Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation

Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation

The Motulsky-Nacht Family Foundation operates as a private, non-operating grantmaker organized under Section 501(c)(3). John A. Motulsky and his spouse Wendy Nacht serve as trustees. Motulsky's investing career at Stonehill Capital Management, a New York-based manager specializing in distressed credit and special situations, provides the underlying wealth that funds the foundation. Daniel Motulsky, formerly Global Head of Consumer & Retail at Lazard and now Senior Managing Director at Asgaard Capital, is also linked to the family's financial and philanthropic architecture alongside Elizabeth Nacht. The foundation concentrates its grants in education, human services, and voluntarism promotion. Geographic commitment centers on three states: New York, California, and Connecticut, according to public record. While the foundation's grantee list and typical check size are not publicly detailed, the giving posture reflects a donor-advised approach anchored in the family's professional networks — Daniel Motulsky's board service for Right To Play and trustee role at The New School University signal sustained education and youth-development interests that dovetail with the foundation's stated focus areas. The Altss-estimated $234M in foundation assets places Motulsky-Nacht in the middle tier of US private foundations by endowment size. The foundation does not maintain a standalone website and does not issue a public annual report, which limits visibility into total annual grantmaking volume or staff headcount. Daniel Motulsky holds a life membership at the Council on Foreign Relations and trustee or committee roles at the Museum of Modern Art, expanding the family's institutional footprint beyond pure grantmaking into arts and foreign-policy spheres. What distinguishes the Motulsky-Nacht structure is its integration with active investment management. John Motulsky simultaneously runs Stonehill Capital Management, creating a direct pipeline between hedge-fund-level deal flow and foundation asset growth — a configuration that blurs the line between grantmaking vehicle and the investment firm that feeds it, unlike foundations that outsource CIO functions or rely on passive portfolios.