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Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation
The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation was established in 1959 with wealth that traces to the G. Fox & Co. department-store empire built by Moses Fox.
Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation
The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation was established in 1959 with wealth that traces to the G. Fox & Co. department-store empire built by Moses Fox. Moses's daughter, Fan Fox Samuels, and her husband, Leslie R. Samuels — a businessman and philanthropist — created the foundation with a dual mandate that still governs its work: advancing the performing arts and improving healthcare for the elderly. The foundation operates exclusively in the five boroughs of New York City, a geographic concentration that has defined its grantmaking for more than six decades. On the arts side, the foundation supports dance, music, opera, and theatre organizations delivering high-quality work. Its Healthy Aging Program aims to improve quality of life for older adults through better healthcare access and services. The foundation's investment posture is anchored in an endowment that funds these programs, though the foundation does not publicly disclose its asset allocation or AUM. Grantmaking is managed by a team that includes Julio Urbina, Vice President and Director of the Healthy Aging Program, and Lauren Weisenfeld, Vice President and Director of the Performing Arts Program. The foundation maintains an office at 275 Madison Avenue in Manhattan and is guided by a board that includes Joseph W. Polisi, President Emeritus of The Juilliard School, and Mikki Shepard, former Executive Producer of the Apollo Theater. Marvin A. Kaufman served as the foundation's long-time President and Chairman of the Board before ceding the day-to-day presidency to David S. Rosane. The foundation participates in professional networks including Philanthropy New York, the Council on Foundations, Grantmakers in Aging, and Grantmakers in the Arts. What distinguishes the Samuels Foundation is its rigid geographic focus paired with a narrowly defined dual mission. It is a New York City institution in the most literal sense — virtually all its grant dollars stay within the city's limits, funding arts and aging programs that larger national foundations rarely address with the same local intensity. That concentration, coupled with a board stacked with marquee New York cultural leaders, gives it an unusually granular presence in a dense urban grantmaking ecosystem.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1959
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Joseph C. Mitchell
Chairman and Managing Director
David S. Rosane
President and Director
Julio Urbina
Vice President and Director of Healthy Aging Program
Lauren Weisenfeld
Vice President and Director of Performing Arts Program
Joseph W. Polisi
Director; President Emeritus of The Juilliard School
Mikki Shepard
Director; former Executive Producer of the Apollo Theater
Marvin A. Kaufman
Long-time President and Chairman of the Board
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation?
The foundation does not publicly name a chief investment officer or disclose its investment committee structure. Day-to-day leadership rests with President and Director David S. Rosane and Chairman and Managing Director Joseph C. Mitchell. The foundation's grantmaking programs are run by Julio Urbina and Lauren Weisenfeld, but their focus is programmatic, not endowment management. The board holds ultimate fiduciary responsibility.
How is the foundation's grantmaking split between arts and aging programs?
The foundation maintains two clearly delineated program verticals: a Performing Arts Program that funds dance, music, opera, and theatre organizations, and a Healthy Aging Program that works to improve healthcare and quality of life for older adults. The exact grant-dollar split between the two verticals is not disclosed publicly. Both programs operate exclusively within New York City's five boroughs.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The foundation's endowment originated with Fan Fox Samuels, daughter of Moses Fox, who owned the G. Fox & Co. department-store chain — a major retail enterprise in Hartford, Connecticut. Leslie R. Samuels, Fan's husband, was a businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the foundation. The couple established the foundation in 1959 to institutionalize their giving.
Does the foundation make grants outside of New York City?
No. The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation concentrates its grantmaking entirely within New York City. This geographic constraint has been a defining feature of the foundation since its inception and is a structural differentiator that separate it from national arts and aging funders.
Who serves on the foundation's board?
The board includes several prominent New York cultural figures. Joseph W. Polisi, President Emeritus of The Juilliard School, and Mikki Shepard, former Executive Producer of the Apollo Theater, serve as directors.
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