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The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund
The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund was established in 1955 by investment banker Morris A. Schapiro and his wife Alma. Morris Schapiro built his firm, M.A.
The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund
The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund was established in 1955 by investment banker Morris A. Schapiro and his wife Alma. Morris Schapiro built his firm, M.A. Schapiro & Co., into a respected authority on bank stock analysis through the middle decades of the twentieth century. The foundation reflects the couple's lifelong commitment to New York City's cultural and educational fabric. Trustee Jacob Collins, Alma's grandson and a noted classical realist painter who founded the Grand Central Atelier, represents the family's direct, multi-generational involvement alongside trustees drawn from both the Schapiro and Collins families. Grantmaking concentrates on three program areas: arts and culture, education, and health. The foundation supports New York institutions almost exclusively. Among its signature commitments, the fund administers the Alma Schapiro Prize in partnership with the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, a fellowship that sends an emerging architect or artist to study at the American Academy in Rome. The investment portfolio holds a conventional mix of corporate equities and government bonds, generating the income that funds annual distributions. This conservative asset allocation prioritizes steady grantmaking capacity over aggressive growth. Total assets exceed $100 million, with Altss research estimating the current corpus around $150 million. The foundation operates without a dedicated professional staff, relying on its board of family and affiliated trustees to make all grant decisions. Stephen J. Paluszek, a former president of M.A. Schapiro & Co. and current principal at PRB Advisors, provides institutional continuity between the founding wealth and present governance. The fund is a member of Philanthropy New York, the regional association of grantmakers. Structurally, the Schapiro Fund sits at an inflection point common to mid-century private foundations: the third and fourth generations of a single family govern a vehicle designed for perpetuity. No outside donors, no fundraising arm, and no separate operating entity dilute the original donor intent. The foundation's small board and narrow mission stand in contrast to the professionalized, multi-strategy philanthropy that has become standard among peers, making the fund an unusually pure expression of a single family's geographic and philanthropic loyalties.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1955
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Stephen J. Paluszek
Trustee
Jacob Collins
Trustee
Barnaby Schapiro
Trustee
Rufus Collins
Trustee
Jon Schapiro
Trustee
Marion Schapiro
Trustee
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment and grant decisions at the Schapiro Fund?
A board of trustees drawn from the Schapiro and Collins families, along with affiliated professionals, governs the foundation. Stephen J. Paluszek, formerly president of M.A. Schapiro & Co., serves as a trustee alongside family members Jacob Collins, Barnaby Schapiro, Rufus Collins, Jon Schapiro, and Marion Schapiro. The board makes all grant and investment decisions without a dedicated professional staff.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The fortune traces to Morris Abraham Schapiro, an investment banker who specialized in bank stock trading and analysis. His firm, M.A. Schapiro & Co., established him as a leading figure in that niche during the mid-20th century. The foundation, established in 1955, represents the philanthropic vehicle for that wealth.
What is the Alma Schapiro Prize and how is it administered?
The Alma Schapiro Prize is a fellowship awarded in partnership with the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. It funds an emerging architect or artist for study at the American Academy in Rome. The prize is named for the foundation's co-founder and reflects the family's deep ties to classical art and architecture, a lineage continued by trustee Jacob Collins through his Grand Central Atelier.
Does the Schapiro Fund accept unsolicited grant proposals?
Private foundations of this size and age typically do not maintain open calls for proposals. The Schapiro Fund's giving appears concentrated on a known set of New York City institutions, and no public-facing website or application portal has been identified in Altss research. Grantseekers should assume a closed or invitation-only process unless the foundation states otherwise.
How is the foundation's investment portfolio structured?
The portfolio holds corporate stocks and government obligations, a conservative allocation typical of long-established private foundations that prioritize capital preservation and steady income for annual distributions. There is no public evidence of allocations to private equity, venture capital, or hedge funds, though the foundation's tax filings would provide the definitive picture.
What is the relationship between the Schapiro family and the Grand Central Atelier?
Trustee Jacob Collins, a grandson of the founders, is the founder and a leading figure of the Grand Central Atelier, a school devoted to classical realist painting and sculpture. The Atelier is a separate entity from the foundation, but Collins' role connects the fund's support for classical art and architecture to the wider realist art movement he has helped lead in New York.
Which sectors or geographies does the Schapiro Fund explicitly avoid?
The foundation maintains a near-exclusive focus on New York City institutions, with no evidence of international grantmaking or support for organizations outside the metropolitan area. Programmatically, its giving is confined to arts and culture, education, and health, with no apparent engagement in areas such as environmental causes, social justice, or scientific research that many peers fund.
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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