Sue and Edgar Wachenheim Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Sue and Edgar Wachenheim Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to education and the arts. It also earmarks funds for health, human services, and Jewish organizations.
IP TAKE: The foundation keeps a low public profile, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. Board memberships are something to keep an eye on. Grantmaking prioritizes the Tri-state area, while grantmaking beyond this geographic area prioritizes Jewish causes. This is not a transparent or accessible funder, preferring to take a proactive approach to grantmaking, so it does not accept unsolicited applications. It is also challenging to contact the foundation, except by snail mail, making it harder to get on it’s radar.
PROFILE: The Sue and Edgar Wachenheim Foundation was established in 1968. Its founders are financier Edgar “Ed” Wachenheim and his wife Sue. Ed serves as chairman of Greenhaven Associates, a New York money-management concern. He graduated from Williams College in 1959 and received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
The foundation does not maintain a website, which makes it difficult to locate further information on its priority areas and grantmaking strategies. Tax filings suggest that the Sue and Edgar Wachenheim Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to education and the arts. It also earmarks funds for health, human services, and Jewish organizations. New York City is an important region of giving.
Grants for K-12 and Higher Education
Wachenheim’s grants for education prioritize the insitutions with which the family has a personal connection, rather than grantmaking strategies that consider public school or grassroots issues. Education giving also appears to be broad in scope.
The couple has given millions to his alma mater Williams College, home to the Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III Professor of History and the Wachenheim Family Courtyard. The couple’s son, Chris, also graduated from the liberal arts college. The foundation has also supported nearby Amherst College. Other grantees include Skidmore College (Wachenheim was a vice chair and his mother attended the school), Rye Country Day School (Wachenheim is a trustee emeritus), and Chess in the Schools.
Grants for Arts and Culture, and Community Development
Wachenheim’s grants for arts and culture tend to prioritize organizations with which the family is connected in some way. Grantmaking also tends to invest in established, large organizations and institutions that are well-known rather than grassroots arts efforts.
Wachenheim chairs the board of WNET, a Newark, New Jersey-based public television station serving the New York Metropolitan area, and the family has given millions to the station. Wachenheim is also a trustee of MoMA, another important grantee. The family have made donations to the American Museum of Natural History, The Met, National Dance Institute, New York Public Library, and New York Hall of Science.
Grants for Public Health and Access
The foundation has broadly supported health organizations in the past, including Blythedale Children’s Hospital, where the couple’s son Lance is on the board. Other grantees include Food Bank of Westchester, and Greenwich Hospital.
Grants for Jewish Causes
The foundation also supports Jewish organizations. Wachenheim was a trustee of UJA-Federation. The foundation has supported The Jewish Museum and American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science, among other institutions.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range from $1,000 to around $12 million. In a recent fiscal year, the foundation gave away around $17 million. The Sue and Edgar Wachenheim Foundation keeps a low profile and does not accept unsolicited proposals.
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CONTACT:
Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation
3 Manhattanville Road
Purchase, NY 10577