SOURCE OF WEALTH: Cyrus Capital Partners
FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, NYC Community, Global/Policy
OVERVIEW: Steve Freidheim and family conduct their philanthropy through the Stephen C. Freidheim Foundation. Available tax fillings indicate that the foundation awarded $1.35 million in grants in 2017. The Freidheim family’s giving includes support for education and youth causes. Freidheim’s board memberships include the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
BACKGROUND: Stephen Cyrus Freidheim earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University in 1986. He worked at Kidder Peabody, where he served as a vice president and director of high yield research for the asset management area. He also worked at Banker Trust and OZF Capital Management before founding Cyrus Capital Partners in 1999.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Freidheim has been a supporter of his alma mater Yale University. Other grantees have included Boston College, Northwestern University, African Academy Foundation, NYC Outward Bound Schools, Streetsquash, Children’s Home Aid Society, and Inner-City Scholarship Fund. Other school-focused grants have personal connections to the family: Freidheim’s brother, Scott (a foundation board member), graduated from Northwestern, for instance.
NYC COMMUNITY: Grantees have included Central Park Conservancy, City Harvest, Park Avenue Armory, and UJA Federation of New York.
GLOBAL/POLICY: Freidheim sits on the board of the Peterson Institute for International Economics and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. His foundation’s grantmaking has supported Foreign Policy Association, Georgetown University’s Global Human Development Program, and Institute of International Education.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the family to stick with their select interest areas for now. Several members of the Freidheim family are members of the Council on Foreign Relations, so perhaps more global work will take place through the family’s foundation.
CONTACT:
The Stephen C. Freidheim Foundation does not provide a clear avenue of contact, but below is an address:
Stephen C. Friedheim Foundation
c/o Bessemer Trust
630 5th Ave.
New York City, NY 10111
Telephone: (516) 508-9623
