SOURCE OF WEALTH: Morgan Stanley, Greenhill & Co.
FUNDING AREAS: Education, Environment & Animals, Arts & Culture, Health
OVERVIEW: Scott Bok and his wife, Roxanne, support education, the environment and animals, arts and culture and health through the Bok Family Foundation. According to recent tax filings, the foundation awarded nearly $2.7 million in grants in 2017 and just under $11 million in grants from 2014 to 2017. The couple’s philanthropic priorities include their mutual alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, and the geographic areas of New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
BACKGROUND: Scott L. Bok received B.S. and J.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He was a managing director in the mergers, acquisitions and restructuring department of Morgan Stanley. Later he worked with the New York law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in mergers and acquisitions and securities law. In 1997, Bok joined Greenhill & Co, an independent investment bank, and currently serves as CEO. Roxanne Bok is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the author of a book about raising horses.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION: The Boks have steadily supported the University of Pennsylvania over the years, and Scott Bok serves on the university’s board of trustees. Specific areas of support include a gift to the Kelly Writers House to support its visiting writers series and the endowment of the Bok Family Professorship in the Humanities. Other past education grantees include Teach for America, the Chapin School, the Hotchkiss School, New York City’s Student Sponsor Partners, the KIPP Foundation and Prep for Prep, a leadership and education organization for youth of color.
ENVIRONMENT & ANIMALS: The couple’s work in this area is inspired by their experiences renovating an historic inn and a 115-acre farm in the Housantonic Valley region of Connecticut. Scott has been a member of the Berkshire Taconic Advisory Council of the Nature Conservancy, and the couple’s foundation has supported Connecticut organizations including the Housatonic Valley Association, Scenic Hudson, and Sheffield Land Trust. On the national level, they have donated to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
ARTS & CULTURE: The Boks’ arts and culture philanthropy has prioritized New York City and Massachusetts. Past New York grantees include the Roundabout Theatre Company, the Museum of the City of New York, and the American Museum of Natural History. In Massachusetts, they have supported the Shakespeare & Company theater and Edith Wharton’s historic home, The Mount.
HEALTH: The couple has supported the Fact Foundation, which supports breast cancer research and other programs.
LOOKING FORWARD: The Boks will likely continue their support of land conservation and cultural programs in their geographic areas of interest.
CONTACT:
The Bok Family Foundation does not provide a clear avenue of contact, but below is an address:
The Bok Family Foundation
P.O. Box 966
Canaan, CT 06018
