OVERVIEW: The Debra and Leon Black Foundation has paused grantmaking, but past giving indicates interest in health, higher education, Jewish causes and visual arts.
IP TAKE: The Debra and Leon Black Family Foundation maintains a low profile and has not engaged in any significant grantmaking in several years, although the couple gives privately to New York City organizations. The Black’s children have become involved in the foundation but have yet to reveal philanthropic interests of their own. Keep an eye on the Blacks’ arts funding, as they are major U.S. collectors. This foundation is not approachable, but a mailing address and phone number are provided below.
PROFILE: The Debra and Leon Black Family Foundation, formerly the Leon Black Family Foundation, was founded in New York City in 1997. The billionaire Leon Black is the son of Eli Black, a prominent Jewish businessman who owned the United Brands Company. Leon attended Dartmouth as an undergrad and earned an MBA from Harvard before going to work on Wall St. at Drexel Burnham Lambert in mergers and acquisitions. After Drexel collapsed in the late 80s, Black formed his own investment vehicle, Apollo Global Management. Leon and his wife, Debra, who is a Broadway producer, are prominent art collectors. Leon Black is also known, less favorably, as a steadfast client of the Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sex trafficking. The couple’s children, including Benjamin Black, who was nominated by Trump for the position of CEO the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, are involved in steering the foundation.
The Debra and Leon Black Family Foundation maintains a low profile. It has no website and does not articulate a mission. Tax filings indicate interest in health, education, Jewish causes and the arts. Note that this funder appears to have paused all grantmaking since 2019.
Grants for Public Health and Diseases
The Black Family Foundation does not articulate goals for its health giving, although this has been its largest focus area over time. Past grantees include the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Melanoma Research Alliance and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.
Grants for Higher Education
The foundation has provided millions in support to Leon’s alma mater, Dartmouth College, home to the Black Family Visual Arts Center. The Blacks also endowed a chair in Shakespearean studies. At Harvard, the foundation gave $7.5 million to the Kennedy School for a fellowship program for veterans and active members of the military.
Grants for Jewish Causes
Jewish causes represent another significant area of giving. Israel appears to be an area of interest, with grants supporting Birthright Israel and Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. In New York, the foundation has supported the Park Avenue Synagogue. Another grantee, the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, promotes interfaith dialogue.
Grants for Arts and Culture
As a major art collector, Leon Black made a splash in 2012 when he purchased one of the four existing versions of Munch’s The Scream for nearly $120 million, which at the time was the highest price ever paid for a work of art at an auction. Black made The Scream available for public viewing at MoMA, where he also serves a trustee. The Blacks also support the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Important Grant Details:
The Black Family Foundation has not made grants in several years, but past grants ranged from $10,000 to $3 million.
- With grantmaking paused, it is unclear what the future of the foundation might be.
- The Blacks give privately to art museums and other causes in New York City.
- For additional information about past giving, see the foundation’s tax filings.
This funder does not provide a way to get in touch. A mailing address and phone number are provided below.
PEOPLE:
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CONTACT:
Debra and Leon Black Family Foundation
445 Park Ave., Ste. 1401
New York, NY 10022-8626
( 646) 589-0304