Gottesman Fund

The Gottesman Fund is a New York-based family philanthropy established in 1965 by investment legend David S. Gottesman and his wife Ruth L. Gottesman. With assets exceeding $1.27 billion following a transformational $1.029 billion contribution in FY2023 — widely attributed to proceeds from David Gottesman's decades-long Berkshire Hathaway position — the fund now ranks among the top tier of Jewish philanthropic capital in the United States, while maintaining the same relationship-based, family-driven approach it has used for sixty years.

This is an invitation-only funder for all general grantmaking. The fund does not accept unsolicited proposals, maintains no public application portal, and keeps a deliberately low profile. Decision-making is controlled by the Gottesman family and managed through First Manhattan Co. (399 Park Avenue, 28th floor, New York, NY 10022). Cold outreach rarely succeeds and may actually signal poor alignment research to program staff.

However, there is one meaningful open-application pathway: the Gottesman Capital Expansion Grants administered through the Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC). This $15 million, three-year program runs through 2027 and offers Jewish day and overnight camps grants of $100,000 to $750,000 for capital projects — staff housing, program spaces, and camper bunks. Remaining application rounds are Fall 2025 (currently in evaluation for Round 2) and Fall 2026.

For the broader grantmaking portfolio, relationship cultivation is the only viable approach. The fund concentrates most funding through long-term anchor partnerships: Albert Einstein College of Medicine ($12.3M across 6 grants), PEF Israel Endowment Fund ($32.9M across 5 grants), and Mount Sinai Health System ($7.9M across 5 grants) exemplify organizations that have cultivated decades-long ties. Newer grantees typically enter through board connections, peer referrals from existing grantees, or demonstrated alignment with identifiable family priorities.

Organizations in the right sectors — Orthodox and pluralistic Jewish education, elite New York cultural institutions, NYC food security, Israeli-diaspora organizations — should engage through UJA-Federation of New York and Philanthropy New York networks. Ruth L. Gottesman's educational background (Columbia Teachers College) and Robert W. Gottesman's Jewish day school involvement suggest warm introductions through academic, Jewish communal, or institutional networks are the most productive first step. Come prepared with a multi-year institutional vision and a general operating support narrative, not a restricted program ask.

The Gottesman Fund's financial profile underwent dramatic transformation in FY2023 when a $1.029 billion contribution inflated the endowment from approximately $265 million to $1.27 billion. Before this infusion, total annual giving was stable at $26–$27 million from 2018 through 2021. By 2022-2023 the fund distributed $37.8 million annually, and 2024 reports suggest disbursements reached approximately $83.8 million as new capital is deployed.

From the grantee database (491 grants, $138.8 million total across the reporting period), the median grant is $80,000, with an average of $251,486. The range spans from $5,000 at the floor to $8.5 million at the ceiling — a spread that reflects the coexistence of small annual institutional gifts and transformational multi-year commitments.

By sector, the fund's giving breaks down approximately as follows: - Israel and Jewish community (~24%): PEF Israel Endowment Fund dominates at $32.9M across 5 grants; UJA-Federation of New York ($3M), American Friends of Leket Israel ($1.5M), American Jewish World Service ($610K), and Israel On Campus Coalition ($450K) round out the category. - Healthcare and medical research (~17%): Albert Einstein College of Medicine ($12.3M across 6 grants), Mount Sinai Health System ($7.9M across 5 grants), Montefiore Medical Center ($535K). - Jewish K-12 education (~18%): Abraham Joshua Heschel School ($3.7M), Ramaz School ($3.4M), Frisch School ($2.2M), Leffell School ($1.9M), SAR Academy ($1.9M), Golda Och Academy ($1.3M), plus 10+ other day schools in NY, NJ, and CT. - Arts and NYC cultural institutions (~16%): New York Public Library ($7M across 4 grants), Central Park Conservancy ($5.9M across 5 grants), American Museum of Natural History ($5.3M across 2 grants). - Social services and food security (~8%): NY Common Pantry ($1.1M), West Side Campaign Against Hunger ($1.1M), Good Shepherd Services ($600K), Coalition for the Homeless ($550K), Children's Aid Society ($550K), Food Bank for New York City ($875K). - Jewish camps and higher education (~8%): Foundation for Jewish Camp ($3M across 5 grants), University of Vermont Foundation ($3.2M across 2 grants), ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain ($890K), Bard College ($560K).

Geographically, 61% of grants flow to New York organizations, 8.6% to Vermont (reflecting the Gottesman family's Lake Champlain ties and Vermont campus connections), and 6.7% to New Jersey — driven primarily by Jewish day school grantees in Bergen County and surrounding areas.

