Honoring Our Donors
Honoring the wishes of our donors while addressing today's problems
Since 1924, generous donors have set up charitable funds at The Trust during their lifetimes, or in their wills, to make a real difference in the lives of New Yorkers. We firmly (sometimes even ferociously) honor their charitable intentions. We give to the best and most effective charities in the City and surrounding communities, and those trying promising but untested projects. Each grant from your fund does the good you intended it to do, generation after generation.
Here are just a few examples of the work accomplished through some of the funds we have managed for decades.
Helen Merrill: Supporting Playwrights as an Agent, Friend, and Philanthropist
Helen Merrill, an influential theatrical agent, established in her will a fund at The Trust to continue her lifelong encouragement of playwrights. Today, The Trust ensures that every year talented playwrights receive cash awards in her name. Learn more about Helen Merrill>>
Edward and Sally Van Lier: Nurturing Creativity
Sally left her estate to The Trust to "provide educational assistance and training to gifted young persons who aspire to a career in the arts." After much research, The Trust decided that the best way to carry out her wishes was through the creation of the Van Lier fellowships. Learn more about Edward and Sally Van Lier »
Victor Heiser: Searching for a Cure
For more than 30 years, The Trust has carried on Dr. Heisers passion to find a cure for leprosy and diseases like it, and his goal is ever closer to being reached. In 1995, we funded a five-year project to map the leprosy genome, which resulted in an increased understanding of the bacterium and pointed to new ways to identify and fight it. Learn more about Victor Heiser »
Francis Florio: "Hastening the Conquest of Human Misery"
Mr. Florio wanted his fund to, "hasten the conquest of human misery and physical suffering" and use the money for research in the field of blood disease. Through his generosity, The Trust has supported work on AIDS, polycythemia vera, myeloma, and hypermutation. Learn more about Francis Florio »
Katherine Park: Caring for the Elderly
She gave her money "to assist the elderly...with the problems of loneliness and boredom." For years, we made grants to senior centers and other nonprofits that took elders to concerts, plays, and other outings. But by the mid-'90s, with many elderly New Yorkers being cared for by poorly paid, unhappy home health aides rather than family, we started to use the Park Fund differently. Learn more about Katherine Park »
Wheaton B. Kunhardt: The Green Legacy of a Man of Steel
When he died in 1933, he left his estate to The Trust in an unrestricted fund. Today, we are bringing together his passion for industry and nature. A $40,000 grant from the Wheaton B. Kunhardt Fund to the New York Industrial Retention Network is helping local businesses get green tax credits and grants for energy-efficient equipment, and produce environmentally safe products. Learn more about Wheaton B. Kunhardt »
Theresa E. Bernholz Fund: The Trust's Oldest Fund Gives On
In 1924, Mrs. Schiff asked that a prize be given in her former principal's name to a girl graduating from P.S. 9 who "has earned the highest commendation of her teachers," and for 85 years, her wish has been honored. Learn more about Theresa E. Bernholz »