OVERVIEW: This funder supports art, medicine, and Jewish causes in Philadelphia. The fashion influencer and filmmaker was born and raised here, and much of his giving stays in the city.
IP TAKE: Philadelphia organizations have the best chance of catching Kimmel’s attention with an art & culture idea that revitalizes public space and engages the people of Philadelphia. This funder does not accept unsolicited applications, but it is a great ally to know in Philly, as well as in the arts and cancer research focus areas. Kimmel has been one of the most generous philanthropists in Philadelphia, his name on several buildings around the city. He signed the Giving Pledge.
PROFILE: The Sidney Kimmel Foundation was established in 1993. It seeks to make “contributions at moments and in places of great impact and possibility.” Sidney Kimmel was born and raised in Philadelphia. He attended Temple University. In 1970, Kimmel founded and became president of Jones Apparel Group, which is behind such brands as Jones New York, Anne Klein, and Nine West. By 1991, the Jones Group was listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and Kimmel’s personal wealth began approaching $1 billion. In 2004, Kimmel founded Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, a finance and production company, behind such films as United 93, and Lars and the Real Girl.
The Kimmel Foundation funds cancer research, the arts, medicine, and Jewish continuity, particularly in Philadelphia.
Grants for Health and Cancer Research
Health grants tend to focus on cancer research, while grantees tend to be established and well-known health organizations that can scale efforts and research.
In 2001, A $150 million grant by the Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research established the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. Kimmel has been supporting cancer research for years, in part because a friend’s 25-year-old daughter passed away from cancer.
In 1994, Kimmel donated $10 million to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital’s Kimmel Cancer Center. Two years later, he served as National Chairman of “The March” in Washington, D.C., a program that resulted in a federal funding increase of $400 million for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Other major grants by Kimmel in this area include a $27 million effort over 10 years toward the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in San Diego (which has since filed for bankruptcy), and $25 million to create the Sidney Kimmel Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
In 2016, Kimmel partnered with Michael Bloomberg to give $100 million to establish the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins.
The Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research also funds the Kimmel Scholars Program, which provides research grants to promising young cancer researchers. There have been nearly 300 recipients of these awards as of this writing.
Apart from cancer research, another gift to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital created the Sidney Kimmel Laboratory for Preventive Cardiology.
Grants for the Arts and Philadelphia
Arts grantmaking centers on Philly and invests in established organizations like museums rather than grassroots outfits.
Kimmel created the The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. A $5 million grant created the National Constitution Center. Kimmel has also given millions to the Philadelphia Orchestra. He has also supported the Curtis Institute for Music, and the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, among others.
Grants for Jewish Causes
Kimmel has been a longtime supporter of the Jewish community, with his foundation grantmaking a $5 million gift to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. He has also given at least $25 million to the Raymond and Ruth Perelman Jewish Day School in the Philadelphia area, gifts totaling $25 million to Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and another $25 million to National Museum of American Jewish History.
Important Grant Details:
Kimmel grants exceeded $900 million. Grant seekers can learn more about each of these entities and Kimmel’s investments into them on the funder’s Philadelphia page.
Unfortunately for grant seekers in Philadelphia or elsewhere, this foundation does not accept applications for funding.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