The Gottesman Fund occupies a distinctive position among major Jewish philanthropies: it commands top-tier capital ($1.27B) but maintains the closed access norms of a private family office. Unlike Jim Joseph Foundation, which publishes strategic frameworks and accepts proposals for Jewish education initiatives, or Schusterman, which runs structured open programs for emerging organizations, the Gottesman Fund operates almost entirely through private relationships and invitation-only grantmaking. Its density of New York institutional anchor partnerships — across Orthodox Jewish day schools, healthcare research, and elite cultural institutions — makes it most comparable to Crown Family Philanthropies in operating style, though smaller in scale. The FJC Gottesman Capital Expansion Grants are the sole exception to its closed-door policy and represent a genuine open pathway for qualifying Jewish camps through Fall 2026.

The most significant recent development is the December 10, 2024 announcement, made at FJC's 10th biennial Leaders Assembly in Chicago before nearly 950 camp professionals, of a $15 million, three-year commitment for Jewish camp capital infrastructure. Diane Eidman, identified as The Gottesman Fund Director, personally announced the gift alongside FJC CEO Jeremy J. Fingerman. The $15 million is allocated across three categories: approximately $7 million for program spaces and climate-resilient infrastructure, $5 million for staff and family housing, and $3 million for camper bunks and home bases. Round 2 preliminary applications have closed; the next announcement on Round 2 progress is expected October 2025, with Round 3 applications opening Fall 2026.

At the endowment level, the defining event of recent years was a $1.029 billion contribution in FY2023 — widely attributed to Berkshire Hathaway proceeds — that increased assets from approximately $265 million to $1.27 billion. Annual grantmaking has climbed from $26–27 million (2018-2021) to $37.8 million (2022-2023) and an estimated $83.8 million in 2024.

On the family leadership front, Robert W. Gottesman and Trudy Elbaum Gottesman made a major gift to Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy in Stamford, CT for 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, covering 50% tuition for incoming high school students and funding a new campus. This reflects the second generation's expanding role: David S. Gottesman has transitioned to President Emeritus, with Ruth L. Gottesman and Robert W. Gottesman now serving as Co-Presidents and Alice R. Gottesman as Chairperson.

For Jewish Camps — Gottesman Capital Expansion Grants (via FJC):

• Secure the 25% match before applying. Camps must document that 25% of total project cost is pledged, raised, or allocated from other sources before submitting a preliminary application. This is a hard prerequisite that cannot be waived or promised prospectively.
• Project readiness is non-negotiable. FJC requires projects to be shovel-ready within 18 months of grant receipt. Camps with plans still in design review or awaiting permits will be disadvantaged against build-ready applicants.
• Align squarely with the three eligible categories. Grants fund staff housing/spaces, program spaces and infrastructure, and camper bunks/home bases. Do not try to reframe a different project type — evaluators are experienced and will notice misalignment.
• Contact the program manager early. Yevgeniy Klig (yevgeniy.klig@jewishcamp.org) can confirm Round 3 (Fall 2026) timing, clarify eligibility questions, and provide preliminary feedback before formal submission. Building this relationship ahead of the application window is strongly advised.
• One grant per camp across all three rounds. If your camp received a Round 1 award or applied in Round 2, you are no longer eligible for Round 3. Verify your camp's history with FJC before investing time in an application.
• Plan for post-award obligations. Grantees must participate in FJC's Camper Satisfaction Index (CSI) and Staff Satisfaction Index (SSI) for three post-completion summers, and attend FJC Leaders Assembly in 2026 and 2028. Budget staff time and travel costs accordingly.
• Frame enrollment and capacity growth prominently. The fund's December 2024 announcement emphasized serving camps operating at or near capacity. Proposals showing a direct link between the capital project and increased enrollment will resonate most strongly.

For General Gottesman Fund Grantmaking (Invitation-Only):

• Do not cold-contact the fund. The First Manhattan address (399 Park Avenue, 28th floor) is a family office, not a grantmaking office with open submission procedures. A cold letter or email is unlikely to be reviewed.
• Map your network to theirs. Examine board rosters at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Ramaz School, Abraham Joshua Heschel School, Central Park Conservancy, and UJA-Federation of New York — these are where the Gottesman network intersects with the broader philanthropic community.
• Lead exclusively with general operating support. Every tracked grant in the fund's grantee database is classified as 'General Support.' The fund does not appear to fund restricted program grants. Frame any ask as core institutional support.
• Initiate relationship cultivation in September–November. Family foundations typically finalize year-end giving decisions in the fall; new relationship cultivation is best initiated 12–18 months before expecting a first grant.