Mark Family Foundation

The Mark Family Foundation is a quintessential private family foundation governed entirely by two uncompensated trustees: Morris Mark and Susan Mark. Morris Mark, founder and CEO of Mark Asset Management Corporation (667 Madison Avenue, New York, established 1987), built his career as a research analyst and risk arbitrageur at First Manhattan and Goldman Sachs before launching his own investment firm. The foundation's IRS filings describe its purpose in deliberately minimal terms — to 'support, by contributions, other organizations exempt under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3)' — a self-description that underscores its private, non-public character.

The Marks concentrate giving across four pillars that map directly to their personal civic engagement: medical research at elite NYC academic medical centers, performing arts (Lincoln Center and Hamptons arts institutions), Jewish communal organizations, and prestigious educational institutions. This is not a programmatic foundation with staff, rolling cycles, or published guidelines — it operates entirely on trustee judgment and personal relationships.

This foundation is preselected-only. There is no public application portal, published deadline, or submission process. The registered website (mark.com) redirects to an unrelated domain marketplace. Administrative correspondence routes through c/o Geller Advisors LLC in New York City. Unsolicited proposals are almost certainly not reviewed.

For organizations genuinely aligned with this funder, the strategy must focus on network access. Entry points include: NYU Langone Health's development office (a flagship grantee that has received $3.8M in combined grants); Lincoln Center's philanthropic leadership; senior leadership at Park Avenue Synagogue or UJA-Federation of New York; and professional finance circles where Morris Mark is active (Milken Institute, New York investment management community). First-time grantees in this portfolio almost uniformly reflect pre-existing personal ties between the Marks and institutional leadership — securing a board-level introduction is the single most important step any prospective applicant can take.

Aggregate data from 75 recorded grants totaling $7,985,320 reveals a portfolio dominated by a handful of anchor relationships, with a long tail of smaller community gifts.

Grant sizing: Median grant is $25,000; average is $106,471 (skewed by large commitments). The range spans $500 (Rockefeller University) to $2,000,000 (single grant to NYU Langone Health System for its new Precision Medicine Division). Multi-year cumulative commitments reach even higher: NYU Langone entities combined received $3,800,000 across 5 grants; Lincoln Center received $900,000 across 3 grants; Park Avenue Synagogue received $604,220 across 4 grants.

Annual giving trajectory: $558,647 (2014) → $810,094 (2011 peak before asset growth) → $1,113,400 (2019) → $3,174,800 (2020 peak) → $1,848,560 (2021) → $2,499,000 (2022) → ~$2,057,062 (2025 estimated from expense data). The 2020 spike coincides with $14.4M in new contributions received that year.

By focus area (estimated % of total recorded dollars): - Medical/Health (~48%): NYU Langone, Weill Cornell, Mount Sinai, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Dana-Farber, Southampton Hospital, New York-Presbyterian, Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation - Arts & Culture (~14%): Lincoln Center, Guild Hall of East Hampton, Jewish Museum, Norton Museum of Art - Jewish Communal (~14%): Park Avenue Synagogue, UJA-Federation of New York, Central Synagogue, American Jewish Committee, Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County - Education (~12%): Harvard University (combined $550,000), Horace Mann School ($311,000), University of Pennsylvania ($22,000), Greater East Hampton Education Foundation ($100,000) - Senior Services & Other (~12%): Morselife Foundation (Jewish senior care, $220K), SeriousFun Children's Network, Robin Hood Foundation, Citizens Committee for Children

Geography: 56 of 75 grants went to NY-based organizations; Florida received 9 grants (primarily Palm Beach corridor); Massachusetts received 5; Pennsylvania 3; Connecticut 2. Foundation assets have grown from $2.1M (2010) to $27.6M (2025), reflecting investment returns and substantial capital contributions.

The five foundations identified as peers by asset size (~$27.6M) represent a cross-section of similarly-sized private grantmaking trusts. Detailed annual giving figures for most peers are not publicly available in the same format, but asset size provides a useful calibration point.

Among this peer set, the Mark Family Foundation is distinguished by its strong concentration in a narrow set of high-prestige NYC institutions (NYU Langone, Lincoln Center, Harvard) and its clear dual-geography pattern tied to the trustees' lifestyle. Unlike Korum for Kids Foundation or Lucky Seven Foundation, which maintain public websites with some application guidance, the Mark Family Foundation offers no public-facing channel. Its $2.1M average annual giving rate (roughly 7.6% of assets) is consistent with mandatory private foundation payout requirements and comparable to peers of similar size.

No recent press releases, new program announcements, or public grant notifications have been issued by the Mark Family Foundation itself, consistent with its fully private operating model. The foundation does not maintain a social media presence or public website with grantmaking news.

The most significant recent activity identifiable from IRS filings and database records:

• FY2025: Total assets reached $27,627,887 with charitable disbursements of $2,057,062, representing a stable giving rate after the 2020 asset surge. Revenue of $5,735,854 was driven primarily by asset sales at Mark Asset Management.
• Precision Medicine commitment: The largest documented grant in the foundation's history — $2,000,000 to NYU Langone Health System — was specifically designated for 'Development of New Precision Medicine Division,' reflecting the Marks' targeted interest in cutting-edge medical infrastructure.
• Asset growth period (2019–2020): Contributions received jumped from $410,992 (2019) to $14,383,488 (2020), a 35x increase that more than tripled foundation assets. This likely reflects deliberate estate planning or a decision by Morris Mark to substantially capitalize the foundation.
• Leadership stability: Morris and Susan Mark have served as the sole trustees across all available filing years with no compensation, indicating a tightly held, family-controlled operation with no succession or governance changes noted in public records.

Given the preselected-only nature of this foundation, standard grant-writing advice is largely irrelevant. The actionable guidance below is specific to how this funder actually operates.

1. Do not send unsolicited proposals. The foundation has no published application process, no grants portal, and no staff to receive or evaluate cold submissions. Mail sent to c/o Geller Advisors LLC (the administrative agent) is unlikely to reach a decision-maker in a grants context.

2. Pursue warm introductions through existing grantees. The portfolio's anchor institutions — NYU Langone Health, Lincoln Center, Park Avenue Synagogue, Harvard — have development offices with staff who interact regularly with major donors. A letter of introduction from a trusted contact at one of these organizations is meaningfully more valuable than any written proposal.

3. Align to the four pillars explicitly. Medical research (especially precision medicine, oncology, and neurological disease), NYC-area performing arts, Jewish communal and educational organizations, and elite academic institutions represent the core. Organizations outside these areas have minimal historical precedent in this portfolio.

4. Match the geographic footprint. Organizations based in Manhattan (especially the Upper East Side corridor near 667 Madison Ave), the Hamptons (East Hampton, Southampton), and Palm Beach, Florida have the highest probability of alignment. NY-based organizations receive 75% of grants by count.

5. Frame multi-year impact, not one-time needs. The foundation's repeat-giving pattern (Park Avenue Synagogue: 4 grants; Horace Mann: 4 grants; NYU Langone: 5 grants; Lincoln Center: 3 grants) suggests it values long-term institutional relationships. Proposals that articulate a multi-year partnership vision, not a single project, are better positioned.

6. Lead with specificity in medical proposals. The $2M precision medicine grant was designated for a named new division — not general hospital operations. Medical institutions should pitch specific research programs, named clinical initiatives, or capital projects with clear scientific rationale.

7. Timing is not calendar-driven. Because there is no formal cycle, relationship timing matters more than fiscal-year deadlines. Engage trustees at institutional events (galas, donor cultivation events, advisory board meetings) where natural conversations about philanthropic priorities can occur.