SOURCE OF WEALTH: Gelber Group
FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, Global & Humanitarian, Religious, Health & Human Services, Animals
OVERVIEW: Brian Gelber, his brother Frank, conduct philanthropy through the Gelber Foundation, which according to recent tax filings, granted around $100,000 in 2018. The Chicago area serves as an important region of giving. Grantmaking addresses a range of issues, including religious causes.
BACKGROUND: Raised in Upstate New York, Brian Gelber graduated from Hamilton College. He worked at Salomon Brothers and Citigroup. In 1982, he and his brother Frank founded Gelber Group as a brokerage firm on the Chicago Board of Trade floor. They later launched Gelber Group as a proprietary trading firm.
Frank Gelber graduated with a B.S. from Cornell University and an MBA with a focus in accounting and finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy and joined his brother Brian as a broker at Thomson McKinnon. They later co-founded Gelber Group.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION & YOUTH: The Gelbers steadily support the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund (DMSF), which “provides four-year high school scholarships and educational support to economically disadvantaged Chicago high school students who demonstrate outstanding academic potential, leadership skills and strong character.” Gelber Group’s head of trading sits on the board of DMSF. Via their foundation, the family have supported places like Avery Coonley School, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Friends of Bell School, Minds Matter Chicago, Northwestern Athletics, and University of Illinois.
GLOBAL & HUMANITARIAN: Grantees have included Asylum Access, which “makes human rights a reality for refugees”; Carter Center; Circle of Health International; Global Women’s Water Initiative; and Global Giving, a nonprofit that connects donors with grassroots projects around the world.
RELIGIOUS: The Gelbers have also earmarked funds for quite a few religious organizations. Grantees have included JCC Chicago, Saint Andrew Lutheran Church, Saint Jerome Church, St. Barnabas Parish, World Alive Bible Church, and Willow Creek Community Church.
OTHER: The Gelbers supports human services, health, and animal organizations as well, including Heartland Animal Shelter, Paws, Notre Dame Food Pantry, Greater Chicago Food Depository, and Shriners Hospitals for Children.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the Gelber family’s varied giving to continue, with an eye towards Chicago. Perhaps annual grantmaking will increase in the coming years.
CONTACT:
The Gelber Foundation does not provide a clear avenue for getting in touch with the family but below is an address:
Gelber Foundation
350 North Orleans, 7 North
Chicago, Il 60654
(312) 427-7100
LINK: Gelber Group
