NET WORTH: $4.8 billion
SOURCE OF WEALTH: Inherited, Ziff Capital Partners
FUNDING AREAS: New York, conservation, mental health/substance abuse
OVERVIEW: Dirk Ziff did not really start giving philanthropically until he was in his mid-30s, but over the past few decades, he has made substantial contributions to New York-based organizations, environmental causes, and substance abuse organizations. In 2000, he established the Natasha and Dirk Ziff Foundation. The foundation is relatively small. According to available tax filings, did not award any grants in 2018; however, it awarded $1 million in grants in 2017.
BACKGROUND: Dirk Ziff is the older brother of Daniel and Robert Ziff. As heirs of the family business, Ziff Davis Media, Dirk Ziff could have slipped into his father’s shoes and picked up where he left off. Instead, he and his brothers decided that they did not want to follow the path laid out before them and chose to venture out on their own. At 26, Dirk Ziff pitched a proposal to his father and brothers that would give him control of over $500 million of the family’s money, which Dirk would invest. They agreed and the brothers established Ziff Brothers Investments (ZBI), with Dirk and Robert at the helm. A little over 20 years after establishing Ziff Brothers Investments, the brothers decided to close the doors of their multibillion-dollar hedge fund. Ziff founded is own firm, Ziff Capital Partners, in 2015.
ISSUES:
NEW YORK: The biggest recipient of his largesse has been his first alma mater, Trinity School, to which Ziff has donated over $7 million. He initially gave the school $100,000 back in 1997, and over the years his donations have ranged widely between a low of $3,000 to a high of $2 million. More recently, Ziff has given the school $1 million or more on an annual basis. The Ziff Foundation has also heavily supported the Brearley School.
Like his brothers, Dirk Ziff has contributed heavily to New York-based organizations, especially the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts. Since 1999, Ziff has given Lincoln Center over $3 million. Dirk Ziff also favors the Educational Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), the parent company of WNET. Ziff has given to EBC, WNET, and WNET family company, THIRTEEN. Other past grantees include New York Public Library, the Museum of Modern Art, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of New York, the New York Blood Center, and Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Gay Men's Health Crisis in particular has received a modest but constant stream of money from Ziff. He has also donated over the years to Common Ground, which addresses chronic homelessness in major cities around the nation, including New York.
MARTHA'S VINEYARD: Ziff and his wife Natasha vacation in Martha's Vineyard, and contribute a significant stream of funding to Massachusetts-based organizations. He been a consistent funder of the Martha's Vineyard Film Festival and made a 5-year $500,000 commitment to the festival back in 2008. Natasha serves on the advisory board of the film festival and seems to have an interest in film. She is also director of Sea the World Productions, a nonprofit film organization which has received big support from the couple. Expect Natasha to guide this area of the couple's philanthropy.
CONSERVATION: Dirk Ziff’s conservation efforts are relatively limited, with the biggest recipient being the National Audubon Society. Ziff has been making donations to the bird and wildlife conservation organization since 1996. Ziff has made smaller donations to the Peregrine Fund and to NRDC. In Massachusetts, Ziff has also given to the Farm Institute in Martha's Vineyard, which offers educational programs in land preservation, the history of Martha's Vineyard farming, and nutritional awareness. He has also given to the Westchester Land Trust, the Central Park Conservancy, and the Urban Ecology Institute at Boston College.
MENTAL HEALTH/SUBSTANCE ABUSE: In 2008, Ziff gave the Caron Foundation $1 million toward its capital campaign and established the Ziff Family Self Development Endowment Fund, designed to provide scholarships for operational expenses at the Breakthrough at Caron Program. Caron, now known as the Caron Treatment Centers, primarily provides long-term alcohol and drug addiction treatment for people in all age groups from adolescents to older adults. In 2010, Ziff also gave the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University a $10,000 gift in support of its mental health and crisis intervention programs.
LOOKING FORWARD: Dirk Ziff’s charitable donations have remained fairly consistent over the past few decades. It remains to be seen whether he and wife will ramp up and professionalize their giving. Certainly they have the means to build a major philanthropic operation if they so choose. As things stand now, their foundation has no publicly identifiable staff, no website, and no way for grantseekers to submit applications for funding.
CONTACT:
The Natasha & Dirk Ziff Foundation
350 Park Ave., 4th Fl.
New York, NY United States 10022-6022
RELATED PROFILES:
Daniel Ziff
Robert Ziff