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The Engelberg Foundation

Annual Giving
$0.3M
Grant Range
Up to $15.0M00
00

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $334,525 (FY 2025)
  • Total Assets: $14.5 million (as of January 2025)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (no public application process)
  • Decision Time: Not applicable (no public application process)
  • Grant Range: Varies significantly (from small grants to $15 million major commitments)
  • Geographic Focus: National, with concentration in Palm Beach FL, New York NY, Aspen CO, and Atlantic City NJ

Contact Details

Address: 1050 N Lake Way, Palm Beach, FL 33480-3252
Phone: 332-330-0540
EIN: 06-1309603

Note: The foundation does not maintain a public website or accept unsolicited applications.

Overview

The Engelberg Foundation was established in 1991 as a private family foundation by Alfred Engelberg and his wife Gail May Engelberg. Alfred Engelberg, a 1965 NYU Law School graduate, is a pioneering intellectual property attorney who became known as the "legal father of the modern generic drug industry" for his instrumental work on the Hatch-Waxman Act. The son of Jewish refugees who fled Germany in 1938, Engelberg retired from litigation in the 1990s to pursue philanthropy. The foundation focuses on arts, education, human services, Jewish organizations, law schools, and public policy organizations. With assets of approximately $14.5 million, the foundation has made significant multi-million dollar commitments to institutions like the Guggenheim Museum ($15 million) and NYU Law School (founding the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy), while also supporting smaller community-focused initiatives.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Engelberg Foundation operates as a private family foundation making grants at the discretion of its trustees. Recent activity shows:

  • Major Institutional Gifts: Multi-million dollar commitments to arts and educational institutions
  • Scholarship Programs: Multi-year funding commitments for educational access
  • Annual Grantmaking: Approximately 13-21 grants awarded annually in recent years

Priority Areas

Based on documented grants and stated priorities, the foundation funds:

  • Arts and Culture: Major support to museums and music festivals (Guggenheim Museum, Aspen Music Festival and School)
  • Legal Education and Innovation Policy: Intellectual property law, innovation policy, generic drug access (NYU Law School Engelberg Center)
  • Human Services: Community support and social services
  • Jewish Organizations: Supporting Jewish communal organizations
  • Educational Access: Scholarship programs for underserved students, particularly those with connections to Atlantic City
  • Healthcare and Medicine: Research in medicine and pharmaceutical access

Geographic Focus

  • Palm Beach, FL
  • New York, NY
  • Aspen, CO
  • Atlantic City, NJ
  • National reach for major institutional partnerships

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented, but as a small private family foundation operating by trustee discretion, they do not fund:

  • Unsolicited proposals from organizations outside their existing network
  • Organizations without strategic alignment to founders' interests
  • General operating support outside established relationships

Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

  • Alfred Engelberg: Founder and Trustee. Age 85, NYU Law School '65 graduate, pioneering intellectual property attorney and generic drug industry advocate. Author of "Breaking the Medicine Monopolies: Reflections of a Generic Drug Pioneer" (2024). Honored at NYU Law School's 2024 Weinfeld Gala.
  • Gail May Engelberg: Trustee and Co-founder. Serves on the Board of NYU's Institute of Fine Arts and as Secretary of the Board of the Aspen Music Festival and School. The Guggenheim Museum's education space is named the Gail May Engelberg Center for Arts Education in recognition of the family's $15 million commitment.

The foundation's grantmaking reflects the trustees' personal interests and connections in intellectual property law, arts education, community development in Atlantic City (Alfred's hometown), and Jewish heritage causes.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Engelberg Foundation does not have a public application process. This is a private family foundation that makes grants based on trustee discretion, personal connections, and strategic initiatives identified by the board.

Grants are typically awarded to:

  • Institutions with existing relationships to the trustees
  • Organizations where trustees serve on boards or have leadership connections
  • Strategic initiatives aligned with the founders' life work and interests
  • Programs in communities with personal significance to the family

The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals or maintain a formal application portal.

