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The Gottesman Fund

Annual Giving
$83.8M
Grant Range
$5K - $8.4M

The Gottesman Fund

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $83,769,729 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed (invitation-only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $5,000 - $8,400,000
  • Average Grant: $404,368
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily New York/New Jersey with national reach for Jewish causes
  • Assets: $1.3 billion (2023)

Contact Details

Mailing Address: 2300 N St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20037-1194

Alternative Address: 1818 N St. N.W., Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036

EIN: 52-6061469

Note: The Fund does not provide phone, email, or website contact information publicly.

Overview

Established in 1965 by the late David S. "Sandy" Gottesman, an early investor in Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, The Gottesman Fund is one of the nation's most significant private family foundations. Following a major infusion in 2023, the Fund's endowment grew five-fold to $1.3 billion, dramatically expanding its grantmaking capacity from approximately $24 million in 2021 to nearly $84 million in 2024. The foundation is now led by Ruth Gottesman, David's widow and professor emerita at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who herself made headlines in 2024 with a historic $1 billion personal donation to provide free medical school tuition in perpetuity at Einstein. The Fund is dedicated to three core missions: enhancing and perpetuating Jewish life in the United States; supporting cultural, medical, scientific, and educational institutions; and improving the quality of life for Israel's inhabitants. Much of the Fund's grantmaking stays in the New York and New Jersey area, though it supports Jewish causes nationally and in Israel.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Jewish Camp Capital Expansion Grants (administered through Foundation for Jewish Camp)

  • Amount: $100,000 - $750,000 per camp (typical grants $200,000-$500,000)
  • Total Program: $15 million commitment to support capital expansion projects at overnight and day camps across the Foundation for Jewish Camp network of 300+ camps
  • Purpose: Capital improvements and field growth initiatives

General Grantmaking

  • Amount: $5,000 - $8,400,000
  • Average: $404,368
  • Distribution: Dozens of four- and five-figure awards to Jewish groups, plus handful of major multi-million dollar grants to cultural, educational, and medical institutions
  • Method: Invitation-only, trustee discretion

Priority Areas

Jewish Life & Education (Primary Focus)

  • Jewish K-12 day schools, particularly in New York area (Abraham Joshua Heschel School, SAR Academy, Golda Och Academy, Solomon Schechter School of Westchester County, Ramaz School)
  • Jewish camping through Foundation for Jewish Camp
  • Israel education programming
  • Birthright Israel
  • Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education
  • Friends of the Israel Defense Forces
  • UJA-Federation of New York
  • PEF Israel Endowment Funds (supporting 250+ Israeli organizations including school libraries and Jerusalem Zoo)

Higher Education & Medical Research

  • Medical schools and research institutes (notable $25 million 2008 gift to establish Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Einstein)
  • Yeshiva University and affiliated institutions

Arts & Culture

  • Major cultural institutions (Central Park Conservancy, American Museum of Natural History)
  • Arts and culture organizations

Community Development

  • Public health initiatives
  • Housing and homelessness programs
  • Community development organizations

What They Don't Fund

The Fund does not publicly specify exclusions, but its focus is clearly on:

  • Organizations outside their three core mission areas
  • Organizations without established relationships or connections to trustees
  • Individual scholarships (institutional support only)

Governance and Leadership

Ruth L. Gottesman - Co-President and Board Chair

  • Professor emerita at Albert Einstein College of Medicine
  • Widow of founder David S. Gottesman
  • Made historic $1 billion personal donation to Einstein in 2024
  • Active in educational and medical philanthropy for decades

William L. Gottesman - Co-President

  • Son of founders David and Ruth Gottesman
  • Co-leads the foundation's grantmaking strategy

Robert W. Gottesman - Treasurer

  • Family member involved in financial oversight

Alice R. Gottesman - Chairperson

  • Family member in leadership role

The Fund operates as a close-knit family foundation with grantmaking decisions made at the trustee level based on the family's longstanding philanthropic interests and relationships.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The Gottesman Fund operates through a proactive, invitation-only grantmaking approach. The foundation maintains a low profile with no public website and does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding.

