# The Teagle Foundation

The Teagle Foundation is an Endowment / Foundation based in New York, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 570 Lexington Avenue, 38th Floor, New York, NY 10022
- **Founded:** 1944
- **Assets under management:** $171M (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** teaglefoundation.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/teagle-foundation

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Teagle Foundation was established in 1944 with capital from Walter Clark Teagle, who led Standard Oil of New Jersey for two decades. While its endowment structure follows a traditional foundation model, the capital's lineage ties it to the Rockefeller-era oil industry. Andrew Delbanco, a Columbia University scholar and the foundation's president, guides its strategy alongside Chair Emeritus Walter C. Teagle III, who also heads the family's Teagle Management, Inc. The foundation deploys capital through an endowment portfolio managed externally — with known relationships including TIFF and HighVista Strategies — while its grantmaking targets curriculum reform, faculty development, and institutional accountability in higher education. It provides seed funding to educators, favoring concrete solutions over broad advocacy. Geographic focus is national, with grants reaching a diverse set of institutions across the United States. The investment posture is classic grantmaking foundation: preserve and grow corpus via a diversified pool, then spend down on mission-aligned programs. The foundation's 38th-floor office at 570 Lexington Avenue anchors its New York operations. Andrew Delbanco's network extends into the Century Association, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Council on Foreign Relations — affiliations that connect the foundation to broader intellectual and policy circles. The board retains legacy ties to both ExxonMobil and Cornell University, each of which holds the right to nominate a director. The dual governance structure — foundation board plus family-office oversight via Teagle Management — sets its architecture apart. While other endowed foundations simply invest and grant, Teagle's board is structurally linked to the corporation and university that shaped its founder's career, making its governance a living artifact of early-20th-century industrial philanthropy.

## Sectors

- Education

## People

- Andrew Delbanco — President
- Walter C. Teagle III — Chair Emeritus

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at The Teagle Foundation?

The foundation's endowment is managed externally. Known investment relationships include TIFF (The Investment Fund for Foundations) and HighVista Strategies. Day-to-day oversight ultimately falls under the board and the president, Andrew Delbanco, but the foundation does not employ an in-house investment team.

### Where does the foundation's wealth come from?

The endowment was established with wealth from Walter Clark Teagle, who served as president and chairman of Standard Oil Company of New Jersey — the predecessor of ExxonMobil. The Teagle fortune was built during the peak of the Rockefeller-era oil industry.

### What are the foundation's ties to ExxonMobil and Cornell University?

Both institutions retain legacy governance rights. The chair of ExxonMobil and the president of Cornell University each nominate a director to the foundation's board. These relationships date back to Walter C. Teagle's leadership at Standard Oil and his deep involvement with Cornell.

### What does The Teagle Foundation actually fund?

Grants focus on strengthening liberal arts education at the undergraduate level. The foundation backs curriculum reform, improved teaching and learning, and financial sustainability projects at a diverse array of U.S. institutions. It does not fund general scholarship endowments or capital campaigns.

## Related profiles

- [Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford](https://altss.com/profile/jewish-community-foundation-of-greater-hartford)
- [Xavier University of Louisiana](https://altss.com/profile/xavier-university-of-louisiana)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/the-teagle-foundation

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology