Shapiro-Silverberg Foundation

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $14,024,600 (2023)
Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
Grant Range: $1,000 - $1,000,000+
Most Common Grant: $5,000
Geographic Focus: New York City and national (U.S.)
Total Assets: $45.7 million (2024)

Contact Details

Shapiro-Silverberg Foundation
1375 Broadway
New York, NY 10018
Phone: (212) 840-3456

Note: The foundation does not maintain a public website.

Overview

The Shapiro-Silverberg Foundation was established in 2000 as the family foundation of John M. Shapiro and Dr. Shonni J. Silverberg. With total assets of $45.7 million as of 2024, the foundation awarded $14,024,600 in grants during 2023 across 23 awards. The foundation operates as a private family foundation focused primarily on Jewish causes, including domestic and international Jewish communities and advocacy for Israel, which represents their top funding priority. Additional areas of support include higher education (particularly their shared alma mater Wesleyan University), arts and culture, human services, and health. The foundation takes a highly selective, proactive approach to grantmaking and does not accept unsolicited proposals, relying instead on the founders' established networks within the Jewish philanthropic community and their personal institutional affiliations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation operates without formal grant programs or application cycles. Grants are awarded through trustee discretion on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Grant Amount Range:

Minimum: $1,000
Maximum: Over $1,000,000
Most common grant: $5,000
2023 total giving: $14,024,600 across 23 grants
2022 total giving: 17 grants awarded

Priority Areas

Jewish Causes (Primary Focus)

Domestic and international Jewish communities
Israel advocacy and support organizations
Jewish cultural institutions and museums
Jewish federations and community organizations

Higher Education & Creative Writing

Wesleyan University (particularly writing programs, creative writing centers, and Jewish studies)
Institutions affiliated with the trustees (Dalton School, Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medical College)

Arts & Culture

The Jewish Museum
Contemporary arts organizations with Jewish cultural connections

Human Services

Children's services and advocacy
Public health initiatives
Metropolitan social service organizations

Health & Medical Research

Stem cell research
Children's hospitals and pediatric care
Endocrinology and metabolic research institutions

What They Don't Fund

While the foundation does not publish formal exclusions, their funding pattern demonstrates:

Organizations without connection to Jewish causes, education, or the trustees' personal affiliations receive minimal consideration
International organizations outside of Israel-related work are rarely supported
General operating support appears less common than project-specific or capital grants

Governance and Leadership

The foundation is governed by two trustees who receive no compensation:

John M. Shapiro
Managing Director and Co-founder, Chieftain Capital Management (established 1984). Graduated from Wesleyan University in 1974. Shapiro served as President of UJA-Federation of New York (concluding in 2010) and as National President of the American Jewish Committee (2016-2019), where he currently serves as Honorary President and Chair of the Transatlantic Institute. He has been a trustee of Rockefeller University since 2010, serving as co-chair of the Development Committee and the Campaign for the Convergence of Science and Medicine. Additional board service includes The Jewish Museum, The Dalton School (former president), Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Israel Policy Forum.

Dr. Shonni J. Silverberg
Professor of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Clinical Director of the Metabolic Bone Diseases Unit at Columbia. Graduated from Wesleyan University in 1976 (BA in Biology, cum laude) and earned her MD from Cornell University Medical College in 1980. Dr. Silverberg specializes in osteoporosis and parathyroid disease and holds several NIH grants for the investigation of parathyroid disorders. She has received the Boy Frame Award for Clinical Excellence in the Field of Bone and Mineral Research and is co-director of the NIH postdoctoral fellowship training program in Endocrinology and Metabolism at Columbia. She is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Shapiro-Silverberg Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation maintains a proactive funding approach and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. According to Inside Philanthropy, the foundation "prefers a proactive funding approach rather than accepting unsolicited proposals" and operates with limited transparency, lacking a website to guide grantseekers.

