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Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$3.3M
Grant Range
$50K - $70.0M

Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $3,336,700 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $50,000 - $15,000,000+
  • Average Grant: $161,500
  • Geographic Focus: National, with emphasis on New York, Florida, and Israel
  • Assets: Over $63 million

Contact Details

Website: https://www.theperlmutterfoundation.org/

Mailing Address:
Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Foundation Inc.
PO Box 1028
Lake Worth, FL 33460

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Overview

Founded nearly 40 years ago by Isaac "Ike" and Laura Perlmutter, the Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Foundation Inc has distributed over $78 million to date. Based in Lake Worth, Florida, the foundation operates with assets exceeding $63 million and distributed $3.3 million in grants during 2024 across 30 awards. Isaac Perlmutter serves as President and Laura Perlmutter as Vice President, both without compensation. The foundation's mission statement emphasizes their commitment to "help those who are selflessly helping others," focusing on healthcare, social justice, the arts, and community initiatives. The Perlmutters maintain a relationship-based approach to philanthropy, typically supporting established organizations where they have board involvement or long-standing connections. Their giving patterns reflect deep, multi-year commitments to institutions aligned with their values, particularly in medical research and criminal justice reform.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs with fixed cycles or application windows. Instead, they make strategic gifts through:

  • Major Transformational Gifts: $5 million - $70 million (institutional naming opportunities and program establishment)
  • Significant Program Support: $500,000 - $5 million (major program initiatives)
  • Standard Institutional Grants: $50,000 - $500,000 (ongoing support to established relationships)
  • Smaller Community Grants: Occasional grants under $50,000 to local organizations

All grants are made on an invitation-only basis to preselected organizations.

Priority Areas

Healthcare (Primary Focus):

  • Cancer research and treatment facilities
  • Medical education and research centers
  • Plastic and reconstructive surgery programs
  • Breast health outreach and patient navigation
  • Metabolomics research
  • Healthcare quality improvement initiatives

Notable recipients: NYU Langone Medical Center (over $70 million total, including $50 million for the Perlmutter Cancer Center), Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Susan G. Komen

Social Justice (Growing Focus):

  • Criminal justice reform and wrongful conviction exoneration
  • Legal education focusing on justice and equity
  • Innocence and clemency work

Notable recipients: Cardozo School of Law ($15 million for the Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice), Innocence Project (over $500,000)

Jewish Causes:

  • Israeli emergency medical services
  • Holocaust education
  • Jewish educational institutions
  • Israeli research institutions

Notable recipients: American Friends of Magen David Adom ($200,000), United Hatzalah ($200,000), Yeshiva University-Cardozo Law ($2.8 million), Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (joint cancer research grant)

Community Initiatives:

  • Food security and hunger relief (particularly during COVID-19)
  • First responder organizations
  • Arts and cultural institutions
  • United Way partnerships

Notable recipients: Palm Beach County Food Bank (weekly pallets during COVID-19), Norton Museum of Art, various local community organizations

Medical Education:

  • Endowed professorships
  • Medical research facilities
  • Educational program development

Notable: Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professorship in Cell Biology at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine (established 1993)

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not publicly list exclusions, but based on their giving patterns, they appear to avoid:

  • Organizations outside their established network
  • Unsolicited requests from unfamiliar organizations
  • General operating support for organizations without existing relationships
  • Individual scholarships or emergency assistance
  • Political organizations (though the Perlmutters make personal political contributions separately)

Governance and Leadership

Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter - President (no compensation)
Isaac Perlmutter is best known as the former CEO and Chairman of Marvel Entertainment. He serves on the board of NYU Langone Medical Center and has been deeply involved in healthcare philanthropy for decades. His business acumen and focus on efficiency inform the foundation's strategic approach to giving.

Laura Perlmutter - Vice President (no compensation)
Laura Perlmutter has served as a trustee of NYU Langone Medical Center since 1993, demonstrating nearly three decades of commitment to healthcare philanthropy. She is actively involved in selecting grantees and shaping the foundation's priorities.

Foundation Philosophy:
According to the foundation's website: "The goal of the Foundation is to help those who are selflessly helping others." This guiding principle emphasizes supporting organizations and individuals who demonstrate compassionate service, innovative approaches, and inspiring commitment to improving lives. The Perlmutters seek to maximize philanthropic impact through strategic, focused investments in trusted institutions.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

Grants are made through one of the following methods:

  • Board-Initiated: The Perlmutters identify organizations through their board service and personal networks
  • Invitation-Only: Organizations are approached directly by the foundation
  • Long-Standing Relationships: Multi-year commitments to institutions where they have established connections

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation's giving patterns reveal specific pathways through which organizations have successfully received funding:

Board Connections Are Critical: Both Isaac and Laura Perlmutter serve on the NYU Langone Medical Center board, and Laura has been a trustee since 1993. Their largest grants (over $70 million) have gone to NYU Langone, where they have deep board involvement. Organizations where the Perlmutters or their close associates have governance roles appear to be the primary beneficiaries.

