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Robert & Lynda Altman Family Foundation

Annual Giving
$5.9M
Grant Range
$200K - $4.3M
00

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $5.9 million (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
  • Decision Time: Not disclosed
  • Grant Range: $200,000 - $4,300,000
  • Geographic Focus: National (Arizona, California, District of Columbia)
  • Total Assets: $227.8 million (2024)

Contact Details

Location: Baltimore, MD
EIN: 87-3339629

Note: The foundation does not maintain a public website or accept unsolicited requests for funding.

Overview

The Robert & Lynda Altman Family Foundation is a private family foundation established by Lynda Carter Altman (actress known for "Wonder Woman") and her late husband Robert Altman. The foundation received its tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status in March 2023. With assets totaling $227.8 million as of 2024, the foundation awarded approximately $5.9 million in grants in 2023. The foundation's philanthropic work honors Robert Altman, who passed away after his myelofibrosis transformed into secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML), a rare and difficult-to-treat blood cancer. The foundation's giving focuses on blood cancer research and women's history, with major gifts to institutions including the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), City of Hope, and the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation operates through trustee-directed grant making with no formal application programs. Grants are made to preselected organizations.

Recent Major Grants (2022-2023):

  • Translational Genomics Research Institute Foundation (Phoenix, AZ): $4,300,000 for general purpose and blood cancer research
  • Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC): $200,000 for general purpose

Priority Areas

Primary Focus:

  • Blood Cancer Research: Funding diagnostic and treatment technologies for myelofibrosis and secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML), with emphasis on precision medicine and genomic sequencing
  • Women's History: Support for the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum as a founding donor ($1 million+ commitment)

Research Approaches Supported:

  • Whole genome sequencing to identify biomarkers and predict disease progression
  • Accelerated development of new investigational medicines for first-in-human clinical trials
  • Precision medicine approaches leveraging genomic technologies

What They Don't Fund

As a private family foundation making grants to preselected organizations, the foundation does not:

  • Accept unsolicited applications
  • Fund organizations outside their established relationships
  • Make grants outside their core focus areas of blood cancer research and women's history

Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

  • Lynda Carter Altman: Trustee and foundation founder (actress, singer, and advocate)
  • James Altman: Trustee (family member)
  • Jessica Altman: Trustee (family member)

Disinterested Trustees:

  • John Emerson: Disinterested Trustee
  • Marianne Schmitt Hellauer: Disinterested Trustee

All trustees serve without compensation.

Additional Leadership Roles: Lynda Carter Altman serves on the Foundation Board of Directors for TGen and the advisory board of the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum. She received TGen's John S. McCain Leadership Award in 2022 for her advocacy for precision medicine research.

Quote from Foundation Leadership: Dr. Jeffrey Trent, TGen President and a lifelong friend of Carter Altman, noted that she "will help guide and raise awareness of the transformational cancer research happening to support patients across the country" through her board service.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process.

The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations. According to foundation documentation, they do not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Grants are awarded at the discretion of the trustees to organizations with which they have established relationships.

Getting on Their Radar

Based on the foundation's documented approach to grant making, organizations are selected through:

  • Trustee connections and personal relationships: The foundation's blood cancer research grants stemmed from Lynda Carter Altman's personal experience with her late husband's illness and her existing friendship with Dr. Jeffrey Trent at TGen
  • High-profile institutional partnerships: Major grants have gone to nationally recognized institutions (TGen/City of Hope, Smithsonian Institution)
  • Board service and deep engagement: Lynda Carter Altman joins boards of organizations she supports, suggesting a preference for deep, long-term institutional partnerships rather than one-off grants
  • Alignment with personal mission: The foundation's giving directly reflects the family's personal experiences (Robert Altman's battle with blood cancer) and values (women's history advocacy)

Organizations in blood cancer research or women's history may benefit from connections to the trustees or their affiliated institutions, though there is no documented process for introducing the foundation to new potential grantees.

Decision Timeline

Not disclosed. As a private foundation with trustee-directed giving, decisions are made on an internal timeline.

Success Rates

Not applicable. The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the invitation-only nature of the foundation's grant making.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation does not accept applications, the key factors for receiving grants appear to be:

Established Relationships: The foundation's documented grants have gone to institutions with personal connections to the trustees. The TGen/City of Hope partnership arose from Lynda Carter Altman's friendship with Dr. Jeffrey Trent and her family's experience with blood cancer.

Alignment with Personal Mission: The foundation's giving directly honors Robert Altman's memory and reflects causes important to the family:

  • The Robert & Lynda Carter Altman Family Foundation Research Fund specifically targets the disease that took Robert Altman's life
  • Support for women's history reflects Lynda Carter Altman's advocacy work

Major Institutional Capacity: Recipients have been nationally significant institutions:

  • TGen and City of Hope for cutting-edge genomic research and precision medicine
  • Smithsonian Institution for establishing the American Women's History Museum

Two-Track Approach Favored: The foundation's blood cancer research funding supports complementary strategies:

  1. Diagnostic research using whole genome sequencing at TGen
  2. Therapeutic development for first-in-human clinical trials at City of Hope

Long-Term Partnership Model: Rather than making numerous small grants, the foundation appears to prefer substantial commitments to fewer organizations with ongoing relationships. Lynda Carter Altman serves on the TGen Foundation Board and Smithsonian advisory board, indicating deep engagement.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications and operates on an invitation-only basis through trustee discretion
  • Grants are large ($200,000 to $4.3 million) and go to preselected charitable organizations, primarily major national institutions
  • The foundation's giving is deeply personal, honoring Robert Altman's legacy through blood cancer research focused on myelofibrosis and secondary acute myeloid leukemia
  • Priority areas are blood cancer research (particularly precision medicine and genomics) and women's history
  • The foundation favors long-term institutional partnerships over one-off grants, with trustee Lynda Carter Altman serving on boards of supported organizations
  • Organizations must have established relationships with the trustees to be considered for funding
  • The foundation is a founding donor ($1 million+) to the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

References

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