OVERVIEW: The Stanley Family Foundation provides ongoing support to the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute. Smaller sums support mental health, community development and education in Connecticut.
IP TAKE: The husband-wife founders of The Stanley Family Foundation nearly lost their son to a mental health crisis, making their giving in this area personal. This family foundation and its philanthropic sister, the Stanley Medical Research Institute, have funded a significant portion of psychiatric research on schizophrenia and bipolar disorder over the past two decades. The foundation also provides ongoing support to the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute.
The foundation maintains a low profile and does not have a website. The Stanley Family Foundation is the majority shareholder of MBI Inc., the company owned by the Stanley family. The vast majority of the foundation’s support goes to the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research. Scientists or nonprofits interested in work funded by this foundation may consider reaching out to the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research rather than to the foundation. A direct connection to the family or foundation staff may be indispensable here.
PROFILE: The Stanley Family Foundation, based in Briarcliff Manor, New York, was established in 1986 by Ted Stanley and Vada Stanley. Ted Stanley, who died in 2016, was the founder of the Danbury Mint, a mail order company that sells coin collectibles and jewelry. Danbury later evolved into multiple collectibles companies under the umbrella of MBI, Inc., which continues to fund The Stanley Family Foundation. In 1988, the Stanleys’ son Jonathan, then a college student, suffered a life-endangering episode of mania. He received treatment, recovered and went on to graduate from college and law school. Jonathan Stanley is a founder and board member of the Treatment Advocacy Center, a national mental health organization.
The family, whose estimated wealth was about $1 billion when their philanthropy began, has invested heavily in psychiatric research. In 1989, they established the Stanley Medical Research Institute, which supports “research on the causes of, and treatments for, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.” Today, The Stanley Family Foundation provides ongoing support to the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute, which is a major global funder of research into the genetic and molecular underpinnings of mental health. To date, the Stanley Family Foundation has granted over $860 million to the Stanley Center, “representing the largest philanthropic commitment ever in psychiatric research.”
Grants for Mental Health and Science Research
The main recipient of the Stanley Family Foundation’s mental health giving is the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute. According to Ted Stanley’s New York Times obituary, the Stanleys were persuaded by Dr. Edward M. Scolnick, a preeminent neuroscientist, to commit $100 million to the establishment of the Center, which aims “to better understand the roots of disease and narrow the gap between new biological insights and impact for patients.”
- The Stanleys granted $650 million to Broad in 2014, and have given millions annually since then, including a nearly $58 million grant in 2023, bringing the foundation’s total gift to Broad to about $860 million.
- Other mental health grantees include Laurel House, a mental health provider in Stamford, Connecticut; the Treatment Advocacy Center, where Jonathan Stanley serves on the board of trustees; and Bridges Healthcare, a behavioral health provider in New Haven, Connecticut.
Other Grantmaking
According to its tax filings, the Stanley Family Foundation also provides support to organizations working in the areas of community development and education in Connecticut, as well as smaller grants for wildlife conservation.
- Grantees include Stamford’s Building One Community, St. Martin de Porres Academy in New Haven, Hartford’s Community Partners in Action, Norwalk Community College, and the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Important Grant Details:
The Stanley Foundation generally grants millions to the Broad Foundation each year. Other grants range from $5,000 to about $20,000.
The bulk of this funder’s grantmaking is reserved for annual gifts to the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute.
Smaller grants have gone to community development and education in the state of Connecticut.
This funder does not maintain a website. However, information about the foundation can be found at MBI, Inc.’s website. MBI contributes over half its profits to The Stanley Family Foudation.
Grantmaking for research on schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are conducted through the Stanley Medical Research Institute, a separate entity founded by the Stanley Family.
For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s tax filings.
The Stanley Family Foundation can be reached by telephone at (914) 260-6358 or by email at SFF@mbi-inc.com.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
CONTACT:
Stanley Family Foundation
430 Central Dr.
Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510-1102
(914) 260-6358