# Episcopal Diocese of Long Island

Episcopal Diocese of Long Island is an Endowment / Foundation based in Garden City, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Garden City, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Garden City, NY, United States
- **Founded:** 1868
- **Assets under management:** $100M — $300M (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** dioceseli.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.dioceseli.org/

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Founded in 1868, the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island spans the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens and the counties of Nassau and Suffolk. The diocese operates from its Garden City campus, which includes the Cathedral of the Incarnation, diocesan offices, and the George Mercer Jr. Memorial School of Theology. While the diocese is a constituent member of The Episcopal Church, its investment arm — the Investment Fund of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island — makes autonomous direct-property decisions. The diocese pursues a strategy built predominantly on direct real estate, with a specific concentration in affordable and supportive housing development on formerly held church parcels. Asset-class exposure spans ground-up residential, mixed-use redevelopment, land holdings and a smaller allocation to faith-aligned operating programs. Three illustrative projects define the development pipeline: the St. Andrew's Astoria Redevelopment with the Ali Forney Center, which creates LGBTQ+ supportive housing in Queens; a mixed-use project at 39-04 61st Street in Woodside; and the diocese's participation in the New York Land Opportunity Program alongside LISC NY. The geographic footprint is exclusively metropolitan New York, concentrated in the four counties of Long Island and adjacent Queens. Confirmed holdings include Camp DeWolfe, an 80-acre retreat on the North Shore of Suffolk County, and a curated art collection housed at the cathedral. The diocese manages an endowment estimated by Altss at $128 million (Altss estimate). The total portfolio includes at least six identifiable real estate assets spanning residential, commercial and mixed-use classifications. In housing, the diocese partners with secular community-development intermediaries, including LISC NY and the Ali Forney Center. Through its philanthropic affiliate, Episcopal Ministries of Long Island, it originates grant-based mission programs separate from the investment portfolio. The diocese also holds membership in Bricks and Mortals, a New York-based network advising faith institutions on property redevelopment. The structural differentiator is an endowment model that treats disused church-owned land as a balance-sheet development pipeline rather than a liquidation asset. Instead of selling parcels to private developers, the diocese retains ownership and co-develops with operating partners, converting congregational real estate into permanently affordable housing while keeping the land on its books. Diocese leadership has not published a formal investment team roster or succession framework.

## Sectors

- Real Estate
- Affordable Housing

## Questions

### How does the diocese fund its real estate development projects?

The diocese deploys capital from its endowment, the Investment Fund of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island. Projects are predominantly direct, balance-sheet investments rather than third-party fund commitments. Development costs are layered with public and non-profit financing through partners such as LISC NY and the New York Land Opportunity Program.

### Does the diocese sell church properties to developers, or does it retain ownership?

The diocese retains ownership and co-develops decommissioned church properties rather than selling them. Recent projects, including the St. Andrew's Astoria redevelopment and a mixed-use building at 39-04 61st Street in Woodside, are redeveloped on land the diocese still controls. The partnership with Bricks and Mortals reinforces this held-land development model.

### What geographies does the diocese invest in?

Investments are confined to the diocese's canonical territory: the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, and the Long Island counties of Nassau and Suffolk. No out-of-territory property holdings have been identified. This hyper-local footprint mirrors the diocese's congregational map and simplifies land-use stewardship.

## Related profiles

- [Cullen Trust for Health Care](https://altss.com/profile/cullen-trust-for-health-care)
- [Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/fan-fox-and-leslie-r-samuels-foundation)

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

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/episcopal-diocese-of-long-island

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology