OVERVIEW: The Baron Family Foundation’s recent funding includes support of health, education, and Jewish Causes. It prioritizes organizations based in New York City.
IP TAKE: The Baron Family Foundation was known until recently as the Baron Capital Foundation and represents the philanthropy of Ron Baron, the founder of Baron Capital, and his family. This funder maintains an exceptionally low profile and does not accept unsolicited proposals. A connection to the family or to Baron Capital will be key here. New York City, where Baron Capital is based, is an area of focus.
PROFILE: The Baron Family Foundation was established in New York in 2007 by securities analyst Ron Baron and family. Until recently, it was known as the Baron Capital Foundation. Baron attended Bucknell University and George Washington University Law School before landing a job in the U.S. Patent Office. He became a securities analyst in 1970, working for several brokerage firms before starting his own firm in 1982. The Baron Capital Foundation does not maintain a website, and little is known about its grantmaking practices. It does not appear to have clear grantmaking programs or funding priorities; however, tax filings reveal that the foundation does have an interest in supporting groups working in education, health, arts and culture, and Jewish causes, both in the U.S. and in Israel.
Grants for Public Health and Disease Research
In recent years, the foundation has demonstrated strong interest in medical education and hospitals, giving over $3 million to the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and many smaller grants to medical schools, hospitals and disease research organizations in New York and California. Other past grantees include the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital in New York, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the Icahn School of Medicine and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation.
Grants for Education
Baron’s education giving spans K-12 and higher education.
- New York City private schools appear to be an area of interest, with grants supporting Horace Mann, the Trevor Day School and the Stephen Gaynor School, which provides individualized education to students with language disabilities.
- Higher education grants tend to be smaller. Recipients include Duke University, Emory University’s Center for Ethics and Bucknell University, which is Baron’s alma mater.
- Another recent grantee, the Education Alliance, works with state governments in India to advance educational equity and access.
Grants for Jewish Causes
Baron steadily supports Jewish organizations in both the U.S. and Israel.
- Grantees include the United Jewish Appeal of New York, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, the Central Synagogue of New York City, the Museum of Jewish Heritage and American Friends of the Israeli Navy Seals.
Grants for Arts and Culture
Arts and culture represent a somewhat smaller area of giving for Baron, with most grants staying in New York City.
- Grantees include the World Trade Center Performing Arts Center, Jazz and Lincoln Center and the Guggenheim Museum. Outside of New York, the foundation has supported Florida’s Norton Museum of Art.
Important Grant Details
Grants range from $1,000 to $1 million, but most grants remain below $25,000.
- Many of this funder’s smaller grants appear to go to lesser-known organizations with which the Baron family has a connection.
- New York City is the site of most of this funder’s U.S. grantmaking. Grants also support Jewish and Israeli causes.
- This funder does not accept unsolicited proposals.
- This funder does not provide a way to get in touch. An address and phone number are provided below.
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CONTACT:
Baron Capital Foundation
767 5th Avenue, 49th Floor
New York, NY 10153
212-583-2010