# Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust

Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust is an Endowment / Foundation based in New York, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 500 Mamaroneck Ave Ste 301, Harrison, NY, United States
- **Founded:** 1992
- **Assets under management:** 393 (Altss estimate)

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Donald A. Pels established the trust in 1992 after serving two decades as chairman and CEO of LIN Broadcasting. Wendy Keys, his wife, and Valerie Anne Pels, his daughter, act as co-trustees. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) grantmaker focused on United States recipients. Asset allocation reported in tax filings shows exposure to public equities valued at $132 million, corporate bonds at $15 million and government obligations at $20 million. The trust maintains limited partnership commitments to HarbourVest Partners, Brown Brothers Harriman Capital Partners and Tybourne Capital Management. Grant activity has included $10 million to Rockefeller University, $4 million to Lehman College and $2.25 million to Planned Parenthood. Service providers include PKF O'Connor Davies for accounting since 2017, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. as investment advisor since 2019 and Fiduciary Trust Company International as custodian since 2018. Donald A. Pels previously served on boards of the New York Philharmonic, Rockefeller University and Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center. moat_notes: Thin coverage; limited public data on current investment activity or recent events.

## Sectors

- Education
- Arts
- Human Rights

## People

- Wendy Keys — Co-Trustee
- Valerie Anne Pels — Co-Trustee

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust?

Wendy Keys and Valerie Anne Pels serve as co-trustees. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acts as investment advisor.

### Does Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

The trust holds limited partnership interests in HarbourVest Partners, Brown Brothers Harriman Capital Partners and Tybourne Capital Management.

### What sectors does Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust explicitly support?

Grantmaking focuses on education, arts, health, environment and human rights within the United States.

### How is Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust related to LIN Broadcasting?

Donald A. Pels founded the trust after retiring from his role as chairman and CEO of LIN Broadcasting.

## Related profiles

- [Silverhawk Private Wealth Family Office](https://altss.com/profile/silverhawk-private-wealth-family-office)
- [Taunton Contributory Retirement System](https://altss.com/profile/taunton-contributory-retirement-system)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/donald-a-pels-charitable-trust

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