SOURCE OF WEALTH: Oppenheimer & Company
FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, Jewish Causes, Arts & Culture, Health & Human Services
OVERVIEW: Nathan Gantcher, his wife Alice, and family conduct their philanthropy through the Gantcher Family Foundation, which according to available tax filings, gave away around $600,000 from 2017 to 2018. Gantcher supports his alma maters Tufts and Columbia. Another interest is Jewish causes.
BACKGROUND: Nathan Gantcher graduated with a B.A. from Tufts University and received his MBA from Columbia Business School. Gantcher joined Oppenheimer & Company in 1968 and served as president and co–CEO from 1983 until the firm was acquired in 1997. He is the former vice chairman of CIBC World Markets Corporation, and currently serves as a managing member of EXOP Capital LLC.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Gantcher supports his undergraduate school Tufts University, whose board he once chaired. The family provided the lead gift to create the Gantcher Family Sports and Convocation Center at Tufts University. The Gantchers have also supported Columbia University, and Gantcher serves on the board of overseers of Columbia Business School. Other grantees have included Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Westchester Caddie Scholarship Fund.
JEWISH CAUSES: Gantcher is a member of the steering committee of the Wall Street division of the UJA, and a past director of the Jewish Communal Fund. Grantees have included Jewish Communal Fund and Jewish Agency for Israel-North American Council.
ARTS & CULTURE: Grantees have included Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, The Met Opera, and New York City Center.
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: Grantees include Autism Speaks, Citymeals-on-Wheels, Lymphoma Research Foundation, Montefiore Medical Center, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and Arthritis Foundation.
LOOKING FORWARD: It is possible the Gantchers’ philanthropy may expand in the coming years. The couple’s children—Joel, Michael, and Kimberly—are active in business and civic life and should be watched as their giving develops.
CONTACT:
The Gantcher Family Foundation does not provide a clear avenue of contact but below is an address:
Gantcher Family Foundation
c/o Wolf Maryles & Associates
220 East 42nd Street, No 2201
New York, NY 10017
