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Morton K. & Jane Blaustein Foundation
The Morton K. & Jane Blaustein Foundation was established in Baltimore to channel a share of the Blaustein family's oil-and-gas wealth — originating from the...
Morton K. & Jane Blaustein Foundation
The Morton K. & Jane Blaustein Foundation was established in Baltimore to channel a share of the Blaustein family's oil-and-gas wealth — originating from the American Oil Company (AMOCO), founded by patriarch Jacob Blaustein and later sold to BP — into structured philanthropy. Jeanne P. Blaustein serves as President and Trustee, while Susan M. Blaustein acts as Vice President and Trustee. The foundation operates alongside the family's main investment and operating entity, American Trading and Production Corporation (ATAPCO), which manages the broader asset portfolio including commercial real estate holdings such as the Blaustein Building at One South Street in Baltimore, residential development in Charlotte, and industrial parcels in White Marsh, Maryland and Bristol Township, Pennsylvania. The foundation pursues a bifurcated strategy. On the endowment side, it maintains a traditional diversified portfolio to preserve intergenerational purchasing power for grantmaking. On the programmatic side, it makes direct grants in three principal areas: educational equity in the United States, with a focus on Baltimore public schools and statewide education reform; global women's health and human rights through Susan Blaustein's WomenStrong International, which operates learning labs in Ghana, Kenya, India, and Guatemala; and environmental conservation grants tied to the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The foundation does not publicly disclose its total deployment or specific investment allocations. Jeanne Blaustein also serves as Board Chair of Reimagine End of Life, a nonprofit exploring community-driven approaches to mortality and grief, and sits on the board of Jonas Philanthropies, a healthcare-focused grantmaking entity. Susan Blaustein is a member of Women Moving Millions, a network of philanthropists committing $1 million or more to women's causes, and founded WomenStrong International as a spinoff initiative now housed within the foundation's grantmaking umbrella. The foundation's structural differentiator is its integration of a direct-operating nonprofit — WomenStrong International — within the grantmaking architecture, rather than funding it as a third-party grantee. This arrangement, combined with ATAPCO's parallel stewardship of the family's real assets and legacy energy holdings, creates a hybrid structure where the philanthropic entity controls its own programmatic execution while remaining financially tethered to a separate family office. The result is unusual grantee intimacy: the foundation's Vice President is also the Executive Director of its largest programmatic vehicle.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1988
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Baltimore
Corporate office
Baltimore, MD, United States
Principals
Jeanne P. Blaustein
President and Trustee
Susan M. Blaustein
Vice President and Trustee
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at the Morton K. & Jane Blaustein Foundation?
The foundation's investment portfolio is managed through the Blaustein family's primary operating and investment vehicle, American Trading and Production Corporation (ATAPCO), rather than by a dedicated foundation CIO. Jeanne P. Blaustein and Susan M. Blaustein oversee grantmaking strategy as President and Vice President, respectively. ATAPCO handles the endowment's asset allocation and manager selection, though specific investment committee members are not publicly identified.
How does the foundation source its grantmaking opportunities?
The foundation's programmatic sourcing is deeply tied to its principals' operational involvement. Susan Blaustein founded and directs WomenStrong International, which identifies and funds women-led organizations in Ghana, Kenya, India, and Guatemala — effectively creating a proprietary pipeline of grantee partners. For domestic education grants, the foundation relies on Baltimore-based relationships and partnerships with local school systems and education reform networks, leveraging the Blaustein family's multigenerational presence in the city.
What is the relationship between the foundation and ATAPCO?
American Trading and Production Corporation (ATAPCO) is the primary family office and investment vehicle for the Blaustein family, managing assets including commercial real estate like the Blaustein Building in Baltimore, residential developments in Charlotte, and legacy energy holdings tracing back to AMOCO. The foundation is a separate philanthropic entity funded by the family's wealth, but its endowment sits within ATAPCO's broader asset management structure rather than being managed by an independent foundation investment office.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The Blaustein family fortune originates from the American Oil Company (AMOCO), founded by Jacob Blaustein and his father Louis in the early 20th century. AMOCO merged with Standard Oil of Indiana and later with BP. The family consolidated its wealth through ATAPCO, which diversified into real estate, industrial holdings, and financial assets. The foundation was established to deploy a portion of this wealth toward charitable purposes.
Does the foundation maintain philanthropic structures beyond grantmaking?
Yes. Susan Blaustein founded WomenStrong International, which operates as both a grantee and a programmatic arm of the foundation, running women's empowerment learning labs in four countries. Jeanne Blaustein chairs the board of Reimagine End of Life, a separate nonprofit exploring community approaches to mortality and grief, and serves on the board of Jonas Philanthropies. These roles create overlapping governance between the foundation and its programmatic partners, distinct from purely arm's-length grantmaking.
What sectors does the foundation explicitly avoid?
The foundation does not publicly maintain a formal exclusion list. However, its grantmaking is tightly concentrated in three thematic areas — educational equity, women's human rights and health, and environmental conservation — and it does not accept unsolicited proposals. This effectively excludes most other sectors from consideration. Endowment investment restrictions, if any, are not disclosed.
Is the foundation involved in impact investing or program-related investments?
There is no public evidence that the Morton K. & Jane Blaustein Foundation deploys program-related investments (PRIs) or impact-first capital alongside its traditional grantmaking. The foundation's 990-PF filings do not indicate PRI activity. The family's investment activity appears strictly bifurcated: ATAPCO manages for financial return, while the foundation makes outright grants.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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