Getting on Their Radar

The Engelberg Foundation maintains a highly selective approach to grantmaking based on existing relationships. Specific intelligence about this funder includes:

Board Connections: Gail May Engelberg serves on the Board of NYU's Institute of Fine Arts and as Secretary of the Board of the Aspen Music Festival and School. Organizations where the Engelbergs have board involvement represent the most direct pathway to funding consideration.

Geographic Ties: Alfred Engelberg has maintained strong ties to Atlantic City, his hometown, funding the Engelberg Leadership Scholarship Program at Stockton University specifically for Atlantic City students. Organizations serving Atlantic City and southern New Jersey may align with this demonstrated geographic commitment.

Thematic Alignment: The foundation identifies beneficiaries through the trustees' deep expertise in intellectual property law, pharmaceutical access, and generic drug advocacy. Organizations working on innovation policy, pharmaceutical access, or patent reform that can demonstrate relevance to Alfred Engelberg's decades of work in this space may warrant introduction through mutual professional contacts in the intellectual property law community.

Arts Education Focus: Following the $15 million commitment to the Guggenheim Museum's education programs, organizations with museum-based or arts education programming that can be introduced through the Guggenheim or Aspen Music Festival networks may be considered.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable. Grants are made on a discretionary basis throughout the year based on trustee decisions.

Success Rates

Not applicable for unsolicited applications, as none are accepted.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable. Organizations cannot apply or reapply without an existing relationship or invitation from the trustees.

Application Success Factors

While the Engelberg Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, understanding what drives their grantmaking decisions is valuable for organizations that may be introduced through appropriate channels:

Mission Alignment with Founders' Life Work: The foundation's largest commitments reflect Alfred and Gail Engelberg's professional legacies. Alfred's quote from his 2024 book and public statements emphasizes pharmaceutical access and challenging "medicine monopolies." Projects that advance generic drug access, innovation policy reform, or patent system improvements align with his documented priorities.

Educational Access for Underserved Communities: The Stockton University Engelberg Leadership Scholarship Program specifically targets Atlantic City students, with full coverage of "all college costs—tuition, room and board, fees, books." This demonstrates commitment to educational equity in economically challenged communities with personal significance to the family.

Arts Education with Impact: The $15 million Guggenheim commitment endows education programs in perpetuity, not general operations. The foundation values sustainable, long-term educational impact in arts institutions.

Leadership Development Components: The Stockton scholarship is described as "much more than just financial assistance—it includes leadership development, mentoring, internships in Atlantic City, and requires students to complete capstone projects designed to benefit the community." Grants incorporate capacity-building beyond just funding.

Jewish Heritage and Refugee Experience: Alfred Engelberg's parents were "Jewish refugees who were fortunate to leave Germany in 1938." While the foundation's Jewish giving is not extensively documented, this heritage informs their philanthropic values.

Geographic Connections: Demonstrated commitment to Palm Beach (foundation location), New York (professional base), Atlantic City (Alfred's hometown), and Aspen (Gail's arts board service).

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process exists—this foundation funds through trustee discretion and established relationships only
  • Focus on the founders' legacy areas: intellectual property law/innovation policy, arts education, pharmaceutical access, and Atlantic City community development
  • Board connections are essential—Gail Engelberg's service at NYU Institute of Fine Arts and Aspen Music Festival and School represents the clearest pathway to consideration
  • Major gifts are transformational, not transactional—the $15 million Guggenheim commitment endows programs in perpetuity; $1.7 million to Stockton funds full scholarships for multiple cohorts
  • Educational access is a priority—particularly for underserved students in communities with personal significance to the family
  • Think long-term sustainability—grants emphasize endowment, multi-year commitments, and leadership development rather than one-time support
  • Understand Alfred Engelberg's advocacy—his life's work centered on breaking pharmaceutical monopolies and expanding generic drug access; alignment with these values matters

References

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