Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz Foundation funds general programme support across a broad range of charitable organisations, including law schools and universities, legal-aid and civil-rights organisations, health institutions, youth and education organisations, arts and cultural bodies, religious organisations and social-service charities, so many types of nonprofit could in principle be the kind of organisation it supports.
- A realistic request would be modest: about 8 in 10 of its grants to organisations fall between $4,000 and $150,000, the median grant is $25,000, and half of its grants to organisations are $25,000 or less.
- The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a grant writer should not send a cold application.
- Its pattern of giving looks relationship-led rather than open-competition: 63% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had also funded previously, suggesting continuing support for existing relationships matters more than fresh applications.
- No geographic focus is stated for the foundation, so this should not be used as a basis for deciding whether to approach it.
Overview
Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz Foundation is a US private foundation based in New York, NY.
What they fund
Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2023, TY2022) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation’s grant record reports general programme support across a broad range of charitable organisations. Its recipients include law schools and universities, legal-aid and civil-rights organisations, health institutions, youth and education organisations, arts and cultural bodies, religious organisations and social-service charities. The stated purpose across the recorded grants is general programme support, rather than a defined set of funding fields. The return says contributions are made only to preselected charitable organisations and unsolicited requests are not accepted. Grants are concentrated in New York, with additional giving in North Carolina and other states.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in New York and North Carolina.
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2023 filing, 63% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022 and TY2023 filings, half of its 197 grants to organisations were $25,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2023.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 6%
- The largest single recipient received 17% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2023, 63% of grant dollars went to organisations Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 16% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 97 grants in tax year 2023 by size
Median $25,000 (tax year 2023)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- NYU Langone Health · General program support$1,110,0002023 tax year
- Foundation for the Carolinas · General program support$1,000,0002023 tax year
- Prep for Prep · General program support$500,0002023 tax year
- Legal Aid Society · General program support$320,5002023 tax year
- Harvard Law School · General program support$270,5002023 tax year
- UJA Federation of New York · General program support$260,0002023 tax year
- New York City Partnership Foundation · General program support$250,0002023 tax year
- Children's Aid Society · General program support$240,0002023 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Martin Lipton — President / Director
- Jodi J Schwartz — Vice President / Director
- Daniel A Neff — Vice President / Director
- Edward D Herlihy — Vice President / Director
- Constance Monte — Vice President / Treasurer / Director
- Herbert M Wachtell — Vice President / Secretary / Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
2 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $6,214,108 | $6,150,500 | $32,040,387 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $6,873,083 | $6,804,000 | $34,579,527 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
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At a glance
Applying to Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- New York, NY
Applying to Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- New York, NY