SOURCE OF WEALTH: Goldman Sachs
FUNDING AREAS: Arts & Culture, Education, Health, NYC Community
OVERVIEW: Kevin Kennedy, his wife Susan, and family conduct their philanthropy through the Karen A. & Kevin W. Kennedy Foundation. Available tax filings indicate that the foundation dispersed $420,000 in grants in 2018. The Kennedys steadily support select Northeast arts institutions and collect art. Another interest is education.
BACKGROUND: Born and raised in Princeton, NJ, Kevin W. Kennedy graduated from Hamilton College and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1974. He made partner at Goldman Sachs and went on to become head of the Latin American group. Kennedy spent almost four decades with the firm before retiring.
ISSUES:
ARTS & CULTURE: Kevin Kennedy was once president and CEO of the board of the Metropolitan Opera. He currently serves as an honorary director, and steadily supports Met Opera via his family foundation. Kennedy majored in art as an undergrad, and the Kennedys are collectors of American art and photography, as well as Asian sculpture. Other grantees include Gotham Chamber Opera (now closed), Sundance Institute, Lincoln Center, the Met Museum, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Glimmerglass Opera Festival, Whitney Museum, and Polyphony Foundation. Polyphony builds “hope for a shared future in Israel by bringing together Arab and Jewish youth through the power of classical music-making.”
EDUCATION: Kennedy has been a steady backer of his alma mater Hamilton College. Several years ago, Kennedy and Karen gave a $10 million gift to the liberal arts college, now home to the Kevin and Karen Kennedy Center for Theatre and the Studio Arts. Kennedy has also supported his graduate alma mater Harvard Business School, and Karen’s school Columbia. Karen serves as founding chair of the Children’s Board of Columbia at the Columbia University Medical Center. Other grantees have included Julliard School, Haverford College, Convent of the Sacred Heart, TEAK Fellowship, Pave Academy Charter School, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Brown University.
HEALTH: The Kennedy Foundation’s grantmaking has also supported American Cancer Society, The ALS Association, and Hospital for Special Surgery. Karen ran a pediatric practice for years.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect this couple to continue supporting their select interest areas.
CONTACT:
The Karen A. & Kevin W. Kennedy Foundation does not provide a clear avenue of contact but below is an address:
The Karen A. & Kevin W. Kennedy Foundation
P. O. Box 73, Bowling Green Sta.
New York City, NY 10274
