and around $280,000 in grants from 2015 to 2018. They’ve given several large individual donations, however, including in the realm of cybersecurity.

BACKGROUND: Laurence D. Belfer graduated from Harvard University in 1988 and earned his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1992. Belfer was Vice-Chairman, President and COO of Belco Oil and Gas Corp and Co-Founder of Harvest Capital LP. He is CEO of Belfer Management LLC, a family investment firm that emphasizes the energy, real estate, financial services and certain consumer-facing industries. 

ISSUES:

EDUCATION & YOUTH: Belfer, along with his parents Robert and Renee Belfer, gave a $15 million gift to the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2016. The funds will establish the Cyber Security Project, which "seeks to help create the conceptual arsenal" for strategists to confront cyber threats. Via their foundation, Laurence and Carolyn Belfer have supported places like Cornell University, James Madison School, The Dalton School, and the Gillen Brewer School.

COMMUNITY: Belfer chairs the board of 92Y and is the founder and chair of the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact, which was launched in 2013. Grantees have included New York City Center.

OTHER: The Belfers also earmark funds for health and Jewish causes. Robert and Renee Belfer are major supporters of health, particularly cancer research. Laurence and Carolyn Belfer, meanwhile, have supported places like Memorial Sloan Kettering-Cancer Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, and Mount Sinai Health System. They’ve also earmarked funds for Jewish organizations like the American Jewish Committee, The Jewish Museum, UJA-Federation of New York, and Central Synagogue.

LOOKING FORWARD: Perhaps more funds will move through the family foundation in the coming years.

CONTACT:

The Laurence and Carolyn Belfer Family Foundation does not provide a clear avenue for getting in touch with the couple but below is an address:

The Laurence and Carolyn Belfer Family Foundation
c/o Belfer Management
767 Fifth Avenue, No 46 Fl.
New York, NY 10153
(212) 508-9500