SOURCE OF WEALTH: Owl Creek Asset Management
FUNDING AREAS: Education & youth, health, human services, Jewish causes, arts & culture, animals
OVERVIEW: Jeffrey Altman and family conduct their philanthropy through the Jeffrey A. Altman Foundation. Altman has given millions to his alma mater Tulane University. In the past, the Altman foundation has awarded millions of dollars in grants every year; however, it appears as though funding is slowing. According to available tax filings, the foundation awarded around $550,000 in grants in 2017.
BACKGROUND: Jeffrey A. Altman graduated with a degree in business from Tulane University in 1988. He spent 13 years at Franklin Mutual Advisers before founding Owl Creek Asset Management in 2001.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Altman is a steady supporter of his alma mater Tulane University. At the start of the decade, via his foundation, in 2011 he pledged Tulane $8.3 million to establish the Altman Program in International Studies & Business, a “new dual-degree program in business and international studies” Other grantees include Good+ (formerly Baby Buggy), Jumpstart, and Harlem RBI.
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: The Altman Foundation supports the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which has received over $1.8 million in funding since 2004. Additional grantees include Robin Hood Foundation, NYU Langone Medical Center, Food Bank of NYC, Northside Center for Child Development, and Melanoma Research Alliance.
JEWISH CAUSES: Grantees include UJA Federation of NY, which has received around $250,000 in funding over multiple grants. Other grantees include US Holocaust Memorial Museum, and Hillel.
ARTS & CULTURE: Grantees include (un)SCENE Art Show, 92Y, Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Burning Man Project, and Tribeca Film Festival, which, according to available tax filings, has received $100,000 in support from the Altman Foundation to date.
ANIMALS: Altman has shown support for the ASPCA and Dexter Foundation, “a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping shelter dogs have a second chance at life.”
LOOKING FORWARD: Altman is still very much engaged in business, but expect his steady philanthropy to continue.
CONTACT:
The Jeffrey A. Altman Foundation does not provide a clear avenue of contact, but below is an address:
The Jeffrey A. Altman Foundation
640 5th Ave., 20th Fl.
New York City, NY 10019
Telephone: (212) 688-2550