Grants are awarded based on:

  • Trustee discretion and initiative
  • Pre-existing relationships with the family or foundation
  • Organizations identified through the trustees' networks and involvement in the sectors they support
  • Strategic initiatives identified by foundation leadership

Exception: For Jewish camps specifically, the Gottesman Capital Expansion Grants program is administered through the Foundation for Jewish Camp, which has a structured application process for camps within their network.

Getting on Their Radar

Note: This section includes only funder-specific intelligence discovered through research.

Foundation for Jewish Camp Partnership: The most documented public pathway to Gottesman funding is through the Foundation for Jewish Camp network. If you operate a Jewish overnight or day camp, joining FJC's network provides access to the Gottesman Capital Expansion Grants program and other initiatives the Fund supports through this intermediary.

Jewish Educational Networks: Based on grant patterns, organizations connected to Jewish educational networks in New York and New Jersey appear to be regularly supported. The Fund has shown consistent commitment to Jewish day schools, suggesting that organizations within these educational communities may have better awareness among trustees.

Medical and Scientific Research Institutions: The family's long association with Albert Einstein College of Medicine and establishment of the Gottesman Institute there indicates trustees are deeply embedded in medical research communities. Organizations in stem cell research, regenerative medicine, and medical education appear aligned with demonstrated interests.

Major Cultural Institutions: Large grants to institutions like Central Park Conservancy ($5.3 million) and American Museum of Natural History ($5.2 million) suggest trustees have board involvement or deep relationships with premier New York cultural institutions.

Application Success Factors

Given the invitation-only nature of this funder, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, research reveals patterns that characterize organizations that receive support:

Established Track Record: Grant recipients are typically well-established organizations with strong reputations in their fields, not emerging nonprofits.

Jewish Identity and Mission: For Jewish organizations, the Fund supports those working to "enhance and perpetuate Jewish life in the United States" and "improve the quality of life for Israel's inhabitants." This language from the Fund's mission statement emphasizes continuity and enhancement of Jewish communities rather than just maintenance.

Geographic Concentration: While the Fund supports Jewish causes nationally and in Israel, much of its non-Jewish grantmaking concentrates in New York and New Jersey, suggesting geographic proximity to the family creates opportunities for relationship development.

Capital and Institutional Support: The Fund appears to favor institutional capacity building and capital projects over program operating support. The $15 million commitment to Jewish camp capital expansion and major gifts to establish institutes exemplify this approach.

Scale and Impact: The Fund makes grants across a wide spectrum from $5,000 to multi-million dollars, but the average grant of over $400,000 suggests they typically support organizations with capacity to deploy significant funding effectively.

Multi-Year Relationships: Research indicates the Fund supports many organizations repeatedly over years (multiple Jewish day schools, ongoing relationship with Einstein, sustained partnership with Foundation for Jewish Camp), suggesting they build long-term partnerships rather than making one-time grants.

Family Connection: Ruth Gottesman's $1 billion personal gift to Einstein, where she was a professor, exemplifies how the family's direct involvement with institutions leads to transformative support. Organizations where family members serve on boards or have deep personal connections appear strongly positioned.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This is not a fundable prospect for most organizations: The Gottesman Fund's invitation-only approach means traditional grant applications are not accepted. Unless your organization has existing relationships with the Gottesman family or their close associates, this funder should not be included in your prospect pipeline.

  • Intermediary pathway for Jewish camps: The one documented public access point is through Foundation for Jewish Camp for camps in their network seeking capital expansion funding. This represents a strategic partnership model where the Fund works through an intermediary with application infrastructure.

  • Trustee networks are critical: Organizations that receive funding typically have board-level connections to the Gottesman family, suggesting trustees identify grantees through their own involvement in sectors they care about.

  • Jewish causes are the primary focus: Despite supporting broader educational, medical, and cultural institutions, the Fund's mission centers on Jewish life in the U.S. and Israel. This is where the majority of grantmaking appears concentrated.

  • Patient relationship building: The Fund's pattern of multi-year support to the same organizations suggests that when they do establish relationships, they maintain them over time. This is a relationship-driven funder, not a transactional one.

  • Significant capacity required: With an average grant over $400,000 and recent annual giving of nearly $84 million, this funder operates at a scale that requires organizational capacity to manage substantial funding.

  • Consider indirect connections: If your organization cannot approach the Fund directly, consider whether you work with or could partner with organizations in their existing portfolio, potentially gaining visibility through those connections.

References

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