New York City is home to a lot of philanthropic activity involving Goldman Sachs partners and executives. Many current and former employees of the NYC-based investment firm have become very wealthy and subsequently turned some of their attention to charitable giving. One of the lesser-known Goldman Sachs-affiliated philanthropies is the Abby and David Cohen Family Foundation, a funder that often awards grants to New York City groups.
Here are a few things to know about the Abby and David Cohen Family Foundation and how to approach this funder for support.
Background and connections
Abby Cohen was born in Queens, New York and graduated from Martin Van Buren High School. Her educational background includes Cornell University and George Washington University. Cohen and her husband, David, are connected to the Jewish faith and are consistently supportive of their alma maters. She joined the Goldman Sachs team in 1990 and became a partner in 1998, though she is now retired from the firm and remembered in the industry for her 1990s bull market forecasts.
Over the years, Cohen has served on the boards of multiple organizations in NYC. She also has connections to Washington, D.C., where she began her career as an economist working at the Federal Reserve Board.
Topics of interest
Regarding education, the Cohen Family Foundation often sticks to supporting its founding couple’s alma maters. Not only did both Cohens attend Cornell University—their children did as well. However, the foundation has also backed other educational institutions like Rockefeller University and the METNY Scholarship Fund.
The Cohens’ Jewish interests often extend to Hillel organizations, synagogues and museums. For example, the foundation has supported the Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York, Cornell Hillel and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Other museums, such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Hill Wood Estate Museum & Gardens, have also received support over the years.
How to secure a grant
This foundation tends to award several hundred thousand dollars in grants per year, with individual grants ranging between $1,000 and $50,000. It gravitates toward large and well-established organizations that the Cohens are already familiar with, rather than smaller, more under-the-radar groups.
As grantseekers might suspect, the Abby and David Cohen Family Foundation is not open to receiving unsolicited requests and does not publicly share information about grantmaking guidelines or procedures. The best way to get involved with this foundation is to be personally affiliated with an organization the Cohens already support.
Learn more about the Abby and David Cohen Family Foundation in IP’s New York City and Tri-State funding guide and in our Wall Street Donors profile of the Cohens.