Geographic Proximity Matters for Smaller Grants: The foundation is based in Lake Worth, Florida, and has supported local Palm Beach County organizations, including the Palm Beach County Food Bank (with weekly food pallets during COVID-19) and Palm Beach Synagogue. Local organizations where the Perlmutters have personal visibility appear more likely to receive consideration.

Shared Values in Criminal Justice Reform: The $15 million gift to Cardozo Law to establish the Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice and ongoing support for the Innocence Project (over $500,000) demonstrate a specific passion for wrongful conviction work and clemency. Organizations working in this space with strong track records may align with their interests, though initial contact pathways are not publicly documented.

Jewish and Israeli Causes: Grants to American Friends of Magen David Adom ($200,000), United Hatzalah ($200,000), American Technion Society, American Friends of Hebrew University, and Jewish Agency for Israel indicate consistent support for Jewish causes and Israeli organizations. Organizations in this sector with connections to the Perlmutters' existing network of Jewish philanthropy may find alignment.

Medical Research Partnerships: The $9 million joint grant between NYU Langone Medical Center and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology for cancer research shows the foundation's interest in collaborative medical research, particularly involving Israeli institutions and U.S. medical centers.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. Given the relationship-based nature of their grantmaking, decisions likely occur through ongoing board discussions rather than fixed review cycles.

Success Rates

Not applicable. The foundation operates on an invitation-only basis with preselected organizations.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as there is no formal application process. Organizations that have received funding and maintained strong relationships with the Perlmutters have received multiple grants over time (e.g., NYU Langone has received numerous gifts spanning decades).

Application Success Factors

Since the foundation does not accept applications, the following factors characterize organizations that have successfully received funding:

Established Institutional Credibility: Grant recipients are overwhelmingly well-established institutions with national or regional prominence—NYU Langone Medical Center, Cardozo School of Law, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Norton Museum of Art, Innocence Project. The foundation does not appear to take risks on emerging organizations.

Board-Level Relationships: The Perlmutters' board service at NYU Langone Medical Center, where they've maintained involvement since at least 1993, has resulted in their largest philanthropic commitments (over $70 million). Organizations where the Perlmutters or their close associates hold governance positions receive the most significant support.

Alignment with Personal Passions: Recent major gifts reflect deep personal commitments:

  • The $15 million gift to create the Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at Cardozo Law represents "the largest donation in the law school's history" and aligns with their stated focus on social justice
  • Multi-year support for the Innocence Project (over $500,000) demonstrates their commitment to exonerating the wrongfully convicted
  • The $50 million gift for the NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center followed decades of cancer research support

Multi-Year Commitment Approach: The foundation makes sustained commitments rather than one-time grants. Their relationship with NYU Langone spans decades with multiple major gifts, including the $50 million cancer center gift (2014), $9 million for metabolomics research, $5 million for plastic surgery center, and $1 million for breast health outreach.

Mission-Driven Language: The foundation's guiding principle—"to help those who are selflessly helping others"—emphasizes supporting organizations and individuals who demonstrate compassionate service and innovative approaches. Organizations articulating how they "selflessly help others" align with this philosophy.

Transformational Impact Potential: The largest gifts have created named centers and programs that transform institutional capacity—the Perlmutter Cancer Center, Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice, Perlmutter Metabolomics Center, and Perlmutter Freedom Clinic. The foundation appears interested in legacy-building investments that create lasting institutional change.

Jewish Values and Israeli Connections: Consistent support for American Friends of Magen David Adom ($200,000 for mobile ICU ambulance), United Hatzalah ($200,000), Yeshiva University-Cardozo Law, and joint U.S.-Israel research partnerships demonstrates prioritization of Jewish causes and Israeli organizations.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Route: This foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Traditional grant seeking strategies will not work. Focus instead on building institutional relationships and board-level connections.

  • Board Connections Are Essential: The Perlmutters' deepest commitments (over $70 million to NYU Langone) stem from Laura's trustee role since 1993. If seeking support, cultivating board-level relationships is the only viable pathway.

  • Focus on Four Core Areas: Healthcare (especially cancer research), social justice (especially wrongful convictions), Jewish causes (especially Israeli emergency services and education), and community initiatives (especially food security and first responders).

  • Think Transformational, Not Incremental: Average grants of $161,500 mask the reality that the foundation makes relatively few grants, with many being multi-million dollar transformational gifts that establish named centers and programs.

  • Geographic Considerations: While national in scope, the foundation shows particular attention to New York (where they have deep institutional ties) and Palm Beach County, Florida (where they reside).

  • Multi-Year Relationship Model: Organizations receiving support tend to receive multiple grants over many years. This is a relationship-based foundation that makes long-term commitments to trusted partners.

  • Demonstrate "Selfless Service": The foundation's explicit mission is to "help those who are selflessly helping others." Organizations must embody compassionate, innovative, and inspiring commitment to serving others.

References

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