The Gottesman Fund

The Gottesman Fund

David S. Gottesman created the foundation in 1965 after building wealth through First Manhattan Co. and a long partnership with Warren Buffett. Ruth Gottesman now chairs the entity while son Robert Gottesman leads First Manhattan. The foundation deploys capital across education, health, Jewish causes, and arts. It maintains direct holdings in Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, and KKR alongside real assets such as the Gottesman Rye Estate and an Impressionist art collection. Geographic reach covers the United States and Israel, with notable facilitation of the Dead Sea Scrolls acquisition for the Israel Museum. Structures include outright grants and targeted donations rather than fund commitments. Assets total $1.4B per internal records. The family maintains ties to the American Museum of Natural History, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Berkshire Hathaway board service through 2022. A $1B commitment to Albert Einstein College of Medicine was announced in 2024. First Manhattan Co. serves as primary investment advisor. The foundation operates as a private grant-making vehicle tied directly to the Gottesman family and its operating company, First Manhattan Co., rather than through external managers or multi-family platforms.