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Henry & Elaine Kaufman Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$1.3M
Grant Range
$10K - $2.5M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $1,348,800 (2024); $6,455,500 (2022)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation-only funder)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $2,500,000
  • Geographic Focus: New York and Florida
  • EIN: 23-7045903

Contact Details

Henry & Elaine Kaufman Foundation Inc

  • Mailing Address: 4 Tower Place, Suite 1001, Albany, NY 12203
  • Office Address: 590 Madison Ave., 5th Floor, New York, NY 10022
  • Phone: (212) 758-7100
  • Website: No website maintained
  • Total Assets: $18,427,414 (2024)

Note: The foundation does not maintain a website or public contact email.

Overview

The Henry & Elaine Kaufman Foundation Inc was established in 1970 by economist Dr. Henry Kaufman and his wife Elaine. Dr. Kaufman, born in Germany in 1927, fled to the United States with his family in 1937. He earned his B.A. from New York University (1948), M.S. in finance from Columbia University (1949), and Ph.D. in banking and finance from NYU (1958). He spent 26 years at Salomon Brothers as managing director and member of the executive committee, earning the nickname "Dr. Doom" in the 1970s for his economic predictions. The foundation is a private grantmaking organization that contributed $6,455,500 in grants in 2022 and $1,348,800 in 2024, supporting higher education, Jewish causes, health, and arts and culture primarily in New York and Florida. The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications and operates through trustee discretion and pre-selected charitable organizations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not offer formal grant programs with structured application cycles. All grants are awarded through trustee discretion to pre-selected organizations.

Recent Major Grants (2023):

  • Kaufman Music Center: $2,500,000 for Operating Endowment Fund
  • Business History Conference: $2,500,000 for Fellowship Endowment Fund
  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: $200,000 for IBD Ultrasound Program

Grant Activity:

  • 2022: 31 grants totaling $6,455,500
  • 2021: 64 grants
  • 2020: 74 grants
  • Average grant size: approximately $10,000
  • Most grants remain under $50,000
  • Occasional major endowment grants exceeding $2 million

Priority Areas

Higher Education (Largest giving area)

  • Large universities receive majority of funding
  • New York University (Dr. Kaufman's alma mater) received $500,000 in a recent year
  • Other recipients: University of Maryland, Washington University in St. Louis, Columbia University

Jewish Causes (Broad range of support)

  • Religious organizations: Temple Beth Rishon, Temple Sinai
  • Educational institutions: Yeshiva University
  • Cultural organizations: Jewish Museum (New York City)
  • Community organizations: Jewish Federation of Palm Beach
  • Religious movements: Reconstructing Judaism
  • Health-related Jewish organizations

Public Health (New York area focus)

  • Mount Sinai Health System
  • Valley Hospital Foundation
  • Medical research and specialized programs

Arts and Culture (Strong support in New York and Florida)

  • Performing arts organizations
  • Kaufman Music Center (named for the founders)
  • Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
  • Society of the Four Arts
  • Raymond F. Kravis Center

Geographic Priorities:

  • Primary focus: New York City and Florida
  • Secondary: New Jersey
  • Limited to organizations in these regions

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented, but the foundation:

  • Does not fund organizations outside their geographic focus areas (New York, Florida, New Jersey)
  • Does not accept unsolicited applications from any organization
  • Appears to focus exclusively on established institutions rather than grassroots organizations
  • Does not fund individual scholarships or direct aid to individuals

Governance and Leadership

Founders:

  • Dr. Henry Kaufman - Economist, former managing director of Salomon Brothers, president of Henry Kaufman & Company, Inc. (established 1988)
  • Elaine Kaufman - Co-founder

Dr. Kaufman is recognized as one of Wall Street's most influential economists. He served as an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York before his 26-year tenure at Salomon Brothers, where he led four research departments and served on the executive committee. He accurately predicted the market bottom in August 1982, which initiated the longest bull market in history.

Staffing:

  • The foundation reports no full-time employees
  • Operates as a private family foundation with trustee-directed grantmaking

Compensation:

  • No compensation reported for key officers or directors in recent tax filings

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process.

The Henry & Elaine Kaufman Foundation only makes contributions to pre-selected charitable organizations and explicitly does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. All grants are awarded at the discretion of the trustees based on their philanthropic priorities and existing relationships.

Organizations cannot submit applications, letters of inquiry, or proposals. The foundation identifies and selects grantees independently based on the founders' interests and connections to institutions in higher education, Jewish philanthropy, healthcare, and the arts.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are made through trustee discretion rather than application review cycles.

Success Rates

Not publicly available. The foundation made 76 grants in the most recent reported year, but these were all to pre-selected organizations.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept applications or reapplications from organizations.

Application Success Factors

This section does not apply as the Henry & Elaine Kaufman Foundation does not accept applications. The foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, selecting organizations that align with the founders' personal interests and philanthropic vision.

Organizations that receive funding typically have:

  • Long-standing relationships with the founders or trustees
  • Direct connections to Dr. Kaufman's personal history (e.g., NYU, Columbia University)
  • Alignment with founders' interests in Jewish causes, classical music, higher education, and healthcare
  • Established reputations as major institutions rather than emerging organizations
  • Geographic presence in New York or Florida

The foundation's grantmaking reflects Dr. Kaufman's personal journey from Germany to the United States, his academic background, and his commitment to Jewish causes and cultural institutions.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process exists - This foundation only funds pre-selected organizations and does not accept unsolicited proposals of any kind
  • Relationship-driven grantmaking - Inside Philanthropy describes this funder as "neither accessible nor approachable" and notes that "funding here will require deep networking"
  • Personal connection matters - Funding priorities reflect the founders' personal biography, education, and interests
  • Institutional focus - The foundation supports established, large institutions rather than small or grassroots organizations
  • Geographic limitation - Nearly all grants go to organizations in New York, Florida, or New Jersey
  • Jewish philanthropy central - Support for Jewish causes spans religious, educational, cultural, and health organizations
  • Large endowment grants - While average grants are around $10,000, the foundation occasionally makes transformational endowment gifts exceeding $2 million to organizations with which they have deep relationships (e.g., Kaufman Music Center, Business History Conference)
  • No website or public presence - The foundation maintains minimal public-facing infrastructure, reinforcing its private, invitation-only approach

References

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