Grants are awarded exclusively to preselected charitable organizations identified through the trustees' extensive networks in the Jewish philanthropic community and their institutional affiliations.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation's grantmaking is driven by the personal connections and institutional affiliations of its two trustees. Specific strategies based on their documented involvement include:

Leverage Shared Institutional Connections:

Organizations affiliated with Wesleyan University, particularly programs in creative writing, Jewish studies, or the arts
Institutions where the trustees serve on boards: Rockefeller University, The Jewish Museum, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Israel Policy Forum
Educational institutions: The Dalton School, Weill Cornell Medical College, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

Jewish Philanthropic Networks:

John Shapiro's leadership in UJA-Federation of New York (former President) and the American Jewish Committee (Honorary President) suggests organizations within these networks may have access
The foundation is a major patron of UJA-Federation of New York, indicating preference for Jewish federation-affiliated organizations

Focus Areas Where Trustees Have Deep Expertise:

Medical research institutions focusing on bone diseases, endocrinology, or stem cell research (aligned with Dr. Silverberg's medical specialization)
Think tanks and policy organizations focused on Middle East policy and Israel advocacy (aligned with Shapiro's board service at Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Israel Policy Forum)

Documented Grantees:

UJA Federation of New York
Jerusalem Foundation
The Jewish Museum
Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty
Lawyers for Children
Wesleyan University
New York Stem Cell Foundation
Blythedale Children's Hospital

Organizations seeking to connect with this foundation will need to identify common contacts within Jewish philanthropic circles or through the trustees' institutional affiliations.

Decision Timeline

The foundation operates on a rolling grantmaking schedule without fixed deadlines. Decision timelines are not publicly disclosed. As a private family foundation with only two trustees, decisions are made at the discretion of John Shapiro and Dr. Shonni Silverberg.

Success Rates

The foundation does not publish application or success rate data. Given that they do not accept unsolicited proposals, traditional success rate metrics do not apply. In 2023, the foundation made 23 grants totaling $14,024,600; in 2022, they made 17 grants.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, the following factors are based on analysis of their documented funding patterns:

Strong Jewish Community Connection
The foundation's primary focus is "funding for the domestic and international Jewish communities and advocacy for Israel." Organizations with clear missions serving Jewish populations or advancing Jewish culture, education, and security are most likely to receive consideration.

Alignment with Trustee Expertise and Passions

Medical and health organizations, particularly those focused on endocrinology, bone diseases, stem cell research, or children's health (aligned with Dr. Silverberg's medical career)
Educational institutions with creative writing programs (they established the Shapiro Creative Writing Center at Wesleyan)
Middle East policy and Israel advocacy organizations (aligned with Shapiro's leadership roles)

Institutional Affiliation with the Trustees
Organizations where John Shapiro or Dr. Shonni Silverberg serve on boards, hold leadership positions, or have personal connections receive consistent support. The foundation "steadily supports Wesleyan University," their shared alma mater.

Track Record with Major Jewish Funders
As former President of UJA-Federation of New York and major patron of that organization, Shapiro appears to favor organizations that are established within the Jewish philanthropic infrastructure and have demonstrated impact.

New York Geographic Connection
While the foundation supports organizations nationally and internationally (particularly in Israel), there is a concentration of support for New York City-based institutions, including Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, The Jewish Museum, Lawyers for Children, and health institutions affiliated with Columbia and Cornell.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

No public application process exists: This foundation awards grants exclusively through trustee discretion to preselected organizations. Unsolicited proposals are not accepted.
Access requires personal connections: Success depends on identifying common contacts within Jewish philanthropic networks or through the trustees' extensive institutional affiliations, including UJA-Federation of New York, American Jewish Committee, Rockefeller University, The Jewish Museum, Wesleyan University, and others.
Jewish causes are the clear priority: Tax records confirm that domestic and international Jewish communities and Israel advocacy represent the foundation's top funding area. Organizations without a Jewish mission or connection face extremely limited prospects.
Grant size varies dramatically: While the most common grant is $5,000, the foundation has awarded grants exceeding $1 million, particularly to Wesleyan University and major Jewish institutions. The 2023 average was approximately $609,000 per grant across 23 awards.
The trustees' professional expertise matters: Organizations aligned with Dr. Silverberg's medical specialization (endocrinology, bone diseases, stem cell research) or John Shapiro's focus areas (Israel policy, Jewish community development, creative writing education) appear more likely to receive support.
Long-term institutional relationships: The foundation demonstrates consistent support for specific institutions over many years, suggesting they prefer deepening relationships with established partners rather than seeking new grantees annually.
Strategic approach required: Grantseekers must "flip through their rolodex" for connections and focus on relationship-building within the Jewish philanthropic community rather than formal proposal writing.

References

All sources accessed December 2024.